The Course of Reflecting Mythological-epic Themes and Narratives in Contemporary Poetry of Afghanistan (from the Constitution to 1380 AH)

• Published in: Funūn-i adabī Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 19 - 38
• Main Authors: Mohammad Daneshgar, Seyed Ali Ghasemzadeh, Reza Chehreghani
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Persian
• Published: University of Isfahan 01-09-2022
• Subjects: contemporary poetry of afghanistan; movement of afghan poetry; mythological-epic narratives
• ISSN: 2008-8027; 2322-3448
• DOI: 10.22108/liar.2022.134684.2176

Myth is an element of human culture that narrates a true story with an unusual nature. It discusses the miraculous action in the indeterminate time of beginning, as superhuman experiences and as a mental-imaginative process with the help of works of art. It is recreated and continues to live with the help of this cultural element. Artistic-literary works become broad, deep, and lasting and acquire a global dimension and immortality. Therefore, mythological elements in different periods of Persian poetry have always been recreated with ups and downs. No period sans theme and image creation in the mythological literature and the dynamic spirit of myth has always flowed in the body of Persian poetry. Poets have used this cultural element with different approaches and have recreated it. The present study, using a descriptive­-analytical method, investigates the reproduction of mythological-epic themes and narratives in the contemporary poetry of Afghanistan (from the Constitution to 1380 AD). The results of the present research show that the reproduction of mythological elements in contemporary Afghan poetry is not a pure imitation but a purposeful creation that contemporary poets, using their literary talents most artistically, relate mythological narratives and characters with events and personalities. They have adapted in their times, by linking the present and the past. They have presented their political thoughts and human emotions.  IntroductionThe myth, a cultural image or a symbol with a narrative, has been recreated in different eras of Dari Persian literature. It has reflected the visions of poets and writers on various topics and expressed their ideals and feelings. For this reason, these types of metaphors are considered to be the most important tools of poetry, because they represent imagination in the best way. Contemporary poets of Afghanistan, considering the political-social function, use myth to reflect their human emotions. They have expressed the socio-political situation of their country with the help of mythological symbols.  Materials and Methods In this research, an attempt is made to analyze and reread the recreation of mythological-epic themes and narratives in the contemporary poetry of Afghanistan (from the Constitution to 1380 AH) using a descriptive-analytical approach.  Results and Conclusion Based on the existing examples, contemporary Afghan poetry can be classified into four stages in terms of the regeneration of mythological elements.The first phase covers the poetry of the initial years of Mohammad Zahershah’s reign and before. At this stage, there are examples of myth reproduction for rhetorical and political reasons in the poetry of Mahjuba Heravi, Abdullah Arif Chah Abhi, Bareq Shafi, and Seyed Ismail Balkhi. The mentioned poets while using the rhetorical capacity of mythological elements, use mythological-epic characters and themes; because they have reflected the praise of love, the satire of rulers, defense of the rights of the oppressed, condemnation of the tyranny of absolute monarchy, and the calling of people to fight and stand against political tyranny.The second stage is related to the regeneration of the myth to use its symbolic aspect, with the social context and creating artistic ambiguity. It includes the "Decade of Democracy" until the end of the presidency of Mohammad Daud Khan. Being aware of the symbolic capacity of myth, poets of this stage have reflected their human emotions with the help of the multifaceted, ambiguous, and symbolic language of myth and have expressed the manifestations of their social life. The most prominent examples of the recreation of the myth, due to its symbolism and creating ambiguity, are in the poems of Wasef Bakhtari, Latif Nazimi, Haider Lahib, and others. In these examples, the poets while reproducing mythological-epic stories, and themes such as; the narrators of the country have addressed misdirection of the command, lack of knowledgeable and thoughtful people to guide the people, hope for a better future, condemnation of the ruling political tyranny, a promise of victory against tyranny and the emergence of a savior.The third stage is related to recreating mythological elements for ideological reasons. It includes the poetry of Haft Ardibehesht 1357 AH. Myth-approaching poets of this stage, according to the left and right tendencies, have reproduced mythological narratives and characters with different approaches and revealed their political thoughts with the help of the political function of myth. Asadullah Habib, Baragh Shafi'i, Taghian Sakai, Shabgirpoladian, Qaharaasi, Partunadari, Mohib Barash, Shoja Khorasani, Latif-Pedram, Sami Hamed, Abdul Karim Tamna, Kazem Kazemi and some other poets of this period are mythologists with different approaches. Mythological-epic elements in the reflection of topics such as; praise of the ruling system, the confrontation between the Ahurai and Ahrimanic forces (mujahedeen and the government), the martyrdom of the oppressed and innocent people of Afghanistan in Polcharkhi prison, the mourning of mothers over the loss of their children and husbands, unfortunate consequences of aggression and tyranny, description of the campaign, deadly attacks of the Soviet army and the communist government, martyrdom of the oppressed people of Afghanistan in defense of the land, the overthrow of the human values, expression of the unfortunate situation of Afghan refugees inside and outside the country and Issues like this have been used.The final stage --the stage of quantitative expansion of mythological themes, internal and external poetry includes the period of Mujahideen rule and beyond. At this stage, the best examples of mythological elements in the poetry of Abu Talib Mozafari, Khaleda Forough, Raziq Fani, Abdul Ghafoor Arzu, and some others are available. In these examples, the poets, while reshaping the myth, abstract issues of family love, condemnation of civil wars, fratricide, etc. have been addressed.