Of urdu poetry
// April 10th, 2004 // Poetry
Ghalib and faiz ahmed faiz.
The similarities?
Perhaps one of the greatest poets of all time–in any language–it is hard to consider him anything less than a prodigy.
There is a distict flavour to his poetry, something that keeps an intrest in him alive despite the waning interest in south asian poetry generally.
One of the reasons for this popularity is the very unique form of his poems. The consist of short stanzas that despite their brevity are linguistic heavy weights, poignant and deep almost without limit.
The fact that they rhyme, i am sure also has a important sub-conscious effect on people and makes it all the more powerful and pleasing. Indeed a quick search on the internet reveals that ghalib will be quoted in anything from message boards discussing the greatest biryani recipie to official government publications.
I attach below one of my favorites, although to be honest i feel out of my depth in understanding all of the nuances, but even despite these constrictions the words just speak to you so..
dil-e-naadaa.N tujhe huaa kyaa hai
aaKhir is dard kii davaa kyaa hai
ham hai.n mushtaaq aur vo bezaar
yaa ilaahii ye maajaraa kyaa hai
[mushtaaq=interested; bezaar=displeased/sick of]
mai.n bhii muu.Nh me.n zabaan rakhataa huu.N
kaash puuchho ki muddaa kyaa hai
jab ki tujh bin nahii.n koii maujuud
phir ye ha.ngaamaa, ai Khudaa kyaa hai
qataah:
ye parii cheharaa log kaise hai.n
Gamazaa-o-ishvaa-o-adaa kyaa hai
shikan-e-zulf-e-ambarii kyo.n hai
nigah-e-chashm-e-surmaa saa kyaa hai
[shikan=wrinkle, ambarii=fragrance]
sabazaa-o-gul kahaa.N se aaye hai.n
abr kyaa chiiz hai havaa kyaa hai
hamako unase vafaa kii hai ummiid
jo nahii.n jaanate vafaa kyaa hai
haa.N bhalaa kar teraa bhalaa hogaa
aur darvesh kii sadaa kyaa hai
[darvesh=medicant; sadaa=voice]
jaan tum par nisaar karataa huu.N
mai.n nahii.n jaanataa duaa kyaa hai
mai.n ne maanaa ki kuchh nahii.n ‘Ghalib’
muft haath aaye to buraa kyaa hai
[credit : http://www.urdupoetry.com/ghalib12.html ]
As for a translation, i just wont even try -and not just because i consider my Urdu unable to meet the challenge (which it undoubtedly is), but because perhaps the best part of ghalibs poetry is the particular word that he chooses-a beauty that would be lost in any translation.
Reading up ghalib, its incredible to learn that most of ghalib’s work was complete by the time he was nineteen! Kindoff puts a lot of things in perspective for you.
Perhaps its also not unrelated to disuss the works of another, (much more recent) Urdu poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
There is a distinct similarity of styles between the two poets, although to be honest i would be at pains to actually put my finger down on what i believe were the exact similarities. [it reminds me of St. Augustine of Hippo talking about time in one of his works.]
The similarities however, we not, perhaps surprisingly, always considered a great asset by Faiz sahib or some of his contemporaries. The reason being that Faiz sahib was a dedicated revolutionary and communist – a true ‘poet of the people’, but the only problem was that his poetry (which used a tremendous amount of farsi/persian) was just too difficult for the common man to understand and it was lost on them. Which is not to say that he was not a successful poet, even in his own lifetime but just that he wasnt able to reach the masses that he seeked to awaken from their stagnation and perhaps even galvanize some revolutionary zeal. A cause that has been dear to many a urdu poet’s heart.
It was this very communist leaning that landed him in jail, where he wrote his greatest works. In fact, it is widely considered that Faiz sahib would never have been the poet that he turned out to be had the trials and tribulations of incarceration not befallen him.
On this very note, i insert the following poem, entitled ‘aaj bazaar mein’ (in the bazaar today)
Aaj Bazaar Mein Pabajolaan Chalo
Chashm-e-num Jan-e-Shoreeda Kafi Nahin
Tuhmat-e-Ishq Posheeda Kafi Nahin
Aaj Bazaar Mein Pabajolaan Chalo
Dast Afshaan Chalo Must-o-Raqsaan Chalo
Khaak Barsar Chalo Khoon Badamaan Chalo
Rah Takta Hai Sub Shaher-e-Janaan Chalo
Haakim -e- Sheher Bhi Majmaa-e-Aam Bhi
Teer-e-ilzaam Bhi Sang-e-Dushnaam Bhi
Subh-e-nashaad Bhi Rooz-e-Nakaam Bhi
In ka dum saaz apne siwaa kaun hai
Shaher-e-Janaan mein ab ba-sifaa kaun hai
Dast-e-qatil ke shayaan raha kaun hai
rakht-e-dil baandh lo dil figaron chalo
phir hum hi qatil ho ayen yaaron chalo
[original source: https://mailman.rice.edu/pipermail/sasialit/2003-April/015833.html ]
For what it’s worth, i am also including a rather decent translation of the poem.
Wet eyes and a crazed will are not enough;
Nor are accusations of a furtive love;
Stride in the bazaar today, shackles on your feet.
Stride with arms spread open and in wild abandon;
Stride with dust-covered hair and blood-stained shirt;
Stride, all the beloved city watches the road.
The official and the commoner;
Sad mornings and barren days;
Arrows of slander and stones of insult.
Who but we can be their companion?
Who in the beloved town remains free of guilt?
Who remains worthy of the killer’s hand?
Broken-hearted ones, prepare to leave;
Let us stride to meet our death today.
[Source: http://mysite.verizon.net/poorvi/bazaar.html ]
I always find placing the work in its historical context very interesting, and this poem has a particularly interesting history.
As mentioned earlier, Faiz sahib served a number of stints in jail, and this particular poem was written in lahore jail after he had been led to the jail through the crowded streets of lahore in a horse drawn cart with shackles on his feet.
[Horedrawn carts are still the preffered mode of transportation in lahore's old, walled city aka. the undroon shehr, and a took a number of picutres whilst travelling on one myself. They can be found, alongwith the photographs of the wazir khan mosque on the main streetphotos.net website]
All of this led to a change in Faiz sahibs poetry that is readily apparent, a move from his earlier works on love towards a greater social consiousness. He penned these thoughts beautifully in ‘mujh se pehli se muhabbat’, included below:
mujh se pahalii sii mohabbat merii mahabuub na maa.Ng
mai.n ne samajhaa thaa ki tuu hai to daraKhshaa.N hai hayaat
teraa Gam hai to Gam-e-dahar kaa jhaga.Daa kyaa hai
terii suurat se hai aalam me.n bahaaro.n ko sabaat
terii aa.Nkho.n ke sivaa duniyaa me.n rakkhaa kyaa hai (*)
tuu jo mil jaaye to taqadiir niguu.N ho jaaye
yuu.N na thaa mai.n ne faqat chaahaa thaa yuu.N ho jaaye
aur bhii dukh hai.n zamaane me.n mohabbat ke sivaa
raahate.n aur bhii hai.n vasl kii raahat ke sivaa
mujh se pahalii sii mohabbat merii mahabuub na maa.Ng
anaginat sadiyo.n ke taariik bahimaanaa talism
resham-o-atalas-o-kam_Khvaab me.n bunavaaye huye
jaa-ba-jaa bikate huye kuuchaa-o-baazaar me.n jism
Khaak me.n litha.De huye Khuun me.n nahalaaye huye
jism nikale huye amaraaz ke tannuuro.n se
piip bahatii hu_ii galate huye naasuuro.n se
lauT jaatii hai udhar ko bhii nazar kyaa kiije
ab bhii dil_kash hai teraa husn maGar kyaa kiije
aur bhii dukh hai.n zamaane me.n mohabbat ke sivaa
raahate.n aur bhii hai.n vasl kii raahat ke sivaa
mujh se pahalii sii mohabbat merii mahabuub na maa.Ng
[source: http://www.pakistanimusic.com/lyrics/NoorJehan-MujeSePehliSiMohabbat.txt ]
and a translation:
Ask me not, my love . . .
Ask me not, my love, for the love of the former days,
I had thought, with you around, life would be dazzling bright,
With your grief to fill my heart, other griefs would vaporize
Your beauty keeps the spring alive,
The world contains naught but your starry eyes,
To own you is to own the fortunes richest prize.
It wasn’t so, I simply wished it could be so!
Besides the griefs of love, there’re other griefs in life,
Besides the joy of union there’re other delights.
The dark, devilish spells o’er several centuries cast,
Woven in silks and satins, in brocade finely wrought;
Human bodies for sale in every street and shop,
Bodies bathed in blood, splashed with gory spots,
I cannot help but see them all.
Your beauty still attracts the heart; but what to do?
There are other griefs in life,
Besides the joy of union, there are other delights.
Its not particularly good, but you get the idea.
I love this poem not just for its poety but also for describing so well a juncture that i think all of us come to one day. The realisation that what lays is so very substantially different from what it was in the past..
To conclude: a self-congratulatory stanza by ghalib.
Hain auur bhi duniya mein sukhanwar bahut achay.
Keyhtay hain kay Ghalib ka haa andaaz-e-beyaan auur.
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