ZindeRood · Urdu Poetry
An Ever-Living River of Urdu Poetry
Classic Urdu poetry, gathered in one place for searching and reading.
Begin with:Verses of love
Poets
All Poets, in Chronological Order
24 poets
1700–1799CE
Wali Dakani
1667 — 1707
A distinguished ghazal poet of the Deccan and an important figure in the formation of Urdu poetry.
40poems
Siraj Aurangabadi
1712 — 1764
A Sufi poet of the Deccan whose ghazals are marked by love and wonder.
126poems
Mirza Muhammad Rafi Sauda
1713 — 1781
A major classical Urdu poet with a distinguished place in the qasida, ghazal and satire.
86poems
Khwaja Mir Dard
1721 — 1785
A Sufi ghazal poet of Delhi whose small body of verse holds a depth of love and spiritual insight.
33poems
1800–1899CE
Mir Taqi Mir
1723 — 1810
Khuda-e Sukhan, a great master of the classical ghazal and one of the most authoritative interpreters of love, sorrow and human feeling.
2087poems
Insha Allah Khan Insha
1752 — 1817
A poet and writer distinguished by wit, ready repartee and an inventive command of language.
97poems
Shaikh Ghulam Hamdani Mushafi
1751 — 1824
A poet of the literary traditions of Delhi and Lucknow, with a gentle, conversational voice in the ghazal.
274poems
Imam Bakhsh Nasikh
1772 — 1838
A master poet of Lucknow known for precise language and careful poetic craftsmanship.
45poems
Haidar Ali Aatish
1778 — 1847
A distinguished ghazal poet of Lucknow, admired for fluency, feeling and balanced expression.
104poems
Momin Khan Momin
1800 — 1852
A classical ghazal poet known for delicate themes of love and subtle imaginative invention.
61poems
Shaikh Muhammad Ibrahim Zauq
1790 — 1854
A master poet of Delhi known for idiomatic clarity and the art of the qasida.
65poems
Bahadur Shah Zafar
1775 — 1862
The last Mughal emperor and a ghazal poet whose verse echoes separation and decline.
53poems
Mirza Ghalib
1797 — 1869
A poet of rich meaning in Urdu and Persian, whose ghazals gave new directions to thought, language and expression.
345poems
Mustafa Khan Shefta
1809 — 1869
A poet and critic of Delhi remembered for unadorned ghazals and his biographical account of poets.
97poems
Mir Babar Ali Anis
1803 — 1874
A great poet of the Urdu marsiya who raised the form to new heights through characterisation and vivid scene-making.
102poems
1900–1960CE
Ameer Minai
1829 — 1900
A celebrated poet of ghazal and naat, known for musicality, polished language and refined expression.
55poems
Nawab Mirza Dagh Dehlvi
1831 — 1905
A poet of Delhi’s language and idiom, known for playful, fluent ghazals.
185poems
Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali
1837 — 1914
A poet, critic and biographer with an important role in shaping modern Urdu literature.
64poems
Ismail Meeruthi
1844 — 1917
A poet and teacher known for children’s poems and clear, meaningful language.
153poems
Akbar Allahabadi
1846 — 1921
A poetic critic of the West who brought the insight of Eastern civilisation into his verse.
252poems
Allama Iqbal
1877 — 1938
A great thinker and poet who showed, through Persian and Urdu poetry, how love gives strength to the human self.
627poems
Hasrat Mohani
1875 — 1951
A ghazal poet, journalist and advocate of freedom, giving musical expression to love.
84poems
Yaas Yagana Changezi
1884 — 1956
A poet of independent thought and an outspoken voice in the ghazal, with a distinctive modern sensibility.
100poems
Jigar Moradabadi
1890 — 1960
A ghazal poet of love and spiritual rapture, and a prominent figure in the mushaira tradition.
93poems
This collection currently includes poets who died in 1960 or earlier. Later poets will be included once copyright and legal permissions are secured.