Modern · Popular and national
Malang Jan
ملنګ جان
A beloved poet of popular, national, and song-based verse whose work spread widely through radio and music.
Life and work
Introduction
Malang Jan was a popular twentieth-century Afghan Pashto poet. Raised in Nangarhar, his work stayed close to everyday speech, national feeling, and ordinary experience.
Many of his poems circulated as songs, and he also worked with Pashto music at Kabul Radio. His poetry was later collected in editions of Khwage Naghme.
One of the best-known voices of modern popular and song-based Pashto poetry.
Sources
Biographical references
Recorded works
Poems
اي وطنه ستاپه عشق کي زه تيرترخپل ځان يمه
ستاچي ترقي غواړې زه هغسې يوځوان يمه
را ته ګوره مې نــــــــــــه خـــــــــوب شته نه ارام
رانيو لی يــــــــــــــــــــــمه ستا د زلــــــــــــفو دام
ستا په در کې ولاړ لکه فقير
ستا در زلفو په حلقه يمه اسير
بي پتنګه وايه يــــــــــــــاردشمعي څوک دى
بي مجبوردخوشــــال څک دبل په توگ دى
رايادوئ د ميرويس خان وختونه
مه هېردئ د خوشحال خان وختونه
مجنون دې رانه جوړ کړو ننګ و عار څه پېژنم؟
د هجر په زندان کې زيست روزګارڅه پېژنم
Books and editions