Ghazal - 'stone' radif
A heart that is broken will mend, but can end up a lot like a stone;
what is tender and fleshy is sweet, but will rot, not endure like a stone.
~
If the field that you sow in is bitter, the plough's blade will break as it turns,
the seed corn will wither and die there, and all you will crop will be stone.
~
"You'll have garnets and rubies, my darling, to drip from your fingers like wine,
but if blood's what you're after" he told her, "you'll not get a drop from this stone!"
~
The clay that lies cold in the earth comes to life in the potter's warm hands,
then fired in the hot kiln's red heart, the pot is as hard as a stone.
~
At night she would call to her lover, "I am here at the foot of the stair -
it's you that I want and you only, have mercy, I'm not made of stone!"
~
The old woman sat by the river, and smilingly held out a hand,
"Come cross over now, dear, with me; we'll hop over water and stone..."
~
"Open your hand, Lucy, show me, what you have there, your fingers curled tight!"
I yielded. "You lied, that's not treasure, all you have got is a stone!"
Oh, sod it, here's another.
Ghazal - 'mind' radif
Cracks and flaws in spirit, fears of error, conspire to shake the balance of a mind,
but shafts and shadows change as days move onwards, and sunlight's angle slants a cast of mind.
~
As cruel besetting soldiers hurl their torments at citizens inside the hungry walls,
so do the demons of the smaller hours, pelt their cruel jibes and taunts at besieged minds.
~
The day had turned from red to gold to silver, and found her long already on the road,
her eyes on hills ahead, the road before her, and never a backward glance to sway her mind.
~
I'd sit all day and watch the swallows flying, a whirl of life, quick fragments of the sky,
bursting from mudded nests, all streaming sunwards, a sight to quite entrance an earthbound mind.
~
Gone is the dried and gnawed-at bone of morning, the weariness of empty afternoon,
the deepening of twilight, wine's warm welcome, the drawing-in of night grants peace of mind.
~
You'll tussle with the words and thoughts and fancies, and seek elucidation of some kind,
but when will you admit and see the light,girl? You'll never find the answers in your mind!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, and my moon radif ghazals were published on the Ghazal Page, here, and here. There really is a fantastic selection there, so please, poetical people, take some time to read some of them!
25 comments:
Wonderful. The form seems to inspire you. The first one which concludes with the stone in Lucy's hand is very memorable and must be returned to.
Standing ovation, teenage girls swooning, an Arsenio Hall "whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop"--and arm pumps, too. Just for you.
My favorite is the stone one. So much rhythm! I loved it.
Your fan,
Karen
I shall yield the form to you, you are a mistress of the form. They flow and take the reader through a series of images.
Lucy,
You must get the stone ghazal published. It is masterful. The first lines about the bruised heart . . . oh my goodness
Really wonderful, really.
Cor! How nice you are!
Impressive work! The first is my favorite but each is spectacular in its own right. I'll travel to the links now to read more of your work. Thanks!
Yeah you've got a real passion for the Ghazal and have run well with it here. Cool!
Lucy, you've done it again - "dried and jnawed-at bone of morning" - loved it.
Thanks for your kindness as well.
I can tell you've written many of these by the way you turn the form so beautifully to your purpose! Some really rich images... many thanks!
Impressive Lucy! I liked the Moon Radif #2 the best.
It's a great form isn't it? I enjoyed reading all your ghazals!
Literally brilliant are all of your Ghazals. You see with such richness. Keep them coming please.
Brilliant. There is certainly something about a ghazal that is rarely achieved in any other form of poetry. Difficult to achieve it, but when successful - as here - right out of this world. To repeat myself: brilliant!
You are so good with ghazals, Lucy! I love these.
Thanks again. I certainly gain great pleasure from writing them. It's something of the same appeal as doing the collages: little bright thumbnails which wouldn't necessarily stand up alone but strung together make a rich texture. I've enjoyed everybody else's too, both at TOP and the Ghazal Page.
Oh L. Beautiful poetry, beautiful.
At first, the form seems rigid, but is, in fact very flexible. So many ideas can come from just one word, or phrase.
I love the stone one...a series of wonderful images
me again - I've given you an award, both for this blog and for Out with Mol - come over to my blog to find out more!
Superb, Lucy. What an achievement. I particularly like the first one with its tolling dactylic meter.
Thanks for popping over to my blog. I like your Ghazals! I hadn't heard of this form, not surprising since I do not come under the category of poet, until Crafty Green Poet wrote about it, now it seems to be everywhere! Is there a Ghazal about the Ghazal?
Wow...I am in awe of you ability to take this form of poetry and paint beautiful word pictures with it.
Thank you for stopping by my livejournal and leaving such an encouraging comment about my ghazal Waiting for Daylight.
-Bev
Beautiful - especially the first one. :)
Yes, all they said. Lovely!
The ghazals available here are really very nice especially the first one is very beautiful.
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Angel
Blazeinfotech
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