Ghazals

What is a ghazal?

A ghazal is a type of poetic form that originated in Arabic poetry. It is a short poem consisting of rhyming couplets, called bayt or sher. Most ghazals have between seven and twelve bayts. For a poem to be considered a true ghazal, it must have no fewer than five couplets.

It must be noted that almost all ghazals confine themselves to less than fifteen couplets (poems that exceed this length are more accurately considered qasidas). Ghazal couplets end with the same rhyming pattern and are expected to have the same meter. The ghazal's uniqueness arises from its rhyme and refrain rules, referred to as the 'qaafiyaa' and 'radif' respectively.

In short, a ghazal is a kind of written in couplets – 5 to 7 couplets. A couplet is called sher. Ghazal is a metrical composition. Ideally, each sher (couplet) should have an equal number of syllables (one more or one less is acceptable). Each sher is a mini poem as each of them can have a different theme/topic.

1. The first couplet (which is called matla (/mᴧtla/) sets radif (rƏdi:ph/) the rhyme, and quafia

(/ka:phia:) the refrain of the ghazal.

2. Usually the last sher (which is called makta /mᴧkta/) contains takhallus ‘pen name’ of the poet.

3. radif is a must: if there is quafia excellent but even if it’s not there it’s excusable.

4. The radif appears at the end of each couplet.

Example:

Would you like to learn to write a ghazal? We will teach you!

Though at first the rules may seem a puzzle, we will teach you!

(Each line has 13 syllables. The quafia is azal (ghazal rhyming with puzzle). the radif is ‘we will teach you’.

There’s no any weapon of death that I fear

It is the deadly smile of yours that I fear

(Each line has 11 syllables. There is no quafia. The radif is ‘that I fear’


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Not a Crime

This is my ghazal composed by Vishnu Rai
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Eyes are to see and seeing is not a crime

Hearts are to love and loving is not a crime

Murder or suicide is a crime - no doubt

But see killings with eyes is not a crime

People fear to open their mouths in this country

I don’t, voicing my ideas is not a crime

I don’t mind heaven or hell after I die

Let me drink, for drinking is not a crime

Don’t love, for love is a crime here, my friend

But murder or kidnapping is not a crime

Living has become very difficult here

I was born here, but that too is not a crime

They don't allow you to feed birds in nature.
Putting birds in cages or selling them is not a crime.

The above couplets belong to Prof Vishnu Rai. The last sher is mine.

A ghazal is a type of poem that is written in couplets. A couplet is two lines of poetry that rhyme. Ghazals usually have between 5 and 7 couplets. The poems are often about love, loss, and longing.

The first couplet of a ghazal is called the matla. The matla sets the rhyme scheme for the rest of the poem. The last word or phrase of the first line of the matla is repeated in the second line of the matla. This repeated word or phrase is called the radif.

The second couplet of a ghazal is called the makta. The makta often contains the poet's pen name. The makta also sets the quafia, which is the refrain of the poem. The quafia is a word or phrase that appears at the end of each couplet, except for the matla.

The other couplets in a ghazal are called the bayt. The bayt can have different themes or topics, but they all follow the same rhyme scheme. The radif and quafia appear at the end of each bayt.

Ghazals are a beautiful and expressive form of poetry. They are a great way to explore the themes of love, loss, and longing. If you are interested in learning more about ghazals, I recommend reading the following books:

• The Fire of Love: 50 Ghazals of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky

• The Beauty of the World: Love Poems of Rumi by Coleman Barks

• The Ghazals of Ghalib by Agha Shahid Ali

Ghazals In English

After nearly a century of "false starts," the early experiments of James Clarence Mangan, James Elroy Flecker, Adrienne Rich, Phyllis Webb, etc., many of whom did not adhere wholly or in part to the traditional principles of the form, experiments dubbed as "the bastard Ghazal," the ghazal finally began to be recognized as a viable closed form in poetry of the English language some time in the early to mid-1990s.

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 the word of the Ghazal at American universities over the previous two decades. Jim Harrison created his own free-form Ghazal true to his poetic vision in Outlyer and Ghazals.

In 1996, Ali compiled and edited the world's first anthology of English-language ghazals, published by Wesleyan University Press in 2000, as Ravishing DisUnities: Real Ghazals in English. (Fewer than one in ten of the ghazals collected in Real Ghazals in English observe the constraints of the form.)

A ghazal is composed of couplets, five or more. The couplets may have nothing to do with one another except for the formal unity derived from a strict rhyme and rhythm pattern.

A ghazal in English observes the traditional restrictions of the form:

Where are you now? Who lies beneath your spell tonight?

Whom else from rapture's road will you expel tonight?

Those "Fabrics of Cashmere—" "to make Me beautiful—"

"Trinket"— to gem– "Me to adorn– How– tell"— tonight?

I beg for haven: Prisons, let open your gates–

A refugee from Belief seeks a cell tonight.

God's vintage loneliness has turned to vinegar–

All the archangels– their wings frozen– fell tonight.

Lord, cried out the idols, Don't let us be broken

Only we can convert the infidel tonight.

Mughal ceilings, let your mirrored convexities

multiply me at once under your spell tonight.

He's freed some fire from ice in pity for Heaven.

He's left open– for God– the doors of Hell tonight.

In the heart's veined temple, all statues have been smashed

No priest in saffron's left to toll its knell tonight.

God, limit these punishments, there's still Judgment Day–

I'm a mere sinner, I'm no infidel tonight.

Executioners near the woman at the window.

Damn you, Elijah, I'll bless Jezebel tonight.

The hunt is over, and I hear the Call to Prayer

fade into that of the wounded gazelle tonight.

My rivals for your love– you've invited them all?

This is mere insult, this is no farewell tonight.

And I, Shahid, only am escaped to tell thee–

God sobs in my arms. Call me Ishmael tonight.

— Agha Shahid Ali

Here are some of Rumi's most famous ghazals:

Ghazal 1:

If I were to write the names of my beloved

on every grain of sand, the wind would blow them away

and I would have to start again.

Ghazal 2:

I have fallen in love with a face I cannot see,

with a form I cannot touch,

with a voice I cannot hear,

with a heart I cannot reach.

Ghazal 3:

This world is a bridge,

pass over it, but build no house upon it.
This world is a dream,

wake up, and do not be deceived by it.

These are just a few examples of Rumi's ghazals. His poetry is full of love, longing, and spiritual wisdom. It is a beautiful and inspiring way to explore the human condition.

We Live in an Amazing Time

We live in an amazing time,
When the truth is hidden from our eyes.
We are told what to think and what to believe.
We are not allowed to question or challenge the status quo.

We live in an amazing time,
When the rich get richer, And the poor get poorer.
The gap between the haves and the have-nots, Is widening at an alarming rate.
And there seems to be no end in sight.

We live in an amazing time,
When education is not a right, But a privilege.
Those who are born into poverty, Are often condemned to a life of hardship. A
nd there is little that they can do to change their fate.

We live in an amazing time, When jobs are scarce, And the competition is fierce. It is becoming increasingly difficult,
To find a good job that pays a living wage.
And many people are forced to work multiple jobs,
Just to make ends meet.

We live in an amazing time,
When we are constantly bombarded with propaganda.
We are told that we are free, But we are not. We are controlled by the media,
The government, and the corporations.
And we are not allowed to think for ourselves.

We live in an amazing time, But it is also a time of great danger. We are living in a world, Where the truth is becoming increasingly difficult to find. And where our freedoms are being eroded, One by one.

We live in an amazing time, But it is also a time of great hope.
We are the generation that can change the world.
We can fight for truth, justice, and equality. We can build a better future,
For ourselves and for our children.

We live in an amazing time, And we have the power to make a difference.
Let us not be silent, Let us not be afraid.
Let us stand up for what we believe in, And let us make the world a better place.

We live in an amazing time, And we are the ones who will shape the future.
Let us not let our generation down,
Let us make history.

Conclusion

A ghazal is a short poem consisting of rhyming couplets, called bayt or sher. Most ghazals have between seven and twelve bayts, and for a poem to be considered a true ghazal, it must have no fewer than five couplets.

The ghazal originated in Arabic poetry, and it is a popular form of poetry in many languages, including Urdu, Persian, Turkish, and Pashto. Ghazals often deal with topics of love, loss, and longing, and they are often characterized by their use of metaphor, symbolism, and imagery.