tarkīb-band

poetry

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July 14, 2026

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The term "tarkīb-band" refers to a specific poetic form in Persian and Urdu literature. It is a type of strophic poem where multiple stanzas of varying lengths are linked together. The linking verse, which connects the stanzas, is varied in each instance, distinguishing it from a tarjīʿ-band, where the linking verse is recurrent.1

This form is characterized by its composite structure, literally translating to "composite tie." It allowed for the development of longer poetic units and was sometimes used for themes of lofty feeling and serious thought.1

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Islamic arts
Other poetic forms
…the poem was called a tarkīb-band (literally “composite-tie”). True stanzas of varying lengths were also invented. Among these, mainly in Urdu and Chagatai, a six-line stanza known as musaddas became the form used for the mars̄īyeh (dirge for the martyrs of Karbala). Because it had come to be associated with…
Read More
…the poem was called a tarkīb-band (literally “composite-tie”). True stanzas of varying lengths were also invented. Among these, mainly in Urdu and Chagatai, a six-line stanza known as musaddas became the form used for the mars̄īyeh (dirge for the martyrs of Karbala). Because it had come to be associated with…
Read More