Introduction

Ghazal is a poetic form that originated in Iran during the 10th century and continues to be written, recited and sung in the Middle East, Northern Africa and India today. Ghazal is an Arabic word that means "discourse" or "talk to women." The word is correctly pronounced "ghu -zzle," but many English speakers say "gah -zelle." Although the form originally was used for expressions of unrequited love towards women, the Persian language does not distinguish between genders in pronouns, and many of the early courtly ghazals are believed to have been written to young boys.

The form's structure is composed of a series of independently-themed couplets called sher that have a consistent meter and rhyme scheme. One of the defining features of the ghazal is the repetition of a word or phrase that first appears in both lines of the first couplet. This word or phrase, known as the radif is similar to a refrain, in that its repetition establishes an echo or return to something. The second line of each sher in the ghazal contains the radif established in the first sher.

Another interesting feature of the ghazal is the customary practice of the poet putting their own name or a pen name somewhere in the final couplet known as maqta.

Classical ghazal was usually written in in Arabic, Persian or Urdu and frequently was accompanied by music, especially in India, where it became associated with courtesans.

History

Ghazal derives from an earlier Arabic form called qasida, that was written to celebrate and praise emperors or noblemen. Qasida poems could often run as many as 100 couplets in monorhyme, and the first, shorter section of the qasida called the tashbib eventually broke off from the large form and developed into a separate form called ghazal. The ghazal flowered in Iran during the 10th - 13th century and became associated with Sufism and the poetry of Rumi. It then spread to India during the 12th century, at a time when Iranian art and literature had a large influenced on Indian culture. Ghazal was first adopted in Northern India, but really flourished when it moved south and Urdu became the primarily language of poetry. Wali Deccany (1667-1707) sometimes called the Chaucer of Urdu poetry was instrumental in popularizing the form and encouraging that ghazals be written in Urdu rather than Persian. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the ghazal in India became associated with high culture and courtesans and the poems were frequently accompanied by music or performed. During this period, Ghalib (1797-1869) emerged to become one of the greatest ghazal poets writing in Urdu. His work continues to influence poets today such as Adrienne Rich, who dedicated several poems to the ghazal master.

Contemporary usage

Traditionally, ghazals were written as expressions of unrequited love. However, as the form evolved, it became associated with spiritual yearnings and mysticism. In this century, it has been used by poets in North Africa for political protest and in India it has become associated with popular music and films. Poets in the U.S. and Canada began experimenting with the form during the 1960s, partly inspired by Sufism and the works of Rumi. Although the ghazal is gaining in popularity among English-speaking poets, they often don't adhere to the all of the form's traditional structures. Some American poets have taken ghazals in a surrealist direction, tapping into the form's tendency for shifting images, wit and word play.

Contemporary English-speaking poets who have experimented with the form include Robert Bly, Gene Doty, Eric Folsom, Dana Goia, Galway Kinnell, John Thomson and Adrienne Rich. Federico Garcia-Lorca wrote some ghazals in Spanish.

Advantages of writing in the ghazal form

The ghazal has been compared to the sonnet in its capacity to combine lyricism with a shift in tone or mood. Because each sher (couplet) is also an independent poem, there is often a "jump" or shift that occurs between each sher in a ghazal. In some sense, these jumps can be fit well within a post-modernist sensibility, creating a sense of multiple voices or perspectives. There is no requirement when writing a ghazal, that the shers be linked thematically. In fact, it is the exception, when this is the case. However, the strong rhyme scheme and radif (refrain) carries the reader through the poem and gives a sense of lyricism and unity to the ghazal.

Poet Agha Shahid Ali says that traditional ghazals tend to combine immense lyricism with "epigrammatic terseness." He also says that ghazals tend to exhibit a deep yearning or constant longing for something. The ghazal might be a good form to explore lost love or being an expatriate.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson you should be able to:

identify two key characteristics of a ghazal

name at least one great master of ghazal

know what the term "takhallus" means