Much
has been written about Coleridge and Kubla Khan in the course of two
centuries but quite little is available for international readers about Ghani
Khan. Ghani Khan is the most representative modern Pashtun poet widely read in
both Afghanistan and Pakistan. A relevance of his poetry may be important for
several reasons. His poetry may give us
a renewed understanding about poetry in general and Pashtu poetry in particular.
By comparing his work with one of the most widely read English poets such as
Coleridge we may be able to place his genius among international poets. His
reading may also give us an insight into the conflict in Afghanistan and
Pakistan and we may be better equipped to know about Pashtuns and their
literature.
Perhaps
the only technical difference between Kubla Khan of Coleridge and the Palace
of Ghani Khan is that the former remained incomplete due to opium intake that
Coleridge was addicted to. The Palace, on the other hand touches the
zenith of artistic perfection: a complete romantic thought of escapism woven
into different kinds of sensory images turned into subjective symbols which
further inspire a vivid spectrum of beauty and love. Kubla Khan, on the
other hand, is lacking this unity of thought due to “incompleteness” but deals
with the same theme of escapism mostly through conceptual imagery and with a
highly refined artistic taste.
Both
the poems are fine examples of how do human feelings transcend time and space
and remain universal. Coleridge, an English poet nurtured in the 18th
century philosophical and artistic ethos finds his palace in the remote and
mysterious Asian land of Xanado whereas Ghani Khan, a 20th century
Pashtun poet deeply immersed in the oriental philosophy and mysticism, starts
building the same palace from the sands
of his own river. Perhaps Coleridge finds it difficult to build his palace by
himself and all alone in the tough and inaccessible terrain of Xanado. So he imagines Kubla Khan ordering his
subjects to build it with all the artistic intricacies. For Ghani Khan the
choice is simple i.e. he feels to be the master of his own “sand” and there is
enough of artistic tools and expression to enthrone him as the “king” of his own
created palace.
Escapism
is one of the dominant themes of romantic poetry. It is an imaginative world of
the poet where he/she is free to make the impossible possible. It is often the
pain or dullness of the real world that force the poet to flee to a world of imagination
unaffected by the ruthless agents of the real world. Both Coleridge and Ghani
Khan find this escape in their own imaginative palaces where they want to
experience the things of their own choices. In escapism the poet often draws a
comparison between the real and the imaginary but what is remarkable about both
the poems is that we do not find any complaints of the pain, miseries or
dullness of the real life; rather we see the poets narrating the stories of
what they had already created and experienced. They seem to tell us that they had
their own worlds of art, beauty, love and perfection and that they did not care
about the world of flesh and blood. These are parallel worlds or
multi-universes where the poets may switch in-between whenever they want.
Kubla
Khan and The Palace are the most representative poems of Coleridge
and Ghani Khan respectively. They are windows through which we can look into
the full details and artistry of the poets. Kubla Khan has already
received its due recognition from the readers and critics alike and is regarded
as one of the most widely read poems of all times. In Kubla Khan Coleridge’s
deliberate attempt to render “supernatural as natural” is very evident. The
poetry is largely subjective and composed in fine lyrics. The imagery is
subtle, catchy and elusive. The thought process is exquisitely developed and
twisted in the final lines where the poet’s imagination is tossed up; having no
reigns and is unstoppable. Despite technical “incompleteness” as claimed by
Coleridge himself, the poem is never regarded as incomplete and has been
enjoyed till date since its first publication in 1798.
The
Palace, on the other hand, is technically a complete poem. It tells us a
great deal about the poetry of Ghani Khan in one poem and one single thought of
romantic escapism. An ardent reader of Ghani Khan may find in it most of Ghani
Khan’s themes and artistry filtered through a very refined poetic sense. The poet selects very keenly from a whole
range of oriental images and metaphors, and then innovates by transforming them
into personal or Pashtun symbols; and he finally uses them in a befitting
manner to develop the thought process and to create the desired rhythm. His imagination
is alert at every point not allowing unnecessary details to detract his highly
exalted mood. The rhythm is subtle and rare in the oriental or sub-continental
traditions of poetry.
Criticism
of poetry in the sub-continental languages such as Urdu or in local languages
such as Pashtu largely focus on the subject matter and poetic form and diction
is mostly taken for granted as something that is merely ornate or that serves
as conduit to the subject matter. According to Pervaiz Akhtar, a music teacher
and music therapists from Baha ud Din University Multan, poetry itself is never
taken in isolation and it is considered as part of Sangeet which is
roughly synonymous to music. There are also traditions of poetry recitals
called Mushaairas where the poet may either recite his/her poetry or sing
it without any musical instruments. Poetry books are also enjoyed by a small
section of educated class. Majority of poetry is orally enjoyed or when it is
sung with musical instruments or performed. Sangeet has remained a
combination of poetry, music (instrumental) and performing arts such as dance. Perhaps
musical instruments and dance overshadow poetic form and diction and the
listeners and critics mostly miss it in the overall impression that Sangeet
creates. This may be one of the reasons that the Palace has received
little attention from the readers and critic of Ghani Khan as compared to his
other poems that show him as an iconoclast or the poet who breaks the
stereotypes, myths and taboos.
Contemporary
Pashtun poet, singer and musician Amjad Shehzad has also noted this thing about
the Palace. He goes on to say that the Palace uses one of the
rarest meters that has been evolved from the Indic or sub-continental music.
