In Ghalib’s ghazals, the tabla’s bol “Dha Dhin Dhin Dha” punctuates verses of heartbreak and wit; A Punjabi poem likens the tabla’s rhythmic cycles to the pulse of a lover’s chest; Modern spoken-word poets use tabla imagery to evoke urban energy and street performance; In a poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, the tabla’s tihai signals the climax of revolutionary fervor; Diasporic poets compare the tabla’s dual drums to the duality of home and exile; A contemporary Urdu verse describes the tabla player’s fingers as “weaving time into silk.”