Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
In case you missed it, a literary masterwork was published last summer by the avant garde revolutionaries at Columbia University Press--a book entitled The Poetry of the Taliban.
Here's a sample from this illustrious volume, a poem entitled "Homeland," written by one Shin Gul Aajiz:
My dear homeland is burning
but I am watching.
Its soil and deserts are destroyed,
I am watching.
This is cruel, O my creator!
Build the homeland!
Afghans are leaving,
I am watching.
I don’t know who has plotted
against our freedom.
My Afghan brother is crying,
I am watching.
Shin Gul has cried
with lukewarm tears.
Blood streams from the heart,
I am watching.
If you're a member of the Taliban, I assume it's hard to figure out who is "plotting against your freedom" because their aren't many mirrors in the caves of Kandahar.
For an eviscerating review of this book, check out the article by Emily Schrader of Tel Aviv University at The College Fix.
But really--as "blood streams from the heart," who is the author of this poem watching? And whose blood? And whose heart?
More importantly, is there any such thing as "too trashy for Columbia University Press?"
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Comments:
Nov '12
Re: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
Well, I never thought that Douglas Adams would be wrong but this is the worst poetry in the universe. It's worse than that of the Vogons, the Azgoths of Kria and even Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings.
Aug '10
Re: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
putty putty putty
Thinking of specific Columbia alum who might appreciate..... humm?
Jun '11
Re: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
I fixed some of the translation...
Dec '10
Re: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
Nathan Harden: If you're a member of the Taliban, I assume it's hard to figure out who is "plotting against your freedom" because their aren't many mirrors in the caves of Kandahar.
Lovely. Worthy of Dave Carter.
There is no higher praise on Ricochet.
Sep '10
Re: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
Shin Gul has cried with lukewarm tears.
I thought for a minute you typed Ras al Ghul in the bat caves of Gothamafghanistan. I don't mean to Bore Ya With The Torah.
Jan '11
Re: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
Emily did a great job with this. I appreciate these personal bits -- I'm listening to Kenneth Branagh bring Goebbel's journal entries to life as I type this. On a scholarly level this is ridiculous, but there's tremendous value to the opposition. Thanks, Columbia!
As for the question of whether anything is too cruddy for their press -- yes. If it doesn't measure up to those most-stringent requirements of the CUP, then it's tweaked to be educational and comes out of Teachers College Press instead.
Aug '11
Re: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
*there
Apr '12
Re: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
Like our own culture, the Pashtuns can be quite civilized, but at the same time extraordinarily violent and utterly barbaric. While I can detest much about the Taliban, I certainly greatly admire their fathers' resistance to the Soviet Coup and Military Occupation back in the 1980s.
They are most likely a people without a future...for very, very good reasons. But not because of their poetry.
Here's some sample poetry from America; one of the best selling songs of 2012 which earned many $ millions:
Edited on January 16, 2013 at 6:29amApr '12
Re: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
If Columbia University Press published the Taliban poetry in only an English translation, the editors were obviously engaging in a futile exercise.
I've lost most of my references on this subject, but I know that Islamic poetry throughout the Middle East has a very different structure and cultural meaning than it has in the West. For example, Arabic and Pashto poetry is usually arranged in couplets, and often based on monorhyme.
Arabic, for instance, only has two vowels. Mr. Sajak can explain how awkward it would be to attempt Wheel of Fortune on Baghdad Channel 6--buying a vowel would be pointless. This lingual idiosyncrasy can also shape poetry in a way someone brought up in the Romance Languages would find too simple and pedestrian.
What follows is some ancient traditional Pasho Poetry, each couplet followed by the English translation:
Edited on January 16, 2013 at 6:28amApr '12
Re: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
"I fought for the Moghals with my sword and the Pashtoons used to abuse me for this."
"Whether it is the Orakzais, Bangash or Yousafzais, they all are lamenting the fact that my sword is not on their side"
" I have killed thousands of Pashtoons, so much so that the animals used to walk over their dead bodies"
[...]
"Had I been loyal to the Moghals, God knows if any Pashtoon could have been safe from my sword"
" I now stand for the honour of all Pashtoons, which takes me from house to house to beg for their help and unity"
You get the idea. Translations aren't for poetry. The meaning gets lost. But poetic sounds can traverse the languages.
Edited on January 16, 2013 at 6:36amRe: Celebrating 'The Poetry of the Taliban'
I love the poetic contributions on this page. We should write our own collection of Taliban-themed poetry, right here on the comment board.
Taliban says roses are blue,
Taliban says violets are red,
If you disagree,
We kill you dead.