Forms of Pashto Poetry

[یاسمینه]

Shamla, I am sorry if what I write is unclear. The problem is that probably there are only two description of Pashto poetry in English - one is about forms of poetry, second - about poetic figures. My writting in this thread is based on the one of these texts. There aren't too many examples of poems in this article (usually few lines only), sometimes descriptions aren't fully comprehensible, but it is the only one source to which I have access.
Furthermore, I am not a Pashtana, my knowledge of Pashto poems is very limited.
To be honest, starting this thread I expected that Pashtuns would be more interested in complementing my posts, especially in giving examples of poems.

Another thing - I skipped writting how to read graphic patterns of rhymes or explanation of basic terms such as stanza, hemistych, tetrastych, caesura etc.

[shamla12]

Shamla, I am sorry if what I write is unclear. The problem is that probably there are only two description of Pashto poetry in English - one is about forms of poetry, second - about poetic figures. My writting in this thread is based on the one of these texts. There aren't too many examples of poems in this article (usually few lines only), sometimes descriptions aren't fully comprehensible, but it is the only one source to which I have access.

May I ask which source you are referring to?

Furthermore, I am not a Pashtana, my knowledge of Pashto poems is very limited.
To be honest, starting this thread I expected that Pashtuns would be more interested in complementing my posts, especially in giving examples of poems.

Well, yeah, but many users here were born and/or raised in the West too and many do not even know how to speak Pashto. So you're not alone.

Another thing - I skipped writting how to read graphic patterns of rhymes or explanation of basic terms such as stanza, hemistych, tetrastych, caesura etc.

It might be a good idea to better explain the graphs.

[یاسمینه]

May I ask which source you are referring to?
J. Pstrusinska, Poetic Forms in Afghan Poetry, Folia Orientalia, Tome XIII, 1971.
Some forms in this text, like landey have full description and others, like tarkib-band are roughly explained in few words.

Well, yeah, but many users here were born and/or raised in the West too and many do not even know how to speak Pashto. So you're not alone.
I think your explanation is only partially true. Some people expect to have everything given, without any effort (don't take this comment personally, it is a general remark).


But anyway, if you are going to spend the time to write posts on the topic, you'd might as well make them thorough and clear otherwise it's just useless.
Sometimes I can't make them clear (maybe in the nearest future, when I meet someone who knows a lot about theory of Pashto poetry).
If anything is unclear, it would be good if someone gave an example of given form of poetry. Then, we together could discuss of what is wrong and how it should be.


Yeah, it might be a good idea to better explain the terms and graphs. If you are already putting the time into it, you'd might as well make it worth it.
But this knowledge is available on the Internet, just type "poetic terms". Plus, it would required more examples from Pashto or English poetry. I am sorry, I don't have time for everything. It is not my private thread and other members are welcome to complement my posts.


By the way, some of the poems had a lot of errors and it wasn't clear how they were serving as examples, at least not to me.

My bad. It is because orginally, examples are given using phonetic transcription - I don't have all characters on my keyboard. I tried to convert them co commonly used here, so called English transcription (which is also unclear and informative only for those, who already speak fluent Pashto). I am not good at it. I also didn't have time to write all examples in Pashto alphabet. My questions are: 1. If you don't understand a particular word because of wrong "transcription", why don't you ask about? We could correct them. 2. If you have time, could you re-write my examples in Pashto?

[shamla12]

One example.

Is is ghra or ghre, kij or kshe?

leka wikhta? Like hair? Or like time? Wikhta/Wreshta/Wreshtan means hair. Wakht means time. A mountain will also do like hair...hmmm.

Ube or Uba, Oshe or Oshke

But these are small errors nonetheless considering you say you are not a Pashtana. So for that I apologize.

Also, I took a second look at the Charbayta graph. It does make sense now. The different letters represent different lines from the poem and repeated letters signify repeated end rhymes. I guess these things weren't clear but with a little self introspection I got the jist.



andeshna ka pe ghre kij de
ghar ba ham leka wikhta kaa
khwaar saray malaamat na dey
ka pe gham kkhe jaan ube kaa


'umr mi trikh shu pe firaakat kkhe
oshe mi caaci tel pe hasrat kkhe
judaai or da pe zre lagegi
pe marg raazi yem na pe gharbat kkhe

[یاسمینه]

One example.

Is is ghra or ghre, kij or kshe?
It should be pe ghre kshe (in the mountain), but in original transcription the postposition is written like "kiż" - I turned it to kij.

leka wikhta? Like hair? Or like time? Wikhta/Wreshta/Wreshtan means hair. Wakht means time. A mountain will also do like hair...hmmm.
Like hair. (in translation it could be like The mountain can be turned into a hair. Does it makes sense?)

Ube or Uba, Oshe or Oshke
Ube (as a metaphor of sweating)

But these are small errors nonetheless considering you say you are not a Pashtana. So for that I apologize.

Also, I took a second look at the Charbayta graph. It does make sense now. The different letters represent different lines from the poem and repeated letters signify repeated end rhymes. I guess these things weren't clear but with a little self introspection I got the jist.
Yes, letters in graphs indicate rhymes. They should be read from right to left.

Let me know if you have other quesyions.

Thank you for collaboration


andeshna ka pe ghre kij de
ghar ba ham leka wikhta kaa
khwaar saray malaamat na dey
ka pe gham kkhe jaan ube kaa


'umr mi trikh shu pe firaakat kkhe
oshe mi caaci tel pe hasrat kkhe
judaai or da pe zre lagegi
pe marg raazi yem na pe gharbat kkhe

[mayan]

Dair kha yaseemeny khorey .
mata pa k dair madad melao sho de na . mannana Allah de khadmand lara .

[یاسمینه]

Perso-Arabic forms in Pashto poetry

Tarzi-band طرزبند

Structure: divided into stanzas, each stanza has the same number of lines and is followed by a refrain consisting of two rhyming hemistichs. The number of lines: from 5 to 10.

Rhymes: each stanza has different rhyme pattern.

Topic: diverse.

Example:

ستا پرمخ پر تورو زلفو زه شیدا یم
صبح وشام په آه فغان په واویلا یم
په فراق کې دې تل خورم د ځیګر ویني
صبر وتوان مې بې تا نشته مبتلا یم
نن فلک راباندې تېغ د جور وکیښ
له سرو وینو ډک لړمون لکه حنا یم
رقیبان راسره جنګ وجدل کاندي
په دربار کې دې د سپیو مدعا یم
غزاله غوندې وحشي راڅخه ماشه
زه صیاد دې د دیدن په تمنا یم
که شل کاله دې ماڼي وي له ما یاره
بېګانه مې هنوز مه ګڼه آشنا یم
له آشنا مکړه ماڼي بې وفايي ده
چې سیزي مئین بې اوره جدایي ده

[یاسمینه]

Perso-Arabic forms in Pashto poetry

Tarkib-band ترکیب بند


The difference between 'tarkib-band' and 'tarzi-band' is that the former has constant refrain; in 'tarkib-band' it changes after each stanza (in form and contents).

[یاسمینه]

Earlier mentioned forms of poetry has been supplemented with examples.

[Zmarey]

د پښتو شعر توكونه

i was also thinking about description of poetic figures in pashto poetry...

هو، دا به ښه وي، كه د پښتو شعر د مختلفو بڼو په مطابق د نخو یا توكونو په باره كې څه شی وليكئ، مهرباني۔

[monaliza23]

thnx for your effort

[monaliza23]

[DaZahroJaam.]

da haghey khaar da rangeeno khabare makrra rata
chi mey da kalay da kotsso mina prey na mateegi

aw

zergia preda, pa dey nan gham ba sabaa wojaroo
laa kho laman da paroono ookhko lamda prata da

[DaZahroJaam.]

اوس په خاورو بادولوکې مزه ده
که هرڅو دعشق مزل راته يوګام شو

حمزه شينوارى

..oss pa khawra baadawolo ki maza da
Ka har soo da ishq mazal raata yaw gaam sho..