{{Short description|Element of Persian, Turkic, and Urdu ghazals}} {{About|the radif in Persian, Turkic and Urdu ghazals|the radif in Iranian music theory|Radif (music)}} {{Italic title}} In the poetic traditions of the Islamic East, particularly in Persian, Turkic, and Urdu ghazals, the '''''radīf''''' (from the Arabic linguistic root {{lang|ar|رديف}}, meaning 'the one riding behind') refers to a specific word or short phrase that must consistently end each line of the opening couplet and the second line of all subsequent couplets.
Structurally, the ''radīf'' strictly follows the ''qafiya'', which serves as the actual rhyming syllable of the poem.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Court of Indar and the Rebirth of North Indian Drama|page=151|author=Afroz Taj|year=2007|publisher=Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind) |isbn=978-81-7160-133-2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Urdu Ghazals: An Anthology, from 16th to 20th Century|last=Kanda|first=K. C.|date=1995|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|isbn=978-81-207-1826-5|page=2}}</ref>
For instance, if a poet chooses a specific rhyme (''qafiya'') followed by a set word like "in" (the ''radīf''), every required line in the ghazal will end with "[rhyming word] in". This creates a dual layer of repetition at the end of the verses.
In literary terminology, a ''ghazal'' structured with this repeating word is classified as a ''muraddaf ghazal''. Conversely, a poem that relies solely on the standard ''qafiya'' without a repeating ''radīf'' is known as a ''ghair muraddaf ghazal''.
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Persian literature}} {{Urdu poetry}}
Category:Persian poetry Category:Azerbaijani poetry Category:Urdu-language poetry Category:Ghazal Category:Rhyme
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