The Ghazal
The Ghazal
A Dance of Repetition and Longing
A Dance of Repetition and Longing
Write a ghazal, a poetic form with deep roots in Persian and Arabic poetry, known for its musicality, repetition, and emotional depth. Traditionally, ghazals explore themes of love, loss, longing, spirituality, or beauty, but modern poets have used them for anything from personal reflection to social commentary.
The ghazal is made up of couplets (two-line stanzas), where the second line of each couplet ends with the same repeated word or phrase—this is the poem’s refrain. The word before the refrain also typically rhymes across all the couplets.
A ghazal is like a song, a call and response within itself, a circling back to the same thought in new ways.
The poem is written in couplets (each stanza has two lines).
The second line of every couplet ends with the same repeated word or phrase.
The word before the refrain rhymes across all couplets.
Each couplet should be self-contained—like a miniature poem on its own—but together, they build a larger feeling or theme.
The final couplet often includes the poet’s own name or a personal signature.
Let’s say our refrain is "the stars."
The first couplet introduces the theme:
I walked through the quiet streets at night, looking at the stars.
Even in my dreams, I find myself lost beneath the stars.
Each following couplet offers a new angle, image, or meaning, but always comes back to the refrain:
The river reflects the city’s glow, swallowing the stars.
A child on the balcony whispers a wish toward the stars.
In the final couplet, the poet names themselves or speaks directly to the reader:
Ahmed, you are always searching for something just beyond the stars.
The poem must be at least five couplets long.
The second line of every couplet must end with the same repeated word or phrase.
The word before the refrain must rhyme across all the couplets.
Each couplet should stand alone, but they should connect thematically.
The final couplet should include a personal signature, reflection, or address to the reader.
Choose a refrain that feels musical, evocative, and flexible. Words like “the sea,” “my love,” “the night,” or “the door” can take on many meanings throughout a poem.
Let each couplet offer a slightly new perspective or feeling. The repetition should feel like a deepening, not just a restating.
Read it out loud to hear the rhythm! Ghazals are meant to be lyrical.
Many ghazals are melancholic or romantic, but you can play with tone—what would a humorous ghazal sound like?
Agha Shahid Ali’s "Tonight" (a modern ghazal with breathtaking longing)
Hafiz and Rumi’s classical ghazals (spiritual and emotional intensity)
Patricia Smith’s "Hip-Hop Ghazal" (a playful, rhythmic take on the form)
I press the tip to paper, waiting, breathing with the pen.
The ticking of the clock is sharp—teeth seething with the pen.
Blue ink fills the bubbles, circles dark and small and sure.
A future balanced on the edge, fate weaving with the pen.
The pages of my journal curl, their edges torn and thin.
I carve my name in secret lines, conceiving with the pen.
A single tear, a single word—I scratch the final stroke.
Some love is bound to endings, hearts unweaving with the pen.
An envelope, unfolded hands, their words in slanted script.
They whisper through the years—too late for grieving with the pen.
And here, I sign my name once more, a mark I cannot mend.
O student, every wound you keep is cleaving with the pen.