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Eclipse And Apocalypse
Eclipse And Apocalypse is a poetic journey of the yearning, the finding,the earning, the grieving and the losing of a kindred self, both outward and within. The calm and the chaos inflicted in the moments of one's spiritual Eclipse. The purity and the sweetness of being absorbed in one's beloved leading to the final annihilation of self— Apocalypse.
- GenresPoetry
92 pages, Paperback
Published November 24, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 4, 2025
Eclipse & Apocalypse feels like a galactic dance between fated lovers. Some of my favorite poems were: The Ardent Desire, My Flesh Conspires Against Me, and Is it You? Is it me?
There were so many themes within this collection that I personally resonated with so deeply. I admired the way Mahnoor expressed her aching and the melding between two souls—love full of passion and tenderness.
Within the collection are darker notes that play out a different kind of ache, but aching all the same.
Eclipse & Apocalypse is for the romantics and soulful yearners.
Thank you to Mahnoor Rehan for sending me a digital copy of your wonderful book!
There were so many themes within this collection that I personally resonated with so deeply. I admired the way Mahnoor expressed her aching and the melding between two souls—love full of passion and tenderness.
Within the collection are darker notes that play out a different kind of ache, but aching all the same.
Eclipse & Apocalypse is for the romantics and soulful yearners.
Thank you to Mahnoor Rehan for sending me a digital copy of your wonderful book!
April 5, 2025
This poetry book is a beautiful dive into the poet’s heart—raw, real, and deeply emotional. She writes about herself, people, and feelings in a way that hits home. Every poem feels personal yet relatable, like she’s speaking your thoughts out loud. It’s honest, heartfelt, and quietly powerful!
Thank you, Mahnoor, for showing your words to the world—they truly leave a mark!
Thank you, Mahnoor, for showing your words to the world—they truly leave a mark!
April 5, 2025
“A mathematician cannot but a poet can enclose infinity in a line.”
~Iqbal (Stray Reflections)
This epigram incarnates what poetry truly is — an amalgamation of everything. It can be nonsensical, analytical, rhapsodic, intuitive, counterintuitive, eerie and perhaps anything in between and beyond.
Against this backdrop, Mahnoor — a poet from Rawalpindi whose work has appeared in several literary journals — presents her debut poetry collection, Eclipse and Apocalypse, perfectly asserts this Iqbalian definition.
The book is brimmed with paradoxes, absurdities, radical romanticism (of the kind where not even the slightest whim of union exists), eccentric diction (rooted in earthly analogies), and the legacy ideologues of love — self-belittling and the incessant glorification of the beloved, with constant mention of flora. And underlying all this, the reader unmistakably feels: the inability to truly express the whole feeling.
"that sound of your eyes blinking light/is the sweetest sound i have known."
The poignancy and minuteness of observation is almost spectral — it lingers.
“I worship, you divine/ I sin, you confine.”
One can also sense inspiration — intentional or otherwise — from classical poets. For instance, she writes:
“Down the face if the beautiful moon/The first ray of sunrise/Became my most tragic doom.”
These verses squarely reverberate big time ghalib’s couplet.
پرتوِ خور سے ہے شبنم کو فنا کی تعلیممیں بھی ہوں ایک عنایت کی نظر ہوتے تک
Trans: The Sun's burning intensity is the dewdrop's bane
So till I'm favoured with a glance, I too shall remain
There is also a distinct obsession with anthropomorphic imagery — fingers, fingertips, wrists, palms, thumbprints, shoulders — as well as with flowers like bougainvillaea, chrysanthemums, and abstract concepts like dimensions.
All of the abnormalities of vocab multiplied with hauntingly emotive articulation concoct into a perfect recipe of devastation.
“White Chrysanthemum I was – pure as grace/Now/Bloodstained/Forevermore disdained”
“You god damned unidimensional self/ All else infront of you is dust.”
Each poem feels like the result of a libido at crescendo — ignited after encountering the beloved for the first time — and yet each ends with the tragic realization of the impossibility of consummation.
The screeching ache, the relentless rustle of longing and lamentation, ink the pages with the texture of grief.
At times, one can’t help but resonate — to ache for one’s own beloved, be they real, imagined, or lost in the folds of memory.
“That day on the seventeenth of June/I wish I had said more than just a few/words of misplaced thoughts”
Every page is, in essence, a mirror of the previous — monochromatic in spirit — and yet somehow smeared with a different hue and expression.
It’s like watching the same storm under different skies.
I hope I’ve properly captured the pangs of this poetic gore. Read this if you’re interested in affection — or affliction — in general.
That’s all folks.
~Iqbal (Stray Reflections)
This epigram incarnates what poetry truly is — an amalgamation of everything. It can be nonsensical, analytical, rhapsodic, intuitive, counterintuitive, eerie and perhaps anything in between and beyond.
Against this backdrop, Mahnoor — a poet from Rawalpindi whose work has appeared in several literary journals — presents her debut poetry collection, Eclipse and Apocalypse, perfectly asserts this Iqbalian definition.
The book is brimmed with paradoxes, absurdities, radical romanticism (of the kind where not even the slightest whim of union exists), eccentric diction (rooted in earthly analogies), and the legacy ideologues of love — self-belittling and the incessant glorification of the beloved, with constant mention of flora. And underlying all this, the reader unmistakably feels: the inability to truly express the whole feeling.
"that sound of your eyes blinking light/is the sweetest sound i have known."
The poignancy and minuteness of observation is almost spectral — it lingers.
“I worship, you divine/ I sin, you confine.”
One can also sense inspiration — intentional or otherwise — from classical poets. For instance, she writes:
“Down the face if the beautiful moon/The first ray of sunrise/Became my most tragic doom.”
These verses squarely reverberate big time ghalib’s couplet.
پرتوِ خور سے ہے شبنم کو فنا کی تعلیممیں بھی ہوں ایک عنایت کی نظر ہوتے تک
Trans: The Sun's burning intensity is the dewdrop's bane
So till I'm favoured with a glance, I too shall remain
There is also a distinct obsession with anthropomorphic imagery — fingers, fingertips, wrists, palms, thumbprints, shoulders — as well as with flowers like bougainvillaea, chrysanthemums, and abstract concepts like dimensions.
All of the abnormalities of vocab multiplied with hauntingly emotive articulation concoct into a perfect recipe of devastation.
“White Chrysanthemum I was – pure as grace/Now/Bloodstained/Forevermore disdained”
“You god damned unidimensional self/ All else infront of you is dust.”
Each poem feels like the result of a libido at crescendo — ignited after encountering the beloved for the first time — and yet each ends with the tragic realization of the impossibility of consummation.
The screeching ache, the relentless rustle of longing and lamentation, ink the pages with the texture of grief.
At times, one can’t help but resonate — to ache for one’s own beloved, be they real, imagined, or lost in the folds of memory.
“That day on the seventeenth of June/I wish I had said more than just a few/words of misplaced thoughts”
Every page is, in essence, a mirror of the previous — monochromatic in spirit — and yet somehow smeared with a different hue and expression.
It’s like watching the same storm under different skies.
I hope I’ve properly captured the pangs of this poetic gore. Read this if you’re interested in affection — or affliction — in general.
That’s all folks.
November 2, 2024
The words burn inside her, and i feel the flames spark these pages
November 11, 2025
You don’t realise how much you need poetry until you start reading it.
Favourite poems from this collection:
- A Poe-like Love, a Poe-like Poem
- Luminous Hands
- When April Comes
- A Feeling Without a Name, a Feeling with a Colour
- Devil Wears Under Armour
- Some Poems are Prayers
- Grief Slumbered in Me
Favourite poems from this collection:
- A Poe-like Love, a Poe-like Poem
- Luminous Hands
- When April Comes
- A Feeling Without a Name, a Feeling with a Colour
- Devil Wears Under Armour
- Some Poems are Prayers
- Grief Slumbered in Me
November 11, 2024
This is based on an early review copy provided by the writer.
What really stands out in Eclipse and Apocalypse is the sheer attention to craft in the writing style. The first half of the book feels particularly focused on form and structure, with an emphasis on the beauty of language itself. As the collection progresses, there’s a shift—less emphasis on form and more on imagery and aesthetics, which creates a lovely variation in tone.
The poems revolve largely around love, relationships, and connection. I loved the romanticized, almost divine portrayal of the lover (something the poet acknowledges later in the collection). Some poems felt similar at first read, but certain personal ones really resonated with me. "Meeting God in Sweatpants," the piece about Edna St. Vincent Millay, and "Chai and Chrysanthemum" were especially memorable—intimate, grounded, and beautifully vivid.
Some favorites from the first half include "Aleph," "A Poe-like Poem," "To Dwell on You I Should Not," and "Musings from Mid-June." The formal elegance in these pieces is stunning. Moving into the second half, I was particularly drawn to the imagery in poems like "My Crimson Fools You," "Colossal," and "Emerald Gold Threads of Existence." Even when a piece felt more visually powerful than emotionally, like "Emerald Gold Threads," I appreciated its vividness.
It was also nice to see a returning poem from Mahnoor's first book, I remembered the line “a few roses away from you,” which I had previously loved as well. From the later pieces, "May Manifests My Madness," "How Does Your Divinity Feel Like?," and "Chai and Chrysanthemum" stood out—especially "Chai and Chrysanthemum," which was deeply moving in a bittersweet way.
Having read the poet’s earlier collection, She is Artwork and Glory, I noticed an interesting evolution. The first collection felt more personal and identity-focused, whereas Eclipse and Apocalypse comes across as more abstract, romantic, mature, and aesthetically driven. I enjoyed seeing repeated motifs between the two books, and although the first one resonated with me more personally, this collection feels like a crafted experience, meant to be admired for its beauty and technique. Seeing the poet’s growth in style and perspective was genuinely a pleasure to experience.
What really stands out in Eclipse and Apocalypse is the sheer attention to craft in the writing style. The first half of the book feels particularly focused on form and structure, with an emphasis on the beauty of language itself. As the collection progresses, there’s a shift—less emphasis on form and more on imagery and aesthetics, which creates a lovely variation in tone.
The poems revolve largely around love, relationships, and connection. I loved the romanticized, almost divine portrayal of the lover (something the poet acknowledges later in the collection). Some poems felt similar at first read, but certain personal ones really resonated with me. "Meeting God in Sweatpants," the piece about Edna St. Vincent Millay, and "Chai and Chrysanthemum" were especially memorable—intimate, grounded, and beautifully vivid.
Some favorites from the first half include "Aleph," "A Poe-like Poem," "To Dwell on You I Should Not," and "Musings from Mid-June." The formal elegance in these pieces is stunning. Moving into the second half, I was particularly drawn to the imagery in poems like "My Crimson Fools You," "Colossal," and "Emerald Gold Threads of Existence." Even when a piece felt more visually powerful than emotionally, like "Emerald Gold Threads," I appreciated its vividness.
It was also nice to see a returning poem from Mahnoor's first book, I remembered the line “a few roses away from you,” which I had previously loved as well. From the later pieces, "May Manifests My Madness," "How Does Your Divinity Feel Like?," and "Chai and Chrysanthemum" stood out—especially "Chai and Chrysanthemum," which was deeply moving in a bittersweet way.
Having read the poet’s earlier collection, She is Artwork and Glory, I noticed an interesting evolution. The first collection felt more personal and identity-focused, whereas Eclipse and Apocalypse comes across as more abstract, romantic, mature, and aesthetically driven. I enjoyed seeing repeated motifs between the two books, and although the first one resonated with me more personally, this collection feels like a crafted experience, meant to be admired for its beauty and technique. Seeing the poet’s growth in style and perspective was genuinely a pleasure to experience.
August 12, 2026
Eclipse & Apocalypse is more than a collection of poetry for me it feels like a quiet conversation with the deepest parts of my soul. There is something deeply intimate in the way she writes about longing, existence, love, loss, and the mysteries within us.
Reading Eclipse & Apocalypse felt less like reading someone else’s poems and more like discovering pieces of emotions I had always struggled to put into words. Her poetry lingers long after the page is turned.
I am incredibly proud of my dearest friend Mahnoor for creating something so personal, vulnerable, and beautiful. This book is a reflection of a soul that feels deeply and dares to turn those feelings into art.
A deeply personal and soulful collection that I will carry with me.
Some books are read. Some are felt. Eclipse & Apocalypse is one of the latter.
Reading Eclipse & Apocalypse felt less like reading someone else’s poems and more like discovering pieces of emotions I had always struggled to put into words. Her poetry lingers long after the page is turned.
I am incredibly proud of my dearest friend Mahnoor for creating something so personal, vulnerable, and beautiful. This book is a reflection of a soul that feels deeply and dares to turn those feelings into art.
A deeply personal and soulful collection that I will carry with me.
Some books are read. Some are felt. Eclipse & Apocalypse is one of the latter.
April 5, 2025
Mahnoors book made me rediscover my love for poetry. Eclipse and Apocalypse has 80 short, crisp yet extremely heartfelt poems that resonate with themes both intimate yet universal.
Her work is brave and bold. My favourites are poems touching upon the beauty and torment of love and longing, a recurrent theme. The author pens beautifully both the aching & thrill that the deepest of lovers feel. She uses stark imagery for symbolism, like moons, shadow, blood and her writing captures both sensory & emotional layers, truly keeping it real.
Her work is brave and bold. My favourites are poems touching upon the beauty and torment of love and longing, a recurrent theme. The author pens beautifully both the aching & thrill that the deepest of lovers feel. She uses stark imagery for symbolism, like moons, shadow, blood and her writing captures both sensory & emotional layers, truly keeping it real.
January 30, 2026
I spent two hours annotating this book. Two. Hours. And my very artistic sister said they were good annotations so I hope everyone else appreciates them too should they get their hands on my copy.
Mahnoor wrote a beautiful book about love, longing, and the yearning of souls. It's a love letter to those with depth and poetry in their hearts. I have a love and dislike relationship with poetry and prose, but sometimes books like Eclipse and Apocalypse touch my very center, strum the chords of my heart, and shake my very soul, and I fall in love with them. I read each poem twice, and enjoyed almost every page. PIz do go and support this beautiful book
(Personal note: while reading this book, I felt like these are the kind of poems my FMC would write for my MMC. He loves poetry and she's a writer <3)
Mahnoor wrote a beautiful book about love, longing, and the yearning of souls. It's a love letter to those with depth and poetry in their hearts. I have a love and dislike relationship with poetry and prose, but sometimes books like Eclipse and Apocalypse touch my very center, strum the chords of my heart, and shake my very soul, and I fall in love with them. I read each poem twice, and enjoyed almost every page. PIz do go and support this beautiful book
(Personal note: while reading this book, I felt like these are the kind of poems my FMC would write for my MMC. He loves poetry and she's a writer <3)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews