“Songs of Love and War: Afghan Women’s Poetry” by Sayd Bahodine Majrouh is an eloquent and devastating gaze into the Muslim world — particularly of the women of Pashtun during the Soviet occupation in 1970s Afghanistan. The poems, though lyrical and beautiful, become part of the discussion where the poet not only dissects but also uses the poetry as an example to demonstrate the continued struggles of Afghani women.
Following the popularity of its original publication in 2003, “Songs of Love and War” was reprinted in March. Majrouh, an Afghani poet and postmodernist, has collected and edited the multitude of poems, now surviving as this posthumous compilation.
Following his assassination in 1988, Majrouh’s voice has continued to resonate and remain in favor of women’s rights and struggles to obtain equal freedom in not only in Afghanistan but also throughout the entire world.
Landay, the area in which most of the poems are focused, is a town in the Helmand province in Afghanistan. The area consists of two large mountains that are often the backdrop of the pieces within this book, as is the environment in which these women struggle to tell their stories through Majrouh.
The poems dramatically differ from most of Majrouh’s contemporaries in that he wrote with brevity. But that is not to say the content lacked passion or power. On the contrary, the poems demonstrate the life and struggles of Muslim women, often viewed and treated as inferior to their male counterparts.
In some ways, the way in which Majrouh has constructed the pieces is reminiscent of philosopher Marcus Aurelius, who in “Meditations” revealed that in a matter of less than two lines, words can not only be compacted to such efficiency but also can engage a reader without becoming lost in a sea of words.
While readers may also find similarities between the work to that of 13th century poet Rumi, “Songs of Love and War” differs in major aspects. Though Majrouh, like Rumi, focuses on his native environment and people, the poems do not place emphasis on religion, and therefore, the struggle of these storytellers becomes a technique to resonate with many diverse populations undergoing similar adversity. Therein, the women in this text become a voice, once suppressed, now amplified.
“Songs of Love and War,” though a short compilation of less than 200 pages, is a book that offers readers a voice for women who cannot speak — those who have come before us, and even to this day, continue to move forward past defeat and towards freedom.
Rating: W W W W
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