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/[...path].astro b/web/src/pages/[...path].astro
index f00c7c36..28f1b6ba 100644
--- a/web/src/pages/[...path].astro
+++ b/web/src/pages/[...path].astro
@@ -133,8 +133,8 @@ const title = page.type === 'poem' ? page.poem.title : page.type === 'poet' ? pa
       </article>
       <p class="muted hint">کسی لفظ کو منتخب کریں تو اس کے معنی اور تلفظ ساتھ نظر آئیں گے۔</p>
       <nav class="poem-nav">
-        {page.next ? <a href={page.next}>اگلا ›</a> : <span />}
-        {page.prev ? <a href={page.prev}>‹ پچھلا</a> : <span />}
+        {page.prev && <a href={page.prev} rel="prev">‹ پچھلا</a>}
+        {page.next && <a href={page.next} rel="next">اگلا ›</a>}
       </nav>
       {page.divan && (
         <p class="source divan-edit">
diff --git a/web/src/pages/index.astro b/web/src/pages/index.astro
index 9fdc9070..39d45788 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${marked.includes(p.id) ? ' mark-bm' : ''}`;
       <h2>مقبول شعرا</h2>
       <div class="poets">
         {pinned.map((p) => (
-          <a class={card(p)} href={p.url}>{p.nickname}<small>{years(p)}</small></a>
+          <a class={card(p)} href={p.url} title={p.nickname}><span class="name">{p.nickname}</span>{yearLines(p).map((y) => <small>{y}</small>)}</a>
         ))}
       </div>
     </section>
@@ -45,9 +45,9 @@ const card = (p: Poet) => `poet-card${marked.includes(p.id) ? ' mark-bm' : ''}`;
       <h2>{centuryName(century)}</h2>
       <div class="poets">
         {list.map((p) => (
-          <a class={card(p)} href={p.url}>
-            {p.nickname}
-            <small>{years(p)}</small>
+          <a class={card(p)} href={p.url} title={p.nickname}>
+            <span class="name">{p.nickname}</span>
+            {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..6bcf1c19 100644
--- a/web/src/styles/global.css
+++ b/web/src/styles/global.css
@@ -63,11 +63,17 @@ h1::after { content: ''; display: block; width: 140px; height: 2px; background:
 /* poet tiles (captions only, photos hidden for now) */
 .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;
+  /* one size for every card: long names end in … (full name on hover) */
+  width: 210px; max-width: calc(50% - 4px); min-height: 5.125rem; text-align: center;
+  display: flex; flex-direction: column; justify-content: center; background: var(--paper); border: 1.5px solid var(--border);
+  border-radius: 999px; padding: 6px 36px 8px; color: var(--ink); transition: transform .25s; position: relative;
 }
+/* the bookmark sits in the top-left corner, inside the side padding (36px), so it never covers the name and a saved card keeps its size */
+.poet-card.mark-bm::after { position: absolute; top: 12px; left: 16px; 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 .name { display: block; white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; }
+/* years in Naskh: compact lines whatever the reading font (Nastaliq's tall line boxes made cards grow in some browsers) */
+.poet-card small { display: block; color: var(--muted); font-family: 'Noto Naskh Arabic', serif; font-size: .75rem; line-height: 1.6; white-space: nowrap; }
 .hero { text-align: center; }
 .hero p { margin: 0; }
 
@@ -99,7 +105,7 @@ h1::after { content: ''; display: block; width: 140px; height: 2px; background:
   .couplet p, .couplet p + p { text-align: center; }
   .couplet::after { display: none; }
 }
-.poem-nav { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; }
+.poem-nav { display: flex; justify-content: center; gap: 12px; } /* RTL: پچھلا on the right, اگلا on the left */
 .poem-nav a { border: 1.5px solid var(--border); background: var(--inner); border-radius: 10px; padding: 0 14px; }
 .source { text-align: center; font-size: .85rem; color: var(--muted); }