Magin_Edward-thesis

11
(Shakely 2002). According to MacKenzie (1965), Goranî poetry was not influenced by
early Northern Kurdish poetry but by local Persian poetic traditions. Poets used
decasyllabic meter with a caesura between two rhyming hemistiches, 10 which were
commonly found in the folk poetry in the area.
When the Ardalan family fell from power in 1845, Persian replaced Goranî as the
court language, eventually bringing an end to the Goranî school. Since that time, writers
increasingly used languages other than Goranî in literature (Blau 1996:21). Some of the
more famous poets from the Goran School era were Khanay Qubadî (1700-1759),
Besaranî (1641-1702), Mawlawî (1806-1882) and Ahmad Bagî Komasî.
Mawlawî―along with Melayê Cezîrî (discussed in 2.1.1.1) and Mahwî (1830-1909)
(discussed in 2.1.1.3)―is considered one of the three greatest Sufi poets in Kurdish
history (Shakely 2002).
2.1.1.3 The Nali school
In modern day Iraq, on the west side of the Zagros Mountains, another school of
classical poetry was established in the area of Baban. Eventually it was referred to as the
Nali school (Kreyenbroek 2005). In 1784, Ibrahim, the Prince of Baban, established
Sulêmaniya as the capital of the province. At this time, the literary language was a
Southern Kurdish dialect (Shakely 2002). When ‘Abd al-Rahman Pasha Baban (1789-
1802) succeeded Ibrahim Pasha in 1789, he advocated the use of the language of
Sulêmaniya, later to be called Sorani, for poetry and music―in lieu of Goranî. And he
designated Sulêmaniye the cultural center for the area (Blau 1996:22).
The founder of the Nali school was the poet Nali, whose real name was Malla
Kedri Ahmad Shaweysi Mika’ili (1800-1856) (Kreyenbroek 2005). Some of the other
revered poets of this time are Salim (1800-1866), Kurdî (1800-1866), Hajî Qadir Koyî
(1817-1897), Sheikh Raza Talabanî (1836-1910), Wafayî (1836-1892), Adab (1862-
10 According to Turco (2000: 22), a caesura is a brief hesitation between two parts of a line, the two
hemistiches.