Older Words in Classical Poetry
Poets also shorten two words into one to fit the line: کز is که and از, and کاندر is که and اندر.
How It Works
Rumi, whom Afghans call مولانا جلال‌الدین محمد بلخی, Rabia Balkhi and Jami wrote in the same Persian that Iranians and Tajiks share. Afghan homes and schools read these poems. A few old forms are enough to make a line readable.
| Old form | Modern Dari | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ز | از | from |
| گر | اگر | if |
| چو | چون | like, when |
| اندر | در | in |
| همی | می | keeps going (before a verb) |
| کنون | حالا | now |
| خویش | خود | oneself, own |
| بحر | دریا | sea |
Joined forms are the other trap: کز is که + از, کو is که + او, and کاندر is که + اندر. The poet saves a syllable, and the reader unpacks it.
These forms belong to verse. In a letter, a news report or a lesson, write the modern word: از, اگر, چون, در.
Where to meet it: school poetry lessons, family gatherings and songs. Read a line aloud and let the rhythm carry you. When a word looks unfamiliar, test it against the table before you reach for a dictionary.
Examples (5)
- ما ز بالاییم و بالا می‌رویم.
We are from above, and we go up.
A line of Rumi. ز is the short old form of از.
- آتش عشق است کاندر نی فتاد.
It is the fire of love that fell into the reed.
A line of Rumi. کاندر is که + اندر, and فتاد is the old form of افتاد.
- آن خیالی که شه اندر خواب دید، در رخ مهمان همی آمد پدید.
The vision that the king saw in his dream kept appearing in the guest's face.
A line of Rumi. اندر is the old word for در, and همی before آمد shows an action that keeps going.
- هر کسی کو دور ماند از اصل خویش.
Whoever is left far from his own root.
A line of Rumi. کو is که + او, and خویش is the old word for خود.
- گر بریزی بحر را در کوزه‌ای، چند گنجد قسمت یک روزه‌ای؟
If you pour the sea into a jug, how much will fit? A day's share.
A line of Rumi. گر is the old form of اگر, and بحر is the old word for دریا.
Common Mistakes
Using the short old از in everyday writing.
من ز کابل آمدم.من از کابل آمدم.ز belongs to verse. In prose write از.
Using گر for if in an ordinary sentence.
گر باران ببارد، نمی‌رویم.اگر باران ببارد، نمی‌رویم.گر is the form of verse. In prose write اگر.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Classical poems use older words and word orders, so conditions and moving words to the front come first.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice Older Words in Classical Poetry in Bubblegum
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