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Mohammed Taqi (Urdu: محمد تقی) (b.
1723 - d. 1810), better known by his nom de plume of Mir Taqi Mir (Urdu: میر تقی
میر) (sometimes also spelled as Meer Taqi Meer), was the leading Urdu poet of
the eighteenth century, and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu
language itself. He was one of the principal poets of Delhi school of Urdu
ghazal and remains arguably the foremost name in Urdu poetry.
He was born in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1723. He left for Delhi, at the
age of 11, following his father's death. His philosophy of life was formed
primarily from his father, whose emphasis on the importance of love and the
value of compassion remained with him through his life and imbued his poetry. At
Delhi, he finished his education and joined a group of nobility as a
courtier-poet. He lived much of his life in Mughal Delhi. However, after Ahmad
Shah Abdali's sack of Delhi each year starting 1748, he eventually moved to the
court of Asaf-ud-Daulah in Lucknow, at the king's invitation. Distressed to
witness the plundering of his beloved Delhi, he gave vent to his feelings
through some of his couplets. He remained in Lucknow for the remainder of his
life.
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