The Ghazal of the Storyteller




A couple of weeks ago, dVerse introduced the Ghazal. And I was enthralled. But I could not come up with a single nugget of inspiration. Well, tonight, my muse came a-waltzing, and here is my offering for anyone who cares to drop by. Thank you, Samuel.


Out of darkness, comes forth the storyteller 
And they cry out loud - Oh please, storyteller

Spin us a legend,  take us to the heavens
We crave your words like a disease, storyteller

I unleash the tale of the Persian Slave
Give them an enthralling whiz storyteller

Of tortured forbidden love with Noureddin
They cry, Oh what sublime bliss, storyteller

The tales of the Arabian Nights never end
Only the Caliph, can give his leave, storyteller

I smile and say, I will stay all night my friend
I, ninotaziz,  Caliph's storyteller.


             Words by ninotaziz   Copyright 2013 © ninotaziz.  All rights reserved.
         ________________________________________________________




Ghazal in Malaysia, is a traditional form of music and song popular in the southern region of the country, Johore and other states. It is a legacy of the Arabic traders of the 15th and 16th century.









25 comments:

  1. Ninot Ma'am
    Beautiful take! It's so very Ghazal, a nice form! An Arabian night theme in keeping with the prompt's origin! Nicely!

    Hank

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Sir Hank. Samuel did a great job, introducing the Ghazal form.

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  2. Tales of enchantment :)
    Tigerbrite

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    1. A thousand nights of tales of enchantment. Sheherazade was a genius and courageous woman. Thank you Tiger.

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  3. ..indeed, a very beautifully crafted ghazal Ninot... and i like how you right your name there -- a very passionate storyteller... i, myself, didn't try a ghazal when Sam introduced it... i tried but i find quite difficult to execute...or maybe not really inspired back then to have something written... but i did save the discussion by Sam on my pc so i can go back to it when the muse is right... thank you for bringing this back up... i enjoyed it a lot...smiles...

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    1. Hi Kelvin,
      It was a difficult one I must say, but when I finished it (and I took several rounds of editing here - this is definitely not a three minute job) it was quite satisfying. In this I love the chance to explore new forms.

      Here, people sing the ghazal and I have never paused to listen to the lyrics, it is a very old fashioned traditional song, an influence and legacy from 16th century Arabic traders in Malacca. Perhaps now I will pay more attention to the ghazal performers.

      I hope you get to do a ghazal soon.

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  4. Ah, those storytellers. Most influential people in history.
    great words.

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    1. Thank you Anthony. I guess until today, those moviemakers and celebrity writers are the storytellers of the day, so you are right.

      But I do like our kind of storytelling.

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  5. I like the tale of the storyteller

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    1. Yes, but the storyteller loves the stories often more than life itself. Thank you Tatius

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    2. You are a wonderful storyteller yourself. We look forward to them.

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  6. I do appreciate the challenge of the form dear, I wrote two in my other blog (as Heaven) ~ On the constructive side, the couplets have to end in the same meter example, use of 10 syllables or pentameter all throughout ~

    I like the refraining word, storyteller and the tales of Arabian nights ~ The inclusion of your name in the last line is clever ~

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    1. Hi Grace,
      I was finding this sooooo difficult so took some liberties. I did read up some persian ghazals to understand the rigorous adherence to form.

      It was a lovely intro by Samuel and I love dVerse more and more for these type of challenges. It's like going back to college for poetry...

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  7. Beautiful sweeping sense to this piece--Beautifully crafted!

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    1. Thank you Audrey, I am glad you enjoyed it. I will be over in a bit!

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  8. It has the right cadence for the era it is portraaying. Now I want to hear the story.

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    1. Dear Cosmo, I haven't posted legends in quite a while. But I have been thinking of it lately. I will surely let your know.

      Thank you!

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  9. You are for certain the storyteller. A beautiful ghazal. Love the upbeat music as well. And I see your novel is now out. I so admire how you manage to run a large family and produce so much fantastic writing. Way to be, Ninot! You inspire!

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    1. Produce is the key word, Sherry! It's easy when you have a muse :-)

      Now, I thought it only respectful and a fitting tribute to do a Persian oriented Ghazal, given its origin. Don't you think?

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  10. Just beautiful! Love the ghazal form; and you have my admiration for having mastered it.

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    1. Why, thank you Mary. Having done only one Ghazal, I would be to embarassed to say I have mastered it, but I certainly enjoyed it.

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  11. smiles...tell us a story storyteller...really nicely done to form ninot...especially for your first..tales of arabian nights sounds fun...

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    1. Thanks Brian. The form is beautiful but quite difficult.

      I love the Arabian Tales - always have since I was little.

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  12. Very Cool. Love the meter. I'm not familiar with the Ghazal. I'll have to check it out.

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