In time, this section would grow apart from the Qasida, retaining its metre and en-rhyme but with more of a focus on love. Qasidas were often used to aggrandise rulers, tribes or moral messages, beginning with a prelude called the Nasīb, a nostalgic, highly ornamented and stylised section. Supposedly, the name comes from the sound a wounded gazelle makes as it dies, although it means something akin to “conversations with women” in Persian. Due to this long lineage, as a component of the Qasida, it is considered one of the oldest forms of poetry still in use. The Ghazal originated in Arabia in the 7th Century, evolving from the Qasida, a much longer form of poetry comparable to the Ode. It uses refrain and rhyme, and sometimes shared length of couplets.
The Ghazal is one of the most popular forms of poetry across the Middle East and South Asia, but has risen in popularity in the West.
