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Showing results for tags 'ghazal'.
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Poetry Prompt 13 – Ghazal Let's Write a Ghazal! Ok. This is not a form I know very well, but I have written one, and thought it would be fun to try more. A Ghazal is song/poem expressing the loss or pain of love. In its basic form, it is about the metaphysical joining of spirit and body through the emotions felt in separation and longing for the beloved. By projection, it can expand as a form to encompass any deeply-felt/deeply-expressed emotion involving earthly attachments and a desire to transcend them. Its origins are Indo-Perso-Arabic, and during the great flowering of Islamic culture in the late Middle Ages, it spread to every corner of the world where that religion flourished. This was aided by the Sufi mystics, who following the example of their founding saint, Rumi, expressed love for other males in an open, erotic, and completely unafraid manner. Its structure is deceptively demanding, and for the English language at least, very, very advanced in its level of difficulty. Unlike an entire host of other poetic forms, the Ghazal has lagged sorely behind in this tongue of ours. The strict requirements are: - All lines are of a uniform syllable count - Both lines of the first couplet end with the same word - The second line of all following couplets repeat the exact word that ends the lines of the first couplet - The last or second-to-last couplet must include a signatory statement of the poet's name, title or nickname - The rhyme scheme is this: a-a; b-a; c-a; d-a and so forth. There should be no rhyme on the first lines of the couplets after the initial one – this is considered bad form. The adjusted requirements are: - Same as above, except – - Both lines of the first couplet end with the a rhyming word, not a repeat of the exact word - The second line of all following couplets have words that rhyme, but do not repeat the initial word of the first couplet - The poet's 'signature' is not necessary. In my opinion, this adjustment to the form is fair, as in the English language the repeating of the same word in the manner of a rhyme has always been considered very poor poetics; perhaps this is what led to the Ghazal being ignored by English-language poets for so long. As for the other requirements, they are open: the poet may establish any metre he or she likes, as long as it stays consistent throughout, and the number of couplets can vary from about four, to say a million. There is no upper limit. As for a strict example, look at Agha Shahid Ali's Where are you now? Who lies beneath your spell tonight? here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghazal You can see the word 'tonight' is used to end both lines of the first couplet, and then to conclude the last line of every subsequent couplet. Another aspect to note in Ali's poem is that each couplet is a complete thought, and ends with a period or question mark. This follows one tradition, but open-ended couples melting into one another is also standard. The best examples are German ones, as German-language poets began embracing the form about 200 years ago.1 My sincerest thanks to aditus for helping me find and cite the following Ghazals. He also provided the delightful translations you will find in the footnotes. Here is an adjusted-requirement example by Friedrich Rückert, called Nach Tschelaleddin Rumi:2 Wohl endet Tod des Lebens Not, Doch schauert Leben vor dem Tod. Das Leben sieht die dunkle Hand, Den hellen Kelch nicht, den sie bot. So schauert vor der Lieb ein Herz, Als wie von Untergang bedroht. Denn wo die Lieb erwachet, stirbt Das Ich, der dunkele Despot. Du laß ihn sterben in der Nacht Und atme frei im Morgenrot. This is a very good example to study, for although Rückert did not repeat the a-rhyme-word, he rhymed it all perfectly (as 't' and 'd' consonant sounds are acceptable rhymes in German). I think this is a beautiful Ghazal. Here is a strict example by Hugo von Hofmannsthal:3 In der ärmsten kleinen Geige liegt die Harmonie des Alls verborgen, Liegt ekstatisch tiefstes Stöhnen, Jauchzen süßen Schalls verborgen; In dem Stein am Wege liegt der Funke, der die Welt entzündet, Liegt die Wucht des fürchterlichen, blitzesgleichen Pralls verborgen. In dem Wort, dem abgegriffnen, liegt was mancher sinnend suchet: Eine Wahrheit, mit der Klarheit leuchtenden Kristalls verborgen ... Lockt die Töne, sucht die Wahrheit, werft den Stein mit Riesenkräften! Unsern Blicken ist Vollkommnes seit dem Tag des Sündenfalls verborgen. The only thing lacking in this Ghazal is the signatory salute. The repeat of verbogen becomes a mesmerizing refrain, and comes close to the heart of why the Ghazal is such a powerful form. The prompt: write at least one Ghazal in your native language based on the well-known love scene from the Holocaust movie Bent. Max & Horst are your guide for that sensual desire to transcend this world by being fully sensual in it. Channel their love and pathos into a Ghazal of any number of couplets, with lines in a consistent syllable count that you establish. You decide if the form is of the 'strict' or 'adjusted' variety. --------------------------------------------- 1. See here for a very interesting study of German Ghazal and Lieder: http://www.academicroom.com/article/repetition-structure-german-lied-ghazal 2. Translation kindly provided by aditus: Perhaps death ends life’s misery, But life shudders before death. Life spots the dark hand, But not the bright calyx it offers. Thus trembles a heart before love, As if threatened by doom. For where love awakens, dies The ego, the dark despot. Let him die at night And breathe freely at dawn. 3. Translation kindly provided by aditus: In the poorest smallest violin the harmony of the universe is buried, Its ecstatic deepest moans, where the exult’s sweet sound is buried; In the stone along the way is the spark that ignites the world, Is the force of the terrible, flash-like impact buried. In the worn-out word, is what many seek musingly: A truth with the luminous clarity of the crystal buried… Attract the sounds, look for the truth, throw the stone with tremendous force! From our view, perfection since the day of the fall, is buried.