To me, the ghazals are both an enjoyable experience and a form of literature that intrigues me with its contradictions. I tend to gravitate toward the emotional and gritty when it comes to poetry, and since ghazals often deal with some aspect of love and the lack or loss of it, it's a type of poetry that when introduced to it, I immediately felt attracted to. Apart from the emotions discussed in ghazals, I also found the imagery to be quite appealing, almost with undertones of fantasy that mirror my writing style. I'd never come across a form of poetry that, by focusing on certain themes, happened to echo my own style; the ghazals I've read so far largely come across as highly passionate and charged with feeling and emotion--aspects that I'm attracted to--so I was extremely happy to discover them.
Another part of the ghazals that really interested me was the contradictions between the personal and the private: the fact that although many of these poems discussed intimate or personal issues that may have been better left unsaid, the ghazals appear to be more or less reserved for live performances rather than being read aloud, which creates an interesting contrast. How much is the poet willing to bare to the world regarding his experiences and emotions? Or do they disguise their exposure somewhat by making their poetic phrases more general?
Perhaps the most interesting part of the ghazal in my opinion is the takhallus, in which the poet refers to himself/herself in the third person in the poet. From my exposure to Western literature, this is really rare, and when reading ghazals I tend to perceive the takhallus as a kind of message from the poet to himself or herself, or perhaps a kind of higher self evaluating the poet's experiences (often in a lamenting or admonishing manner, depending on the situation). Because I haven't had the chance to experience this very often, part of me interprets this as the poet having split personalities or speaking from different narratives.
Another part of the ghazals that really interested me was the contradictions between the personal and the private: the fact that although many of these poems discussed intimate or personal issues that may have been better left unsaid, the ghazals appear to be more or less reserved for live performances rather than being read aloud, which creates an interesting contrast. How much is the poet willing to bare to the world regarding his experiences and emotions? Or do they disguise their exposure somewhat by making their poetic phrases more general?
Perhaps the most interesting part of the ghazal in my opinion is the takhallus, in which the poet refers to himself/herself in the third person in the poet. From my exposure to Western literature, this is really rare, and when reading ghazals I tend to perceive the takhallus as a kind of message from the poet to himself or herself, or perhaps a kind of higher self evaluating the poet's experiences (often in a lamenting or admonishing manner, depending on the situation). Because I haven't had the chance to experience this very often, part of me interprets this as the poet having split personalities or speaking from different narratives.
What a moving observation on the experience of reading the ghazal! I am looking forward to a fuller discussion of the public/private, performance/ meditation aspects of the ghazal that you raise here. Sounds like a great paper topic too. Have you thought of writing a ghazal? Give it a shot and share it with us.
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