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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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About Rabg‘uziy’s poems

Textbook: Part 1, pp. 114–116
GoalAnalyse the form, metre and place of Rabghuzi’s ghazal in Uzbek poetry.
New words
opening couplet of a ghazal · matla’closing couplet with the poet’s pen-name · maqta’pen-name · taxallusmetre · vazn
Explanation

The textbook regards “Kun hamalga kirdi…” as the first ghazal in Uzbek literature: it meets all the formal requirements of a ghazal, and the theme of spring runs like a thread from matla‘ to maqta‘. The use of a pen-name in the maqta‘ first appears in Uzbek literature with Rabghuzi. The rhymes rest on the sound “-zi” (such as navro‘zi, buzi, yuzi, yozi, qunduzi) and show the beauty of Turkic words. The metre is ramali musammani mahzuf: the foilotun foot occurring eight times makes it “musamman,” and one syllable missing in the last foot is called “mahzuf.” In Old Turkic “yig‘och” mainly meant “tree,” so “tol yig‘ochlar” is understood as willow trees.

Worked examples
Example: The poet naming himself – Nosir Rabg‘uziy – in the maqta‘ is the first example of using a pen-name.
Example: If the foilotun foot recurs eight times in a couplet, it is “musamman”; if the last foot is one syllable shorter, it is “mahzuf.”
Class activity

Rhyme exercise: find five words ending in “-zi” in the ghazal, write them and give their meaning.

Practice
1
Why does the textbook call this ghazal the “first ghazal”?
2
State the full name of the ghazal’s metre and explain it.
3
What meaning did the word “yig‘och” have in the phrase “tol yig‘ochlar”?
4
What ensures the unity of the ghazal?