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Book Life Times and Poetry of Mir

Download or read book Life Times and Poetry of Mir written by S R Sharma and published by Partridge Publishing. This book was released on 2014-01-16 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mir-Taqi-Miror Mir, as he is better knownwas one of the greatest poets of Urdu. The book is a fascinating story of his life of rare courage and grit. Orphaned at the age of eleven with the death of an ascetic father, with nothing to fall back on, young Mir was thrown into difficult times to face life and support his family. The Indian subcontinent faced internecine wars, and the great Mughal empire was crumbling in front of the child Mir, who was left to fend for himself and provide for his family. Mir witnessed the destruction and savagery of Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali brought upon Delhi. These historical times left a deep impression on Mir as is seen in his poetic sensibilities. The book captures the personal travails of Mir, the drama of his time, and his soul- stirring poetry. Arguably the greatest of Urdu poets Ghalib made a rare unqualified exception when it came to Mir as he wrote: Rekhta ke tum hee ustaad nahin ho Ghalib, Kehte hain agle Zamane mein koi Mir bhi tha . . . Ghalib, you are not the only master of Urdu poetry Heard people say there was one Mir in the bygone era

Book Life Times and Poetry of Mir

Download or read book Life Times and Poetry of Mir written by S.R. Sharma and published by Partridge Publishing. This book was released on 2014 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mir-Taqi-Mir--or Mir, as he is better known--was one of the greatest poets of Urdu. The book is a fascinating story of his life of rare courage and grit. Orphaned at the age of eleven with the death of an ascetic father, with nothing to fall back on, young Mir was thrown into difficult times to face life and support his family. The Indian subcontinent faced internecine wars, and the great Mughal empire was crumbling in front of the child Mir, who was left to fend for himself and provide for his family. Mir witnessed the destruction and savagery of Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali brought upon Delhi. These historical times left a deep impression on Mir as is seen in his poetic sensibilities. The book captures the personal travails of Mir, the drama of his time, and his soul- stirring poetry. Arguably the greatest of Urdu poets Ghalib made a rare unqualified exception when it came to Mir as he wrote: Rekhta ke tum hee ustaad nahin ho Ghalib, Kehte hain agle Zamane mein koi Mir bhi tha . . . Ghalib, you are not the only master of Urdu poetry Heard people say there was one Mir in the bygone era

Book Mir

    Mir

    Book Details:
  • Author : Mir
  • Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Release : 2016-02-04
  • ISBN : 9781523808236
  • Pages : 120 pages

Download or read book Mir written by Mir and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-02-04 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: MIR: LIFE & POEMS Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Mir Taqi Mir (1723 - 1810) was the leading Urdu poet of the eighteenth century and one of the pioneers of Urdu. He was one of the principal poets of the Delhi school of the Urdu ghazal. He was born in Agra and left for Delhi after the death of his father whose emphasis on the importance of love and the value of compassion remained with him, imbuing his poetry. At 17 he had a mental break-down and suffered from bouts of madness all his life. After the sack of Delhi he eventually moved to the court in Lucknow where he stayed for the remainder of his life. Like many Urdu poets Mir's literary reputation is from his ghazals. After moving to Lucknow his daughter died, then his son and wife. This, with other earlier setbacks, lends a strong pathos and melancholy to much of his writing. Like Obeyd Zakani and others before him Mir practiced the Malamati or 'Blameworthy' aspect of Sufism. His complete works or Kulliyat consists of 6 Divans, containing 13,585 couplets comprising all kinds of poetic forms: ghazals, masnavis, qit'as, ruba'is, etc He also composed a unique autobiography and a book on Urdu Poets and a book of spiritual advice for his son. Introduction: Mir's Life & Times & Poetry, Selected Bibliography, On the Various Poetic Forms Mir used. 120 pages Poets in the Introduction to Sufi Poets Series 'AISHAH Al-BA'UNIYAH, AMIR KHUSRAU, ANSARI, ANVARI, AL-MA'ARRI, 'ATTAR, ABU SA'ID, AUHAD UD-DIN, BABA FARID, BABA AZFAL, BABA TAHIR, BEDIL, BULLEH SHAH, DARA SHIKOH, GHALIB, HAFIZ, IBN 'ARABI, IBN YAMIN, IBN AL-FARID, IQBAL, 'IRAQI, JAHAN KHATUN, JAMI, KAMAL AD-DIN, KABIR, KHAQANI, KHAYYAM, LALLA DED, MAKHFI, MANSUR HALLAJ, MU'IN UD-DIN CHISHTI, NAZIR AKBARABADI, NESIMI, NIZAMI, OBEYD ZAKANI, RAHMAN BABA, RUMI, SANA'I, SADI, SARMAD, SHABISTARI, SHAH LATIF, SHAH NI'MAT'ULLAH, SULTAN BAHU, YUNUS EMRE, EARLY ARABIC SUFI POETS, EARLY PERSIAN SUFI POETS, URDU SUFI POETS, TURKISH SUFI POETS, AFGHAN SUFI POETS 90 - 120 pages each Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Shah Latif, and others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com

Book The Book of Mir

    Book Details:
  • Author : Mir
  • Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Release : 2016-02-04
  • ISBN : 9781523852154
  • Pages : 214 pages

Download or read book The Book of Mir written by Mir and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-02-04 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE BOOK OF MIR Selected Poems of Mir Taqi Mir Translation and Introduction Paul Smith Mir Taqi Mir (1723 - 1810) was the leading Urdu poet of the eighteenth century and one of the pioneers of Urdu. He was one of the principal poets of the Delhi school of the Urdu ghazal. He was born in Agra and left for Delhi after the death of his father whose emphasis on the importance of love and the value of compassion remained with him, imbuing his poetry. At Delhi he finished his education and joined a group of nobles as a court-poet. At 17 he had a mental break-down and suffered from bouts of madness all his life. After the sack of Delhi he eventually moved to the court in Lucknow where he stayed for the remainder of his life. Like many Urdu poets Mir's literary reputation is from his ghazals. After moving to Lucknow his daughter died, then his son and wife. This, with other earlier setbacks, lends a strong pathos and melancholy to much of his writing. Like Obeyd Zakani and others before him Mir practiced the Malamati or 'Blameworthy' aspect of Sufism. He was a prolific poet, his complete works or Kulliyat consisting of 6 Divans, containing 13,585 couplets comprising all kinds of poetic forms: ghazals, masnavis, qit'as, ruba'is, etc He also composed in Persian a Divan, a unique autobiography and a book on Urdu Poets and a book of spiritual advice for his son. This is the largest selection in English of most forms of his poetry with correct form and meaning kept, published for the first time. Introduction: Mir's Life & Times & Poetry, Selected Bibliography, On the Various Poetic Forms Mir used. Large Format Paperback... 7" x 10" 214 pages COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'. "It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. " Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of many mystical works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. "I was very impressed with the beauty of these books." Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Lalla Ded, Mahsati, Iqbal, Baba Farid and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, children's books, biographies and a dozen screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com

Book Divan of Mir

    Book Details:
  • Author : Mir Mir
  • Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Release : 2018-03-14
  • ISBN : 9781986431576
  • Pages : 214 pages

Download or read book Divan of Mir written by Mir Mir and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-03-14 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DIVAN OF MIR Translation and Introduction Paul Smith Mir Taqi Mir (1723 - 1810) was the leading Urdu poet of the eighteenth century and one of the pioneers of Urdu. He was one of the principal poets of the Delhi school of the Urdu ghazal. He was born in Agra and left for Delhi after the death of his father whose emphasis on the importance of love and the value of compassion remained with him, imbuing his poetry. At Delhi he finished his education and joined a group of nobles as a court-poet. At 17 he had a mental break-down and suffered from bouts of madness all his life. After the sack of Delhi he eventually moved to the court in Lucknow where he stayed for the remainder of his life. Like many Urdu poets Mir's literary reputation is from his ghazals. After moving to Lucknow his daughter died, then his son and wife. This, with other earlier setbacks, lends a strong pathos and melancholy to much of his writing. Like Obeyd Zakani and others before him Mir practiced the Malamati or 'Blameworthy' aspect of Sufism. He was a prolific poet, his complete works or Kulliyat consisting of 6 Divans, containing 13,585 couplets comprising all kinds of poetic forms: ghazals, masnavis, qit'as, ruba'is, etc He also composed in Persian a Divan, a unique autobiography and a book on Urdu Poets and a book of spiritual advice for his son. This is the largest selection in English of most forms of his poetry with correct form and meaning kept, published for the first time. Introduction: Mir's Life & Times & Poetry, Selected Bibliography, On the Various Poetic Forms Mir used. Large Format Paperback... 7" x 10" 214 pages COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'. "It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. " Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of many mystical works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. "I was very impressed with the beauty of these books." Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Lalla Ded, Mahsati, Iqbal, Baba Farid and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, children's books, biographies and a dozen screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com

Book The Hidden Garden

Download or read book The Hidden Garden written by Gopi Chand Narang and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2021-01-25 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mir Taqi Mir (1723-1810), known as the god of Urdu poesy (Khuda-e Sukhan), is widely admired for his poetic genius. The most prolific among all Urdu poets, he produced six divans. His deceptively simple poetry had an unusual mellowness and natural flow.Mir was the first poet to demonstrate the hidden beauty and genius of the Urdu language. From the raw Braj of Agra to the sophisticated Persian of Delhi and the mellow Awadhi of Lucknow, he wove them all into his verse. He took the half-baked Rekhta of the mid-eighteenth century to new heights, reaching the pinnacle of literary Urdu's poetic and creative journey. With a substantial selection of Mir's most memorable ghazals, The Hidden Garden introduces readers to the life and poetry of the grossly misunderstood poet. This book is the perfect read for lovers of poetry and Urdu alike.

Book The Autobiography of the Eighteenth Century Mughal Poet

Download or read book The Autobiography of the Eighteenth Century Mughal Poet written by and published by OUP India. This book was released on 2002-10-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zikr-i Mir is a rare, autobiographical narrative in Persian and its author, Mir Muhammad Taqi 'Mir', is one of the finest ghazal poets in Urdu.

Book The Taste of Words

    Book Details:
  • Author : Raza Mir
  • Publisher : Penguin UK
  • Release : 2014-06-15
  • ISBN : 935118725X
  • Pages : 328 pages

Download or read book The Taste of Words written by Raza Mir and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2014-06-15 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever been enchanted by the spoken cadence of an Urdu couplet but wished you could fully understand its nuances? Have you wanted to engage with a ghazal more deeply but were daunted by its mystifying conventions? Are you confused between a qataa and a rubaai, or a musadda and a marsiya? In Urdu Poetry, Raza Mir offers a fresh, quirky and accessible entry point for neophytes seeking to enhance their enjoyment of this vibrant canon—from the poems of legends like Mir Taqi Mir and Mirza Ghalib to the lyrics of contemporary game changers like Javed Akhtar and Gulzar. Raza Mir’s translation not only draws out the zest and pathos of these timeless verses, but also provides pithy insights and colourful trivia that will enable readers to fully embrace this world.

Book Imagine a City

    Book Details:
  • Author : Mark Vanhoenacker
  • Publisher : Knopf
  • Release : 2022-07-05
  • ISBN : 0525657517
  • Pages : 371 pages

Download or read book Imagine a City written by Mark Vanhoenacker and published by Knopf. This book was released on 2022-07-05 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This love letter to the cities of the world—from the airline pilot–author of Skyfaring—is "a journey around both the author's mind and the planet's great cities that leaves us energized, open to new experiences and ready to return more hopefully to our lives" (Alain de Botton, author of The Art of Travel). In his small New England hometown, Mark Vanhoenacker spent his childhood dreaming of elsewhere— of the distant, real cities he found on the illuminated globe in his bedroom, and of one perfect metropolis that existed only in his imagination. These cities were the sources of endless comfort and escape, and of a lasting fascination. Streets unspooled, towers shone, and anonymous crowds bustled in the places where Mark hoped he could someday be anyone—perhaps even himself. Now, as a commercial airline pilot, Mark has spent nearly two decades crossing the skies of our planet and touching down in dozens of the storied cities he imagined as a child. He experiences these destinations during brief stays that he repeats month after month and year after year, giving him an unconventional and uniquely vivid perspective on the places that form our urban world. In this intimate yet expansive work that weaves travelogue with memoir, Mark celebrates the cities he has come to know and to love, through the lens of the hometown his heart has never quite left. As he explores emblematic facets of each city’s identity— the road signs of Los Angeles, the old gates of Jeddah, the snowy streets of Sapporo—he shows us with warmth and fresh eyes the extraordinary places that billions of us call home.

Book Ghalib

    Book Details:
  • Author : Pavan K. Varma
  • Publisher : Penguin Books India
  • Release : 2008
  • ISBN : 9780143064817
  • Pages : 384 pages

Download or read book Ghalib written by Pavan K. Varma and published by Penguin Books India. This book was released on 2008 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Brilliant Biography Of Nineteenth Century India S Greatest Poet Mirza Mohammad Asadullah Khan Ghalib Began Writing Poetry In Persian At The Age Of Nine And The Pre-Eminent Poet Of The Time, Mir, Predicted A Great Future For The Precocious Genius When He Was Shown His Verse. But Success And Material Rewards Did Not Come To Ghalib Easily For The Times Were Against Him, And He Did Not Suffer Fools Gladly Even If They Occupied Positions Of Importance. Ghalib Was At The Height Of His Powers When Events Took A Turn For The Worse. First Came The Decline Of The Mughal Court, Then The Rise Of The British Empire And, Finally, The Revolt Of 1857. Though Ghalib Lived Through The Upheavals And Purges Of The Revolt, In Which Many Of His Contemporaries And Friends Died And His Beloved Delhi Was Irrevocably Changed, He Was A Broken Man And Longed For Death. When He Died, On 15 February 1869, He Left Behind Some Of The Most Vivid Accounts Of The Events Of The Period Ever Written. In This Illuminating Biography Pavan K. Varma Evocatively Captures The Spirit Of The Man And The Essence Of The Times He Lived In.

Book The Wonder That Is Urdu

Download or read book The Wonder That Is Urdu written by Krishna S. Dhir and published by Motilal Banarsidass. This book was released on 2022-01-01 with total page 671 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Language is a Developmental, social and cultural phenomenon. When Urdu started its literary journey, writing also treasured it and today we are proud of the great collection of Urdu books. Urdu lovers have also done a remarkable job in writing books on various topics and in conveying the standard writings to the Urdu circles by giving them solid ink. This book although written in English, is one such masterpiece by Krishna S. Dhir. However, it clearly reflects the love of the writer for the Urdu language and its literature. The beginning of this book is an excellent illustration of how the various apabhransha of South Asia interacted with Perso-Arabic and European languages, to give rise to various languages, including Urdu and how they grew up through the time of the Mughals and the British. How all the major religions of the world originated in the Asian continent and the observation of Sufis are highlighted in the second chapter of this book. The role of social and economic institutions and traditions in the evolution of Urdu has been shed light upon. Krishna S. Dhir has painstakingly elaborated upon the protest literature and extensively quoted Mir, Ghalib, Daagh Dehlvi, Sahir Ludhianvi, Faiz Ahmad, Ahmad Fraz and other poets to prove how Urdu poetry has been used to protest against siege, raids, imprisonment, imperialism and colonisation, and to express love and peace. Finally, the writer explores how Urdu is deployed by the diaspora that uses it.

Book The Mirror of Beauty

    Book Details:
  • Author : Shamsur Rahman Faruqi
  • Publisher : Penguin UK
  • Release : 2014-03-21
  • ISBN : 8184759932
  • Pages : 1325 pages

Download or read book The Mirror of Beauty written by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2014-03-21 with total page 1325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is the sunset of the Mughal Empire. The splendour of imperial Delhi flares one last time. The young daughter of a craftsman in the city elopes with an officer of the East India Company. And so we are drawn into the story of Wazir Khanam: a dazzlingly beautiful and fiercely independent woman who takes a series of lovers, including a Navab and a Mughal prince—and whom history remembers as the mother of the famous poet Dagh. But it is not just one life that this novel sets out to capture: it paints in rapturous detail an entire civilization. Beginning with the story of an enigmatic and gifted painter in a village near Kishangarh, The Mirror of Beauty embarks on an epic journey that sweeps through the death-giving deserts of Rajputana, the verdant valley of Kashmir and the glorious cosmopolis of Delhi, the craft of miniature painting and the art of carpet designing, scintillating musical performances and recurring paintings of mysterious, alluring women. Its scope breathtaking, its language beguiling, and its style sumptuous, this is a work of profound beauty, depth and power.

Book Mir  Ghalib and Iqbal  Selected Poems

Download or read book Mir Ghalib and Iqbal Selected Poems written by Mir and published by . This book was released on 2016-02-04 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: MIR, GHALIB & IQBALSelected PoemsTranslation & Introduction Paul SmithMir (1723 - 1810) was the leading Urdu poet of the eighteenth century and one of the pioneers of Urdu. He was one of the principal poets of the Delhi school of the Urdu ghazal. Like many Urdu poets Mir's literary reputation is from his ghazals. After moving to Lucknow his daughter died, then his son and wife. Mir practiced the Malamati or 'Blameworthy' aspect of Sufism. He was a prolific poet, his complete works consisting of 6 Divans comprising all kinds of poetic forms: ghazals, masnavis, qit'as, ruba'is, etc This is the largest selection in English of most forms of his poetry with correct form and meaning. Introduction on his Life, Selected Biography. Ghalib (1797-1869}, was born in the city of Agra of parents with Turkish aristocratic ancestry. His great fame came to him posthumously. Although he wrote ghazals, qit'as and ruba'is in Persian he is more famous for those written in Urdu. Here is a selection of his ghazals and other poems from the Persian & Urdu in the correct form and meaning. Introduction on his life, Selected Bibliography. Iqbal (1873-1938) was born in Sialkot, Punjab. He graduated with a master's degree in philosophy. Nietzsche and Bergson influenced him and he became critical of Western civilization that he regarded as decadent. He turned to Islam and Sufism for inspiration. These ideas found expression in his long poems written in Persian. In his final years he returned to Urdu as his medium with ghazals inspired by his on-and-off Sufism. Here is a large collection of his ruba'is, ghazals, nazms, qit'as, masnavis & a qasida in the correct rhyme-structure and meaning. Introduction on his life, Selected Bibliography. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" 532 pages.COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'."It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat... I am astonished. " Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran."Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator from English into Persian, knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart.Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Omar Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mahsati, Lalla Ded, Bulleh Shah, Shah Latif, Makhfi and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com

Book Murder at the Mushaira

    Book Details:
  • Author : Raza Mir
  • Publisher : Rupa Publications India Pvt Limited
  • Release : 2021
  • ISBN : 9788194937258
  • Pages : 362 pages

Download or read book Murder at the Mushaira written by Raza Mir and published by Rupa Publications India Pvt Limited. This book was released on 2021 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Murder at the Mushaira is arguably the finest literary-historical novel by an Indian author in contemporary times. Set during the time of India's First War of Independence in the nineteenth century, it is reminiscent of Umberto Eco's timeless classic, The Name of the Rose. It involves a grisly murder mystery that is solved by the great poet laureate of the realm, Mirza Ghalib. Should appeal to all readers of literary fiction, crime fiction, and historical fiction. - Is likely to win major literary awards.

Book Makers of Indian Literature  Nazir Abkarabadi

Download or read book Makers of Indian Literature Nazir Abkarabadi written by and published by Naved Hasan. This book was released on with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Beloved Delhi

Download or read book Beloved Delhi written by Saif Mahmood and published by . This book was released on 2018-09-10 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A riveting resurrection of the city of poets, the city of history, Saif Mahmood's learned and evocative book takes us to the heart of Delhi's romance with Urdu verse and aesthetics.'--Namita Gokhale Urdu poetry rules the cultural and emotional landscape of India--especially northern India and much of the Deccan--and of Pakistan. And it was in the great, ancient city of Delhi that Urdu grew to become one of the world's most beautiful languages. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, while the Mughal Empire was in decline, Delhi became the capital of a parallel kingdom--the kingdom of Urdu poetry--producing some of the greatest, most popular poets of all time. They wrote about the pleasure and pain of love, about the splendour of God and the villainy of preachers, about the seductions of wine, and about Delhi, their beloved home. This treasure of a book documents the life and work of the finest classical Urdu poets: Sauda, Dard, Mir, Ghalib, Momin, Zafar, Zauq and Daagh. Through their biographies and poetry--including their best-known ghazals--it also paints a compelling portrait of Mughal Delhi. This is a book for anyone who has ever been touched by Urdu or Delhi, by poetry or romance.