From Ghazal to Qata: The Building Blocks of Classical Urdu Verse

1) Ghazal

Ghazal is the most popular form in Urdu. It came into Urdu from Persian. Some Urdu poets experimented with the ghazal. Even those poets who strongly opposed the ghazal also wrote poetry in the form of ghazal — like Hali, Josh, etc. Though they opposed ghazal, they too composed verses in the style of ghazal.

The literal meaning of _ghazal_ is “to talk to women,” “to talk about women,” or “to talk of love and romance with the beloved.” Structurally, in a ghazal, both lines of the first couplet have the same rhyme (_qafiya_), refrain (_radif_), and meter (_wazan_). All the remaining couplets follow the same rhyme, refrain, and meter as the first couplet. 

In terms of meaning, every couplet of a ghazal is a complete unit in itself, and the meaning of each couplet is independent. If an entire ghazal is written on a single theme, it is called _ghazal-e-musalsal_ (continuous ghazal). 

The first couplet of a ghazal is called _matla_. If the second couplet after the _matla_ also has both lines rhyming with the same _qafiya_ and _radif_, it is called _husn-e-matla_. The last couplet of a ghazal is called _maqta_, in which the poet usually uses his pen-name (_takhallus_). Even if the poet does not use his pen-name in the last couplet, it is still called _maqta_.

2) Marsiya (Elegy)

_Marsiya_ is derived from _risa_, which means to weep or mourn. Originally, _marsiya_ referred to a poem in which, by describing the qualities of a deceased person, grief and sorrow are expressed. But in Urdu, _marsiya_ has acquired a specific meaning — i.e., _marsiya_ refers only to that poem in which the martyrdom of Hazrat Hussain and other martyrs of Karbala is mentioned. 

Poems written on the death of all other people are called _shakhsi marsiya_ (personal elegy). For example, Hali’s _Marsiya-e-Ghalib_, _Marsiya-e-Dagh_, etc.

3) Qata (Fragment)

Like the _rubai_, a _qata_ is also a poem of four lines. But there are two fundamental differences between a _rubai_ and a _qata_: 

First, a specific meter is prescribed for a _rubai_, whereas a _qata_ can be written in any meter. 

Second, in a _rubai_, it is necessary for the first, second, and fourth lines to rhyme, whereas this condition does not exist for a _qata_ — in a _qata_, the second- and fourth-lines rhyme. The reason is that _qata_ is often found within classical poetry, usually as part of a ghazal’s couplets.

Qafiya (Rhyme) - Words that sound similar are called _qafiya_. For example: _naam-kaam_, _karam-haram_, _dar-sar_.

Radif (Refrain) - The word or words that come after the _qafiya_ and do not change are called _radif_. A _radif_ can sometimes be one word or sometimes consist of two letters, such as _ka, ki, ke, hai, ne, ko, tha_, etc.