SUBTLETIES OF SHAA’IREE. PART 3

with each one separately*

Hey Rahul, I wish you could go a little slower, and do write ups with each one, and lots of examples. I'm completely unfamiliar with all this. Would so love to learn.

Rahul Sahib,it is no doubt a wonderful job. I was looking for some one for so long who could make me understand the 'Ramooze shairee' in simple terms. I have done some shairee without any knowledge about 'arkaan'.I knew about'Behr, Qafia, zameen, Radeef' but that it.but how to balance the sheir, daakhliaat and takhtee and all____completely ignorant.
Thanks alot.....yeh sub jaan ke jaana hai
shair kehna asaan naheen
yehan to khoon-e-jigar pilana hai

Real info - I will try to figure it out too - Its a bit too technical for me - but I am sure once I get down to it - and look up examples to support it - I will get some knowledge out of it as well!

This is most appreciable work. Great. Great. Great. Thank you for sharing.
Only if Chowk has possibility of using Urdu khatoot too. How nice it will be. Anyone know how and if this can be done??

rahul its cool, its not difficult to follow thanx man.

p.s. I will arrange this later,when I get time.

The Subtleties of Shaa’iree (Part 1)
===========================

1.3 Meaning of “Ghazal”

To express their thoughts, feelings, experiences and observations, people have
invented many different vehicles. Someone who uses paint and brush as instruments
for expression is called a painter; one who uses sounds and harmony with voice or
musical instruments is called a musician; and one who creates magic on paper by
composing exquisite arrangements of words is called a shaa'ir.

To quote Munshi Brij Narain Chakbast:

shaa'iree kyaa hai? dilee jazbaat kaa izhaar hai
dil agar bekaar hai to shaa'iree bekaar hai!

Ghazal is an extremely appealing and popular genre of shaa’iree. There is probably
no famous poet who, at one time or another, has not written in the Ghazal form.

The literal meaning of Ghazal is "to converse with the beloved". This sets the
Ghazal apart from other forms of poetry, with respect to its temperament and subject
matter. Beauty and Love, Separation and Meetings, Moth and Candle, Vicissitudes of
Life, Impermanence of the World, etc are the staple of Ghazal.

This does not mean, however, that Ghazal doesn't allow other topics, or that
its structure is not capable of expressing other subject matter. In fact, modern
poets have made many attempts in this regard, and have composed Ghazals on a wide
variety of subjects, ranging from "roTi kapRa aur makaan" to "workers versus
capitalists". However, apart from some notable exceptions, few such attempts have
achieved success.

1.4 The Elements of Ghazal

The structure of a Ghazal includes four elements:

(a) radeef (b) qaafiya (c) matla' (d) maqta'

These are described briefly below.

In addition to these four elements, there are several other terms associated with
Ghazal, such as: taKhallus, zameen, Ghazal.e.musalsal, do.Ghazla, vazan, beHr, etc.
These will also be discussed at appropriate places in later sections.

To understand the terminology of Ghazal, we present a Ghazal by Momin.

tum bhee rehne lage Khafaa saaheb (1)
kaheeN saaya miraa paRaa saaheb?

hai yeh baNda hee be.vafaa saaheb (2)
Ghair aur tum bhale! bhalaa saaheb?

kyoN ulajhte ho juNbish.e.lab se (3)
Khair hai? maiN ne kyaa kahaa saaheb?

dam.e.aaKHir bhee tum naheeN aaye (4)
baNdigee ab! k maiN chalaa saaheb.

kis pe bigRe the, kis pe Ghussa thaa? (q) (5)
raat tum kis pe the Khafaa saaheb?

kis ko dete the gaaliyaaN laakhoN (6)
kis kaa shab zikr.e.Khair thaa saaheb?

naam.e.ishq.e.butaaN na lo Momin (7)
keejiye bas Khudaa, Khudaa saaheb!

This Ghazal has 7 ash’aar (plural of she’r), and each she’r has 2 misre (lines).
Each she’r of a Ghazal must be composed of two misre.

Also note that every misra of the ghazal is of the same length. In the terminology
of shaa’iree, we say that every misra/she’r is in the same beHr (lit. sea), or
"meter". If a single letter is removed from anywhere, the misra would go out of
meter - this is called "beHr se Khaarij hona". This defect is unacceptable in a
Ghazal.
(Details about beHr will be presented later)

Now let us look at the elements of Ghazal:

(a) radeef: A word, fragment, or phrase that appears at the end of the second misra
of every she’r. In Momin's Ghazal, the radeef is "saaheb". A Ghazal that contains a
radeef is called a "muraddaf" Ghazal. It is not mandatory to use a radeef in a
Ghazal, although commonly most poets do use it.
A Ghazal that does not contain a radeef is called a "Ghair muraddaf" Ghazal. An
example is this Ghazal:

yeh subH.o.shaam kee uljhan yeh roz.o.shab kee yaad
sunaa.ooN kyaa tumheN afsaana.e.dil.e.barbaad

jo aaye yaad to dil Doob Doob jaataa hai
jo us ko bhoolnaa chaahooN to aur aaye yaad!

maiN Khud ko DhooNDne niklaa to raasta na milaa
daleel.e.raah nazar thee miree, so be.buniyaad

Khayaal.o.Khwaab kee duniyaa hooN aur maiN Sarwar
umeed.e.daad hai mujh ko na shikva.e.be.daad
(Sarwar Raz
:Sarwar:)

This Ghazal has no radeef; the last word of the second misra of each she’r rhymes
(yaad, barbaad, buniyaad, etc.). Such words are called qaafiya, see (b) below.

(b) qaafiya: A word, fragment or phrase that appears just before the radeef. In
Momin's Ghazal the qavaafee (plural of qaafiya) are "Khafaa”, “baRaa”, “bhalaa”,
etc., while Sarwar's Ghazal has the qavaafee "barbaad”, “yaad”, “buniyaad", etc.

Notice that these words rhyme with each other. This is a requirement for qavaafee
words.
That is, non-rhyming words cannot be used as qaafiyaa in a Ghazal. Words that rhyme
(such as “bhalaa”, “kahaa”, “Khafaa”) are called "ham-qaafiyaa".

(c) matla: matla literally means the place something arises, or begins. The first
she’r of a Ghazal is called a matla, because it marks the beginning of the Ghazal.
Both misre of a matla must have qaafiya/radeef. That is, both misre of a matla are
"ham-qaafiyaa"

All ash’aar other than matla do not employ the qaafiyaa in the first misra.
(Note that the second matla must have qaafiya in both misre.)

A Ghazal may have more than one matla. In that case, the first matla is called the
" matla.e.avval” or “matla.e.oolaa", and the second matla is called the
"matla.e.saanee” or “Husn.e.matla". In Momin's Ghazal, sher # 1 is the
matla.e.avval, and sher #2 is the matla.e.saanee.

(d) maqta (meaning ending place). This is the last she’r of a Ghazal. It marks the
end of the Ghazal.
Often, the poet includes his "taKhallus" in the maqta. This is not a rule as such,
but most poets do follow convention and use their taKhallus in the maqta, and in
this way leave their "stamp" on their composition.

The takhallus could be anything. Some poets use their name as taKhallus; others
adopt a
pseudonym for this purpose. For example, Asadullah Khan used the taKhallus Ghalib,
and Muhammad Iqbal used the taKhallus Iqbal.

Here it seems appropriate to mention another term used in shaa’iree - "zameen".
One way to identify a Ghazal is through the combination of its radeef and
qaafiyaa, this is called "zameen". So, the zameen of Momin's Ghazal is "Khafaa
saaheb, baRaa saaheb". And for one of Ghalib's Ghazal " ko'ee din gar
zindigaanee aur hai", the zameen is said to be "zindigaanee aur hai, Thaanee aur
hai".

1.5 Special Features of Ghazal

The Ghazal stands apart from other poetic forms not only due to its particular
structural features, but also because the subjects it addresses, and its style of
expression -
"andaaz.e.bayaaN" - are special.

Each she’r of a Ghazal is complete and whole in itself, and is not dependent on any
other
she’r for its explication. Hence, it is quite possible that in a Ghazal one she’r is
about Love and Beauty, another ponders the Philosophy of Life, a third addresses
political issues, and a fourth talks about the transitoriness of worldly things. We
could say that every she’r of a Ghazal is a complete "mini-poem" by itself. Hence,
it is not required that all the ash’aar of a Ghazal be bound by commonality of ideas
or subject matter, or be the flow of a single thought.

This independence of ideas and topics in the ash’aar of a Ghazal becomes more
effective
if the ideas/topics of a Ghazal match its temperament. A very important
characteristic
of a Ghazal is its "daakhiliyat", meaning that the ideas and feelings expressed
must arise spontaneously from within the shaa’ir. That is why it is a shaair's duty
to attempt to internalize or personalize those subjects that are outside (i.e. those
matters that arise from stimulants that are external to the shaa’ir), and feel them
intensely, as if he were personally affected by the circumstances described in the
poetry.

In addition to "daakhiliyat", there is another important reason for the immense
popularity of Ghazals, and that is: the ability to lucidly describe the deepest
human emotions and the most complex or profound ideas in just two lines of a she’r!
This characteristic is called “ijaz.o.iKhtisaar” (inimitability and brevity). This
is the reason why Ghazal poets frequently use similes, metaphors, hints, analogies,
and symbolism in their compositions.

It is not a requirement that every she’r of a Ghazal be about a different subject.
It is quite possible that different aspects of the same topic be explored in the
entire Ghazal. “Ghazal.e.musalsal” is the name given to a Ghazal in which the same
basic idea or emotion is expressed in different ways.
Thus, a Ghazal.e.musalsal is like a rosary in which each bead recites the same basic
idea
or emotion. Hasrat Mohani's famous Ghazal - "chupke chupke raat din aaNsoo bahaana
yaad hai" - is a fine example of Ghazal.e.musalsal.

Here, it is appropriate to mention two more terms :

do.Ghazla: As the name suggests, this refers to two Ghazals in the same beHr and
zameen, with each one following the rules of matla and maqta.

qita-band: Sometimes, the poet may include within his Ghazal two (or more) ash’aar
that elaborate the same thought. Such a group of ashaa’r is called qita-band.
Usually, these are indicated in the Ghazal by the letter “q” at the first misra, so
that the reader may appreciate the continuity and flow of the thought. In the
example of Momin's Ghazal, sher #5 and 6 form a qita.

1.6 What is a Ghazal?

After this discussion, we can readily answer the question "What is a Ghazal?"
Ghazal is a collection of ash’aar, each composed of two misre, which follow the
rules
of radeef, qaafiyah, matla and maqta. Every she’r of a Ghazal must be in the same
beHr, and, generally, does not depend on any other she’r for its meaning; that is,
each she’r is a complete thought in itself. However, it is also valid to express the
same basic thought in various ways within a Ghazal, as we already discussed.

==========

SUBTLETIES OF SHAA’IREE. Part II
=============================

Reading Part 1 of “Subtleties of Shaa’iree” must have raised some questions in your
mind:

(1) What is beHr? What is its place in shaa’iree? What are its rules of usage?
(2) How many beHr are used in Urdu shaa’iree? What are their names? How are they
recognized?
(3) What is the benchmark for determining the beHr of a particular Ghazal?
(4) What is the study of beHr called? And what are its fundamentals?

In this part of the article, we’ll try to answer these questions briefly.
Recognizing the fact that people often weary of dry and technical matters, the
discussion here will include basics only. Those desiring more advanced knowledge may
look to books for help.

Here it is essential to mention that as in any field of study, to understand the
finer points of shaa’iree one requires the tutelage of a knowledgeable master. Alas!
there are very few such “ustads” left even in Hindustan and Pakistan, let alone in
America, who possess a complete knowledge of shaa’iree. Nowadays the teacher-student
relationship is considered redundant, although it is difficult to do good shaa’iree
without it.

Now, in light of the above questions, let us talk about some interesting points:

tofeeq agar reh.bar.e.manzil naheeN hotee
me'raaj.e.muHabbat kabhee Haasil naheeN hotee! (Raz Chandpuri)

2.2 What is “arooz”?

Before discussing the importance of beHr in Urdu shaa’iree, its characteristics and
other such matters, it is essential to briefly discuss “ilm.e.arooz”, because the
entire theory of beHr is based on arooz. This discussion is difficult and dry and
may cause some mental distress in the beginning. However, the portion of the
discussion that is required for shaa’iree is not very difficult. Also, the
occasional examples can make it somewhat easier to follow.

As everyone knows, language is composed of different sounds. There are two possible
ways of producing a sound:

(1) sounds are produced such that some sounds appear long, and some appear short.
(2) Sounds are produced such that some sounds have greater emphasis, and some have
less emphasis.

Urdu language is associated with the former case, that is, sounds are distinguished
as long or short.

(a) A short sound refers to the sound of a single ‘Harf’. (plural: Huroof). (Harf is
also called “maatra”)
(b) A long or big sound refers to the sound of two Huroof.

To understand this difference between sounds, let us consider the word “arooz”
itself. Arooz is spelt (ain, re, vav, zvaad). There is a zabar on ain, and zvaad is
saakin, meaning that its sound is not modified by zer, zabar or pesh. When sounding
out the word arooz, first you hear the sound of one Harf (i.e ain); then you hear
the sound of two Huroof “roo”, from the combination of rey and vav; and finally the
sound of one Harf, i.e. zvaad, reaches the ears.

Therefore, we can say that the word “arooz” is composed of one short sound, then one
long sound, and then one short sound. If we denote a short sound with ‘s’ and a long
sound with ‘l’, the symbolic representation of “arooz” is: s-l-s.

Likewise, the word “aroozee” may be represented as: s-l-l. This is because when
sounding out this word you hear a short sound (ain for ‘a’), then a long sound
(‘roo’, which is composed of rey and vaav), and one more long sound (“zee”, which is
composed of zvaad and ye). For our convenience, we may consider these sounds to be
similar to syllables.

In light of the above, ilm.e.arooz may be defined as follows:

Arooz is the name of the science in which language and sher are studied in a special
way. That is, in the Urdu language, in what patterns are sounds combined? The sounds
produced by speaking out words, are they ‘long’ or ‘short’? How many long sounds can
be in juxtaposition? How many short sounds can be juxtaposed? And to what extent and
under what patterns is the juxtaposition of short and long sounds possible?

From this definition we see that the basic purpose of arooz is to study the
arrangements and patterns of sounds. Representing the arrangement of sounds of a
word by using symbols is called “alfaaz kaa vazan zaahir karnaa”. For example,
“arooz” has the vazan s-l-s.

When this process of mapping a word to a symbolic representation of its constituent
sounds is applied to some pattern or composition (sher etc.), and the vazan of the
entire composition is represented symbolically or through patterns, then we call
that “taqtee karnaa” or “behR bayaan karnaa” for that composition. Details of this
will follow.

It was previously mentioned that all words in the Urdu language are such that their
sounds appear to be either long or short. Similarly, all possible patterns or
compositions that could be created in our language can be expressed by long sounds
or short sounds.

It is possible that certain sounds are such that when written they appear long, but
when spoken or read they are heard as short. These are sounds that end in one of the
following Harf:
alif, vav, noon.e.Ghunna, ChhoTee ye, baRee ye, ChhoTee hey:

For example, look at this misra:

umeedeN GhareeboN kee bar laane vaalaa (Molana Hali)

In this misra, the words “kee” and “ne” are written apparently as long, and also
look as if they have a long sound. But when read, in both cases the “ye” is
suppressed. That is, although “kee” and “ne” are written with two Huroof each, when
they are read, the sound of only one Harf (kaaf zer ‘ki’ and noon zer ‘ne’) is
produced. Thus, the arrangement of this misra may be described using the
above-mentioned symbols as:

umeedeN GhareeboN kee bar laa ne vaalaa
s-l-l s-l-l s-l-l s-l-l

To further clarify this point, suppose we write “kee” and “ne” with their apparent
long sounds; then, the symbolic representation will be:

umeeden GhareeboN kee bar laa ne vaa laa
s-l-l s-l-l l-l-l l-l-l

If you read this form, it will be immediately apparent that the misra does not flow
(or “roll off the tongue”) properly; it sounds unbalanced and inappropriate. This is
because we have given “kee” and “ne” artificial sounds that go against (their sounds
in) natural conversation. Therefore the correct symbolic representation of this
misra is that which was described earlier, which is:

s-l-l s-l-l s-l-l s-l-l

In the description above, we have used ‘s’ and ‘l’ as symbols. This system is
adequate for explaining, but for use in shaa’iree a better system is required. If we
had some words that that could represent in symbolic form all words and patterns of
Urdu, our job would become easier.

Fortunately, our elders had figured out such symbols ages ago. Therefore, in
ilm.e.arooz another system is used to represent the different sounds. In this
system, certain dummy words are used that are able to represent all possible
permutations of the arrangements of Urdu sounds.

Such words are called afaa-eel’ or “arkaan” (plural of “rukn”). These afaa-eel or
arkaan are only 8 in number, and are written below:

(1) sabaa'ee afaa-eel: Those arkaan that contain 7 Huroof. There are 6 of these:
(a) ma-faa-ee-lun meeem, fey, alif, ain, ChhoTee ye, laam, noon

(b) faa-i-laa-tun fey, alif, ain, laam, alif, tey, noon

(c) mus-taf-i-lun meem, seen, tey, fey, ain, laam, noon

(d) maf-oo-laat meem, fey, ain, vaav, laam, alif, tey

(e) mu-ta-faa-i-lun meem, tey, fey, alif, ain, laam, noon

(f) ma-faa-i-la-tun meem, fey, alif, ain, laam, tey, noon

(2) Khamaasee afaa-eel : Those afaa-eel that contain 5 Huroof. There are 2 of
these:

(a) fa-oo-lun fe, ain, vav, laam, noon

(b) faa-i-lun fe, alif, ain, laam, noon

It is through the permutations and combinations of these eight afaa-eel (arkaan)
that various patterns are created, which are called “beHr”. Followers of Hindustani
classical music know that it has only seven “sur” (sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, nee)
that can create all the “raag”s. The case of afaa-eel (arkaan) and beHr in shaa’iree
is somewhat analogous.

From a study of these arkaan it is clear that the rukn that is composed of “a
short, a long and a long” sound is “fa-oo-lun”. Therefore, Molana Hali’s misra can
be represented in the terminology of afaa-eel as:

mu raa deN Gha ree boN kee bar laa ne vaa laa
fa-oo-lun fa-oo-lun fa-oo-lun fa-oo-lun

This pattern (or template) is the “beHr” of this misra, and also of the nazm from
which this misra is taken. This beHr has the name “beHr.e.muta'qaarib”. Just as in
music there is no reason for the nomenclature of raag’s, in shaa’iree the names of
beHr are assigned only for their identification, and there is no reason why some
beHr is called by a particular name.

SUBTLETIES OF SHAA’IREE. Part 4
============================

4.1 INTRODUCTION

Here is the fourth installment of this series. In the previous installments, fundamentals of shaa’iree were discussed. After that, there
was discussion of beHr and their ziHaafaat (modified forms) in considerable detail.

Now the discussion has reached a point where it is almost impossible to understand the meaning without illustrative examples and their
detailed discussion. It seems necessary to say a few things about the structure of the current article (and several future articles).

I think that those people who are reading these articles seriously and with a desire to learn something (and perhaps there are many such
readers!) and who wish to enhance their appreciation of Urdu shaa’iree, will find the points mentioned useful. These points also apply to
future installments that will discuss beHr.

In the future, I intend to present some other facets of shaa’iree as well. Details/questions-and answers on this topic are probably
appropriate only after the present discussion ends:

(1) Examples of various beHr will be presented in the following manner:

(a) Since the beHr was described previously, only a brief reference will be given here. If applicable, the method of creating its
ziHaafaat, and the names of the ziHaafaat will be presented, and they will be identified in the example sher.

(b) We will present the taqtee of the example sher, and a brief discussion of some of the non-obvious aspects of the sher. At the
conclusion of this series, we can spend a few weeks on questions and answers. It is hard and time-consuming to answer questions during the
discussion. I hope you will appreciate this procedure. If you can suggest a better procedure, please do so.

(c) Only those beHr’s will be described that are widely used. Obviously, describing all the beHr’s is neither possible nor necessary.
Those with deeper interest in this subject may wish to consult relevant books. Towards the end of these articles, we shall attempt to
present a list of such books.

(2) Since this work requires great attention and efforts, these few installments will be relatively shorter in length, so that you may
study and understand them with ease. An over-abundance of examples will likely cause confusion.

(3) In my humble opinion, you will benefit most from this discussion by spending time on each beHr to closely examine its taqtee and
notice how, in a misra, the length and presentation of the parts (of the misra) correspond to the arkaan. If you read the misra and its
taqtee out aloud, and slowly, perhaps it will be easier to understand this whole process.

(4) the beHr for rubaa’iyaat (which is another form of shaa’iree) are different, and may be discussed in detail later, subject to the
interest of readers.

(5) Remember that shaa’iree and taqtee is an art, not a science! Hence, there is some flexibility in the application of some of its
rules.
Searching for exactitude and precision everywhere will be futile, and may impede your enjoyment and understanding of shaa’iree.

And then there is the question of acceptable exceptions to the rules. The masters of shaa’iree have worked with these rules for hundreds
of years. And so, it is useless for us to now object to them. It is better to accept them, and attempt to understand them. It has been the
case that those who have violated these rules have lost a certain beauty and elegance in their shaa’iree. At least, that is my opinion. Of
course, you are entitled to your own opinion!

(6) This entire discussion, and especially that concerning beHr and their ziHaafaat, will be better understood if they are written in
Urdu, and then studied. This is needed because transliteration into Roman Urdu requires use of things that are absent in Urdu. Zer,
zabar, pesh are not written in Urdu, but they are read; therefore, their sounds have to be represented in Roman. This creates difficulty.
For your convenience, therefore, previously all the arkaan with their spellings were listed. Please refer to them.

4.2 : beHr.e.rajaz

This beHr has the following afaa'eel (arkaan):

mus-taf-i-lun mus-taf-i-lun mus-taf-i-lun mus-taf-i-lun

In Urdu shaa’iree, both the saalim and muzaaHif forms of this beHr are used. An example of each form is presented below.

4.2.1 : beHr.e.rajaz, musamman, saalim : that form of beHr.e.rajaz which uses saalim arkaan in their musamman (i.e., with 8 arkaan) form.
There are 4 arkaan in each misra, for a total of 8 in both the misras. Mir Taqi Mir’s sher and its taqtee:

ae mujh se tujh ko sau mile tujh saa na paayaa aik maiN
sau sau kaheeN too ne magar muNh per na laayaa aik maiN (Mir)

mus-taf-i-lun mus-taf-i-lun mus-taf-i-lun mus-taf-i-lun

ae mujh se tujh ko sau mile tujh saa na paa yaa aik maiN

sau sau kaheeN too ne magar muNh per na laa yaa aik maiN

4.2.2 : beHr.e.rajaz, musamman, mutawee, maKhboon : meaning, that musamman form of beHr.e.rajaz that uses two types of ziHaaf. These
ziHaaf are derived in a manner called “tai” and “Khaban”, respectively.

tai (toe, baRee ye): mus-taf-i-lun minus “fe” leaves “mus-ta-i-lun”, which is replaced by “muf-ta-i-lun”. Thus, “muf-ta-i-lun” is
mutawee (amal.e.:tai: se banaayaa gayaa) ziHaaf of “mus-taf-i-lun”. Now notice how it is used in the sher and taqtee below.

Khaban: mus-taf-i-lun minus “seen” is “mu.taf.i.lun”, which is converted to “mu-faa-i-lun”. So, this is the “maKhbooN” ziHaaf of
“mus-taf-i-lun”.

Now look at these ziHaafaat present in this same order in the tagtee:

Ghuncha.e.naa.shagufta ko door se mat dikhaa k yooN
bosey ko pooChhtaa hooN maiN muNh se mujhe bataa k yooN (Ghalib)

muf-ta-i-lun mu-faa-i-lun muf-ta-i-lun mu-faa-i-lun

Ghuncha.e.naa shagufta ko door se mat dikhaa k yooN

bosey ko poo Chhtaa hooN maiN muNh se mujhe bataa k yooN

Note: This beHr is “shakasta”, since the first two arkaan repeat.

4.3 : beHr.e.ramal : Both forms of this beHr (musaddas and musamman) are used in Urdu. Its arkaan are:

faa-i-laa-tun faa-i-laa-tun faa-i-laa-tun
faa-i-laa-tun

ziHaafaat are created as follows:

(a) Hazaf : faa-i-laa-tun minus :tun: leaves :faa-i-laa:, which is replaced by :faa-i-lun:, and is called :meHzoof:.

(b) shakl : faa-i-laa-tun minus the first :alif: and :noon: leaves :fa-i-laat:, which is the “mashkool” form of :faa-i-laa-tun:

(c) Khaban : faa-i-laa-tun minus the first :alif: leaves :fa-i-laa-tun:, which is the maKhbooN ziHaaf of “faa-i-laa-tun”.

(d) qata' : In (a) faa-i-lun is meHzoof form. Fromthis remove the Harf :noon:, and make the last Harf :laam: saakin (stationary i.e.
without zer, zabar or pesh). This process is called :qata': (qaaf, toe, ain). rukn :faa-i-l: is replaced with :fa'-lun:, and it is called
:maqtoo': (meem, qaaf, toe, vav, ain). Now look at examples of these forms. Note that (d) is actually included in (c).

4.3.1 : beHr.e.ramal, musamman, meHzoof : meaning, that beHr.e.ramal which has eigth arkaan, and which uses meHzoof ziHaaf (faa-i-lun):

naqsh faryaadee hai kis kee shoKhee.e.teHreer kaa
kaaGhazee hai perhan her pekar.e.tasveer kaa (Ghalib)

faa-i-laa-tun faa-i-laa-tun faa-i-laa-tun faa-i-lun

naqsh faryaa dee hai kis kee shoKhee.e.teH reer kaa

kaaGhazee hai perhan her pekar.e.tas veer kaa

4.3.2 : beHr.e.ramal, musamman, mashkool : meaning, that form of beHr.e.ramal which has 8 arkaan, and uses mashkool ziHaaf (fa-i-laat) :

yeh na thee hamaaree qismat k visaal.e.yaar hotaa
agar aur jeete rehte yehee intizaar hotaa
(Ghalib)

fa-i-laat faa-i-laa-tun fa-i-laat faa-i-laa-tun

yeh na thee ha maaree qismat k visaal.e yaar hotaa

agar aur jeete rehte yehee inti zaar hotaa

Note: This beHr is shakastah

4.3.3 : beHr.e.ramal, musamman, maKhboon, meHzoof, maqtoo' : meaning, that form of beHr.e.ramal that has 8 arkaan, and uses, in
sequence, maKhboon, meHzoof-maqtoo' ziHaafaat of “faa-i-laa-tun”

nafas.e.Qais k hai chashm.o.chiraaGh.e.seHraa
na sahee shama.e.siyah.Khaana.e.Lailaa na sahee (Ghalib)

fa-i-laa-tun fa'-laa-tun fa'-laa-tun fa'-lun

nafas.e.Qai s k hai chash m.o.chiraaGha.e seHraa

na sahee shama .e siyah.Khaa na.e.Lailaa na sahee

Note that the first rukn of both misra’s is :fa-i-laa-tun:, and not :faa-i-laa-tun:. This beHr allows this. Second and third rukn is
:fa'-laa-tun:, and the last is meHzoof-maqtoo', i.e., :fa'-lun:

4.3.4 : beHr.e.ramal, musaddas, meHzoof : meaning, that form of beHr.e.ramal which has 6 arkaan and uses meHzoof ziHaaf (faa-i-lun).
Note that each misra has 3 arkaan, for a total of 6 in both; hence, the name “musaddas”.

haiN kavaakib kuChh nazar aate haiN kuChh
detey haiN dhokaa yeh baazee.gar khulaa (Ghalib)

faa-i-laa-tun faa-i-laa-tun faa-i-lun

haiN kavaakib kuChh nazar aa te haiN kuChh

detey haiN dho kaa yeh baazee gar khulaa

4.3.5 : beHr.e.ramal, musaddas, maKhboon, meHzoof : that form of beHr.e.ramal that has 6 arkaan, and uses maKhboon (faa-i-laa-tun has
maKhboon form fa-i-laa-tun) and meHzoof (faa-i-laa-tun has meHzoof form fa-i-lun) ziHaafaat:

ishq mujh ko naheeN veHshat hee sahee
meree veHshat tiree shohrat hee sahee (Ghalib)

faa-i-laa-tun fa-i-laa-tun fa-i-lun

ishq mujh ko naheeN veHshat hee sahee

meree veHshat tiree shohrat hee sahee

5.0 beHr.e.Khafeef : This beHr is used only in its musaddas form in Urdu. Its musamman form is never used, and nor is its saalim form.
That is, only its muzaaHif forms are used. The saalim arkaan of this beHr are:

faa-i-laa-tun mus-taf-i-lun faa-i-laa-tun

In its muzaaHif forms, the first rukn can be fa-i-laa-tun, and the last rukn “fa-i-lun”. Recall that “mus-taf-i-lun” has maKhboon form
“fa-i-laa-tun”, and “fa’-l-un” is its maqtoo form. Two muzaaHif forms of this beHr are presented below:

5.1.1 : In this example, the first misra uses :fa-il-aa-tun: and the second misra uses :faa-i-laa-tun:. This is because of the difference
in the pronunciation of dil: and :aaKhir::

dil.e.naadaaN tujhe huaa kyaa hai
aaKhir si dard kee davaa kyaa hai (Ghalib)

fa-i-laa-tun mu-faa-i-lun fa-i-lun

dil.e.naadaaN tujhe huaa kyaa hai

faa-i-laa-tun mu-faa-i-lun fa-i-lun

aaKhir is dar d kee davaa kyaa hai

5.1.2 : In this example the last rukn of one misra is :fa'-lun:, and that of another is :fa-i-lun::

kyaa voh Namrood kee Khudaa'ee thee
baNdigee meiN miraa bhalaa na huaa (Ghalib)

faa-i-laa-tun mu-faa-i-lun fa'-lun

kyaa voh Namroo d kee Khudaa ee thee

faa-i-laa-tun mu-faa-i-lun fa-i-lun

baNdigee meiN miraa bhalaa na huaa

SUBTLETIES OF SHAA’IREE. PART 3
==============================

3.1: arkaan (afaa'eel) and their modified forms:

In the previous installment we began an introductory discussion on beHr, and in this
context there was mention of afaa’eel (arkaan), which serve as building blocks of
beHr in Urdu shaa’iree. These 8 arkaan are listed below once more, for your
convenience, since they will be used frequently in further discussion:

(a) ma-faa-ee-lun meem, fey, alif, ain, ChhoTee ye, laam, noon

(b) faa-i-laa-tun fey, alif, ain, laam, alif, tey, noon

(c) mus-taf-i-lun meem, seen, tey, fey, ain, laam, noon

(d) maf-oo-laat meem, fey, ain, vaav, laam, alif, tey

(e) mu-ta-faa-i-lun meem, tey, fey, alif, ain, laam, noon

(f) ma-faa-i-la-tun meem, fey, alif, ain, laam, tey, noon

(g) fa-oo-lun fe, ain, vav, laam, noon

(h) faa-i-lun fe, alif, ain, laam, noon

These arkaan are written above in their pure form, the technical term for which is
“saalim”. They are used in beHr in their “saalim” form, and also their form is often
modified. The modified form is called “muzaaHif”. The process which creates muzaaHif
is called “ziHaaf”.

The rules of converting saalim arkaan into their ziHaafaat (modified forms) are
extremely difficult and complex, and it is not necessary to be familiar with them.
However, recognizing ziHaafaat is necessary, so that they may be properly used in
shaa’iree. Below are a few examples of creating ziHaafaat, to give you some idea of
this process. A complete discussion is not possible here. Perhaps even this
presentation is enough to confuse people!

3.2: Some Examples of ziHaafaat (modified arkaan/afaa'eel) :

(1) Removing :ma-faa-ee: from :ma-faa-ee-lun, or :fa-oo: from :fa-oo-lun: leaves
:lun:. This is replaced with :fa': (fe, ain) and is used as a rukn. Thus, fa’ is a
muzaaHif of ma-faa-ee-lun and fa-oo-lun.

This process is called “batar”, and the new rukn (mazaaHif) thus created is called
“abtar”. An example will follow.

(2) Removing the Harf :fe: from “fa-oo-lun” leaves :oo-lun:, which, in its
modified form, is called :fa-lun: (fe, ain, laam, noon), and is used as a rukn.

(3) :faa-i-laa-tun: minus :tun:, :ma-faa-ee-lun: minus :lun: or
:fa-oo-lun: minus :lun: results in :faa-i-laa:, :ma-faa-ee: and :fa-oo: ,
respectively. In muzaaHif, they are modified as:

faa-i-laa to faa-i-lun
ma-faa-ee to fa-oo-lun
fa-oo to fa-al