Poem of the month: "Ghazal" by Mimi Khalvati 28 June 2013
Each month we feature the writing of a celebrated poet. Our June poet is Mimi Khalvati.
Ghazal
after Hafez
However large earth's garden, mine's enough.
One rose and the shade of a vine's enough.
I don't want more wealth, I don't need more dross.
The grape has its bloom and it shines enough.
Why ask for the moon? The moon's in your cup,
a beggar, a tramp, for whom wine's enough.
Look at the stream as it winds out of sight.
One glance, one glimpse of a chine's enough.
Like the sun in bazaars, streaming in shafts,
any slant on the grand design's enough.
When you're here, my love, what more could I want?
Just mentioning love in a line's enough.
Heaven can wait. To have found, heaven knows,
a bed and a roof so divine's enough.
I've no grounds for complaint. As Hafez says,
isn't a ghazal that he signs enough?
Image: Shilpa Shah
Mimi Khalvati was born in Iran and brought up in the UK. She tells us about her writing.
How does your background influence your work?
Since I have lived most of my life in England, I draw my imagery from English scenes, but I have been interested in bringing over Persian classical forms such as the ghazal and rubaiyat into English poetry. My themes of nature, family, identity, love, are common to both countries - indeed to people everywhere.
What is a 'slant on the grand design'?
My "Ghazal" is a version, or translation, of a poem by Hafez who, as a Sufi mystic, believed in the universal laws of harmony and saw the earth as a reflection of these laws. My poem refers to the architectural layout of the old bazaars which was intended to reflect "the grand design".
Who is your favourite poet?
Wordsworth was the first poet I truly loved and knowing passages of his poetry by heart has been a kind of companionship for me. Learning poems by heart is a wonderful way of having poetry in the bloodstream always.
Are you a member of an environmental organisation?
I belong to the Zoological Society of London and my next book will contain many poems about animals, particularly the smaller animals.
I think nature is always ready for our deep engagement, and more so these days, when so much is under threat - I think climate change and the environment are the most pressing concerns we face today.
"Ghazal after Hafez" by Mimi Khalvati is taken from her most recent book, "Child: New and Selected Poems", published by Carcanet.
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