Selections from the Poetry of the Afghan Pashto Poets

"I am a lover and I deal in love,
I am neither Khaleel, Daudzai nor Mohmand."

The great 17th century Afghan poet, Rahman Baba

The extraordinary 17th century Afghan poet,
Khoshal Khan Khatak

"This is an anthology of English translations of Pushto poets from the 16th century on. Most, if not all, of these poets are Sufi. They utilize the poetic vocabulary of Sufiism: the tavern, the wine, the flowers, etc., all actually technical terms describing the soul's progression on the mystical path towards God. Raverty's introductory essay, "Remarks on the Mystic Doctrine and Poetry of the Sufis" provides a skeleton key to the symbology.

Most of the writers included here were, in addition to being Sufi poets, tribal leaders, men of action, in many cases related in some fashion. For instance, the prolific Khushhal Khan fathered Ashraf Khan and Abd-ul-Kadir Khan, all very formidable poets and warriors. Their poetry reflects a tribal, patriarchal society (women don't normally appear in these texts except as the 'beloved,' or a target of scorn). However, this is not the bleak, bigoted, art and music starved world of the Taliban. It is clear that not all of that Sufi joie de vivre is metaphorical, and many of the verses display a wicked sense of humor. The descriptions of nature are realistic, and their love of country is fierce.

Raverty (b. 1825, d. 1906), a Major in the British Army, fought in the Punjab from 1849-50. From 1852-9 he was Assistant Commissioner of the Punjab. His duties involved extensive travel in what is today Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. He wrote one of the first Pushto grammars in 1855. He also wrote a Pushto-English dictionary, and a volume of Pushto texts in the original language, which served as the basis for these translations. The system of transcription in this book, which is reproduced exactly as in the original with the help of Unicode, is not pretty, but at least is applied consistently. Included here are translations of poems only available in manuscripts which Raverty was able to access, obviously very rare. This book, itself, is fairly rare, and appears for the first time on the Internet at this site."

Courtesy of http://www.sacred-texts.com


Selections from the Poetry of the Afghans

Title Page

To the Reader

Contents

Remarks on the Mystic Doctrine and Poetry of the Sūfīs

Abdur-Rahman

Introduction

The Poems of Æabd-ur-Rahmān

Mīrzā Khān, Ansārī

Introduction

The Poems of Mīrzā Khān, Ansārī

Abdul Hamid

Introduction

The Poems of Æabd-ul-Hamīd

Khushal Khan Khatak

Introduction

The Poems of Ashraf Khān, Khattak

Abdul Qadir Khan Khatak

Introduction

The Poems of Æabd-ul-Qādir Khān, Khattak

Ahmad Shāh, Abdālī, Shāh Durr-i-Durrān

Introduction

The Poems of Ahmad Shāh, Abdālī

Kāzim Khān, Khattak, Surnamed Shaidā

Introduction

The Poems of Kāzim Khān, Khattak

Khwājah Muhammad, Bangash

Introduction

The Poems of Khwājah Muhammad, Bangash