Summary

The website content is an exploration of the beauty of Afghan poetry, specifically the Landay form, and an invitation to women poets on Medium to create their own Landays.

Abstract

The article titled "The Beauty of The Beloved" delves into the poetic expression of the Dari verse, which has inspired the author to write a poem and a Landay, a traditional Afghan form of poetry consisting of 22 syllables. The Landay, often created by illiterate Pashtun women as a means to convey their emotions and experiences with themes like war, love, and grief, is highlighted as a powerful tool for voicing suppressed feelings. The author, moved by the plight of women who are denied formal education, encourages female poets on Medium to engage in this poetic tradition by composing their own Landays, adhering to the syllabic structure. The article also provides a link to a song that features the inspiring Dari verse.

Opinions

The author expresses admiration for the resilience and creativity of Afghan women who use Landays to express themselves despite societal restrictions.
There is a deep appreciation for the beauty and emotional depth of the Landay form of poetry.
The article conveys a sense of solidarity with Afghan women and a desire to spread awareness about their poetic tradition.
The author believes that poetry, particularly the Landay, is a significant cultural heritage that deserves recognition and continuation.
By inviting women poets on Medium to create Landays, the author shows a commitment to fostering a community of poetic expression and empowerment.

The Beauty of The Beloved

a poem

Photo by IsaaK Alexandre KaRslian on Unsplash

Deeshab ke tu az mehr babaam aamada bodi deedam ke beh az maahe tamaam aamada bodi (Afghan language Dari)

My poem is inspired by the translation of the above verse, my thanks to the translator of this Dari verse.

I saw you last night, when you suddenly appeared on the terrace,

like the moon,

Stuck by the purity of your beauty, I forgot to admire the beauty

of the moon.

The second piece is inspired by the same verse, but is a Landay, a poem consisting of 22 syllables, 9 in the first line and 13 in the second line.

Last night, I saw you on the terrace,

stuck by the purity of your beauty, I forgot the moon.

Yesterday I had heard a program about Afghan poetry and found out about Landay, poems, created and especially sung by women, who are not allowed to study, read or write.

Completely moved by this idea, I tried to find more about this form of poetry.

I read that:

“A landay is a folk couplet — an oral and often anonymous scrap of song created by and for mostly illiterate people: [for] more than twenty million Pashtun women who span the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. [it is a way to express their emotions, and] truth about war, separation, homeland, grief, or love”.

Women in our societies are suppressed in different ways, and I find it so beautiful that these women who cannot speak up, still find ways to express their feelings of love, beauty, loneliness, pain and pleasure, in poetry.

I’d like to share the joy of creating these beautiful couplets on similar themes in solidarity with these women.

I invite all the women poets on medium to create these two line verses/couplets keeping with these rules:

In two lines, altogether 22 syllables, for example in my Landay ‘terrace’ has two syllables , and ‘purity’ has three, ‘beauty’ has two syllables, and ‘stuck ‘, ‘your’, ‘the’, and ‘ moon’ have one syllable each.

I can only tag a few poets, as medium is vast, but would love to extend this invitation beyond the following poets.

Arbab Z., Dr. Fatima Imam, Dr. Preeti Singh, Umme Salma, Ali, I. Trudie Palmer, Ravyne Hawke, GB Rogut, Suma Narayan, Hamsalekha, Rane Kelze, Monoreena Acharjee Majumdar, Ann Marie Steele, Poetic Therapy, Giulietta Passarelli, Deepa N Swamy, Marilyn Glover, Ghina Zaidi. Carolyn Riker, Amy Christie, Tze Lin Sam, Brianna Henderson, Sujona Chatterjee.

Thanks.

Here is a link to a song which has this verse at the beginning.

https://youtu.be/V1YxxI08710