The first ghazal of the Divan of Ghalib

Abstract

The article offers a multi-dimensional analysis of the first ghazal from the Urdu Divan by the Indian classic poet Mirza Ghalib (1797–1869). Ghalib wrote in two languages – Urdu and Persian, but it was the completion of the Urdu Divan that made him a great poet. The article presents the history of the creation and publication of the Divan, as well as discusses its sources. The authors focus on the complexity of the style and the richness of poetic themes, images and writing techniques. They also discuss the Sufi component of the first ghazal of the Divan, thus highlighting the poetics of the ghazal. The “opening” ghazal, which is placed at the beginning of a divan usually takes over the function of the hamd, i.e. the eulogy to the Creator, which is typical for a traditional introduction to a large poetic form. However, in Ghalib’s ghazal, this praise comes in a paradoxical form, which is caused by Ghalib`s high criteria of humanism and dignity. The analysis of the first ghazal helps in many ways to understand the creative credo typical for all of Ghalib's poetry, as well as the difficult path the poet had taken, while continuously improving his art of “hunting” for a poetic word. The ghazal is discussed in the context of Ghalib’s other Urdu and Persian poetry, as well as of Sufism that prevailed in India of Ghalib’s time.