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The Taste of Words : An Introduction to Urdu Poetry
The Taste of Words: An Introduction to Urdu Poetry, edited and translated by Raza Mir, is a collection of some of the most beautiful pieces of Urdu poetry.
Summary of the Book
If you are one of those who always get delighted by the spoken rhythm of an Urdu couplet and desired to completely comprehend and appreciate its nuances, if you ever wanted to connect with a ghazal more profoundly but were unsettled by its puzzling treaties, if you are confused between a rubaai and a qataa, or a musaddas and a marsiya, here is a book for you! The Taste of Words provides a fresh, peculiar and reachable entry point for beginners looking for enhancing their knowledge of this beautiful language. The vibrant collection of poetry includes poems written by legends like: Mir Taqi Mir and Mirza Ghalib to the poems penned by contemporary game changers like Gulzar and Javed Akhtar. Raza Mir’s translation not only draws out the passion and pathos from these ageless verses, but also offers sharp perceptions and interesting trivia.
About Raza Mir
Raza Mir is the co-author of Anthems of Resistance: A Celebration of Progressive Urdu Poetry. His translated works from Urdu to English, based on his expertise and proficiency over both the languages, have been widely commended.
Summary of the Book
If you are one of those who always get delighted by the spoken rhythm of an Urdu couplet and desired to completely comprehend and appreciate its nuances, if you ever wanted to connect with a ghazal more profoundly but were unsettled by its puzzling treaties, if you are confused between a rubaai and a qataa, or a musaddas and a marsiya, here is a book for you! The Taste of Words provides a fresh, peculiar and reachable entry point for beginners looking for enhancing their knowledge of this beautiful language. The vibrant collection of poetry includes poems written by legends like: Mir Taqi Mir and Mirza Ghalib to the poems penned by contemporary game changers like Gulzar and Javed Akhtar. Raza Mir’s translation not only draws out the passion and pathos from these ageless verses, but also offers sharp perceptions and interesting trivia.
About Raza Mir
Raza Mir is the co-author of Anthems of Resistance: A Celebration of Progressive Urdu Poetry. His translated works from Urdu to English, based on his expertise and proficiency over both the languages, have been widely commended.
- GenresPoetryNonfiction
293 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2014
32 people are currently reading
475 people want to read
About the author
Raza Mir
14 books65 followersRaza Mir is the author of Ghalib: A Thousand Desires, The Taste of Words: An Introduction to Urdu Poetry and the co-author of Anthems of Resistance: A Celebration of Progressive Urdu Poetry. He can be reached at urduwallah@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 11, 2015
In his foreword to Raza Mir’s The Taste of Words: An Introduction to Urdu Poetry, Gulzar writes:
Ajab hai yeh zubaan Urdu
Kabhi yoonhi safar karte
Agar koi musaafir sher padh de Mir, Ghalib ka
Woh chaahe ajnabi ho
Yahi lagta hai woh mere vatan ka hai
Telling proof of the beauty of this language: its ability—and, in particular, the ability of its best poetry—to evoke a sense of belonging, to create instant friendships. It is this language, and especially its poetry, that Mir introduces so effectively in this book. He begins with an introduction to Urdu, its origins and development (all very briefly discussed), before moving on to an introduction to its poetry. In this section, he explains each type of poem and its main technicalities: the difference between, say, a ghazal and a nazm, a qataa and a marsiya. Pertinent examples are provided, and it’s a good, user-friendly guide to understanding the basics of these forms. Even if you really don’t know Urdu.
The bulk of the book consists of the poems themselves: divided by poet, in chronological order. Beginning with Amir Khusro and ending with Zeeshan Sahil, each poet is introduced through a brief biography, followed by anywhere between one to three poems; Ghalib is the exception, with five pieces of poetry. Some are complete poems, some are excerpts of longer works. Each is first transliterated in English, then followed by a translation. The range of subjects and styles is impressive: there’s everything here from scathingly socialistic poetry (Sahir Ludhianvi’s Taj Mahal is here) to deeply romantic, from religious verses extolling Ali and the martyrdom at Karbala, to humour. Almost all the most popular poems—pieces that have been sung and recited in cinema, or by famous singers—are here.
With just about every poet and sometimes every poem, Mir provides notes: on other works about the poet, the significance of certain motifs or words in the poetry, and—these are frequent—good recorded performances of poetry and where they can be accessed on the net.
Not that it’s flawless. I found the frequent inconsistencies in transliteration irritating (a and aa are used in about equal measure to denote ā, and thi and thhi are used interchangeably, for example). A lot of the poems have been translated in such a way as to make the English lines rhyme as well—and this doesn’t always work; it ends up being somewhat clumsy at times (in contrast, I found the translations of the azaad nazm, the free verse, often non-rhyming, better). Plus, there are errors now and then: Sadhana (and not the actual Mala Sinha) is mentioned as the female lead of Gumraah; Dosti is mentioned as having been made in 1946, not the actual 1964; and the translation of Javed Akhtar’s Yeh khel kya hai could cause confusion among Westerners, since Mir translates wazir (the chessman equivalent to the queen) as ‘minister’ and pyaada (the pawn) as ‘foot soldier’.
But I’m nitpicking. These can be overlooked, and the end result, really, is a very useful, very enjoyable book. Educational, highly readable, and a fine compilation of some of the very best Urdu poetry to be found on the planet.
Ajab hai yeh zubaan Urdu
Kabhi yoonhi safar karte
Agar koi musaafir sher padh de Mir, Ghalib ka
Woh chaahe ajnabi ho
Yahi lagta hai woh mere vatan ka hai
Telling proof of the beauty of this language: its ability—and, in particular, the ability of its best poetry—to evoke a sense of belonging, to create instant friendships. It is this language, and especially its poetry, that Mir introduces so effectively in this book. He begins with an introduction to Urdu, its origins and development (all very briefly discussed), before moving on to an introduction to its poetry. In this section, he explains each type of poem and its main technicalities: the difference between, say, a ghazal and a nazm, a qataa and a marsiya. Pertinent examples are provided, and it’s a good, user-friendly guide to understanding the basics of these forms. Even if you really don’t know Urdu.
The bulk of the book consists of the poems themselves: divided by poet, in chronological order. Beginning with Amir Khusro and ending with Zeeshan Sahil, each poet is introduced through a brief biography, followed by anywhere between one to three poems; Ghalib is the exception, with five pieces of poetry. Some are complete poems, some are excerpts of longer works. Each is first transliterated in English, then followed by a translation. The range of subjects and styles is impressive: there’s everything here from scathingly socialistic poetry (Sahir Ludhianvi’s Taj Mahal is here) to deeply romantic, from religious verses extolling Ali and the martyrdom at Karbala, to humour. Almost all the most popular poems—pieces that have been sung and recited in cinema, or by famous singers—are here.
With just about every poet and sometimes every poem, Mir provides notes: on other works about the poet, the significance of certain motifs or words in the poetry, and—these are frequent—good recorded performances of poetry and where they can be accessed on the net.
Not that it’s flawless. I found the frequent inconsistencies in transliteration irritating (a and aa are used in about equal measure to denote ā, and thi and thhi are used interchangeably, for example). A lot of the poems have been translated in such a way as to make the English lines rhyme as well—and this doesn’t always work; it ends up being somewhat clumsy at times (in contrast, I found the translations of the azaad nazm, the free verse, often non-rhyming, better). Plus, there are errors now and then: Sadhana (and not the actual Mala Sinha) is mentioned as the female lead of Gumraah; Dosti is mentioned as having been made in 1946, not the actual 1964; and the translation of Javed Akhtar’s Yeh khel kya hai could cause confusion among Westerners, since Mir translates wazir (the chessman equivalent to the queen) as ‘minister’ and pyaada (the pawn) as ‘foot soldier’.
But I’m nitpicking. These can be overlooked, and the end result, really, is a very useful, very enjoyable book. Educational, highly readable, and a fine compilation of some of the very best Urdu poetry to be found on the planet.
July 1, 2016
Kuch lafz mein hi agar bayaa ho jati toh har mod se shayar hi guzarte. :)
September 22, 2021
غالبا رضا میر کا اردو شاعری کا مطالعہ مستند کتب کے بجائے فیس بک، وکی پیڈیا جیسی جگہوں سے کرتے رہے ہیں۔ ان کی شعر فہمی اور ترجمے پر کیا تبصرہ کوئی انھیں جاکر یہ بتادے کہ
انشاء جی اٹھو اب کوچ کرو
ابن انشاء کی غزل ہے، انشاء اللہ خان انشاء کی نہیں۔
انشاء جی اٹھو اب کوچ کرو
ابن انشاء کی غزل ہے، انشاء اللہ خان انشاء کی نہیں۔
February 27, 2018
The book starts with the lines Urdu is a nation unto itself. Wherever it travels, it creates its own world. It was born in India but does not belong to India alone. It is the official language of Pakistan but does not belong to Pakistan alone. When it reached Oslo (Norway), it settled there. It went to Great Britain and created its own home. It reached Canada, and a community emerged. It reached the United States and became a native tongue.
The truth is that instead of ‘embraced’ if we could use a different metaphor, we would say ‘adopted by lips’. Wherever Urdu goes, it clasps people in a bear hug. It becomes a tradition unto itself. For Urdu is, after all, the lingua franca of a culture.
I am a native speaker of Urdu and a lover of Urdu poetry, but there is a classification in the Urdu poetry that I did not know earlier or more accurately I did not know the exact meaning of these categories earlier.
First, fifty pages tell the different categories of Urdu poetry and what is the grammatical and interpretational differences in all of these of categories.
In rest of the book, Mir assembled a collection of 47 famous Urdu Poets and their famous couplets with some biographical account of there lives.
The truth is that instead of ‘embraced’ if we could use a different metaphor, we would say ‘adopted by lips’. Wherever Urdu goes, it clasps people in a bear hug. It becomes a tradition unto itself. For Urdu is, after all, the lingua franca of a culture.
I am a native speaker of Urdu and a lover of Urdu poetry, but there is a classification in the Urdu poetry that I did not know earlier or more accurately I did not know the exact meaning of these categories earlier.
First, fifty pages tell the different categories of Urdu poetry and what is the grammatical and interpretational differences in all of these of categories.
In rest of the book, Mir assembled a collection of 47 famous Urdu Poets and their famous couplets with some biographical account of there lives.
September 4, 2021
Its a beautiful introduction to Urdu Poetry, providing an entry point for the beginners, or interested outsiders, with almost Fifty great poets of Urdu, spanning over a course of centuries, and different landscapes of poetry.
“Ye kaisa ishq hai Urdu zaban ka
Maza ghulta ha lafzon ka zaban par
Ke jaise paan mein mehnga khimaam ghulta hai
Nasha aata hai Urdu bolne mein
Gilori ki tarah hain moonh lagi sab istelaahen
Lutf deti hain
Halaq chhooti hai Urdu to
Halaq se jaise mai ka ghoont utarta hai
Badi ‘aristocracy’ hai zaban mein
Faqeeri mein nawaabi ka maza deti hai Urdu
Agarche maani kam hote hain aur alfaaz ki ifraat hoti
hai
Magar phir bhi . . .
Buland aawaaz padhiye to bahut hi motabar lagti
hain baatein
Kahin kuchh door se kaanon mein padhti hai agar Urdu
To lagta hai
Ke din jaadon ke hain, khidki khuli hai, dhoop andar
aa rahi hai
Ajab hai ye zaban Urdu
Kabhi yoonhi safar karte
Agar koi musafir sher padh de Mir, Ghalib ka
Vo chaahe ajnabi ho
Yahi lagta hai vo mere vatan ka hai
Bade shaista lahje mein kisi se Urdu sun kar kya
nahin lagta
Ke ek tehzeeb ki aawaaz hai Urdu!!
- Gulzar
“Ye kaisa ishq hai Urdu zaban ka
Maza ghulta ha lafzon ka zaban par
Ke jaise paan mein mehnga khimaam ghulta hai
Nasha aata hai Urdu bolne mein
Gilori ki tarah hain moonh lagi sab istelaahen
Lutf deti hain
Halaq chhooti hai Urdu to
Halaq se jaise mai ka ghoont utarta hai
Badi ‘aristocracy’ hai zaban mein
Faqeeri mein nawaabi ka maza deti hai Urdu
Agarche maani kam hote hain aur alfaaz ki ifraat hoti
hai
Magar phir bhi . . .
Buland aawaaz padhiye to bahut hi motabar lagti
hain baatein
Kahin kuchh door se kaanon mein padhti hai agar Urdu
To lagta hai
Ke din jaadon ke hain, khidki khuli hai, dhoop andar
aa rahi hai
Ajab hai ye zaban Urdu
Kabhi yoonhi safar karte
Agar koi musafir sher padh de Mir, Ghalib ka
Vo chaahe ajnabi ho
Yahi lagta hai vo mere vatan ka hai
Bade shaista lahje mein kisi se Urdu sun kar kya
nahin lagta
Ke ek tehzeeb ki aawaaz hai Urdu!!
- Gulzar
September 26, 2014
A book that claims to be an "Introduction to Urdu Poetry" should at least have meanings of Urdu words given alongside each piece. In addition, one has to turn the page repeatedly to read the English translation, which is annoying. The collection though, is quite good.
April 11, 2019
Loved the introduction and the translations were decent too.
August 7, 2017
The collection was nice. Translations, not so much.
March 29, 2020
3.5 rounded up to 4
December 31, 2017
ये कैसा इश्क़ है उर्दू ज़बाँ का - What is this love of Urdu
मज़ा घुलता है लफ़्ज़ों का ज़बाँ पर - That the taste of words dissolves on the tongue
This book is a very good introduction to the Urdu poetry for people (like me) who never got the chance to learn it formally. Raza Mir has chosen 2-3 ghazals per Shayar from some 50 Shayars with their rhythmical translation. (I, for one, was looking for the literal translation of the poems.) He also gives a brief summary of the Shayar's life as well as provides cultural and political context to the poems.
Also, I would have preferred if Raza Mir also included the poems in Devnagri Script as well (I find it much easier to read compared to the current 'Hinglish' format of the book. You can find the Devnagri version of almost all the poems on rekhta.)
All in all, if you're interested in reading Urdu poetry, do give this book a try. I hope I keep this journey going and learn more Urdu in the next year -
देखिए पाते हैं उश्शाक़ बुतों से क्या फ़ैज़
इक बरहमन ने कहा है कि ये साल अच्छा है
- Mirza Ghalib
मज़ा घुलता है लफ़्ज़ों का ज़बाँ पर - That the taste of words dissolves on the tongue
This book is a very good introduction to the Urdu poetry for people (like me) who never got the chance to learn it formally. Raza Mir has chosen 2-3 ghazals per Shayar from some 50 Shayars with their rhythmical translation. (I, for one, was looking for the literal translation of the poems.) He also gives a brief summary of the Shayar's life as well as provides cultural and political context to the poems.
Also, I would have preferred if Raza Mir also included the poems in Devnagri Script as well (I find it much easier to read compared to the current 'Hinglish' format of the book. You can find the Devnagri version of almost all the poems on rekhta.)
All in all, if you're interested in reading Urdu poetry, do give this book a try. I hope I keep this journey going and learn more Urdu in the next year -
देखिए पाते हैं उश्शाक़ बुतों से क्या फ़ैज़
इक बरहमन ने कहा है कि ये साल अच्छा है
- Mirza Ghalib
February 17, 2015
Has a very informative and engaging introduction about the evolution of the north Indian languages. Some snippets of history and biographies of poets thrown in as well. Though a couple of names could be missing, however, this is a good starting point for all newbies. And although would have been very useful to have a glossary of words at the end, still it serves its purpose of spurning interest in the reader. Enjoyable read if done slowly.
Rekhta/Hindavi/Hindustani/Hindi/Urdu, whatever you call it, it offers a whole world of great language, imagery and themes.
Rekhta/Hindavi/Hindustani/Hindi/Urdu, whatever you call it, it offers a whole world of great language, imagery and themes.
November 23, 2014
Its a good book especially for readers who are just getting introduced to Urdu. Its a handy catalogue of prominent Urdu Poets and their chosen couplets. It can be read in any mood from any page :) the following lines are again just picked up from the page which opened
Chal saath, ke hasrat dil-e-mahroom se nikle,
Aashiq ka janaaza hai, zara dhoom se nikle.
Walk along with that heartbroken procession awhile
Its the funeral of a lover, bury him in style.
Chal saath, ke hasrat dil-e-mahroom se nikle,
Aashiq ka janaaza hai, zara dhoom se nikle.
Walk along with that heartbroken procession awhile
Its the funeral of a lover, bury him in style.
June 16, 2016
while it lies somewhere in the back end of my bookshelves I end up discovering it time and again when I am looking up a new poem translation .I think the book by refusing to print the Urdu script looses a certain charm and romance also undone by bad production values
July 13, 2024
Its a good book for beginners explains all the technicality of urdu poetry difference between sher, nazm and etc it exposes you the all the major authors of urdu poetry and their style, topics and popular work also I love how every poem has a link to youtube about its visual performance. There is a way to read urdu poetry and when you start you wont able to read it or rhyme fret not just keep on going and after a dozen of poem you will understand how to rhyme them (check video links too) however the author as he mentioned in the preface (which you should must read) that instead of going for exact translation of poems he will do rhyming english translation so the translations means close to original, now the problem with this approach is that there are many lines in hindi whose english tranlation are not satisfactory because the author chose rhymes instead of proper translation and another problem is that there are many urdu words whose meaning you have to google as they are not translated but as I have read you wont face much problem given that you are already an urdu/hindi speaker, I never looked the translation while reading this book except for few words. Use this book to expose yourself to different poets and their style it will help you to understand what you like and not like and then deep dive into your interest
May 22, 2018
A brief introduction to Urdu poetry over the ages, this book takes us through the development of Urdu poetry. From Amir Khusro to Zeeshan Sahil. The book is chronologically written and divided based on authors. Each author has a short biography followed by one or more poems. The choice of poems was enjoyable.
The biography for each author was short and concise. However, it would have been interesting to hear a few more words about the author and his work. At least, some more introduction to the poems chosen. This was done for some but not all poems.
Me, being not so great at reading the urdu script it was great to have a book with transliterations. I have not found many books similar to this, and hence should not complain about the transliterations. The translations were decent and sometimes not the best. I think there exist better form of translations for interested readers. As many reviewers of this book have stated, a word to word translation of the poems would have been great actually! Or, at least the meaning of certain keywords that are fairly advanced should have been included.
All in all, it was a delight reading the book. Listening to the different rendetions of the poems and exploring other peoms by the poets is something to do while reading this book.
The biography for each author was short and concise. However, it would have been interesting to hear a few more words about the author and his work. At least, some more introduction to the poems chosen. This was done for some but not all poems.
Me, being not so great at reading the urdu script it was great to have a book with transliterations. I have not found many books similar to this, and hence should not complain about the transliterations. The translations were decent and sometimes not the best. I think there exist better form of translations for interested readers. As many reviewers of this book have stated, a word to word translation of the poems would have been great actually! Or, at least the meaning of certain keywords that are fairly advanced should have been included.
All in all, it was a delight reading the book. Listening to the different rendetions of the poems and exploring other peoms by the poets is something to do while reading this book.
April 23, 2022
Lovely introduction to Urdu poetry. There are a diverse collection of poems and poets arranged historically, from the 13th century to the present- from Amir Khusrau and Ghalib, to Makhdoom Mohiuddin and Fahmida Riaz. The poems have various themes- ranging from religious poetry and the death of Husain at Karbala, to iconoclastic celebrations of reason, surrealist works (a favourite: 'Sat behnen'), and of course the immortal themes of love and death. There are also modernist celebrations of industrialization, Bollywood songs, socialist poems, poems pointing out the hypocrisy of the world, on separation and longing, and many others.
Love the idea of including the poems in the Roman script for those who have not had the opportunity to learn Nastaliq yet. There is a concise introduction at the beginning, which provides a valuable overview of the genre. Some of the translations are a bit iffy, and a glossary of the difficult words would have been valuable towards the end. However, the longer narrative translations are quite good. They capture the general feel of the poems quite well, if not the nuances. But all in all, a lovely collection of poetry and an introduction to this cultural treasure-trove.
Love the idea of including the poems in the Roman script for those who have not had the opportunity to learn Nastaliq yet. There is a concise introduction at the beginning, which provides a valuable overview of the genre. Some of the translations are a bit iffy, and a glossary of the difficult words would have been valuable towards the end. However, the longer narrative translations are quite good. They capture the general feel of the poems quite well, if not the nuances. But all in all, a lovely collection of poetry and an introduction to this cultural treasure-trove.
September 5, 2017
Umr-e-daraaz maang ke laaye thhe chaar din,
Do aarzoo mein kat gaye, do intizaar mein. -- Seemab Akabarabadi.
The book fulfils its purpose i.e. to provide an introduction to the Urdu Poetry.
However, the translations, I believe, could have been much better as in multiple cases one can vaguely comprehend the depth and the beauty of the ghazals but the translations fail to bring that to the surface. The author fails to do justice to both the poet and the delicate subject-matter at hand.
Also, some shers are wrongly attributed (Like the afore-mentioned Seemab Akbarabadi one which is attributed to Zafar).
Do aarzoo mein kat gaye, do intizaar mein. -- Seemab Akabarabadi.
The book fulfils its purpose i.e. to provide an introduction to the Urdu Poetry.
However, the translations, I believe, could have been much better as in multiple cases one can vaguely comprehend the depth and the beauty of the ghazals but the translations fail to bring that to the surface. The author fails to do justice to both the poet and the delicate subject-matter at hand.
Also, some shers are wrongly attributed (Like the afore-mentioned Seemab Akbarabadi one which is attributed to Zafar).
February 13, 2022
A lovely book for explorers. Urdu is a genteel tongue we are aware but we often forget about its non-religious foundations. This book is a humble attempt to introduce the readers to the realm of beautiful Urdu poetry known and unknown to us. Some of them are quite famous but the works of heard and unheard poets appear mesmerisingly remarkable when translated in such modest manner. I do feel that it veers away from its original meaning, at least for the simple ones which I could understand in its transliterated form. Nevertheless, it is a good read for tyros like us.
January 10, 2018
A must read for anyone who loves poetry. A beautiful sample of urdu poems across the centuries that will only tempt you to wade further and possibly drown into the ocean of poetry.
June 10, 2019
It's an amazing book to learn Urdu
December 5, 2025
great gateway into the language
December 8, 2019
My father bought this book last year and I took it along as a light read on a recent trip. And boy, was I glad I did!
I must start though, by sating that if you're into Urdu shayari deeply, this book does not have much to offer you. You would already know the life and times of most Urdu poets and would be well versed in their celebrated works. At most, you might come across a few, lesser known poets and maybe enjoy their works.
As an introduction to Urdu poetry however, this book is invaluable. It is not dense, or technical nor hard to understand. The language is accessible, the translations lucid, the style of writing engaging and personable. Every poet in the book gets a short introduction, with maybe a delightful little anecdote thrown in. The ghazals are chosen with care, and while they might not always be the most famous or best known creations of the authors, do serve to highlight the poet's style and method of expression.
The Taste of Words is written entirely in English, even the original verse is presented in the English script. The book is oriented to a reader with little to no understanding of the genre and maybe even the language, and the choice of script emphasizes this.
The Taste of Words is a wonderful entryway into the glorious world of Urdu shayari. If you are intrigued by this art and have always felt overawed by the difficult language, the convoluted idioms, the ornate phraseology, and the even more obscure translations you have come across in other books, this is the book for you. And if after reading this book, you are still not fascinated with Urdu shayari, you can safely conclude that Urdu shayari and you aren't meant to be. :)
I must start though, by sating that if you're into Urdu shayari deeply, this book does not have much to offer you. You would already know the life and times of most Urdu poets and would be well versed in their celebrated works. At most, you might come across a few, lesser known poets and maybe enjoy their works.
As an introduction to Urdu poetry however, this book is invaluable. It is not dense, or technical nor hard to understand. The language is accessible, the translations lucid, the style of writing engaging and personable. Every poet in the book gets a short introduction, with maybe a delightful little anecdote thrown in. The ghazals are chosen with care, and while they might not always be the most famous or best known creations of the authors, do serve to highlight the poet's style and method of expression.
The Taste of Words is written entirely in English, even the original verse is presented in the English script. The book is oriented to a reader with little to no understanding of the genre and maybe even the language, and the choice of script emphasizes this.
The Taste of Words is a wonderful entryway into the glorious world of Urdu shayari. If you are intrigued by this art and have always felt overawed by the difficult language, the convoluted idioms, the ornate phraseology, and the even more obscure translations you have come across in other books, this is the book for you. And if after reading this book, you are still not fascinated with Urdu shayari, you can safely conclude that Urdu shayari and you aren't meant to be. :)
July 12, 2016
So this was really a good first glance for someone who hasn't encountered Urdu poetry before. It has an introduction that explains the context, and then mini-bios of each poet as they appear in chronological sequence throughout the book.
It really makes me thirsty for more, as well as supply me with sources to find it. The only thing preventing me from giving five stars is that I would have liked it to also have been printed in Urdu script, parallel with the Roman transcript and English translation.
It really makes me thirsty for more, as well as supply me with sources to find it. The only thing preventing me from giving five stars is that I would have liked it to also have been printed in Urdu script, parallel with the Roman transcript and English translation.
August 1, 2023
This is a book of Urdu poetry in which Urdu is missing. By excluding urdu the author disgraced a beautiful language. I was so turned off to see Urdu poetry written in roman script in this book. This book is not for people who are native speakers of urdu and enjoy urdu poetry.
Such a disappointing book. A total waste of my money.
Such a disappointing book. A total waste of my money.
September 14, 2016
A very well written primer to Urdu Poetry. I only had a problem with its formatting. Looking up the meaning of each line could sometimes make me turn 3 pages and tally the para I was on.
Apart from that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Gave me a decent introduction to what I can explore a lot more.
Apart from that, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Gave me a decent introduction to what I can explore a lot more.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews