Balochi literature (Baluchi: بلۏچی ادب or بلۏچی لبزانک) is literature written in the Balochi languages.[1]
The main Balochi literature is found in poetry, which is purely popular in origin and form[2] Poetry is by the Baloch regarded as the highest form of literature.[3]
Baloch literature is a reminder of different eras of Baloch culture and civilization, sadness, joys, and the narration of their ancient and old legends and myths, including the stories of Hani and Sheh Mureed, Mir Chakar Rind, Ges'dok, Askas(character from Shahnama),and Duda and balach's epic are mixed together.
Among the greats of Balochi literature, can mention Natiq Makrani, Mast Tawakali, Molaragam, Zaib Magsi, Abdullah Rwanbod and Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi, Saba Dashtyari, Mir Gul Khan Nasir, Muneer Ahmed Badiniand Ghulam Mohammad Lalzad Baloch.
The oldest Balochi poetries is of 12th century which state that poets to compose love songs, record their traditional history and their relations with their neighbours, their intertribal feuds (relations and affairs) and their conquest drivers (military power).[4]
The memories of the Baloch people are full of songs that describe national events and Baloch heroism. These songs have been transferred by singers, minstrels, and itinerant which belongs to poetry of Mir Chakar's era and Mir Gwahram Khan Lashari. style of the following types:
1. Heroic or epic ballads dealing with the early wars and settlements of the Baloches.
2. More recent ballads, mainly dealing with the wars of tribes now existing, and other tribal ballads.
3. Romantic ballads.
4. Love songs and lyrics.
5. Religious and didactic poems.
6. Short poems, including lullabys, dastanaghs, and rhymed riddles.[5]
Apart from poetry, Balochi has its own prose style of the following types:
1. Balochi folk tales
2. Modern style literature[6]
1930s a few individuals, led by Moḥammad Ḥosayn “ʿAnqā,” wrote for a public in Balochi, producing a short-lived weekly paper Bolan.[7]
Several introductory works on Balochi oral literature, mostly in Urdu have published since 1970, History of Balochi language and literature by Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi 1986, History of Balochi language and literature by Shir Mohammad Mari in 1973 and Balochi literature: Its history, its continuity by Panah Baloch in 2016.[8]
In 1875, Mansel Longworth Dames took great interest in the scientific study and collection of Baloch poems and songs, and for the first time in 1881, he presented examples of them in an article titled "A Sketch of the Northern Balochi Language".[9] [10]
Here is a list of Balochi Proverbs(Baluchi: بلوچی بتل):[11] [12]
| Balochi Proverb(Baluchi: بلوچی بتل) | Meaning in English | |
|---|---|---|
| آ گوهار ء َ کہ تنگئيں برات نيست، چو کلات ء کہ واجہ يے ماں نيست | If a sister is without a brother, she is like that fort which is without king | |
| مرد کہ لج کنت بہائی کک اِنت، جن کہ لج کنت بہائی لکه اِنت | A shy man is worth a goat, a shy woman is worth a city | |
| اگا بیکارین سوال جست کنی گورا ترا بیکارین جواب مل ات | Ask Silly Questions and You"ll Get Silly Answers | |
| لوگ په مردم و مردم په لوگ | The house becomes beautiful with its people and the people with the house | |
| تاسے آپ بور ، سد سال و پا کں | If you drank a glass of water in someone's house, you should be indebted to the owners of that house for a hundred years and always maintain their sanctity | |
| شُدءَمرد گوں مزارءَميڑينتگگ | Hunger has made man fight with the lion | |
| ریش وتی دست ءَ سپه دارنت | Do not behave in such a way that you lose your dignity | |
| جوهر بلوچ آغیرتینت | The essence of Baloch is zeal and diligence | |
| مرد په نام مریت نامرد په نان | A brave man dies for his name and a coward for his bread | |
| وھدے کے پیشی ھدا نبی ات گورا مشک لیب کن انت | When the cat is away the mice play |