Beher (poetry)
Encyclopedia
Beher in Urdu poetry
is the meter
of a sher
(a form of poetry in Urdu, essentially a couplet). It can be considered as the length of the sher. Both the lines in the sher, the couplet, must be of same beher. And all the shers in one ghazal
(a poetic form consisting of couplets which share a rhyme and a refrain) must be of the same beher. There are 19 kinds of beher. However, generally beher is categorized in three classes:
Short, medium, long,
depending upon the length of the misra (first line of the sher)
For a ghazal, all the shers in the ghazal should be of the same of beher. The example of this is this ghazal of Faiz Ahmed Faiz
. Notice the length and meter of the ashaars in this ghazal: it is same throughout.
Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture....
is the meter
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
of a sher
Sher
Sher can have a variety of meanings:* Sher , the common word for couplet in Persian and Urdu* Sher , a form of dance in Eastern European folk music, notably Russian and Klezmer music*Sher , Ahmedabad district...
(a form of poetry in Urdu, essentially a couplet). It can be considered as the length of the sher. Both the lines in the sher, the couplet, must be of same beher. And all the shers in one ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
(a poetic form consisting of couplets which share a rhyme and a refrain) must be of the same beher. There are 19 kinds of beher. However, generally beher is categorized in three classes:
Short, medium, long,
depending upon the length of the misra (first line of the sher)
For a ghazal, all the shers in the ghazal should be of the same of beher. The example of this is this ghazal of Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani intellectual, poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. He was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind and an avowed Marxist. In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union...
. Notice the length and meter of the ashaars in this ghazal: it is same throughout.
- shaiKh saahab se rasm-o-raah na kii
- shukr hai zindagii tabaah na kii
- tujh ko dekhaa to ser-e-chashm hue
- tujh ko chaahaa to aur chaah na kii
- tere dast-e-sitam kaa ajz nahii.n
- dil hii kaafir thaa jis ne aah na kii
- the shab-e-hijr kaam aur bahut
- ham ne fikr-e-dil-e-tabaah na kii
- kaun qaatil bachaa hai shahar me.n 'Faiz
- jis se yaaro.n ne rasm-o-raah na kii