Khusbhu is a volume of poetry written by Pakistani poet and columnist Parveen Shakir, and published in 1976.
Poetry
The poetry in Khushbu, like most of Shakir's subsequent work, can be divided into two categories: the ghazal , and free verse.
Ghazal
Style
Most of Shakir's ghazalyaat contain five to ten couplets, often - though not always - inter-related. Sometimes, two consecutive couplets may differ greatly in meaning and context . The ghazalyaat in Khusbhu heavily rely on metaphors and similes, which are repeatedly and thought-provokingly used to bring force, thoughtfulness and lyricism in her work. An example is the couplet, "Wo tou khushbu hai, hawaon main bikhar jaye ga/ Masla phool ka hai, phool kidher jayega?" where Shakir relates 'fragrance' to an unfaithful lover, 'air' to the unfaithful's secret loves, and 'flower' to the person cheated. Other metaphors Shakir commonly used in the book are mausum for times, ghulab for the female lover, titli for a Romeo, hava for a wayward love, darya for affection, baarish for affection, and aandhi for difficulties.
Themes
The ghazalyaat in Khusbu mainly deal with the feminine perspective on love and romance, and associated themes such as beauty, intimacy, separation, break-ups, distances, distrust and infidelity and disloyalty.
Shakir in her ghazal
The ghazalyaat in Shakir's books are one of the biggest, undisputed sources to her personality, and those in Khushbu establish her as an emotional, romantic, fiery and, above all, strong woman. In one couplet, Shakir's describes her fiery nature, and determination to acquire what she loves, thus:
"My heart is fiery, and to reach thee/ It shall render my body a canoe, and my blood a river."
She also expresses her stead-fastness in love , her determination to learn from bitter experience, and to move on in life , and the fact that she does not wear her emotions on her sleeve . The ghazalyaat in Khushbu bring forth Shakir's thirst for trying new things , her staunch preference of truth over lies and her habit to experience every emotion intensely .
Separation
Separation is a much-emphasized topic in Khushbu, and is dealt with in many ways. It may be willing or unwilling separation - in the form of break-ups, long distance relationships, dying love or memories of an old romance - and is emphasized in works such as Neend tou khwaab hai aur hijr ki shub khwaab kahan? , Dost , Shadeed dukh tha agarcha teri judaai ka and Chiraagh-e-raah bujha kya, kay rehnuma bhi gaya . Shakir's work Let Him Come to Sprout a Flower in my Heart heavily focuses on these themes. A few couplets are cited here:
"Let him come to sprout a flower in my heart, Let him come to wound my heart anew! Let fragrance awaken in my empty doors, Let him come to decorate my house. Around here, live many people he knows, Can not he come under pretense of meeting someone else?"
"I will live my life, away from you, Like an exile."
Similarly, separation that is unwilling on both sides is implied by the following couplets in her ghazalMy face - his eyes!
"Often, I wake up from my sleep, thinking, How does he bear the night ? Despite all these distances, his arms, encircle me, forever."
Some other couplets of Shakir, focusing on the theme of separation:
"He walks with me, like the moon, Who says I am alone in nights of separation?"
"Meeting - promise to meet again - separation, So much happened so suddenly!"
"I am living after you, And you - you, too, are living your life."
Other
The subject of the wayward love is brought up time and again in ghazalyaat such as Wo tou khushbu hai, Khushbu bhi us k tarz-e-pazeerai per gai, Gongay laboun pe hurf-e-tamanna kiya mujhe. Shakir's poetry often speaks of pain, its pain and its joy. It also often mentions loss and loneliness, grief, shattered dreams, life after a break-up and the healing power of love.
Shakir made extensive use of the Urdu first-person, feminine pronoun in her verses which, though extremely common in prose, was rarely used in poetry, even by female poets, until Shakir did so. This was a revolutionary step for Urdu poetry, and can be seen as part of the feminist movement in Urdu literature. Also, through Khushbu, Shakir introduced the wordlarki in her poetry, the Urdu substitute for the word 'girl,' and one not often seen in Urdu poetry before her time. She also extensively used larkiyaan, its plural. The usage of the two words can be seen in the following couplets from the book:
"That girl, like her home, perhaps, Fell victim to the flood."
"Girls were sitting, feet dipped inside, Light seemed to spread within the pond."
"People - They passed through the lanes - none hesitated - paused - returned - Left behind were the girls - staring, through half-open windows, since eve!"
"All the girls are getting to know each other, Thus spreads the relation of the ideology of Shahnaz."
The words Larki and Larkiyaan are also mentioned in her poems, Larkiyaan Udaas Hain, Khwaab and Sirf Ek Larki, among others.
