Navoiy’s qit‘as and the theory of ghazal and qit‘a

Navoiy gave every qit‘a that he put into “Xazoyin ul-maoniy” a prose heading; the heading opens the main idea of the qit‘a and prepares the reader for the poem. The first qit‘a (G‘aroyib us-sig‘ar, qit‘a 10) begins with “Kamol et kasb”: the poet calls on the reader to make reaching perfection his vocation. Passing through the world without reaching perfection is likened to going into a bathhouse and coming out half-washed. Some understand “kamol et kasb” as “learn a trade”, but it actually says “make reaching perfection your vocation”. The second qit‘a (Badoye’ ul-vasat, qit‘a 41) is about gratitude: a man who has no shoes should be thankful that he has feet to walk with, for there are people who cannot walk. This is close to the proverb “see a thousand and think, see one and give thanks”, but Navoiy’s comparison is especially moving. Both qit‘as are relevant today: one recalls the upbringing of a well-rounded generation, the other gratitude and harmony. The textbook gives five more qit‘as for independent reading: on greed for gold and silver, on stamping the seal in the divan, on those competing for the top seat, on good and bad deeds, and on the translation of a saying of Ali (may God be pleased with him).