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Hamid Olimjon’s “G‘azal”

Lessons 29 · 1 lessons · B. To‘xliyev, B. Karimov, K. Usmonova. Literature: textbook-collection for Grade 10 of secondary schools and for students of secondary specialised and vocational institutions, Parts 1–2. 1st edition. “O‘zbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi” State Scientific Publishing House, Tashkent, 2017
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Hamid Olimjon’s “G‘azal”

Textbook: Part 2, pp. 79–81
GoalKnow Hamid Olimjon’s “G‘azal”, its content and metre, and understand its link with the classical ghazal.
New words
beauty mark, mole · xolbeloved · ma’shuqaaruz metre · aruzmetrical foot · rukn
Explanation

According to the textbook, Hamid Olimjon’s poetry drank from the creative spring of the Uzbek classical writers; his “G‘azal” proves this. This love ghazal is dedicated to praise of the beloved: the lover wants to reach his beloved and win her attention. He dreams of being a beauty mark on her cheek, a drop of honey on her lip, a nightingale on her branch, the wind that opens the bud at dawn; he imagines her fragrance intoxicating the world; if he cannot be a flower in her garden, he is ready to be a wall of her palace. He is ready for blame and slander and the jealousy of rivals. In the last couplet he says that, wandering deserts and valleys to reach union, he will not shrink from giving his life on her path – just like the lovers of classical literature. In Eastern literature the ghazal is written in a particular metre of aruz: this ghazal is in hazaj musammani solim, that is, the foot “mafoiylun” is repeated four times in each line (V – – –). The textbook says that Hamid Olimjon’s poems in general stand out for their own style and many poetic devices.

Worked examples
Example: “xol”, “bol”, “bulbul”, “shamol” – the lover’s dream-images before the beloved; images typical of the classical ghazal.
Example: in the last couplet the lover says his life is sacrificed – the usual devotion of classical lovers.
Class activity

In pairs, write a one-sentence meaning for each couplet of the ghazal, then pick out the lover’s 3 wishes.

Practice
1
According to the textbook, under whose influence was Hamid Olimjon’s ghazal written?
2
In which metre is the ghazal written?
3
Which foot is repeated how many times in each line?
4
Why is the lover ready to give his life on the beloved’s path? Explain from the text.