Daak Weekly: How Flowers Speak of Suffering
If there's a single metaphor in poetry that is overused or clichéd, it's probably flowers. And yet, we find ourselves drawn to their transient beauty, turning to them in times of celebration, suffering, and even death. What is it about flowers that comforts and uplifts us? Perhaps it's the wonder of how, indifferent to human suffering, depravity, and cruelty, a thing of shocking beauty can appear as if out of nowhere, signalling both its fragility and resilience. Maybe it's a reminder to take pleasure in something for the time it lasts, without insisting that it endure. Today, we bring you two poets from Kashmir, who, no doubt inspired by its abundant natural beauty, sought solace in nature, especially flowers, as they endured cruel fates.
Habba Khatoon was a Kashmiri poetess in the 16th century, whose poetry is rich with metaphors of nature, laden with references to flowers, spring, and Kashmir, and weighed down by the longing for her lover. A common woman, she was chosen by the King of Kashmir, Yusuf Shah Chak, who was enchanted by the beauty of her voice and the richness of her rhyme. While the couple spent six blissful years together, Yusuf Shah was summoned to Delhi by Emperor Akbar, who deceived and imprisoned him to compensate for his own military defeat in Kashmir. While Yusuf Shah never saw the light of day again, his beloved Habba pined away for him in a home next to the Jhelum, where she finally lay to rest.
Much like her stylistic predecessor Habba Khatoon, 18th century poet Arnimal's words had an earthy quality, a relevance and place in her time, drawing from reality without the mystical allusions other Kashmiri poets are often known for. Arnimal was married to a renowned poet who flourished during Afghan rule. He, however, was not interested in her, known to abandon her and philander in the world of courtesans. Not wanting to be silent and cast off, she sang of her woes and exposed her husband’s infidelity. She was a woman spurned, and her poetry told tales of her dejection.
There is a silent wisdom in the mere existence of flowers (and all of nature); our enduring references to them are a reminder that even amidst loss and impermanence, beauty can thrive.
Love,
Team Daak
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How utterly beautiful!