Yes, Roger, there does seem to be rhyming of the penultimate word/phrase of each couplet, as well as the through end rhyme, in some classical Persian and Arabic poets' works - Hafiz, for instance, though I've only heard poems by him in the spoken form and haven't seen the transliterations.
Also, there seems to be a considerable use of open vowels, together with labial and the softer dental consonants - the harsher ones tend to be avoided, at least, in Persian and Arabic. They lend a 'crooning' sound to the spoken poetry. I don't know if the same convention applies in Urdu.
Ghazals are a nightmare to try and emulate in English. I've tried and failed so far,
Freda
[This message has been edited by Freda Edis (edited May 02, 2002).]
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