Ghazal and Repetition

Hayley Kalukin
2 min readFeb 27, 2021

In the introduction chapter of An Exaltation of Forms, it is implied that words can shape and clarify the meaning of a piece of writing. The author of the book, Ann Arbor, states “In other words, we account for variance by identifying specific feet as having been replaced with another type. For instance, if Frost had spent more time in cities, he might have written[:]” (Arbor, 8). In other words, while the meaning(s) might be related to the same idea, using different words and phrases can create different meanings and scenarios for the reader. Going off of that, repeating the same word throughout the poem can create new meanings, but can be combined to shape one idea.

For instance, in the Hollander poem shown on page 212, every other line ends with the word “end”. The poem seems to be about death and the ideas behind it. However, the repetition of the word “end” gives each couplet a different meaning or idea about death. The word essentially ties all the lines together to create cohesiveness and unity in the poem. For instance, lines 3–4 state “all our writing is silent, the dance of the hand, so that what it comes down to’s all mime, at the end” (Hollander, 213). These lines could be interpreted as the narrator saying that even when he dies, his writing will still be here and shared with others. Meanwhile, the last couplet states “Now Qafia Radif has grown weary, like life, at the game he’s been wasting his time at. The end.” (Hollander, 213). This signifies that the narrator has died and that the poem has ended. This sentence, in other words is specifically talking about death, and the action of it being done. Based off this information, we can conclude that the poem is in fact about death or “the end”. However each couplet has a new idea about death and is all tied together and related through the repetition of the word “end”. This relates back to the idea that words and phrases can all have different meanings according to the reader, but all tie in together to create one idea.

Arbor, Ann. “The Ghazal.” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art. Edited by Annie Finch and Kathrine Varnes. U of Michigan P, 2002, pp. 8.

Hollander. “N/A.” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art. Edited by Annie Finch and Kathrine Varnes. U of Michigan P, 2002, pp. 213.

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