Lessons 16–17 · 2 lessons · S. Olim, S. Ahmedov, R. Qo‘chqorov. Literature, Grade 8: textbook-collection, Parts 1 and 2. G‘afur G‘ulom publishing-printing creative house, Tashkent, 2014 (revised third edition)
16
Radif (the repeated refrain)
Textbook: Part 1, pp. 93–95
GoalExplain the meaning of radif, its types (short, extended, inner and main) and its role in a poem.
New words
radif (words repeated after the rhyme) · radifshort radif (one word) · qisqa radifextended radif (several words) · yoyiq radifcouplet that has a radif · muraddaf bayt
Explanation
“Radif” is an Arabic word meaning a person riding behind a horseman, and also companion or one after another. In a poem it is the word or words repeated after the rhyme, “riding along” with it. A radif never exists without rhyme and together with rhyme it serves the poem’s harmony of sound. A radif of one word is called “short”, one of several words “extended”. In some poems only one word of a line is the rhyme and the rest is the radif; the textbook cites a ruboiy by Bobur as an example. A radif strengthens meaning: whatever the poet wants to stress he puts into the radif. In some ghazals the whole theme and imagery revolve around the radif, and without it the ghazal would lose its value. In forms other than the masnaviy, for example the ghazal, qit‘a and muxammas, a stanza may have two kinds of radif – the inner and the main. Of the 5,782 couplets of Navoiy’s “Farhod va Shirin”, 965, or 17 percent, are couplets with a radif.
Worked examples
Example: if “bila” follows the rhyme “yor – bahor”, then “bila” is the radif. In “yor bila – bahor bila” the rhyme is “yor – bahor” and the radif is “bila”.
Example: in the stanza from Navoiy’s muxammas the textbook shows the word “edim” as inner radif and the word “oqibat” at the end of the stanza as the main radif; in Bobur’s ghazal “qonikim” is the inner radif and “bila” the main.
Class activity
Write a four-line poem of your own: at the end of each line one rhyming word followed by an extended radif of two words. Mark the radif and the rhyme.
Practice
1
What does the word radif mean in Arabic?
A person riding behind a horseman, a companion, one after another.
2
What is the difference between short and extended radif?
A short radif is one word; an extended radif is several words.
3
What are inner and main radif?
Two radifs of different weight within one stanza: the inner inside the stanza, the main at its end.
4
Why can the radif not be removed from some ghazals?
Because their theme, imagery and idea are built around that radif.