Composing the Ghazal Form
History, Features and Contemporary Versions
Form poetry is on the upswing in North America. As the world grows more chaotic, poets are returning to forms to express an often turbulent content within the bounds of greater structure. Forms like the sonnet, the villanelle or even the haiku have strict rules that contain and shape what might otherwise be unwieldy subject matter. The ghazal, however, though it does have rules for its composition, is born from a sense of dislocation and disruption. It is a form that embraces chaos rather than attempting wholly to control it.
The History of the Ghazal
The ghazal form emerged from Arabia and Persia, sometime around the 7th to 9th century. The form was traditionally used to express themes of love tinged with mortality, both in mystical and carnal modes. Ghalib in India and Hafiz in Persia were the most famous practitioners of the ghazal, the latter poet being a 14th century contemporary of Chaucer's.
The ghazal was introduced to Europe in 1812 though a German translation from Hafiz. The form has recently experienced a resurgence in North America, perhaps due ironically to the way the movement between couplets embodies the uncertainty of post-modernity.
Features of the Ghazal
The ghazal is always marked by the appearance of couplets or shers (in Persian) that do not unfold with the logical progression of a lyric poem, but rather leap between images and metaphors through association. Traditionally, the ghazal was characterized also by a repeated word at the end of each of the couplets. This was known as a matla. Its presence turned the ghazal into an easily memorized piece and one that could be recited aloud with a publicly chanted refrain.
Also, originally, the writer of ghazals would include their name in the last couplet, much in the way of modern day rappers. This convention was called the matka. It personalized the poem and brought increased reknown for its speaker.
Contemporary Versions
North American poets have been particularly drawn to the form since the 1960s. American practitioners have included Robert Bly and Adrienne Rich. In Canada, the form was popularized by John Thompson in his collection Stilt Jack. Recently, Lorna Crozier, Eve Joseph, Catherine Owen and other Canadian poets have published books that feature the form.
The modern ghazal is rarely rhymed, only occasionally uses the matla or repeated key word at the end of the couplets, and scarcely never turns to the convention of the matka. The subject matter still turns around themes of love and death, though it has expanded to include political material, including ecological concerns.
Traditionally, the ghazal's couplets were self-enclosed and could be moved around at will. Modern ghazals often use enjambed lines instead. However, they remain faithful to the image-based bounding at the core of the form, creating pieces loosely laced together with mysterious intent and haunting tones.
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