Mir Taqi

(pseudonym, Mir; full name, Mir Muhammad Taqi). Born 1724, in Agra; died 1810, in Lucknow. Indian poet who wrote in Urdu and Persian.

The hardships of a life of deprivation left their mark on Mir Taqi’s poetry, which is permeated with sorrow. His lyrical ghazals, comprising six collections in Urdu and one in Persian, were popular. The masnavi, especially “Flame of Love” and “Sea of Love,” as well as short poems vividly depicting everyday life, nature, and animals, occupy a prominent place in his work. Mir Taqi wrote an autobiography, Zikre Mir, and edited an anthology of Urdu poetry (both in Persian).