Ilm-e-Arooz

The classical science of poetic meter — where it comes from, what it measures, and why Urdu inherited it from Arabic.

Pearls on a string — a poem of independent couplets bound by a single meter and a single rhyme. The form itself, its sheʿr unit, its misras.

The unwritten rule that a sheʿr's two misras must together complete one thought. The hidden law that turns rhyme into meaning.

Khalil's Five Circles, the 16 base meters, and how 100+ named variants descend from them. The full history of the science.

The rhyming word that changes from sheʿr to sheʿr — and the refrain that doesn't. The two engines of the ghazal's sound.

The opening sheʿr that declares the rhyme. The closing sheʿr that names the poet. The pen-name itself, and what it does.

Free in line length, not in meter. One rukn repeated a variable number of times per line, with no qafia or radif required.

The ghazal's great cousin — a poem with a unified subject and freer form. What it shares with the ghazal, and what it does not.

The six rhetorical devices — Tashbih, Istiara, Talmih, Kinaya, Iham, Alamat — that turn correct verse into living poetry. With a worked example for each.

Every technical term used across these pages, with a one-line definition. A quick reference whenever you need to look something up.