diff --git a/web/src/lib/urdu.ts b/web/src/lib/urdu.ts
index 50a00dcc..8cfc642e 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/urdu.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/urdu.ts
@@ -11,8 +11,11 @@ export const centuryName = (c: number | null) => (c ? `${ORDINALS[c] ?? ud(c)} 
 const span = (a: number | null, b: number | null, mark: string) =>
   a || b ? `${a ? ud(a) : '؟'} – ${b ? ud(b) : '؟'} ${mark}` : '';
 // Hijri and Gregorian (عیسوی): "۱۲۹۴ – ۱۳۵۷ ھ · ۱۸۷۷ – ۱۹۳۸ ء"
-export const years = (p: { birth_year_ah: number | null; death_year_ah: number | null; birth_year_ce?: number | null; death_year_ce?: number | null }) =>
-  [span(p.birth_year_ah, p.death_year_ah, 'ھ'), span(p.birth_year_ce ?? null, p.death_year_ce ?? null, 'ء')].filter(Boolean).join(' · ');
+type Years = { birth_year_ah: number | null; death_year_ah: number | null; birth_year_ce?: number | null; death_year_ce?: number | null };
+// Hijri and Gregorian spans, each on its own (poet cards show them as two lines)
+export const yearLines = (p: Years) =>
+  [span(p.birth_year_ah, p.death_year_ah, 'ھ'), span(p.birth_year_ce ?? null, p.death_year_ce ?? null, 'ء')].filter(Boolean) as string[];
+export const years = (p: Years) => yearLines(p).join(' · ');
 
 // search highlighting (same matching rules as the API's search)
 export { highlighter } from '../../../api/src/urdu.ts';
diff --git a/web/src/pages/index.astro b/web/src/pages/index.astro
index 9fdc9070..eb275f91 100644
--- a/web/src/pages/index.astro
+++ b/web/src/pages/index.astro
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import Base from '../layouts/Base.astro';
 import { api } from '../lib/api';
 import { asUser, COOKIE } from '../lib/auth';
-import { centuryOf, centuryName, years, ud } from '../lib/urdu';
+import { centuryOf, centuryName, yearLines, ud } from '../lib/urdu';
 
 type Poet = { id: number; url: string; nickname: string; birth_year_ah: number | null; death_year_ah: number | null; pin_order: number | null };
 const poets = (await api<Poet[]>('/api/poets')) ?? [];
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ const card = (p: Poet) => `poet-card${marked.includes(p.id) ? ' mark-bm' : ''}`;
       <h2>مقبول شعرا</h2>
       <div class="poets">
         {pinned.map((p) => (
-          <a class={card(p)} href={p.url}>{p.nickname}<small>{years(p)}</small></a>
+          <a class={card(p)} href={p.url}>{p.nickname}{yearLines(p).map((y) => <small>{y}</small>)}</a>
         ))}
       </div>
     </section>
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ const card = (p: Poet) => `poet-card${marked.includes(p.id) ? ' mark-bm' : ''}`;
         {list.map((p) => (
           <a class={card(p)} href={p.url}>
             {p.nickname}
-            <small>{years(p)}</small>
+            {yearLines(p).map((y) => <small>{y}</small>)}
           </a>
         ))}
       </div>
diff --git a/web/src/styles/global.css b/web/src/styles/global.css
index 6ca35494..2dac5bd7 100644
--- a/web/src/styles/global.css
+++ b/web/src/styles/global.css
@@ -64,10 +64,12 @@ h1::after { content: ''; display: block; width: 140px; height: 2px; background:
 .poets { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; gap: 8px; }
 .poet-card {
   min-width: 120px; text-align: center; background: var(--paper); border: 1.5px solid var(--border);
-  border-radius: 999px; padding: 2px 14px; color: var(--ink); transition: transform .25s;
+  border-radius: 999px; padding: 6px 26px 8px; color: var(--ink); transition: transform .25s; position: relative;
 }
+/* the bookmark sits in the card's top-left corner, so a saved poet's card keeps its size */
+.poet-card.mark-bm::after { position: absolute; top: 12px; left: 18px; margin: 0; }
 .poet-card:hover { transform: translateY(-3px); border-color: var(--brand); color: var(--ink); }
-.poet-card small { display: block; color: var(--muted); font-size: .75rem; line-height: 1.4; }
+.poet-card small { display: block; color: var(--muted); font-size: .75rem; line-height: 1.5; white-space: nowrap; }
 .hero { text-align: center; }
 .hero p { margin: 0; }