Urdu poetry is based on a system of measure—it is a quantitative expression and its form is very rigid. The usual measures are nine, or more commonly eighteen, but by various permutation and combinations, they number over 800. The several forms of Urdu poetry include:
» Qasida or ord of praise
» Masnavi or long reflective poem and tale in verse
» Marsia or elegy
» qit’a or fragment, a four line quatrain.
» Ruba’i or a quatrain with specific rhyme and topic.
» Ghazal , a lyrical poem of six to 26 lines, often longer; the word ghazal is derived from, Arabic word, “taghazzul,” or conversation with ladies or expression of love for women. The word ghazal also means the agonized cry of the gazelle. The literal meaning of ghazalg is to talk to women or to talk about them or to express le to them through the description of the condition of heart.