Response to Geoffrey Hill's Response to Carol Ann Duffy

I'm not familiar enough with Duffy's oeurve to either agree or disagree with Hill's assessment of her work in general, but I must say that his willingness to attack it detracts from what is otherwise a legitimate arguement against texting as poetry. No, text is not poetry, though its "truncated" language might be employed in a poem since it is an undeniable part of modern living. Still, this employment must be carefully done. And I agree with him that poets should assume that their readers are intelligent. So much of media and art today dumbs down the individual and we all know that when one is told something (or suggested something) often and long enough one may well come to believe it whether it is truth or not. Examples: that the evolution theory is fact, or an abusive person's claim that one is worthless. Compare the everyday vocabulary of the public today to that of Dicken's time, and you see the long-term effect of this culture of dumbing-down. Poetry has held out against this destructive force longer than any other form of communication, but it too is faltering. Let us not allow it. Let us stand firm. We are the poets. It is our responsibility to protect poetry from this tendancy to abuse the reader and individual, and that responsibility can be no one else's.

Article that inspired this little rant: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/31/carol-ann-duffy-oxford-professory-poetry?newsfeed=true

Breaking Stereotypes With Poetry

"Following Hope" (Xlibris, April 2007), my first collection of poetry, set the tone for the intentions of my career. A resounding effort to shatter the stereotype of what is expected of an Appalachian poet, the collection is a true celebration of multiculturalism, travel, and multimedia.

The poems therein are varied in make. There are multi-stanza poems, short meditative pieces, lyric free verse and melodic alt-forms. This is less the pastoral, ancestor-oriented work commonly associated with Appalachian literature and more the complex, interpretive and experimental lyrics of contemporary poetry as is being written throughout America and the Western world today.

The subjects are also more profound than might normally be expected. The predominate theme is that of betrayal on many levels, but mostly in the area of sexual violence and its aftermath. Also addressed is abandonment by a parent, by a lover, by nature and by life- real or perceived. The betrayal of the self is not left out of this equation. It is not a collection for the squeamish or those more comfortable with light verse and greeting card verse. These are serious pieces about thought-provoking, serious subjects.

But not all is dark. While not flinching from these indescribable experiences, the collection focuses on the ability of the human spirit to rise above such horrors: to always look for hope (a white bird always refers to hope), to refuse to remain victimised, to use these experiences to learn strength, and even to be able to open oneself up to vulnerability and relationships willingly and unfailingly loyally.

The photos peppered generously throughout the book reflect this positivism. Taken by Northern Irish photographer Jan McCullough, they are mostly clean youthful portraits with stunning emphasis on the eyes of the models. A few were taken by myself and these are credited appropriately in the acknowledgements section. The cover photo was taken by Jessica Marshallsay quite by accident, but what a lovely accident!

The end result is a visually pleasing book that reflects the message of the poems therein. It has received glowing reviews every time it has been reviewed. These reviews can be read at my website, (www.sabneraznik.com). Following Hope is available everywhere online- including Amazon.com and Ebay.com- in softcover format. It is also available in hardcover if ordered directly from the publisher at www.xlibris.com/FollowingHope.html.

My second collection is still in manuscript form and currently making the rounds in search of representation and/or a publisher. It's title is in a state of flux. "Whethering: shiir" was thrown out because similar titles have been used for poetry collections recently. Currently, its working title is "Habibi". It will continue the aims of stereotype breaking and take it to another level. The poems will be even more varied. There will be experimentation with syntax, concrete poetry, even shorter poems, my first attempt at blank verse, and my only attempt thus far at a performance piece.

These poems are love songs which remain interpretive in nature and, therefore, have multiple possible meanings. These are addressed to a lover, an unrequited love, God, and the exotic all at once. There will be a notes section which will translate phrases and words that appear throughout in a total of 11 or 12 different languages, some of them ancient. These notes will also help with references made throughout that shift all through the long and rich history of the Middle East. It will be a celebration of the beautiful, of music, photography, dance, love, loss, hope, Appalachia, and language. All of this climaxes in an eerily Irish sort of keening to full effect.

The photography of Jan McCullough will be featured once again, this time all alone. From the cover and on, every photo will be McCullough's work. These will be scattered more sparsely throughout. This time, the photos are abstracts of broken, rain-damped streets superimposed with artistic nudes.

I do not know when it will be available for sale since I am still looking for an agent and/or publisher, but I can assure you it will be worth the wait. The interpretations of my work given in this article are subjective and merely one way of perceiving it. I believe it is the perogative of the reader to apply it to their individual situations as it suits them.

The Legend of Leyla and Majnun: Its Importance in Eastern and Western Traditions

Reprinted from my AC page, as was the other essays I've posted here: http://http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/64959/sabne_raznik.html


One of the most common legends throughout the Middle East is "Leyla and Majnun". The title varies as names are translated, but these names mean: Leyla- Arabic for night, Majnun- Arabic for demon or mad man, specifically madly in love. Some of the details of the story can vary as well. There is some claim that the legends are based on a true story about a Bedouin poet named Qays ibn al-Mulawwah ibn Muzahim and a woman called Layla bint Mahdi ibn Sa'd, better known as Layla Al-Aamiriya. The legends are far-flung and both India and Saudi Arabia claim to have the tomb of the lovers.

The most popular version of the story was written by Nizami Ganjavi (1141-1209) in the Persian tongue. In this story Majnun falls in love with Leyla at first sight but is denied marrying her. This drives him to madness and poetry becomes his salvation. His father takes him to a temple to implore the god's help for his son, but instead Majnun prays that his love will continue to grow since he knows his life is worthless without it. Eventually, he retreats to the wilderness (which reminded me of the Celtic legend of "Mad Sweeney") to live with the animals and recite poetry he had written for Leyla. His health slowly declines and he exhausts all symbolic and psychological desire. When he last meets with Leyla, he no longer wishes to live, so driven mad by denied love as he is, and dies in her arms. She then dies beside him of grief. Some versions have her dying first and his own mad grief and love driving him finally to his death afterwards.

The legend has proved to be the influence of many great Western works of literature. During the Middle Ages, thanks to travelling troubadours and the crusades, there was much cross-pollination between these different cultures. The story of Leyla and Majnun was adapted and westernised for such classic tales as "Tristan and Isolde", "Aucassin et Nicolette", "La Fou d'Elsa", and perhaps most famously "Romeo and Juliette" among others. It was also the first work ever created in the Italian musical genre in the Muslim world. It was so adapted by Uzeyir Hajibeyov. Hajibeyov's version of the story is an enormously successful synthesis between East and West, and between European classical music and Oriental culture, it is said.

One of the most defining differences between the Western adaptions and the Eastern legends concerning Majnun and Leyla is the view of love according to culture. In the West, as can be seen by refering to the adaptations and Western literature which has been influenced by the Eastern legends, true love is nearly always a consummated love. Whether that love is approved by the powers that be or not, the love-struck and typically doomed couple will usually at some point have sexual relations. Only then is the love fully realised and sympathised with. In the Eastern legends, this love is almost never consummated. In fact, the legends' driving force is dependent on that fact. This is because in Oriental tradition, particularly the Islamic, true love for a person is a pure love, one that does not require sexual intimacy. Only if the love remains pure and free of physical relations can it be the kind of love that leads one to the complete love of the divine. In Leyla and Majnun, this is what characterises Majnun's insanity- that it is a manifestation of his having reached the ultimate state of divine love and hence, in a sense, has himself become divine. Therefore, the love-mad, non-revolutionary poet is, in Oriental tradition, a divine being.

The reasons for Leyla's family's rejection of Majnun also differs from that of the Western adaptations. In "Romeo and Juliette" that rejection is based on mutual emnity between the families. In "Tristan and Isolde" it is because of social standing and because Isolde is already betrothed. In Leyla and Majnun, he is rejected because of the poetic nature of his love. In Oriental culture love is a secret thing. Marriages are even today typically arranged by families for the advancement of the family or for whatever reason. It is not to be spoken of in public or advertised, because love, although desirable, is not a requirement for those marriages and the happiness attained within them (however much the Western world believes that love is vital for happiness, many other cultures do not believe that to be so, and when both parties to the marriage agree on this belief it can be true). So when Majnun publicises his love by spouting poetry outside the walls of Leyla's house and in the streets, this offends Leyla's family and breaks this code, if you will. Since he is considered divine because of the poetic intensity of his love, he is no longer considered as a human being in that cultural environment and, as such, is not eligible for the marriage. In other words, the union would have resulted in scandal. That is why, in the Iranian and Turkic traditions, Majnun is viewed as a pure and absolute martyr to divine love, although that interpretation is not included in all Eastern versions of the legend. In the context of this brief discussion of cultural differences and interpretations, it is interesting to note that the action of the legend is set during what is called "Jahiliyah"- meaning "ignorance"- and predates Islam by one hundred years.

The legends of Leyla and Majnun still ring true for audiences today, especially youths. Western youths long for the kind of love which would be so strong as to allow either or both partners to die for each other if necessary. In the fast-paced society that exists today, it is common for people to marry multiple times and still not experience the love that Western culture insists is vital to such a relationship, and so the modern connection to the Western adaptions is a sort of nostalgic longing for true love that never dies even in death. In the Orient, arranged marriages are still more or less the norm and the possiblility of forbidden love is a real one. Therefore, Leyla and Majnun's difficulties still have a very real and immediate currency there. Also, there is the unique phenomenon created by immigration. In Southern California alone, there are nearly one million Iranians and there are many, many more of Middle Eastern origin throughout the Western world. Coming as they are from a culture where love is a private matter into one that experienced the sexual liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s and where sex is so common and open that it is even used to sell products as advertising, the effects can be devestating. There have even been cases of insanity due to the effort required to reconcile these totally different ways of thinking. For these ones, the legends of Leyla and Majnun have an altogether unique meaning of its own.

Truly, this classical Eastern legend deserves close scrutiny by those from both sides of the world, as it has had a profound effect on both.