It is, from the first line to the last line of this excerpt: “prime,” “chime,” “rhyme,” and “lime”. Two pronouns and a vehicle was Icarus with wings. The apparatus of his selves made an ab- surd person. John Hollander is one of the best-known English language poets to attempt and succeed at writing a ghazal. This tight schema is maintained even when what is being discussed, as with Faiz, is political violence or social disintegration. This example is a clever one in that it lays out the rules for writing and understanding a ghazal … John Hollander is one of the best-known English language poets to attempt and succeed at writing a ghazal. The ghazal (Persian: غزل‎) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. The imagery in these lines is striking. It is held in high regard by the nobility of those regions. He studied at Columbia University and Indiana University, and he was a Junior Fellow of the Society of Fellows of Harvard University. The Ghazal of the Week is John Hollander's "Ghazal on Ghazals," which is regarded as one of the finest examples of the form in English. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! Consisting of syntactically and grammatically complete couplets, the form also has an intricate rhyme scheme. too voluble? The ghazal truly is an enchanting form, and each poet, including Diane Ackerman, W. S. Merwin, William Matthews, John Hollander, and Jacqueline Osherow, fills it with sharply etched feelings and images." Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. The ghazal is composed of a minimum of five couplets—and typically no more than fifteen—that are structurally, thematically, and emotionally autonomous. One of the reasons is that ghazals can be so complex that they are often only accessible to those with higher levels of education. It came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen as well as by Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali, who had been teaching and spreading word of the Ghazal at American universities over the previous two decades. John Hollander is a genius A little while back I quoted from John Hollander's brilliant Ghazal , in Agha Shahid Ali's anthology Ravishing Disunities . Here are the few three couplets of ‘Ghazal’: For couplets, the ghazal is prime; at the end Try Persian poetry scholar and ghazal aficionado, Afsar Makdoom Sheikh underlines how ghazals and touched people's hearts through cinema from the black and white era. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or … American poets, including John Hollander, Maxine Kumin, Heather McHugh, and W. S. Merwin, wrote the majority of the poems. And as we forgot the dark, we forgot even the rain. Ok, Now on to how to approach this wonderful and challenging form. Here are the first three couplets of this lovely poem: The sky has never seen such a moon, not even in its dreams, There are many published translations from Persian and Turkish by Annemarie Schimmel, Arthur John Arberry and many others. The phrase “at the end” appears at the end of the first two lines and then at the end of the second line in each following couplet. Ghazal "Gayaki", the art of singing or performing the ghazal in the Indian classical tradition, is very old. Unlike many English poets, he chose to stick to the precise structure outlined above. Drinks were on the house. It is quite obvious from the first stanza what the repeating word is going to be. Aijaz Ahmad's Ghazals of Ghalib; Versions from the Urdu, provides a fascinating look at how various poets, including Adrienne Rich, William Stafford, William Hunt, David Ray, and W.S. How fine the familiar old lime at the end! The apparatus of his selves made an ab- If a drop of tear drops when he’s alone, that’s love, One of the reasons is that ghazals can be so complex that they are often only accessible to those with higher levels of education (Poetry.org: Ghazal). Each line of the poem must be of the same length, though meter is not imposed in English. Traditionally invoking melancholy, love, longing, and metaphysical questions, ghazals are often sung by Iranian, Indian, and Pakistani musicians. “From the times of K L Saigal down to the '80s ghazals have been the mainstay of film music. Bollywood connection. The ghazal form usually speaks about deep, metaphysical questions of life as well as love and longing. Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. Two pronouns and a vehicle was Icarus with wings. Such as “crime,” “climb,” or “dime”. Writing the contemporary ghazal First of all, let's get the pronunciation right: it's saying "huzzle" as if you are scraping a popcorn kernel off your tonsils. Anyone!         rain? A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. But in subsequent couplets throughout the whole poem, However, it was the poet Agha Shahid Ali who introduced it, in its classical form, to Americans. The sound I make is sympathy's: sad dogs are tied afar. The form was used in numerous other languages, such as Pashto, Turkish and more. It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. The German poet and philosopher Goethe experimented with the form, as did the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca. Recently, I was the member judge of a Maine Poets Society contest. Numerous scholars and poets have attempted to translate ghazals from their original language to English. Ali has referred to ghazals as "Kashmiri paisleys tied into the golden hair of Arabic." In the eighteenth-century, the ghazal was used by poets writing in Urdu, a mix of the medieval languages of Northern India, including Persian. too much a word-person? Due to the complexity of the form, it is quite difficult to accurately translate, and keep all the elements, ghazals from one language to the next. McHugh's "Ghazal of the Better-Unbegun" is a good example of the form, as it respects the autonomy of the couplets, the length of lines, as well as the rhyme-refrain scheme established in the opening couplet. But he has bought grief's lottery, bought even the rain. too voluble? For other uses, see |Ghazal (disa... World Heritage Encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. Ali compared each ghazal couplet to "a stone from a necklace," which should continue to "shine in that vivid isolation." The following couplets all use a connected rhyming word. "our glosses / wanting in this world" "Can you remember?" It came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen as well as by Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali, who had been teaching and spreading word of the Ghazal at American universities over the previous two decades. However, here is a ghazal written in English by the American poet John Hollander that Agha Shahid Ali, one of the leading experts on the Ghazal, argued was the first authentic English approximation of the form. American poets, including John Hollander, Maxine Kumin, Heather McHugh, and W. S. Merwin, wrote the majority of the poems. For mixers, my love, you'd poured—what?—even the rain. The form originated in seventh-century Arabia and is now most popular with Iranian, Indian, and Pakistani musicians. Hello, Sign in. "when we thought / the poets taught" even the Love turned my blood into wine, and burned my heart. Heather McHugh - 1948-A book is a suicide postponed.--Cioran Too volatile, am I? They are usually melancholy and reserved. THE END.- by John Hollander. Today, the ghazal retains its popularity in the middle east and South Asia. I blame the soup: I'm a primordially This word or phrase is preceded by the rhyming word, known as the qafia. Then today I came across another (slightly) Indian-themed poem in an anthology called Poetry 180 (edited by Billy Collins). A good example of how the words and meaning, but not the form, maybe conveyed is in Rumi’s ‘The sky has never seen such a moon’. This form does not exceed fifteen couplets at any time. Unlike many English poets, he chose to stick to the precise structure outlined above. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site.      heard person. Ghazal (Pronounciation: “guzzle”) Originally an Arabic verse form dealing with loss and romantic love, medieval Persian poets embraced the ghazal, eventually making it their own. Where was I? Rumi moves couplet to couplet connecting images of drinking, the soul, and the heart. This example is a clever one in that it lays out the rules for writing and understanding a ghazal and its various couplets. The classic 'Ghazal on Ghazals' [ site] by John Hollander is an enjoyable introduction; my friend Peter Hook Sahib 'Alone' composes English ghazals [ site] that preserve the formal qualities and mood of the traditional genre unusually well. Other languages that adopted the ghazal include Hindi, Pashto, Turkish, and Hebrew. Ghazal of the Better-Unbegun. Ghazal poems are performed in Uzbek-Tajik Shashmakom, Turkish Makam, Persian Dastgah and Uyghur Muqam. this is then followed by every other couplet in which the second line rhymes with the lines of the first couplet. Ravishing DisUnities: Real Ghazals in English: Goodyear, Sarah Suleri, Ali, Agha Shahid: Amazon.sg: Books But howling I become an ever more un- too much a word-person? After we died—That was it!—God left us in the dark. The rhyming word, or the qafia, is also easy to spot. This came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poets John Hollander, W. S. Merwin and Elise Paschen, as well as by acclaimed Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali (d. 2001), who had been teaching and spreading word of the ghazal at various American universities over the previous two decades.      stirred person. Elizabeth T. Gray's The Green Sea of Heaven, which offers fifty ghazals by Hafiz, provides a reliable literal translation of the Persian master, at the expense of form.      surd person. It is an inventive and charming poem that provides the reader with insights on the ghazal form, as well as tips on how to write a ghazal. The late American poet John Hollander explained the controlled structure through his witty ‘Ghazal on Ghazals’. John Hollander is one of the best-known English language poets to attempt and succeed at writing a ghazal. The first couplet introduces a scheme, made up of a rhyme followed by a refrain. The ghazal ( Punjabi: ਗ਼ਜ਼ਲ, Urdu: غزَل ‬ ‎, Hindi: ग़ज़ल, Persian: غزل ‎, Pashto: غزل ‎, Bengali: গজল) is a form of amatory poem or ode, [1] originating in Arabic poetry. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia. Merwin, worked with a literal translation of Ghalib's Urdu ghazals to render their own versions in English. From his cup of love, my soul is drunk, my body ruined, The tavern keeper became my heart’s companion Below are the first three couplets: Too volatile, am I? Every single person that visits PoemAnalysis.com has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. But, it has been picked up by many well-known English-speaking writers. Among these poets, Ghalib is the recognized master. 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