Mukhammas

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Mukhammas(cinquain or pentastich) refers to a type of Persian or Urdu poetry with Sufi connections based on a pentameter. The word mukhammas means 'fivefold' or 'pentagonal'.

It is one of the more popular verse forms in Tajik Badakhshan, occurring both in madoh and in other performance-genres.

1 Details of the form
2 Themes
3 Poets
4 Examples
5 See also
6 References

[edit] Details of the form

The Mukhammas represents a stanza of two distichs and a hemistich in monorhyme, the fifth line being the “bob” or burden: each succeeding stanza affects a new rhyme, except in the fifth line, e.g., aaaab + ccccb + ddddb and so forth.

Every stanza of 'mukhammas' includes five lines.

In the first stanza, all five lines rhyme.
In the later stanzas, the first four lines rhyme, but the fifth line breaks the rhyme. It can be repeated, or else its rhyme can be that of the first stanza.^[1]

It is possible that this rhythm was used to accompany such poetry.

[edit] Themes

A recurrent theme of the mukhammas is praise of Imam ‘Ali and his companions but other themes also occur.

[edit] Poets

Many Urdu poets have contributed to the Mukhmmas form of poetry. The important among them include:

Poets who have written the "Mukhammas" in other languages include:

[edit] Examples

Example of a Mukhammas poem:

   The shades of evening mark the close of day;
   The sunset fades, the world grows cold and grey;
   Across the plain the length'ning shadows play;
   “O tentsman, haste, and strike the tents, I pray!
   The caravan's already under way.”

   In haste the travellers together come;
   Some all unready, long expectant some;
   Their voices rise like swarming bee-hive's hum;
   “The drummer sounds already the first drum;
   Their loads the drivers on the camels lay.”

A complete Urdu mukhammas by Ghalib:

ghistay ghustay paooN meiN zanjeer aadhi reh gayee
murr gaye per qabar ki t'aameer aadhi reh gayee
sab hi paRhta, kaash! kiyooN takbeer aadhi reh gayee
khinchh ke qatil jab teri shamsheer aadhi reh gayee
gham se jaan-e-aashiq-e-dilgeer aadhi reh gayee

beTh rehta le ke chashm-e-pur'nam uss ke ru-ba'ru
kiyooN kaha tu ne ke "keh dil ka gham us ke ru-ba'ru"
baat kerne meiN nikalta hei dam uss ke ru-ba'ru
keh sakay saari haqeeqat na hum uss ke ru-ba'ru
hum'nasheeN aadhi hoi taqreer, aadhi reh gayee

tu ne dekha mujh pe kesi bun gayee ay raazdaar
khawaab-o-baydaari pe kab hei aadmi ko ikhtiyaar
misl-e-zakhm aankhooN ko sii deta, jo hota hoshiyaar
khenchta tha raat ko meiN khawaab meiN, tasveer-e-yaar
jaag uTha, jo khenchhni tasveer aadhi reh gayee

gham ne jab ghaira tou chaaha hum ne, yooN ay dilnavaaz
masti-e-chashm-e-siyaa se chal ke hoveiN chaara'saaz
tu sada-e-pa se jaaga, tha jo meHv-e-khawaab-e-naaz
dekhtay hi ay situm'gar teri chashm-e-neem'baaz
ki thi poori hum ne jo tadbeer, aadhi reh gayee

uss buut-e-magroor ko kiya ho kisi per iltafaat?
jis ke husn-e-roz'afzooN ki yea ik adnaa hei baat
mah-e-no niklay pe guzri hooN gi raateiN paan saat
uss rukh-e-roshan ke aagay mah-e-yak'hafta ki raat
taabish-e-khursheed-e-pur'tanveer, aadhi reh gayee

ta mujhay puhnchaye kaahish, bakht-e-bad hei ghaat meiN
haaN farawaani agar kuch hei tou hei aafaat meiN
juz gham-o-ranj-o-alum ghaTha hei her ik baat meiN
kam'naseebi iss o kehtay heiN ke mere haath meiN
aatay hi khaasiyut-e-akseer, aadhi reh gayee

sab se yeh gosha, kinaray hei, galay lag ja mere
aadmi ko kiyooN pukaray hei ? galay lag ja mere
sar se gar chaadar utaaray hei, galay lag ja mere
maang kiya beTha saNwaray hei? galay lag ja mere
Vasl ki shabb ay buut-e-be'peer, aadhi reh gayee

meiN yeh kiya janooN ke wo kis waastay hooN phir gaye
per naseeb apna, unheiN jata sunna, jooN phir gaye
dekhna qismat, wo aaye aur phir yooN phir gaye
aa ke aadhi door mere ghar se wo kiyooN phir gaye?
kiya kashish meiN dil ki abb taseer, aadhi reh gayee??

nagahaaN yaad aa gayee hei mujh ko ya Rab kab ki baat
kuch nahiN kehta kisi se, sunn raha hooN sab ki baat
kis liay tujh se chhupaaooN haaN wo parsooN shabb ki baat
naama'bar jaldi meiN teri, wo jo thi matlab ki baat
khat meiN aadhi ho saki tehreer, aadhi reh gayee