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International scientific-online conference
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SAMANDAR VOHIDOV’S LITERARY MASTERY IN TAXMIS
MUXAMMAS
Saodat Dilmurod qizi Narziyeva
Independent researcher
at Samarkand State University
Email: saodatkhonimdilmurodovna@gmail.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15572156
Abstract:
The article highlights several key aspects of Samandar Vohidov’s
literary mastery in composing
taxmis muxammas
. Demonstrating a deep
understanding of classical poetic traditions, he skillfully connects his own lines
to Alisher Navoiy’s ghazals of various themes—
hamd
(praise),
ashiqona
(romantic), and
orifona
(mystical, philosophical). In transforming the couplets
into five-line stanzas, Vohidov meticulously preserves the poem’s original meter,
rhyme, and refrain, which is a clear indication of his refined poetic
craftsmanship.
Key words:
The science of aruz, the science of rhyme, ramali musammani
maksur, dedication, ghazal, qasida, mukhammas, masnavi, classical
poetics.Creating taxmis muxammas is considered the second type of muxammas
creation. R. Orzibekov refers to such muxammas as tazmin muxammas. This
terminology is justified, as “tazmin” means “basis” or “foundation,” indicating
that in creating such muxammas, another poet’s or author’s ghazal serves as the
foundational text. Muxammas created by the tazmin method are also called the
art of adding five lines to each couplet of a ghazal. This also implies the existence
of a basis. To create the five-line additions to ghazal couplets, the poet selects a
ghazal written by himself or by a poet from the past or contemporary,
preserving its meter, rhyme, and refrain, and adds three lines before each
couplet according to certain poetic principles. By doing so, the poet somewhat
expands the theme of the original ghazal and demonstrates his artistic skill
while maintaining the poetic elements of meter, rhyme, and refrain. This, of
course, demands great artistic mastery from the poet. Indeed, when a poet links
his taxmis muxammas to a classical poet’s ghazal, he must take into account the
original poet’s ideological views, mastery of word usage, and several other
factors. Samandar Vohidov, having deeply studied these poetic requirements for
creating taxmis muxammas, is considered a talented poet with 58 such works to
his name. The fact that 50 of his taxmis muxammas are linked to the ghazals of
Alisher Navoi alone attests to the poet’s high talent. The great poet Navoi, as an
incomparable talent, skillfully employs mystical terms, expressions, concepts,
allegories, and symbols in his ghazal couplets to create artistic discoveries and
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interpret his divine-spiritual views. Matching his skill in adding lines requires
similar talent from the creator of the taxmis muxammas. Samandar Vohidov has
also linked taxmis muxammas to the ghazals of other great poets such as
Husayniy and Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur, as well as to the ghazals of the
contemporary poet Jamol Kamol, who masterfully translated unique
masterpieces of Eastern classical literature like Jalaluddin Rumi’s Masnavi-ye
Ma’navi. Furthermore, he has created taxmis muxammas on the ghazals of
Persian-Tajik poets like Imlobukhori and Hayrat. In these cases, he translated
the Persian-Tajik ghazals into Uzbek, using the form “ghazal translated with a
ghazal.” To highlight the poet’s mastery in this regard, we consider his taxmis
muxammas linked to the ghazals of Navoi, Husayniy, Hayrat, and Jamol Kamol.
When adding taxmis muxammas to Alisher Navoi’s ghazals, Samandar Vohidov
pays attention to their thematic diversity. He has composed taxmis muxammas
on ghazals ranging from the praise poem beginning with “Ashraqat min aksi
shamsil – ka’si anvoril - hudo” to a hasbi-hal ghazal starting with “Men jahondin
kechdim-u, kechmas mening jonimdan el,” as well as on love-mystical and
friendship-themed ghazals like “Har labing oʻlganni tirgizmakka jono, jon erur,
Bu jihatdin bir-bisi birla jonajon erur.” All these demonstrate Samandar
Vohidov’s deep admiration and thorough study of the magic and mysteries
characteristic of Navoi’s ghazals.
We
attempt to clarify this with an analysis of his taxmis muxammas linked to a 9-
couplet ghazal beginning with the line “Ashraqat min aksi shamsil – ka’si anvoril
- hudo,” which is complex and adorned with mystical terminology. The first
stanza of this taxmis is composed of the following lines:
Bu yurak mulkini qay kun ayladı ishq ıstılo,
Keng jahon menga jahonmas, boʻldi dashti Karbalo,
Hajr oʻti komida tilgʻa kelganida “alvido”,
Ashraqat min aksi shamsil – ka’si anvoril – hudo
“Yor aksin mayda koʻr” deb jomdin chiqdi sado [Saylanma IV, 180].
When Samandar Vohidov composed a
muxammas
based on Alisher Navoi’s
famous
hamd
(praise) ghazal, as seen in the opening stanza he incorporated, he
preserved the original ghazal’s meter and rhyme. To broaden the meaning
expressed in the ghazal’s opening couplet, he begins his first line by interpreting
it as the moment love invaded the realm of the heart—portraying the heart as a
kingdom overtaken by love. From that day onward, he artistically conveys that
this vast world has no longer appeared to him as a world, but as the desert of
Karbala. As is well known, the desert of Karbala is the site where the Prophet
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Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) beloved grandson Husayn, along with his
sons, nephews, and companions, were martyred after suffering hunger and
thirst in a brutal battle against their enemies. In the Islamic world, this event is
seen as one of the greatest tragedies. The poet's skill lies in drawing a poetic
parallel between the transformation of his heart—since it became a dwelling
place for love—and the desert of Karbala, using a
talmeh
(allusion) to convey the
sorrow and suffering associated with it. When the word “farewell” reaches the
lips of the lyrical hero, who is tormented by the fires of separation, that is, when
the moment of death arrives, the line “Ashraqat min aksi shamsil – ka’si anvoril –
hudo” (“The reflection of God’s radiant sun shone from the goblet”) is heard as a
sudden cry from the goblet, saying “Behold the reflection of the Beloved in the
wine.” In linking his third line of the opening stanza to Navoi’s bayt, Vohidov
deliberately leaves it as an unfinished phrase, artistically merging it into Navoi’s
poetic flow. From the third to fifth lines of the stanza, the meaning becomes
clear: “When, in the midst of the fire of separation, the word ‘farewell’ was
uttered (coincidentally), just like the light of guidance shining from the goblet
reflecting the sun, a voice cried out from the goblet: ‘Behold the Beloved’s
reflection in the wine.’” Here, the
goblet
is a symbolic expression of the lyrical
hero’s heart, filled to the brim with divine love, inviting one to see the Beloved—
i.e., God—reflected in the wine of the heart overflowing with love. It becomes
evident that Samandar Vohidov artistically conveys that through enduring the
torments on the path of love, the true seeker comes to witness the manifestation
(
tajalli
) of God in their heart. In addition to maintaining rhyme consistency, the
poet also employs the metaphor “kingdom of the heart” in the first line, which
lexically and semantically binds his own verses to Navoi’s
matla
. In the following
couplet of the great poet’s ghazal, mystic concepts and terminology such as
saqi
(cupbearer) and
the wine of unity
(
wahdat mayi
) are used. Samandar Vohidov,
in turn, succeeds in composing lines that correspond meaningfully and
thematically with those mystical ideas. Samandar Vohidov, in his
muxammas
compositions linked to the ghazals of classical poets and Jamol Kamol, proves
himself to be a masterful artist in expressing personal reflection (
hasbi hol
), fate,
and the contrast between dreams and the often incompatible destiny of love. He
elevates the use of symbolic imagery to the level of artistic discovery, skillfully
conveying philosophical and spiritual insights about life through unique and
richly crafted metaphors. His
muxammas
verses also show his talent for
expressing emphasis and deeper meaning with poetic precision. Vohidov
demonstrates remarkable skill in creating symbolic images and representations
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in certain ghazals. The poetic thought or literary scene introduced in the opening
couplet (
matla
) is carefully developed around a central symbolic image, and this
idea or scene is gradually expanded through the progression of the stanzas. The
lyrical persona in such ghazals often takes on the character of an
arif
—a
spiritually enlightened figure—which adds further depth and importance to the
work. The portrayal of this spiritually mature character suggests that the poet
possesses not only great creative talent but also profound life experience and a
deep, insightful view of existence and society. Through symbolic imagery,
Vohidov successfully conveys these qualities in his ghazals, confirming his
stature as a highly gifted and thoughtful poet.
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