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Ghazals

A ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with its roots in 7th-century Arabic poetry. In Persian and Sufi traditions, it became the premier vehicle for expressing deep spiritual longing, the pain of separation from the divine, and the intoxicating pursuit of mystical love.

Core Structure of a Ghazal

A traditional ghazal is defined by a strict set of rules, making it highly musical and meditative:
  • Couplets (Bayt): It generally contains 5 to 15 independent, two-line verses.
  • Rhyme Scheme (Matla & Radif): The opening couplet establishes the rhyme pattern, where both lines share the same internal rhyme (qafia) and closing refrain (radif). In all subsequent couplets, only the second line echoes this rhyme and refrain.
  • Pen-name (Takhallus): The final couplet traditionally includes the poet’s pen-name
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