Ahli Shirazi ( Persian : اهلی شیرازی ), full name Muhammad ibn Yusuf Ahli Shirazi , was a Persian poet who lived in Shiraz , Iran from circa 1454 to 1535. He is buried in Hafezieh .
76-495: It is said that his life style was retiring, he faced poverty, and his life was filled with struggle. Ahli Shirazi excelled especially in elaborately ingenious word plays ( tajnisat ) and other rhetorical devices. His works include ghazals , qasidas , robais (quatrains), and other types. One ornamental ode imitates a famous rhetorical piece by Salman Savaji and was judged more successful than Salman's original; but Lotf Ali Beg commented that such rhetorical devices are not
152-710: A spiritual context, with the Beloved being a metaphor for God or the poet's spiritual master. It is the intense Divine Love of Sufism that serves as a model for all the forms of love found in ghazal poetry. Most ghazal scholars today recognize that some ghazal couplets are exclusively about Divine Love ( ishq-e-haqiqi ). Others are about earthly love ( ishq-e-majazi ), but many can be interpreted in either context. Traditionally invoking melancholy, love, longing, and metaphysical questions , ghazals are often sung by Afghan, Pakistani, and Indian musicians. The form has roots in seventh-century Arabia , and gained prominence in
228-487: A European[English]-sponsored change in world polity, especially Indian polity. Syed Ahmed Khan might well have been piqued at Ghalib's admonitions, but he would also have realized that Ghalib's reading of the situation, though not nuanced enough, was basically accurate. Khan may also have felt that he, being better informed about the English and the outside world, should have himself seen the change that now seemed to be just around
304-502: A desert. Water was scarce. Delhi was "a military camp". It was the end of the feudal elite to which Ghalib had belonged. He wrote: ہے موجزن اک قلزم خوں کاش یہی ہو آتا ہے ابھی دیکھیے کیا کیا مرے آگے An ocean of blood churns around me - Alas! Was this all? The future will show what more remains for me to see." His original Takhallus ( pen-name ) was Asad (meaning lion ), drawn from his given name, Asadullah Khan. At some point early in his poetic career he also decided to adopt
380-499: A garden? And, in Paradise, it is true that I shall drink at dawn the pure wine mentioned in the Quran , but where shall I find again the star of dawn I used to see on earth, and my crystal cup? Where in Paradise are the long walks of intoxicated friends in the night, or the drunken crowds shouting merrily? In that holy tavern, silent and still, how canst Thou introduce the sounds of the flute and
456-400: A ghazal's couplets do not need a common theme or continuity. Each sher is self-contained and independent from the others, containing the complete expression of an idea. However, the shers all contain a thematic or tonal connection to each other, which may be highly allusive. A common conceit that traces its history to the origins of the ghazal form is that the poem is addressed to a beloved by
532-416: A girl who flees away when we would kiss her? Where will be, there, one who betrays us with false oaths of love? The beauties of Paradise will obey us and their lips will never say anything bitter; they will give us pleasure, but with a heart forever closed to the desire for pleasure. Will there be in Paradise oglings, the pleasure of coquettish glances from afar? Where will it be, in Paradise, the dear window in
608-505: A gradually accepted part of the ghazal form, and by the time of Saadi Shirazi (1210–1291 AD), the most important ghazal poet of this period, it had become de rigueur. The second marked change from Arabian ghazal form in Persian ghazals was a movement towards far greater autonomy between the couplets. The ghazal later spread throughout the Middle East and South Asia. It was famous all around
684-409: A higher being or for a mortal beloved. Love is always viewed as something that will complete a human being, and if attained will lift him or her into the ranks of the wise or will bring satisfaction to the soul of the poet. Traditional ghazal law may or may not have an explicit element of sexual desire in it, and the love may be spiritual. The love may be directed to either a man or a woman. The ghazal
760-594: A salary of 400 rupees a month. Before becoming the official poet laureate of the court, Ghalib was paid a salary of 50 rupees a month to write histories on the history of the House of Taimur. Mirza Ghalib was a gifted letter writer. Not only Urdu poetry but prose is indebted to Mirza Ghalib. His letters gave foundation to easy and popular Urdu. Before Ghalib, letter writing in Urdu was highly ornamental. He made his letters "talk" by using words and sentences as if he were conversing with
836-615: A spread of the Arabic language in that country. In medieval Spain, ghazals written in Hebrew as well as Arabic have been found as far back as the 11th century . It is possible that ghazals were also written in the Mozarabic language . Ghazals in the Arabic form have also been written in a number of major West African literary languages like Hausa and Fulfulde . However, the most significant changes to
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#1732869894700912-448: A testimony of his tale of love with Calcutta. In a letter that he wrote to Mirza Ali Bakhsh Khan, he says how the city has stolen his heart and left him mesmerized. He referred to the city as a place which offered a remedy for everything except death and also praised the talented people of the city. 1855, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan finished his scholarly, well-researched, and illustrated edition of Abul Fazl's Ai’n-e Akbari . Having finished
988-469: A tribe or ruler, lampoons, or moral maxims. However, the qaṣīda's opening prelude, called the nasīb , was typically nostalgic and/or romantic in theme, and highly ornamented and stylized in form. In time, the nasīb began to be written as standalone, shorter poems, which became the ghazal. The ghazal came into its own as a poetic genre during the Umayyad era (661–750) and continued to flower and develop in
1064-447: A volume of "real Ghazals in English". Ghazals were also written by Moti Ram Bhatta (1866–1896), the pioneer of Nepali ghazal writing in Nepali . Ghazals were also written by Hamza Shinwari , He is known as the father of Pashto Ghazals. Enormous collections of ghazal have been created by hundreds of well-known poets over the past thousand years in Persian, Turkish, and Urdu as well as in
1140-620: A well-known wall?. He staunchly disdained the practices of certain Ulema , who in his poems represent narrow-mindedness and hypocrisy: کہاں مے خانہ کا دروازہ غالبؔ اور کہاں واعظ، پر اتنا جانتے ہیں کل وہ جاتا تھا کہ ہم نکلے What's the relation between the Preacher and the door of the tavern, but believe me, Ghalib, I am sure I saw him slip in as I departed. In another verse directed towards certain maulavis (clerics), he criticized them for their ignorance and arrogant certitude: "Look deeper, it
1216-423: Is a descendant of Ahli Shirazi. Browne, E. G. A Literary History of Persia , IV 233. Ghazal The ghazal is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry . Ghazals often deal with topics of spiritual and romantic love and may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation from the beloved and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The ghazal form
1292-414: Is always written from the point of view of the unrequited lover whose beloved is portrayed as unattainable . Most often, either the beloved has not returned the poet's love or returns it without sincerity or else the societal circumstances do not allow it. The lover is aware and resigned to this fate but continues loving nonetheless; the lyrical impetus of the poem derives from this tension. Representations of
1368-555: Is ancient, tracing its origins to 7th-century Arabic poetry. The ghazal spread into the Indian subcontinent in the 12th century due to the influence of Sufi mystics and the courts of the new Islamic Sultanate , and is now most prominently a form of poetry of many Languages of South Asia and Turkey . A ghazal commonly consists of five to fifteen couplets, which are independent, but are linked – abstractly, in their theme; and more strictly in their poetic form. The structural requirements of
1444-583: Is at least five times longer than his Urdu Divan, his fame rests on his poetry in Urdu. Today, Ghalib remains popular not only in the Indian subcontinent but also among the Hindustani diaspora around the world. Mirza Ghalib was born in Kala Mahal, Agra into a family of Mughals who moved to Samarkand (in modern-day Uzbekistan ) after the downfall of the Seljuk kings. His paternal grandfather, Mirza Qoqan Baig,
1520-540: Is considered the most important Persian ghazal poet of this period, and the founder of classical Persian literature. The Persian ghazal evolved into its own distinctive form between the 12th and 13th centuries. Many of those innovations created what we now recognize as the archetypical ghazal form. These changes occurred in two periods, separated by the Mongol Invasion of Persia from 1219 to 1221 AD. The 'Early Persian poetry' period spanned approximately one century, from
1596-514: Is described as the " golden age of Persian literature in Bengal". Its stature is illustrated by the Sultan's own correspondence with the Persian poet Hafez . When the Sultan invited Hafez to complete an incomplete ghazal by the ruler, the renowned poet responded by acknowledging the grandeur of the king's court and the literary quality of Bengali-Persian poetry. It is said that Atul Prasad Sen pioneered
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#17328698947001672-544: Is imperative for any individual with a creative bent of mind. Mirza Ghalib’s sojourn in Calcutta widened the horizons of his literary journey. He established himself as one of the renowned poets in Calcutta and received both appreciation and criticism from the enlightened audience of the city. During this time, he penned two masnavis in Persian like Chiragh-e Dair (Lamp of the Temple) and Bad-e Mukhalif (Adverse Winds). His letters bear
1748-523: Is pronounced [ˈɣazal] . In English, the word is pronounced / ˈ ɡ ʌ z əl / or / ˈ ɡ æ z æ l / . The ghazal 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. Almost all ghazals confine themselves to less than fifteen couplets (poems that exceed this length are more accurately considered as qasidas ). Ghazal couplets end with
1824-635: Is used to write modern Urdu, but often called his language "Hindi"; one of his works was titled Ode-e-Hindi ( Urdu : عود هندی , lit. 'Perfume of Hindi'). When Ghalib was 14 years old a newly converted Muslim tourist from Iran (Abdus Samad, originally named Hormuzd, a Zoroastrian ) came to Agra. He stayed at Ghalib's home for two years and taught him Persian, Arabic, philosophy, and logic. Although Ghalib valued Persian over Urdu, his fame rests on his writings in Urdu. Numerous commentaries on Ghalib's ghazal compilations have been written by Urdu scholars. The first such elucidation or Sharh
1900-503: Is you alone who cannot hear the music of his secrets". In his letters, Ghalib frequently contrasted the narrow legalism of the Ulema with "its pre-occupation with teaching the baniyas and the brats, and wallowing in the problems of menstruation and menstrual bleeding" and real spirituality for which you had to "study the works of the mystics and take into one's heart the essential truth of God's reality and his expression in all things". During
1976-512: The Ghaznavid era (which lasted until 1187) till a little after the Mongol Invasion. Apart from the movement towards brevity, this period also saw two significant and lasting changes to the ghazal form. The first change was the adoption of the Takhallus , the practice of mentioning the poet's penname in the final couplet (called the ' maqta ' ' ). The adoption of the takhallus became
2052-456: The Naʽat , poems in praise of Muhammad, which indicates that Ghalib was a devout Muslim. Ghalib wrote his Abr-i gauharbar ( Urdu : ابر گہر بار , lit. 'The Jewel-carrying Cloud') as a Naʽat poem. Ghalib also wrote a qasida of 101 verses in dedication to a Naʽat. Ghalib described himself as a sinner who should be silent before Muhammad as he was not worthy of addressing him, who
2128-552: The Ottoman Empire ; Mirza Ghalib and Muhammad Iqbal of North India ; and Kazi Nazrul Islam of Bengal . Through the influence of Goethe (1749–1832), the ghazal became very popular in Germany during the 19th century; the form was used extensively by Friedrich Rückert (1788–1866) and August von Platen (1796–1835). The Kashmiri poet Agha Shahid Ali was a proponent of the form, both in English and in other languages; he edited
2204-798: The anti-British Rebellion in Delhi on 5 October 1857, three weeks after the British troops had entered through Kashmiri Gate , some soldiers climbed into Ghalib's neighbourhood and hauled him off to Colonel Brown ( Urdu : کمانڈنگ آفیسر کرنل براؤن , romanized : Kamānḍing Āfīsar Karnal Brāūn ) for questioning. He appeared in front of the colonel wearing a Central Asian Turkic style headdress. The colonel, bemused at his appearance, inquired in broken Urdu, "Well? You Muslim?", to which Ghalib replied sardonically, "Half?" The colonel asked, "What does that mean?" In response, Ghalib said, "I drink wine, but I don't eat pork." A large part of Ghalib's poetry focuses on
2280-514: The qibla is a compass, nothing more. Like many other Urdu poets, Ghalib was capable of writing profoundly religious poetry, yet was skeptical about some interpretations of the Islamic scriptures done by certain religious leaders. On the idea of paradise, he once wrote in his Persian masnavi (مثنوی), "Abr-i-Guhar Baar" : How canst Thou burn with a fire-mark in Hell a heart that finds no rest even in
2356-664: The 19th century ghazals gained popularity in Germany with Goethe 's translations, as well as with Spanish ghazal writers such as Federico García Lorca . Despite often being written in strong Urdu and rendered with classical Indian Ragas along with complex terminology most usually accessible to the upper classes, in South Asia ghazals are nonetheless popular among all ages. They are most popular in Turkey and South Asia, and readings or musical renditions of ghazals—such as at mehfils and mushairas —are well attended in these countries, even by
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2432-617: The Central Asian Turkic languages. Ghazal poems are performed in Uzbek-Tajik Shashmakom , Turkish Makam , Persian Dastgah and Uyghur Muqam . There are many published translations from Persian and Turkish by Annemarie Schimmel , Arthur John Arberry and many others. Ghazal "Gayaki", the art of singing or performing the ghazal in the Indian classical tradition, is very old. Singers like Ustad Barkat Ali and many other singers in
2508-473: The Indian subcontinent in the 18th and 19th centuries Vin bahs bā salāse-ye ghassāle miravad And with the three washers (cups of wine), this dispute goeth. Shekkar-shekan shavand hame tutiān-e Hind Sugar-shattering (excited), have become all the parrots (poets) of Hind , Zin qand-e Pārsi ke be Bangāle miravad. That this Persian candy [ode], that to Bengal goeth. – Jointly penned by Azam Shah and Hafez The ghazal
2584-538: The Last Trumpet sound? Who holds the reins of the Final Catastrophe?'. Ghalib held Persian in high regard, and his knowledge of the language was a point of pride for him. He believed his compositions in Persian were superior to those in Urdu, and hoped readers would evaluate him by the former: See my Persian [poetry] so that you may see colorful pictures of many hues. Pass over my Urdu collection; it’s only
2660-505: The Nawab of Ferozepur Jhirka and Loharu and nephew of Qasim Jan ). He soon moved to Delhi, along with his younger brother, Mirza Yousuf, who had developed schizophrenia at a young age and later died in Delhi during the chaos of 1857 . None of his seven children survived beyond infancy. In one of his letters, he describes his marriage as the second imprisonment after the initial confinement that
2736-509: The Simla Market Area during his stay in Kolkata. He used to write his verses in Urdu but started writing his poetry in Persian after this visit. He realized that the literary circle of Calcutta was very different from his known world. During his stay in Kolkata, he attended many literary gatherings which were not courtly in nature unlike Delhi. These were far liberal and flexible in nature which
2812-595: The Western sense of the term. The first complete English translation of Ghalib's ghazals was Love Sonnets of Ghalib , written by Sarfaraz K. Niazi and published by Rupa & Co in India and Ferozsons in Pakistan. It contains complete Roman transliteration, explication, and an extensive lexicon. Ghalib has been described as having been concerned about receiving pensions more so than building an estate or engaging in commerce. Ghalib
2888-598: The corner. Sir Khan never again wrote a word in praise of the Ai’n-e Akbari and in fact gave up taking an active interest in history and archaeology and became a social reformer. Ghalib placed a greater emphasis on seeking of God rather than ritualistic religious practices; although he followed Shia theology and had said many verses in praise of Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib . Ghalib states: ہے پرے سرحد ادراک سے اپنا مسجود قبلے کو اہل نظر قبلہ نما کہتے ہیں The object of my worship lies beyond perception's reach; For men who see,
2964-702: The decline of the Mughal Empire and the rise of the British Raj , despite his many attempts, Ghalib could never get the full pension restored. Ghalib started composing poetry at the age of 11. His first language was Urdu , but Persian and Turkish were also spoken at home. He received an education in Persian and Arabic at a young age. During Ghalib's period, the words "Hindi" and Urdu" were synonyms (see Hindi–Urdu controversy ). Ghalib wrote in Perso-Arabic script which
3040-616: The early Abbasid era. The Arabic ghazal inherited the formal verse structure of the qaṣīda , specifically, a strict adherence to meter and the use of the qafiya , a common end rhyme on each couplet (called a bayt in Arabic and a sher in Persian). The nature of the ghazals also changed to meet the demands of musical presentation, becoming briefer in length. Lighter poetic meters, such as khafîf , ramal , and muqtarab were preferred, instead of longer, more ponderous meters favored for qaṣīdas (such as kâmil , basît , and rajaz ). Topically,
3116-455: The gay bustle of the taverns of this earth? Where shall I find, there, the intoxication of raining clouds? Where there is no autumn, how can spring exist? If the beautiful houries are eternally in one's heart, what of the sweet thought of them? Where will be the sadness of separation and the joy of union? How could we be thankful to an unknown beauty? What will be the pleasure of a sure fruition of love, without waiting? Where shall we find, there,
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3192-551: The ghazal are similar in stringency to those of the Petrarchan sonnet . In style and content, due to its highly allusive nature, the ghazal has proved capable of an extraordinary variety of expression around its central themes of love and separation. The word ghazal originates from the Arabic word غزل ( ġazal ). This genre of Arabic poetry is derived from غَزَل (ḡazal) or غَزِلَ (ḡazila) - To sweet-talk, to flirt, to display amorous gestures. The Arabic word غزل ġazal
3268-410: The ghazal focus also changed from nostalgic reminiscences of the homeland and loved ones, towards romantic or erotic themes. These included sub-genres with themes of courtly love ( udharî ), eroticism ( hissî ), homoeroticism ( mudhakkar ), and as a highly stylized introduction to a larger poem ( tamhîdî ). During the Umayyad and early Abbasid eras, the ghazal blossomed. It inherited the structure of
3344-451: The ghazal occurred in its introduction into Iran in the 10th century. The early Persian ghazals largely imitated the themes and form of the Arabian ghazal. These "Arabo-Persian" ghazals introduced two differences compared to their Arabian poetic roots. Firstly, the Persian ghazals did not employ radical enjambment between the two halves of the couplet, and secondly, the Persian ghazals formalized
3420-694: The ghazal. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan , Amanat Ali Khan , Begum Akhtar, Talat Mahmood , Mehdi Hassan , Abida Parveen , Jagjit Singh , Farida Khanum and Ustad Ghulam Ali , Moinuddin Ahamed, are popular classical ghazal singers. The ghazal has historically been one of the most popular poetic forms across the Middle East and South Asia. Even into the modern era the ghazal has retained its extreme popularity among South Asian royalty and nobility, among whom its education and patronisation has traditionally found shelter, especially with several Indian rulers including several Indian Emperors being profound composers of ghazals. In
3496-636: The house of his father-in-law. He was employed first by the Nawab of Lucknow and then the Nizam of Hyderabad . He died in a battle in 1803 in Alwar and was buried at Rajgarh, Alwar , when Ghalib was a little over 5 years old. He was then raised by his Uncle Mirza Nasrullah Baig Khan, but in 1806, Nasrullah fell off an elephant and died from related injuries. In 1810, at the age of thirteen, Ghalib married Umrao Begum, daughter of Nawab Ilahi Bakhsh (brother of Ahmad Baksh Khan,
3572-416: The identity and the gender of the beloved are indeterminate. The critic/poet/writer Shamsur Rahman Faruqui explains that the convention of having the "idea" of a lover or beloved instead of an actual lover/beloved freed the poet-protagonist-lover from the demands of realism. Love poetry in Urdu from the last quarter of the seventeenth century onwards consists mostly of "poems about love" and not "love poems" in
3648-514: The introduction of Bengali ghazals. Residing in Lucknow , he was inspired by Persian ghazals and experimented with a stream of Bengali music which was later enriched profusely by the contribution of Kazi Nazrul Islam and Moniruddin Yusuf . "The ghazal was initially composed to a purely religious theme". Now in this era ghazals are more likely to have romantic themes. Can usually be interpreted for
3724-535: The laity. Ghazals are popular in South Asian film music . The ragas to which ghazals are sung are usually chosen to be in consonance with their lyrical content. The ghazal's beauty goes beyond rich or poor, or where you come from. Whether it's spoken in fancy places or sung in everyday life, its powerful words touch deep inside, staying with us for a long time. Ghalib India Portal Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (1797–1869), also known as Mirza Ghalib ,
3800-608: The lover's powerlessness to resist his feelings often include lyrically exaggerated violence. The beloved's power to captivate the speaker may be represented in extended metaphors about the "arrows of his eyes", or by referring to the beloved as an assassin or a killer. Take, for example, the following couplets from Amir Khusro 's Persian ghazal Nemidanam che manzel būd shab : namidanam chi manzil būd shab jayi ke man būdam; be har sū raqs eh besmel būd shab jayi ke man būdam. pari paikar negar eh sarv qaad e lalhaa rokhsar; sarapa afat-e del būd shab jayi ke man būdam. I wonder what
3876-498: The narrator. Abdolhamid Ziaei considers the content of old Persian ghazal to include four elements: love, mysticism, education or excellence, and Qalandari. The Ghazal tradition is marked by the poetry's ambiguity and simultaneity of meaning. Learning the common tropes is key to understanding the ghazal. There are several locations a Urdu sher might take place in: hoon garmi-i-nishat-i-tasavvur se naghma sanj Main andalib-i-gulshan-i-na afridah hoon - Ghalib I sing from
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#17328698947003952-416: The past used to practice it, but the lack of historical records make many names anonymous. It was with Begum Akhtar and later on Ustad Mehdi Hassan that classical rendering of ghazals became popular in the masses. The categorization of ghazal singing as a form of "light classical" music is a misconception. Classical ghazals are difficult to render because of the varying moods of the "shers" or couplets in
4028-399: The pen-name of Ghalib (meaning all conquering, superior, most excellent ). Ghalib’s poetry or shayari had smitten Mughal Badshah of Delhi, Bahadur Shah Zaffar. During the reign of the British, the badshah became a British pensioner. He was kept under strict supervision by the British along with his visitors including Ghalib as they grew suspicious of him. The shayari maestro’s pension
4104-516: The poet and musician Ameer Khusrow is not only credited as the first Urdu poet but also created Hindustani as we know today by merging braj , khadhi boli , Hindi , Urdu , Persian and other local dialects. During the reign of the Sultan of Bengal Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah , the city of Sonargaon became an important centre of Persian literature , with many publications of prose and poetry. The period
4180-452: The qaṣīda, focusing on meter and end rhymes. With time, it adapted for musical presentation, becoming shorter. Lighter meters were preferred, and themes shifted towards romance and eroticism. With the spread of Islam , the Arabian ghazal spread both westwards, into Africa and Spain , as well as eastwards, into Persia . The popularity of ghazals in a particular region was usually preceded by
4256-602: The reader. According to Ghalib: ہزار کوس سے بہ زبانِ قلم باتیں کرو ہجر میں وصال کے مزے لیا کرو From a thousand miles, talk with the tongue of the pen, and enjoy the joy of meeting even when you are separated. His letters were very informal; sometimes he would just write the name of the person and start the letter. He was very humorous and wrote very interesting letters. In a letter he wrote, "Main koshish karta hoon ke koi aisi baat likhoon jo padhe khush ho jaaye'" (I want to write lines such that whoever reads them would enjoy them). Some scholars say that Ghalib would have
4332-504: The same place in Urdu literature based on his letters only. They have been translated into English by Ralph Russell in The Oxford Ghalib . Ghalib was a chronicler of a turbulent period. One by one, Ghalib saw the bazaars – Khas Bazaar, Urdu Bazaar , Kharam-ka Bazaar, disappear, and whole mohallas (localities) and katras (lanes) vanish. The havelis (mansions) of his friends were razed to the ground. Ghalib wrote that Delhi had become
4408-409: 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 ' qafiya ' and ' radif ' respectively. A ghazal's rhyming pattern may be described as AA BA CA DA, and so on. In its strictest form, a ghazal must follow a number of rules: Other optional rules include: Unlike in a nazm ,
4484-442: The stuff of which true poetry is made. Of Ahli's masnavi s an allegory on love entitled Šam o parvane (completed in 1489) is interesting for its treatment not only of the standard suffering of the lover (moth), but also of the affection that the beloved (candle) develops for the suffering lover, only for the two to be parted by "cruel fate" through the agency of the wind. The 18th and 19th-century Iranian poet Shurideh Shirazi
4560-447: The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, thanks to such Persian poets as Rumi and Hafiz, and later to Indian poets such as Mirza Ghalib . In the eighteenth century, the ghazal was used by poets writing in Urdu. Among these poets, Ghalib is the recognized master . Ghazals were written by Rumi , Hafiz and Saadi Shirazi of Persia ; the Turkic poets Yunus Emre , Fuzuli and Nasimi in
4636-551: The use of the common rhyme in both lines of the opening couplet ( matla' ). The imitation of Arabian forms in Persia extended to the qaṣīda , which was also popular in Persia. Because of its comparative brevity, thematic variety and suggestive richness, the ghazal soon eclipsed the qaṣīda , and became the most popular poetry form in Persia. Much like Arabian ghazals, early Persian ghazals typically employed more musical meters compared to other Persian poetry forms. Rudaki (858–941 CE)
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#17328698947004712-574: The warmth of the passionate joy of thought I am the bulbul of a garden not yet created mir un neem-baaz ankhon men saari masti sharab ki si hai - Mir Taqi Mir 'Mir' is in those half-closed eyes all flirtation is a bit like wine The ghazal originated in Arabia in the 7th century, evolving from the qasida , a much older pre-Islamic Arabic poetic form. Qaṣīdas were typically much longer poems, with up to 100 couplets. Thematically, qaṣīdas did not include love, and were usually panegyrics for
4788-420: The work to his satisfaction, and believing that Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was a person who would appreciate his labors, he approached the great Ghalib to write a taqriz (in the convention of the times, a laudatory foreword) for it. Ghalib obliged, but what he produced was a short Persian poem castigating the Ai’n-e Akbari and, by implication, the imperial, sumptuous, literate and learned Mughal culture of which it
4864-523: Was a Seljuq Turk, and a descendant of Sultan Berkyaruq who had immigrated to India from Samarkand during the reign of Ahmad Shah (1748–54). He worked in Lahore , Delhi and Jaipur , was awarded the sub-district of Pahasu ( Bulandshahr ) and finally settled in Agra . He had four sons and three daughters. Mirza Abdullah Baig (Ghalib's father) married Izzat-ut-Nisa Begum, an ethnic Kashmiri , and then lived at
4940-479: Was a product. The least that could be said against it was that the book had little value even as an antique document. Ghalib practically reprimanded Khan for wasting his talents and time on dead things. Worse, he highly praised the "sahibs of England" who at that time held all the keys to all the a’ins in this world. The poem was unexpected, but it came at a time when Khan's thought and feelings were already inclining toward change. Ghalib seemed to be acutely aware of
5016-524: Was also appointed by the Emperor as the royal historian of the Mughal Court. Being a member of declining Mughal nobility and old landed aristocracy, he never worked for a livelihood, lived on either royal patronage of Mughal Emperors, credit, or the generosity of his friends. His fame came to him posthumously. He had himself remarked during his lifetime that he would be recognized by later generations. After
5092-588: Was an Indian poet . He was popularly known by the pen names Ghalib and Asad. His honorific was Dabir-ul-Mulk, Najm-ud-Daula . During his lifetime, the already declining Mughal Empire was eclipsed and displaced by the British East India Company rule and finally deposed following the defeat of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 ; these are described through his work. He wrote in both Urdu and Persian . Although his Persian Divan (body of work)
5168-405: Was considered to be pious, conservative, and God-fearing. In 1850, Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar bestowed upon Mirza Ghalib the title of Dabir-ul-Mulk ( Persian : دبیر الملک , lit. 'secretary of state'). The Emperor also added to it the additional title of Najm-ud-daula ( Persian : نجم الدولہ , lit. 'star of the state'). The conferment of these titles
5244-468: Was life itself. The idea that life is one continuous painful struggle that can end only when life itself ends, is a recurring theme in his poetry. One of his couplets puts it in a nutshell: قید حیات و بند غم ، اصل میں دونوں ایک ہیں موت سے پہلے آدمی غم سے نجات پائے کیوں؟ The prison of life and the bondage of sorrow are the same Why should man be free of sorrow before dying? There are conflicting reports regarding his relationship with his wife. She
5320-458: Was paid a monthly salary of 52 rupees and 8 annas from his uncle's government pension until 1827. He travelled to Calcutta and presented a petition to the Governor-General to keep receiving money from this pension. One of Ghalib's ambitions in life was to become the highest-ranking Ustaad for the royal Mughal Court. This position not only would prove his artistic mastership but also provide
5396-711: Was praised by God. In his Persian poem Chiragh-i-Dair ( Urdu : چراغ دیر , The Lamp of the Temple) which was composed during his trip to Benares during the spring of 1827, Ghalib mused about the land of Hindustan (India) and how Qiyamah (Doomsday) has failed to arrive, in spite of the numerous conflicts plaguing it. Said I one night to a pristine seer (Who knew the secrets of whirling Time) 'Sir you well perceive, That goodness and faith, Fidelity and love Have all departed from this sorry land. Father and son are at each other's throat; Brother fights brother. Unity and Federation are undermined. Despite these ominous signs Why has not Doomsday come? Why does not
5472-482: Was spread from Persia into Indian Subcontinent in the 12th century by the influence of Sufi mystics and the courts of the new Islamic sultanates . This period coincided with the early Islamic Sultanates in India, through the wave of Islamic invasions into the region in that period. The 13th century Chishti Sufi poet Hasan Sijzi is regarded as the originator of the Indo-Persian ghazal. Sijzi's contemporary,
5548-529: Was suspended by the British. This made Ghalib take a long journey to Calcutta to make an appeal about his pension to the British Governor General. Mirza Ghalib’s journey to Kolkata, or erstwhile Calcutta made a huge difference in his literary journey. Mirza Ghalib came to the city of joy and fell in love. His love for Kolkata is depicted in one of his creations, Safar-e-Kalkattah where he talks about his stay in his humble abode, Haveli No 133 situated in
5624-578: Was symbolic of Mirza Ghalib's incorporation into the nobility of Delhi . He also received the title of Mirza Nosha ( Persian : مرزا نوشہ ) from the Emperor, thus enabling him to add Mirza to his name. He was also an important courtier of the royal court of the Emperor. As the Emperor was himself a poet, Mirza Ghalib was appointed as his poet tutor in 1854. He was also appointed as a tutor of Prince Fakhr-ud Din Mirza, eldest son of Bahadur Shah II, (d. 10 July 1856). He
5700-506: Was the place where I was last night, All around me were half-slaughtered victims of love, tossing about in agony. There was a nymph-like beloved with cypress-like form and tulip-like face, Ruthlessly playing havoc with the hearts of the lovers. Many of the major historical ghazal poets were either avowed Sufis themselves (like Rumi or Hafiz ), or were sympathizers with Sufi ideas. Somewhat like American soul music , but with melancholy instead of funk , most ghazals can be viewed in
5776-427: Was written by Ali Haider Nazm Tabatabai of Hyderabad during the rule of the last Nizam of Hyderabad . Before Ghalib, the ghazal was primarily an expression of anguished love; but Ghalib expressed philosophy, the travails, and mysteries of life and wrote ghazals on many other subjects, vastly expanding the scope of the ghazal . In keeping with the conventions of the classical ghazal , in most of Ghalib's verses,
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