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Rabghuzi’s spring ghazal

Lessons 18–19 · 2 lessons · B. To‘xliyev, B. Karimov, K. Usmonova. Literature: textbook-collection for Grade 11 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, 2018
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The ghazal “Kun hamalga kirdi...”

Textbook: Part 1, p. 113
GoalRead Rabghuzi’s spring ghazal and understand its content and means of depiction.
New words
Aries, the first month of the solar year (around March) · hamalNavruz, the new year of spring · navro‘zbitter cold · zamharirpersonification · jonlantirish
Explanation

The ghazal “Kun hamalga kirdi…” praises the arrival of spring: when the Sun enters the sign of Aries, the world’s Navruz comes, the bitter winter passes and no trace of snow or ice remains. In the following couplets the earth revives and adorns itself, gardens bloom as the clouds rise, and willow trees shake their branches as if lambs were frolicking. The poet lists signs of spring through images of the tulip, nightingale, crane, lamb, swan, swallow, squirrel and beaver: birds in the sky and animals on the ground come alive. In the final couplets the nightingale and the turtle-dove are pictured as singers, and in the maqta‘ the poet mentions his own name – Nosir Rabg‘uziy. The main artistic devices are personification, epithets and similes.

Worked examples
Example: Willow branches frolic like lambs – a joint example of simile and personification.
Example: Calling winter “zamharir” is an epithet: the bitter cold is rendered in one word.
Class activity

Draw: split the images of sky and earth in the ghazal into two columns (birds – animals), drawing or listing them.

Practice
1
Which season and festival does the ghazal describe?
2
How are the images of sky and earth contrasted?
3
Which devices are in the image “willow branches shake their sleeves as lambs frolic”?
4
Why did the poet call winter “zamharir” and spring “the world’s Navruz”?