Landay (poetry)

The Landay is a traditional Afghan poetic form consisting of a single couplet. There are nine syllables in the first line, and thirteen syllables in the second. These short poems typically address themes of love, grief, homeland, war, and separation. The poetic form, traditionally sung aloud, was likely brought into Afghanistan by Aryan nomads thousands of years ago. "Landay," in Pashto, means "short, poisonous snake", likely an allusion to its minimal length and use of sarcasm. rdf:langString