dilawan

The Dilawan were the love poems of the ancient Rab'ka people, ostensibly composed by amorous young men for wooing their beloveds. In fact, the metrical flexibility of the ancient Dilawan led to its employ as the format for all poetic compositions among the Rab'ka that were not canonically "epic."

The Dilawan of Ardor

Be that as it may, the majority of surviving Dilawan compositions do pertain to male desire, and are justly known as the "Dilawan of Ardor." Something of an archetype may be discerned for these: an eager young man - the presumed narrator - opens the poem with several stanzas comparing his beloved's beauty to natural wonders; the stanzas that follow attempt to detail his own worthiness for his beloved's affections; the poem closes with a refrain of his beloved's surpassing beauty.

The Dilawan of the Mystery

A sizable minority of the surviving Dilawan are mystical in nature, exploring the unseen workings of the cosmos as imagined by ancient Rab'ka sages. The type remains much the same as the Ardor poems, however: an introductory discussion of the mystery in question; a discussion of the poet's particular insight into the mystery, and a conclusion beseeching divine powers for further inspiration.

The Dilawan of Grief

The third-largest portion of surviving Dilawan deal with personal grief. This type is generally agreed to have evolved directly from the Ardor poems, as strong, personal emotion is the theme.

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