Romantic Echoes in Pashto Poesy: Supernaturalism in Ghani Khan’s Poetry

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the transcendent nature of poetry, particularly focusing on Abdul Ghani Khan’s Pashto poetry and its alignment with “Romantic Supernaturalism.” Poetry, as an art form, transcends barriers of time, space, culture, and language, and conveys universal truths and beauty. Ghani Khan’s poetry, despite cultural and linguistic disparities, mirrors the Romantic tradition’s exploration of mystical elements, love, nature’s celebration, and supernaturalism. This study investigates the parallels between “Romantic Supernaturalism” and the supernatural elements in Ghani Khan’s works. The analysis begins with the application of supernaturalism in Romantic poetry, highlighting its defiance of rational constraints and emphasis on imagination. The Romantics used supernatural elements to challenge customary beliefs, directing attention to overlooked beauty and the wonders of the world. The study then takes this as a framework and uses it to analyze Ghani Khan’s poetry. By situating Ghani Khan’s poetry in the universal space of world literatures, the study proves that creative minds, regardless of their geographical/cultural/religious orientation, speak of universal human desires, dreams and aspirations. With its trans-territorial appeal, the research demonstrates, that Khan’s poetry grapples with themes which have become a subject of scholarly study but only with reference to established Western poets like the Romantics. This paper demonstrates that Ghani Khan’s poetry offers a fertile ground for scholars and researchers interested in the study of universal mystical traditions. By drawing attention towards the richness of Khan’s poetry, the paper proves that Khan’s poetry will further expand the scope of their study since it will let them discover exhilarating new spaces outside the milieu of their culture-specific intellectual domain.