Well I feel like I will be echoing some other people I have already read on this blog by saying I still have trouble connecting to the Ghazals. To be completely honest I’ve never liked poetry, and this particular kind is probably the hardest to understand for an American who doesn’t study poetry. As much as I dislike it, and as much as I manage to get hopelessly lost in a simple five stanza poem, I have been able to connect somewhat to Rich. As I mentioned briefly in class Rich manages to write in such a way that her strong imagery can’t help but remind me of certain instances in my own life. These instances help me to better understand her meaning in the poems, or so I think, because half of the time I have no idea what is going on, or what I think I know contradicts the other thoughts I have a stanza or two later. Does anybody really really get it? If so I would love some help in understanding it. J
It is good that even though you do not take a liking for poetry and Ghazels that you are still able to take a liking to Adrienne Rich's Ghazals. I am not sure what major you are, but as for me I am an English major because I like reading...poetry in particular! So, it will most likely be hard for us to relate to each other on this matter. But, as a human being I am sure you have encountered love and suffering and that is where I personally can relate to the Ghazels by Faiz and Ghalib. Although it is hard because some meaning gets lost in translation, there are still parts that I can personally relate to.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I like poetry, Ghazels are a bit more of a challenge for me because some meaning gets lost in translation and because the simple fact that Ghazels are not a part of my culture. But, what I found to be helpful is taking the Ghazel and going line by line. Take each line, read it, and try to think of what it is saying (the deeper meaning) and then try to relate to it. The key I have found is to simply spend time on each line and then a Ghazel as a whole.
I hope this helped a bit!