Reflection:
When writing this essay I thought of both the books A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner, both two side of the same coin meaning two views on the same event. Both books were amazing, although it depicted Kabul and the rest of Afghanistan once it had been destroyed this allowed for the poem "Kabul" to describe what the place once was and get a better feeling of everything was before and after the revolution.
Essay:
Kabul, as described in many stories as once a magnificent city that was then engulfed by the Russians and then the Taliban, Muslim extremists. A once radiant city, full of young, self-empowered, and educated people, became hell on earth, land mines blowing up children, random snipers shootings, and houses being targeted by live missiles resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians. Iranian, Saib-e-Tabrizi depicts Kabul prior to the first Russian invasion; he uses imagery and personification to convey Kabul as a beautiful place.
Throughout the whole poem, Saib-e-Tabrizi uses imagery to describe the geography of the city. He describes it with passion "my song exhalts her dazzling tulips" or "her gusts of powdered soil, slightly sting my eyes... but I love her," it gave the tulip and dust an extraordinary feeling that they were not any ordinary tulips and that even though the terrain may be difficult to deal with it is beautiful all the same. He states in the last line, "and even the trumpets of heaven envy their green pasture," that this one city was heaven on earth or even better. These examples show how the author viewed Kabul as a wonderful place, despite the rest of the world and the chaos, it was harmonic and special prior to the fighting.
Even though the whole poem used imagery, the author included personification, "her laughter of mornings has the gaiety of flowers," made it seem as if he was talking to a real woman yet he spoke about nature and her beauty. "And at the beauty of her trees, I blush" and "for her mountainous brought him close to the delights from heaven" two very good examples of the poet's feeling about the area, by speaking about nature as a woman it allows the audience to gain a better understanding and realization how important and wonderful this place truly is that is compared to heaven and the effects of a man when he sees a pretty lady. As a woman, this allowed me to engage with the poem better, understanding the true beauty and majesty of this one city, Kabul. Kabul became this delicate thing that must be protected by everyone from man kind. This wonderful place, just by the look, feel, and sound of its nature gives joy and enlightenment to many including Said-e-Tabrizi.
Kabul a now rugged and deserted place as depicted in different stories was indeed a once a beautiful place to be. The fertile lands were delightful to experience and were once a place that many wanted to live in due to its nature. Said-e-Tabrizi paints a wonderful picture of Kabul in his poem "Kabul" by using colorful imagery and beautiful personification.
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