THE GHAZAL

THE WHAT?

a Persian poetry form

takes its name from the Arabic word meaning “the talk of boys and girls”

in other words, flirting or sweet talk

WHAT’S A GHAZAL?

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Easy to singRelatively short

ThemesLoveDrinking wine

WHY WERE THEY POPULAR?

Written in pairs of 5- 15 long-lined coupletsRepetition exists through refrain called radifA refrain (a repeated word or phrase) appears at the end of both lines of the first couplet and at the end of the second line in each succeeding couplet.

Rhyme called a qafia is often, not always, usedis preceded by the couplet’s rhyming word

appears twice in the first couplet

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THE FORM?

Each couplet/line is able to stand on its own, like a proverb can.Ralph Waldo Emerson criticized the ghazal because this aspect made them feel disjointed

Look at a ghazal like a piece of musicEach line adds something to a whole thought

Does not need to be a story that makes sense

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THE FORM?

The subject is mystical That just means it inspires fascination, awe, or mystery

Loss and love are still popular topicsIn the old Persian form, poets included their last names in the last couplet. You can do this, too.Called a “signature stanza”

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THE FORM?

EXAMPLES

Highlight the radif in each example.

Does the poet use a qafia?Examine topic… what does it make you think?

Can each line/couplet stand on its own?

WHAT TO LOOK FOR…

TIME TO TRY IT! WRITE YOUR OWN.

Write 5-15 couplets.Use a radifChallenge yourself to try using a qafia

No enjambment. Each couplet stands on it’s own.

Keep you lines long like in the examples.

THE GHAZAL RULES