HOW TO LIVE—a ghazal

HOW TO LIVE—a ghazal


Why in life we go slow not?
Away all worries we throw not?

Virtues we should cultivate,
To evil we should go not.

We must think independent,
Others’ line we should tow not.

We must have a clear goal,
Vacillate to and fro not.

We must have high ambition
We should have the aim low not.

We must work hard and succeed,
Own trumpet we should blow not.

Pride certainly hath a fall,
Arrogance we should show not.

Humbly we should pray to Lord,
To all else we should bow not.

Without bowing to His will,
In spirit we shall grow not.

We reap only what we sow,
So evil we should sow not.

Khalish on leaving this world,
Where do we go I know not.



* A ghazal is characterized by couplets in which the last 1-3 words of both lines of the first couplet and each second line of the subsequent couplets are repeated as refrain [called radeef], while the word immediately preceding the refrain has to be a rhyming one and is called kaafia.

For a detailed note on ghazal, please see "WHAT IS A GHAZAL AND HOW TO WRITE IT?" 

Please note that each couplet in a ghazal is supposed to be complete poem in itself, rather like a three line haiku. Though modern ghazal writers often tend to have a continuous theme through various couplets, this is by no means necessary or required.


M C Gupta ‘Khalish’
22 September 2004
www.writing.com/authors/mcgupta44