Classical form-Ghazal.

Ghazal.
Ravi Shankar and Begum Akhtar popularized ghazal in Europe and USA during the 1960s. However, it was the poet Ali Agha Sahid who introduced it, in its classical form, to Americans. Ali compared each ghazal couplet to a stone from a necklace, which should continue to shine in that vivid isolation.
Ghazal is in Islamic literature, a poem, generally short and graceful in form and typically dealing with themes of love. The idea of ghazal developed in Arabia in the late 7th century from the nasib, which itself was the often amorous prelude to the qasida, ode. Two main types of ghazal can be identified, one native to Hejaz, the other to Iraq.


Ghazal is a short lyric poem written in couplets using a single rhyme aa, ba, ca, da etc., sometimes mentioning the poet's name in the last couplet. The ghazal is an important lyric form in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu poetry, often providing the basis for popular love songs. Its usual subject‐matter is amatory, although it has been adapted for religious, political, and other uses. Goethe and other German poets of the early 19th century wrote some imitations of the Persian ghazal.


The ghazals by 'Umar ibn Abi Rabi'ah of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca are some of the oldest. Umar's poems, based largely on his own life and experiences, are realistic, lively, and urbane in character. They continue to be popular with modern readers.
What became a classic theme of the ghazal was introduced by Jamil, a member of the 'Udhrah tribe from Hejaz. Jamil's lyrics tell of hopeless, idealistic lovers pining for each other unto death. These enormously popular works were imitated not only in Arabic but also in Persian, Turkish, and Urdu poetry until the 18th century.
Of additional note is the work of Hafez, considered among the finest lyric poets of Persia, whose depth of imagery and multilayered metaphors revitalized the ghazal and perfected it as a poetic form.