Vatsun ( en, væt:ʃɜːn}) is a
Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to:
* People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir
* Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley
* Kashmiri language, their language
People with the name
* Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...
literary form derived from
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
meaning "word/speech". This is because it has no particular pattern of versification or rhyme scheme. The metres and rhyme schemes of vatsun are varied, but generally each unit is a stanza of three lines followed by a refrain (). Vatsun bears a resemblance to
Urdu lyric. Vatsun is also similar to the
ghazals of the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
and
iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called " feet". "Iam ...
of the Western world.
In poetry, it is a popular age-old folk-form dating back to the 14th century, when
Lal Ded
Lalleshwari, also known locally as Lal Ded (; 1320–1392), was a Kashmiri mystic of the Kashmir Shaivism school of Hindu philosophy. She was the creator of the style of mystic poetry called vatsun or ''Vakhs'', literally "speech" (from Sans ...
and Sheikh-ul-Alam (alias
Nund Rishi
Nund Rishi ( c. 1377 – c. 1438 AD; sometimes spelled Nund Reshi), also known as Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, Sheikh-Ul-Alam (spritual guide of the world) and by the title Alamdar-e-Kashmir ("Flag Bearer of Kashmir"), was a Kashmiri Sufi saint, ...
) wrote in the Kashmiri language the devotional poetry depicting their mystic experiences, love for God, love for others, and folk dancing.
[Koul, Omkar N. ''Kashmiri Language, Linguistics, and Culture.'' Central Institute of Indian Languages: Manasagangotri. 200.]
Notable Vatsun poets
*
Lal Ded
Lalleshwari, also known locally as Lal Ded (; 1320–1392), was a Kashmiri mystic of the Kashmir Shaivism school of Hindu philosophy. She was the creator of the style of mystic poetry called vatsun or ''Vakhs'', literally "speech" (from Sans ...
(1320–1387)
*
Nund Rishi
Nund Rishi ( c. 1377 – c. 1438 AD; sometimes spelled Nund Reshi), also known as Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, Sheikh-Ul-Alam (spritual guide of the world) and by the title Alamdar-e-Kashmir ("Flag Bearer of Kashmir"), was a Kashmiri Sufi saint, ...
(1377–1438)
*
Dina Nath Nadim
Dinanath Kaul "Nadim" (1916–1988) was a prominent Kashmiri poet of the 20th century. He was born on 18 March 1916 in Srinagar city and with him began an era of modern Kashmiri poetry. He also virtually led the progressive writers movement in ...
(1916–1988)
See also
*
ghazal
*
Iambic Pentameter
Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called " feet". "Iam ...
References
Kashmiri literature
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