Ujjain
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Ghazal of the Vanished World Winds glistened where the gods of the Masai existed, When silver clouds in a translucent sky existed. Cherry blossoms float through a mountain pavilion, Where the shrine of the last Samurai existed. The drums of Aborigines summoned throngs of bees From a meadow where an ancient kowhai existed. Wandering prophets became whirlwinds of light When the crystal temples of Veii existed. The shadows of lions appear in drifting sands Where winds that mimicked the gazelle's cry existed. Bashõ prayed encircled by chrysanthemums, When the secret oasis of Sakai existed. The rain pastes plum petals on temple walls Where the Zen gardens of Hokusai existed. Sibylla's chameleon robe shimmered as she spoke Of a world that vanished before I existed. From the Beginning Did you exist in God's mind from the beginning? Persisting as light that shined from the beginning? Prophets spoke secretly of your sacred purpose, A fate to which you were blind from the beginning. Shahid told of his longing for wings, of how The Belovéd left him behind from the beginning. Spells are chanted in the dreams of Trojan generals That the ghosts of sibyls maligned from the beginning. A shaman roves catacombs where the holy texts Of the Ma’dan were enshrined from the beginning. In the Sahara whirlwinds form on valley floors Where seething thermals reclined from the beginning. Do you still dream of God, sheened in the light Of a star that shined from the beginning? The sound of waves rushes between the couplets Of ghazals Shahid refined from the beginning.
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Praise for Ujjain “Steffen Horstmann’s book Ujjain is a remarkable collection of Ghazals in Eng-lish. Steffen uses an ancient form of poetry to express the sensibility of a modern day poet, and by doing so, he crosses the boundaries of languages, cultures, and traditions. Agha Shahid Ali couldn’t have been more proud of his Shagird Steffen Horstmann, who has kept the torch burning, that he passed on to him after writing Call Me Ishmael Tonight.” –Kalpna Singh-Chitnis, author of Bare Soul “The meditative and sublime states in Steffen Horstmann’s radiant collection Ujjain render sonorous arias of cautionary tales for our time−those places of beauty, loss and pain collide into a longing for a vanished world. In these astute ghazals, myth and life and after-life send this poet on a path to claim where ‘the self’ fits in: “Of a world that vanished before I existed.” Horstmann’s luminous voice guides us to where beauty resides, “Through the dark like a train there,” –These evocations torque into epiphanies rich with awe to light our way−And we are so much richer for this journey.” –Cynthia Atkins, author of In the Event of Full Disclosure “Steffen Horstmann is a worthy student of Agha Shahid Ali in this collection of ghazals which embrace the East and West, as much at ease on Arjuna’s chariot as among the sacred tombs of Ithaka, or the very real foothills of Qhar. The natural world is incandescent: “Bass glisten in rock pools like slick knives / With silver light glinting in their fast shadows,” but it is The Diva of Jalsaghar that elegantly soars on melody as “Air is scriptured by the syllabic flight / Of the voice of Begum Akhtar.” A thoughtful and lyrical collection of ghazals written in English.” –Dipika Mukherjee, author of Shambala Junction
About the Author
As Agha Shahid Ali’s student, Steffen Horstmann studied the history of the ghazal form and began writing his own ghazals in English. His poems and book reviews have appeared in publications throughout the world, including Baltimore Review, Free State Review, Istanbul Literary Review, Texas Poetry Journal, and Tiferet.