The First Wife of poet
Unlike Aida, who became immortalized as a muse in Shamlu’s poetry, Ashraf al-Muluk Islamiya remains largely a private figure. Very little has been written about her outside of biographical notes on Shamlu. Still, her presence represents the poet’s earliest attempts to balance love, family, and art—a struggle that would define much of his later reflections on human relationships and freedom.
In the wider story of Ahmad Shamlu’s life, Ashraf al-Muluk Islamiya stands as a quiet but significant figure: the companion of his youth, the mother of his children, and the one who shared with him the uncertainties of a young poet’s path before fame, before recognition, before Aida. Ashraf al-Muluk Islamiya entered Shamlu’s life at a time when he was still searching for stability, both personally and artistically.
