Lessons 30–31 · 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
31
“Bu tani xokini-yu ruhi ravonni na qilay?!.”
Textbook: Part 1, pp. 184–185
GoalUnderstand Mashrab’s ghazal “Bu tani xokini-yu ruhi ravonni na qilay?!.” from the Sufi viewpoint and as art.
New words
the beloved (in Sufi poetry, divine knowledge) · jonontraveller on the Sufi path · solikplaceless, the realm beyond place · lomakonsymbol · ramz
Explanation
The textbook explains the ghazal from the Sufi viewpoint: the body relates to man and the spirit to the divine, while the beloved (jonon) is connected with the level of divine knowledge in the traveller’s heart; so living without striving for such knowledge empties life of meaning. In the couplet that recalls the pilgrimage to Mecca, it is said that this too requires purity of heart and giving up the desires of the self. The textbook explains the phrase about striking one’s head with paradise and hell not as denial of faith but as the insignificance of everything else before union with the beloved – divine manifestation. As the sunlight is seen in particles, so the Creator is perceived through what He created. In the maqta‘ the images of rose and thorn show the main goal and secondary things: the rose is the true goal, the thorn what distracts from it.
Image
Sufi reading
body
belongs to the human
soul
belongs to the divine
the beloved
a level of divine insight in the heart
Worked examples
Example: The image of the rose and thorn is a way of revealing a complex idea (the main goal and distractions) through the simplest comparisons.
Example: In Sufi poetry the word “jonon” can be a symbol of divine knowledge rather than an ordinary beloved; so the poem can be read on two levels.
Class activity
Two-layer table: write five images of the ghazal (jonon, wine-less, sun particles, lomakon, rose–thorn) in the columns “surface meaning” and “Sufi symbol.”
Practice
1
According to the textbook, what can the word jonon in the ghazal mean?
A symbol of the level of divine knowledge in the traveller’s heart.
2
Is saying one would strike one’s head with paradise and hell atheism? How does the textbook explain it?
No; it means that before union with the beloved, i.e. divine manifestation, other things are insignificant.
3
What do the images of rose and thorn express?
The rose – the main goal; the thorn – something secondary that distracts.
4
Which features of the ghazal’s language bring it close to the people?
Simple words, the repeated question “what shall I do with…?!” and folk expressions.
