"Kabul" by Saib-e-Tabrizi, translated by Dr. Josephine Davis

Final thought:

Has your exploration of the poem developed your understanding of the novel's main concerns, themes, tone or anything else? Explain the connection or contradiction using quotes from the poem to support your ideas.

Throughout the poem, we can see many personifications of Kabul as a woman. The central theme of “A Thousand Splendid Suns” is the role of women in the Afghan society. The poem emphasizes on the many attractive traits of Kabul by using words such as “dazzling”, “sparkling”, “enthralling” and “gaiety” which contrasts the hardships and pain of the women in the novel. This oxymoronic comparison makes us wonder deeper into the meaning of beauty and what is ultimately the meaning of being a beautiful women on the inside.

Moreover, the novel, named after a phrase in the poem, also carry a significant and reoccurring theme of patriotism as “knowing and loving are born of this same dust”, illustrating how every Afghan owe their knowledge to the place where they were first born.

Hakim, or better known as Babi, struck me the most when I read the poem as it elaborates on the beauties Kabul has to offer. Babi, on page 192, was the character who compares Kabul to the two lines of the poem which are:

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”- , Babi, pg 192

One could question on the significance of the phrase from the poem as it plays the huge of the title and possibly an important theme. As Babi displays his love for Kabul in quotes such as “I can’t believe I’m leaving Kabul…. It’s strange to think that I’ll be sleeping beneath another city’s skies soon.”, I relate the poem strongly to Babi’s adhering love despite the chaos and violence of the wars in Kabul that ironically, takes his life away in the end.

Laila, although initially never showing much thought about Kabul, in Part 4 showed desires of returning back to Kabul despite a life of tranquility in Pakistan. As exemplified by the quote, "Kabul is waiting. Needing. This journey home is the right thing to do." -Laila, pg 392, Laila shows her patriotism by recognising the need to serve her homeland as it is her duty as an Afghan.