Poems by Faiz

MUJH SEY PEHLI SI MOHABAT - NOOR JAHAN LIVE-1955

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 05:08:00 +0000

What a beautiful rendition. It is hard to believe that artists were so liberal in admiration of each other.

ज़िन्दान की एक सूबह

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:39:00 +0000

रात बाकी थी अभी जब सर-ए-बालीन आकर

चांद ने मुझ से कहा जाग सेहर आई है

जाग इस शब् जो मय -ऐ-ख्वाब तेरा हिस्सा थी

जाम के लब से तह-ए-जाम उतर आई है

अक्स-ऐ-जाना को विदा करके उठी मेरी नज़र

शब् के ठेहरे हुए पानी की सिया चादर पर

जा-ब-जा रक्स में आने लगे चांदी के भंवर

चांद के हाथ से तारों के कँवल फिर गिरकर

डूबते, तैरते, मुरझाते रहे, खिलते रहे,

रात और सुबह बहुत देर गले मिलते रहे

A tribute to Faiz Ahmed Faiz

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:46:00 +0000

Raat yunh dil mein teri khoee hui yaad aayee

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Tue, 31 May 2011 07:33:00 +0000

Original Urdu

रात यूँ दिल में तेरी खोई हुई याद आयी
जैसे वीराने में चुपके से बहार आ जाये
जैसे सेहराओं मेंन हौले से चले बाद-ए-नसीम
जैसे बीमार को बेवजह करार आ जाए

English Translation (1)

Last night, your lost memories crept into my heart
as spring arrives secretly into a barren garden
as a cool morning breeze blows slowly in a desert
as a sick person feels well, for no reason.

English Translation (2)

Last night your lost memory visited my heart
as spring visits the wilderness quietly,
as the breeze echoes the silence of her footfalls
in the desert,
as peace slowly, softly descends on one's sickness.

(Translated by Azfar Hussain)

Ab wahi harf-e-junoon

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Tue, 31 May 2011 07:25:00 +0000

अब वही हर्फ़-ए-जूनून सब की ज़ुबां ठहरी है

जो भी चल निकली है वो बात कहाँ ठहरी है

1) Like a catch-phrase the word goes around

Gossip mills roll as the rumours abound

2) The word-of-passion rides on wagging tongue

On fervent lashes it gallups into a moonless sun

It is tough ... eh ...!

A few days more, my love!

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:42:00 +0000

Hindi Version

A few days more, my love,
just a few days more
Under the shadows of injustice
we breathe, in duress sore

One tyranny more, we may suffer,
one more helpless cry
Slaves of a fraternal legacy,
helpless we live by

Bodies interned, emotions enchained
Thoughts captive, voice condemned
It’s our courage that we still carry on

Isn't life a shroud that the poor in life gain
That we darn, every second, with our pain?

Tyranny shall live now but not for long
Patience, a fervent plea, it won’t go on

In a wilderness singed with a life-time
We have to live, not just exist …

In alien hands, we tow
Oppression’s heavy plough
We endure, not forever more

This dirt of sorrow encased
In your enchanting beauty
Is a litany of our ephemeral
youth’s vanquished ways…

The wasteful grief of
ember-moonlit night's mystic trail
The listless quiver of the heart,
And bodies wistful wail …

A few days more, my love,
just a few days more ...

बोल की लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:57:00 +0000

बोल कि लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे,
बोल कि ज़बान अब तक तेरी

Say that your lips are unbound
Say these words are yours still

तेरा सुत्वां जिस्म है तेरा,
बोल कि जान अब तक तेरी है

That, firm and strong, this body is yours
Say that your life is still yours

देख के आहनगर कि दुकां में
तुन्द हैं शोले, सुर्ख है

See, in blacksmith's workshop,
how the embers burn red

खुलने लगे कुफलों के दहाने
फैला हर एक जंजीर का दामन

Cuffs are set to unlock
Fetters beginning to get loose

बोल ये थोड़ा वक़्त बहोत FAIZ
जिस्म-ओ-ज़बान की मौत से पहले

Say that this time is enough
Before voice and life are dead

बोल की सच जिंदा है अब तक
बोल जो कुछ कहना है कह ले

Say that the truth lives still
Say what you will

Faiz Ahmed Faiz 'Bol ki lab aazad hain tere'

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:51:00 +0000

Faiz Ahmed Faiz

बोल की लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे ...

SpeakSpeak, your lips are free.

Speak, it is your own tongue.
Speak, it is your own body.
Speak, your life is still yours.
See how in the blacksmith's shop
The flame burns wild, the iron glows red;
The locks open their jaws,
And every chain begins to break.
Speak, this brief hour is long enough
Before the death of body and tongue:
Speak, 'cause the truth is not dead yet,
Speak, speak, whatever you must speak.

Translated by Azfar Hussain http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/faiz.html

Faiz Ahmed Faiz on Last Night

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:48:00 +0000

Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Last Night

Last night your lost memory visited my heart
as spring visits the wilderness quietly,
as the breeze echoes the silence of her footfalls in the desert,
as peace slowly, softly descends on one's sickness.

Translated by Azfar Hussain

Azfar Hussain's translation of Faiz

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:44:00 +0000

Azfar Hussain's translation of Faiz

This is an excerpt from Reading About the World, Volume 2, edited by Paul Brians, Mary Gallwey, Douglas Hughes, Azfar Hussain, Richard Law, Michael Myers, Michael Neville, Roger Schlesinger, Alice Spitzer, and Susan Swan and published by Harcourt Brace Custom Books.

One of the foremost poets in the Indian sub-continent, Faiz Ahmed Faiz was born in Sialkot in Pakistan. He studied philosophy and English literature, but poetry and politics preoccupied him more than anything else. For writing poetry that always antagonizes the ruling Žlite and challenges colonial and feudal values, like such rebellious writers as Ngugi of Kenya and Darwish of Palestine, Faiz had to go to jail repeatedly during both colonial and postcolonial times in Pakistan. Inspired by the Marxist ideology, Faiz's poetry exhibits a strong sense of commitment to lower-class people, yet it always maintains a unique beauty nourished by the long, rich tradition of Urdu literature. His love poems are as appealing as his political poems, and he is considered primarily responsible for shaping poetic diction in contemporary Urdu poetry. Which poems deal with love, and which ones with politics? What evidence is there that Faiz is a courageous poet? What is his attitude towards loneliness and death?

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/faiz.html

Loneliness

Loneliness like a good, old friend
visits my house to pour wine in the evening.
And we sit together, waiting for the moon,
and for your face to sparkle in every shadow.

Kagazi Hai Pairahan - Ismat Chugtai

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 06:16:00 +0000

Last night I met a wonderful woman. Ismat Chugtai. Though she died in 1991, yesterday she came alive in form her autobigraphy, Kagazi Hai Pairahan (Paper thin is the apparel). We held an uninterrupted conversation till the wee hours of morning. Mostly, she spoke and I listened, held captive by her boldn frankness.

I have never read any other biography, so candid and simple, yet so powerful.

I hope to renew my friendship with her.

Hope she doesn't dismiss my affection as a juvenile crush.

Mushaira: The Shrinking Platform Of Urdu Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:29:00 +0000

A brilliant article on 'Near Extinction of Mushairas'

"Urdu poetry by its nature is composed for the stage. It is supposed to be recited and to be listened. The poet recites the first misraa of his couplet and keeps reciting till he develops a certain expectation among the audience about the content of the second misraa. And then he will surpise them all with something totally different from their expectations. The bigger the surprise, the more the applause. Imagine Ghalib reciting this misraa in a mushaira a few times, "nikalnaa Khuld se Adam kaa sunte aaye haiN lekin" and then following it up with "bahut be-aabruu hokar tere kuuche se ham nikle". This is the primary reason why Ghazal with its two line couplets is the common form of poetry recited in Mushaira. Qitaat and Rubaa’ii with four lines sometimes work. But longer Nazms usually don’t work because of obvious reasons".

----Posted by Mohib June 02, 2007, Indianmuslims.in

बोल की लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:15:00 +0000

Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz

बोल कि लब आज़ाद हैं तेरे
बोल ज़बान अब तक तेरी है

तेरा सुत्वां जिस्म है तेरा
बोल कि जान अब तक तेरी है

देख के आहनगर कि दुकाँ में

तुन्द हैं शोले सुर्ख है आहन

खुलने लगे हैं कुफ़लों के दहाने

फैला है एक जंजीर का दामन

बोल के ये दा-वक़्त बहोत है

जिस्म-ओ-जाबाँ की मौत से पहले

बोल कि सच जिंदा है अब तक

बोल जो कुछ कहानी है कह

{सुत्वां - Well Built, Strong ; आहनगर - Blacksmith ; तुन्द - Gleaming/Sharp

आहन - Iron; कुफ़लों के दहाने - Keyhole}

- Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Urdu Language Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:17:00 +0000

http://theory.tifr.res.in/bombay/history/people/language/urdu.html

Fonts and Software

C-DAC, Pune: Unix, DOS, Windows, Mac; a range of wordprocessing and related software.
InPage: Windows 3.1 or later; page layout software, uses Nastaleeq fonts (can mix with Roman). (Also available here).
InProS: The UrduPro editor project is now (5/97) abandoned.
Urdu Computer Nizam: Apple Macintosh or compatible; adds bilingual capability to all WorldScript compatible applications, 8 Nastaleeq and 8 Naqsh fonts. Seems to contain as subset postscript fonts.
Aapka: Operating system unspecified; WYSIWIG Nastaleeq word processor, bundles an Urdu spell-checker.
Universal Word for Windows: Windows 3.1, 3.11 or Windows 95; word processor with more than 100 languages bundled in.
Universe Gamma Multilingual Wordprocessor: Windows 3.1 or later; word processing and font system.
Global Plus: Operating system not mentioned; word processing and desktop publishing, 20 Nastaleeq, Naqsh and decorative fonts.
Urdu98: Windows 95/98/NT; urdu keyboard and Nastaleeq fonts to interface with MS Word, MS Access97, MS Internet Explorer, FrontPwge 98 and other software.
Shareware/Freeware:
Khat-e-Naqsh: Windows, Mac, unix TruType and postscript Naqsh fonts mapped to ascii keyboard, right to left utility; fonts can be embedded inside html files. Also available is a version for Nastaleeq.
Maktoob: web; free English/Arabic web based e-mailing.
PageComposer: Windows 95; complete desktop publishing and word processing system; 18 Nastaleeq fonts with wysiwyg editing; supports OLE 2.0 objects; also has a proprietary version.
ParsNegar: MS Windows 3.1x and Windows 95; editor with fonts bundled in; shareware with 30 days free trial period.
Sadaf: DOS and Windows; word processor; freeware.
Thadani: TrueType fonts. Not checked: any report will be welcome.
Urdu Tex: is is part of the ArabTeX package. Consult the ArabTeX home page for more information. See also another information page on it.
U-TRANS:N is an Urdu transliteration program by Tabish Qureshi. It can be freely dowloaded and allows display of Urdu text inside HTML pages.

Language Tutorials and Teaching Aids

Urdu teaching software:
Ukindia Urdu Reading Lessons: Web pages to teach reading in Urdu.
Language Master: Proprietary Urdu teaching software.
Urdu Quaidah Proprietary Urdu teaching package by Humwatan Software for Windows 3.11 or Windows 95.
Urdu Language dictionaries:
Dinesh Prabhu's dictionary is saved at many locations: [1] [2] [?]
Hindi/Urdu dictionary and thesaurus (by Usman Qazi) grows intermittently.
Urdu dictionary: rather well organised.
English to Urdu lookup: medium sized vocabulary gives results in Naskh (no font download necessary) and also transliterates into the Roman script..

तेरी समुन्दर आंखों में

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:46:00 +0000

Poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz

ये धुप किनारा शाम ढलें,

मिलते हैं दोनो वक़्त जहाँ,

जो रात ना दिन, जो आज ना कल,

पल भर को अमर, पल भर में धुआं

इस धुप किनारे पल दो पल

होठों कि लपक बाहों कि खनक

ये मेल हमारा झूठ ना सच क्यों रार करें,

क्यों दोष धरेंकिस कारण झूठी बात करें

जब तेरी समंदर आंखों में

इस शाम का सूरज डूबेगा

सुख सोयेंगे घर दर वाले

और रही अपनी रह लेगा

Translation from Urdu original by Advait

Sunshine, Sunshine

on the edge of sunshine

dissolve into the evening sky

two halves of day and night

to merge in shadows of twilight

Which is neither night, nor the day

where’s no tomorrow, nor today

a moment immortalized

yet again, in a moment vaporized

Sunshine, Sunshine

on the edge of sunshine

in drops trickles

a shiver of hesitant lips

a jingle of the bangles

sliding down eager arms

Our betrothal, behold

is not a lie nor a stubborn truth

then why we crib or complain or blame

for what, should we reason

the veracity of love

Sunshine, Sunshine

on the edge of sunshine

when, in the ocean of your eyes,

into the evening sky, crimson sun descends

this world would sleep in merry bliss

and the traveler would begin

afresh, a new journey, a new end

Original Poem by Faiz Ahmed faiz

Faiz Ahmed Faiz

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:28:00 +0000

Life of Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Original Article from http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/faiz.htm

Pakistani poet and journalist, who combined in his poetry the themes of love, beauty, and political ideals into a vision of a better world and goodness. Faiz's first language was Punjabi but he gained fame with his poems written in Urdu, a language similar to Arabic. Due to his opposition to the government and military dictators, Faiz spent several years in prison and was forced to go into exile at different times in his career. Next to Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), Faiz is one of the best-known poets of Pakistan.

The suspense that lasts between killers and weapons
as they gamble: who will die and whose turn is next?
That bet has now been place on me.
So bring the order for my execution.
I must see with whose seals the margins are stamped,
recognize the signatures on the scroll.

(from 'So Bring the Order for My Execution', trans. by Agha Shadid Ali)

Faiz Ahmed Faiz was born in Sialkot in the Punjab, then a part of India under British rule. His family were well-to-do landowners. Faiz's father was a prominent lawyer, who was interested in literature, and whose friends included several prominent literary figures, including Sir Muhammad Iqbal (1873-1938), the national poet of Pakistan. Faiz received his education at mission schools in Sialkot in the English language, but he also learned Urdu, Persian, and Arabic. His first poems Faiz wrote already at school. He studied English and Arabic literatures at Government College, Lahore, receiving in 1932 his M.A. in English, and in Arabic from Oriental College, Lahore. Besides formal studies, very important for Faiz's development was participating in the activities of literary circles, which gathered at homes of established writers. After graduating he worked as a teacher from the mid-1930s in Amritsar and Lahore.

In the 1930s Faiz came under the influence of the leftist Progressive Movement. Under the leadership of Sajjad Zaheer (1905-1973), authors were expected to follow the dictates of the Socialist Realism, but by the 1950s the movement had ceased to be an effective literary force. During World War II, Faiz served in the Indian army in Delhi, and in 1944 he was promoted to the rank of Lieut. Colonel. After the Islamic republic of Pakistan was established in 1947 the country experienced an era of chronic political instability, heightened by tensions between Hindus and Muslims. With the division of the subcontinent, Faiz resigned from the army and moved to Pakistan with his family. Alys Faiz, whom he had married in 1941, later published a book of memoirs, Over My Shoulder (1993), about her life as a British expatriate living in Pakistan. Alys died in 2003. India's awakening Faiz called a ''night-bitten'' morning, a ''pockmarked'' daybreak. Faiz became editor of the leftist English-langauge daily, the Pakistan Times. He also worked as managing editor of the Urdu daily Imroz, and was actively involved in organizing trade unions.

In 1951 Faiz and a number of army officers were implicated in the so-called Rawalpindi Conspiracy case and arrested under Safety Act. The goverment authorities alleged that Faiz and others were planning a coup d'etat. He spent four years in prison under a sentence of death and was released in 1955. During this perod Alys Faiz worked for the Pakistan Times to support his family. Faiz became the secretary of the National Coucil of the Arts, and in 1962 he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union. During his years in exile he was editor of the magazine Lotus in Moscow, London and Beirut. In Pakistan his poems, which renewed the traditional romantic imagery of Urdu poetry, gained a huge popularity. Faiz also supported to the use of regional languages of Pakistan in education, the media, and literary expression. After a period of exile in war-torn Lebanon from 1979 to 1982, Faiz returned to his home country. He died in Lahore on November 20, 1984.

Faiz's first collections of poetry, Naqsh-e faryadi (1943), Dast-e saba (1952), and Zindan Namah (1956), were politically motivated, and include some of his most famous poems based on his prison experiences. Faiz describes his life behind the walls, in confinement, finding consolation in the thought that "though tyrants may command that lamps be smashed / in rooms where lovers are destined to meet / they cannot snuff out the moon..." (from 'A Prison Evening') His tone is introspective along the conventions of ghazal, the favorite form of traditional Urdu poetry. But Faiz also expresses feelings of other political prisoners when he writes: "I make a toast to my friends everywhere, / here in my homeland and scross the world: 'Let us drink, my dear ones, to human beauty, / to the loveliness of earth.'" (from 'Solitary Confinement'). Fredric Jameson has argued in his essay 'Third World Literature in the Era of Mulatrinational Capitalism' (Social Text, fall 1986) that "the story of the private individual destiny is always an allegory of the embattled situation of the public third-world culture and society". In one of his prison poems Faiz paralles his own fate with the authoritarian system outside the prison : "If you look at the city from here / there is no one fully in control of his senses. / Every young man bears the brand of a criminal, / every young woman the emblem of a slave." (from 'If You Look at the City from Here')

In spite of his Marxist beliefs, Faiz did not burden his poems with ideological rhetoric. He fused classic traditional forms of poetry with new symbols derived from Western political ideas. However, in an interview Faiz has criticized the view that a poet "should always present some kind of philosophical, political or some other sort of thesis..." Like Muhammad Iqbal, he reinterpreted the most important theme in the Urdu ghazal, the theme of love. The word ghazal comes from Arabic and has been translated as "to talk with women" or "to talk of women." Faiz often addressed his poem to his "beloved", who can be interpreted as his muse, his country, or his concept of beauty or social change. "Your beauty still delights me, but what can I do? / The world knows how to deal out pain, apart from passion, / and manna for the heart, beyond realm of love. / Don't ask from me, Beloved, love like that one long ago." (from 'Don't Ask Me Now, Beloved') The traditional beloved of ghazal cannot offer the poet answer to human suffering and social problems - "Bitter threads began to unravel before me / as I went into alleys and in open markets / saw bodies plastered with ash, bathed in blood. / I saw them sold and bought / again and again. / This too deserves my attention."

For further reading: Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century, vol. 2, ed. by Steven R. Serafin (1999); Over My Shoulder by Alys Faiz (1993); The Tradition and Innovation in the Poetry of Faiz by G. Ch. Narang (1985); Dear Heart: To Faiz in Prison, 1951-1955 by Alys Faiz (1985); 'Tradition and Innovation in Urdu Poetry' by G. Narang, in Poetry and Renaissance: Kumaran Asan Birth Centenary Volume (1974); 'The Pakistani Poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz' by M.A. Malik, in Afro-Asian Writings, 22 (1974); A History of Urdu Literature by M. Sadiq (1964) - For further information: Faiz Ahmed Faiz - Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) - Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Life and Ghazals - Faiz Ahmad Faiz - Faiz Ahmad Faiz (1914-1978): Selected Poems - Faiz Ahmed Faiz - Faiz Ahmad Faiz, interview by Dr. Ebadat Brelvi - Note: The exact date of Faiz's birth is unclear - he used the date 7th January 1910, in some sources it is February 13th, 1911; or the year 1912.

Selected works:
Naqsh-e faryadi, 1943
Dast-e saba, 1952
Zindan namad, 1956
Mizan, 1964
Dast-e tah-e sang, 1965
Harf harf, 1965
Sar-e vadi-ye sina, 1971
Poems by Faiz, 1971 (trans. by V.G. Kiernan)
Rat di rat, 1975
Sham-e shahri-yaran, 1978
Mere dil, mere musafir, 1980
Nuskha-Hai-Wafa, 1984
The True Subject: Selected Poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, 1987 (trans. Naomi Lazard)
The Rebel's Silhouette, 1991 (trans. by Agha Shahid Ali)
The Rebel's Silhouette: Selected Poems, 1995 (rev. ed. trans. by Agha Shahid Ali)
Poems of Faiz Ahmad Faiz: A Poet of the Third World, 1998 (trans. by Mohammed Zakir, and M.N. Menai)
100 poems by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, 1911-1984, 2002 ed. by Sarvat Rahman
Selected poems of Faiz Ahmad Faiz: With original Urdu text, roman and Hindi transliteration and poetical translation into English, 2002
Culture And Identity: Selected English Writings of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, 2006

Interesting link for Faiz

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:17:00 +0000

I found this link on the web while searching for more information on Faiz Sahab.

Information curtesy Library of COngress Delhi Office's 'The South Asian Literary Recordings Project.

The South Asian Literary Recordings Project was originally conceived by the New Delhi office of the Library of Congress as a way to celebrate the Library's Bicentennial overseas. Aimed at recording the voices of prominent authors from the region reading excerpts from their works, the project built on the Library's tradition of complementing its paper collections of world literature with recorded readings by authors.

All the recordings were made in cities where qualified sound technicians and appropriate equipment were available. While this limited somewhat the reach of the project, it ensured quality recordings. Recordings are available in Realmedia and MP3 formats.

The original recordings and accompanying biographic and photographic materials are housed in Washington at the Library's Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Access to them is through the Library's Recorded Sound Reference Center. The decision to digitize the entire collection and make it available on the Library's web site is in step with the Library's policy to share its unique treasures with the American people and the world at large. With this collection, the Library is pleased to open another window onto the literatures of South Asia. This project is a work-in-progress and new readings will be added to the digital collection as more authors are recorded, and as earlier recordings made in the seventies and eighties are digitized.

वादा-ए-फर्दा कि गुफ्तगू Faiz Ahmed Faiz

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:48:00 +0000

Yesterday’s promise for tomorrow

A Translation of Fazi Ahmed faiz

ग़र इंतज़ार कठिन है तो जब तलक ए दिल
किसी के वादा-ए-फर्दा की गुफ्तगू ही सही

I wanted to translate one of Faiz's Poem, when this 'sher' got stuck like a thorn in heart. I tried to meditate on the meaning and extent of this couplet and a few images flashed. I hope it makes some sense.

[Looking at every arduous moment
As if through a magnifying glass
I see a whirl of memories
In minutest details

First sting of love and desire
Shiver and tingle under the skin
That mystifying madness
Rage and silence cohabit
The small cove of heart

Senseless chatter of an endless day
Sleepless dreaming of short-lived night
Weaving the strands of air into
a bizarre confusion of a hazy mosaic

Walking miles just for a glimpse
like a curious leopard-cub
chasing the shadow of its prey
Alert, aloof and quiet as a thief
Hairs stand on goose bumps
The quarry stops and turns
the heart stops in a freeze
Bravado melts under the heat
of a nagging gaze

Like lost travelers in a desert
Tethered to an invisible twain
Chasing the same mirage
Lovers meet and fall headlong
Into an uncertain ocean
Of a faithless fate

Travails of an unaffected love
New-born fresh, wobbles
On unsteady feet of hidden lust
I peer and peep, like a wanton sailor
at the changing seasons on her face

Who can read the lines that
Insinuate pleasure and mistrust
On the flowing curve of beloved’s chin
Or those molten eyes
Tears and fire they shower
In just the same look

Or those strips of red lips
That carve a hole in my heart
With a withheld kiss
And careless words
Of promises made yesterday
(That I save as graying hair)
Of saying, ‘It’s getting late
Let’s meet tomorrow’]

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:23:00 +0000

ग़र इंतज़ार कठिन है तो जब तलक ए दिल
कीसी के वादा-ए-फर्दा कि गुफ्तगू ही सही

If the wait be long and laborious
Until it lasts, Let’s talk of the promise
the beloved made yesterday for ‘tomorrow’

दयार-ए-ग़ैर मैं महरम अगर नहीं कोई
तो 'फैज़' ज़िक्र-ए-वतन अपने रू- ब-रू ही

Away from home,
in a stranger’s house
if acquaintances are rare
‘Faiz’ nurse the memories
Of your motherland
And share them
when you are alone
with yourself in a reverie

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:06:00 +0000

किसी तरह तो जामे बज़्म मैकदे वालो
नहीं जो बादा-ओ-सागर तू हां-ओ-हू ही सही

Lazy evening lingers
for far too long
O brethren, t us push it away
to a place where it belongs
in nooks of aging ruins
and under shady bushes
where illicit love is born

Lack of wine,
let it not dull our minds
for our spirits always soar
not because we sip
the spirit of every kind
but drunk on passion
we rebel against the misery of times

Let us revel in joy
and celebrate betrayed love
an unkind world
Enchanting Saqi
the tavern And this life Devine

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 05:53:00 +0000

नहीं निगाह मैं मंज़िल तो जुस्तजू ही सही
नहीं विसाल मयासर तू आरजू ही सही

Destination beyond sight, desire still strong
What if the bliss of blessed union betrays,
Flame of longing, as passion, in my heart stays

ना तन मैं खून फ़राहम ना अश्क आन्खौं मैं
नमाज़-ए-शौक़ तो वाजिब हाइ बे-वजू ही सही

[Vazuu – ablutions, practice of making oneself pure prior to offering namaaz
Namaaz-e-shouq – fervent / sincere prayers]

On last ounce of blood,
No more tears to cry
Let the prayers redeem
Desperate souls, who try

(Let the piety of repentance cure
Even those who in haste
Forget to wash their bodies,
and their sins, till they are pure)

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 06:26:00 +0000

नहीं निगाह में मंज़िल तो जुस्तजू ही सही
नहीं विसाल मयस्सर तो आरजू ही सही

[ निगाह - Glimpse/Sight जुस्तजू - Desire, Inquiry, Quest, Search विसाल Meeting/Union मयस्सर available/Possible/To get आरजू Aspiration, Desire, Longing, Wish, Yearning]

ना तन में खून फ़राहम ना अश्क आंखों में
नमाज़-ए-शौक तो वाजिब बे-वजू ही सही

[ फ़राहम Accumulated, Amassed अश्क Tears नमाज़-ए-शौक eager/fervent prayer (namaaz)
वाजिब Duty/Necessary/Obligatory/Ordained बे-वजू without purifying oneself before a namaaz]

किसी तरह तो जमे बज़्म मैकदे वालों
नहीं जो बादा-ओ-सागर तो हां-ओ-हु ही सही

[ बज़्म Gathering/Party बादा-ओ-सागर Wine and Glass ]

ग़र इंतज़ार कठिन है तो जब तलक ए दिल
किसी के वादा-ए-फर्दा की गुफ्तगू ही सही

[वादा-ए-फर्दा Tomorrow (Future)]

दयार-ए-ग़ैर में महरम अगर नहीं कोइ
तो 'फैज़' ज़िक्र-ए-वतन रु-ब-रु ही सही

[ दयार-ए-ग़ैर Residence of a stranger/Unknown Place ]

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 06:05:00 +0000

नहीं निगाह में मंज़िल तो जुस्तजू ही सही

नहीं विसाल मयस्सर तो आरजू ही सही

Blinded, in a desert storm, I walk with shadows cold

Across the shifting dunes, wind bellows horrors untold

I run to hear her sing a song of unending woes

A madman’s secret joys, only the mad one knows

No rest, no comfort, no solace, my unquenched heart craves

Let destiny walk me by, I shall bow and pray

Let me be consumed in pursuit, if not in her warm embrace

What is a Ghazal?

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:45:00 +0000

Meaning & Definition

Ghazal is a verse composed in form of independent couplets called ‘Sher’s. Based on tradition a Ghazal usually has five to seven shares, though this it not restrictive condition. ‘Maqta’, ‘Matla’, ‘Beher’, ‘Radif’ and ‘Qafiya’are the defining features of a Ghazal.

In other words, Ghazal may be defined as a collection of Sher's with atleast one 'Matla', one 'Maqta'. All the Sher’s must have the same ‘Beher’ and abide by the principles of 'Qafiyaa' and 'Radif'.

What is a ‘Sher’?

A ‘Sher’ is unique composition in poetry. It is an independent unit in the broader framework of a Ghazal. ‘Sher’ is a complete poem in itself. In a Ghazals, two ‘Shers’ may not be linked thematically. They may express two completely different ideas. Therefore, A single Ghazal often touches upon different themes.

Matla

‘Matla’ is the first Sher in a Ghazal. If quoted alone, without rest of the Shers, Matla can be identified if ‘Radif’ is used in its both lines.

गुलों में रंग भरे, बाद-ए-नौबहार चले

चले भी आओ कि गुलशन का कारोबार चले

Radif

‘Radif’ is a word used to end the second line of every share. For an Urdu verse to be called a Ghazal, use of Radif is a precondition.

गुलों में रंग भरे, बाद-ए-नौबहार चले
चले भी आओ कि गुलशन का कारोबार चले

कफ़्फ़स उदास है यरो, सबा से कुछ तो कहो

कहीँ तो बहर-ए-खुदा आज ज़िक्र-ए-यार चले

'Qafiya'

'Qafiya' is a rhyming word in the second line of every Sher. It is always used before a Radif. Use of Radif and Qafiya is a must for a Ghazal. Even in those Ghazals where rules relating to meter and theme are ignored, use of Radif and Qafiya is essential.

कभी तो सुबह तेरे कुञ्ज-ए-लब से हो आगाज़

कभी तो शब सर-ए-काकुल से मुश्कबार चले

बडा है दर्द का रिश्ता, ये दिल गरीब सही

तुम्हारे नाम पे आएंगे गम-गुसार चले

Beher

Beher is the meter in which a Sher is composed। Both lines in a sher must be composed in the same meter and should be of the same length. Usually, every Sher in the Ghazal has the same Beher.

Maqta

‘Maqta’ is the last Sher of a Ghazal. It is in a way a personal closure for a ‘Shayar’ and bears the nom de plume (tak-khal-lus) of the Shayar. Beginning with Matla a Shayar sets the mood for the Ghazal and prepares the mehfil for the Shers to come. In each Sher he takes on various subjects, mostly impersonal (not a binding condition) and closes the poem with the Maqta, where he makes a personal statement.

मकाम 'फ़ैज़' कोई राह में जन्चा ही नहीं
जो कुउ-ए-यार से निकाले तो सू-ए-दार चले

Ghazal may be defined as a collection of Sher's with atleast one 'Matla', one 'Maqta'. All the Sher’s must have the same ‘Beher’ and abide by the principles of 'Qafiyaa' and 'Radif'.

A Brief History of Urdu Literature

noreply@blogger.com (Suri) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:20:00 +0000

Urdu writing in its various primitive forms can be traced to Muhammad Urfi (Tadhkirah - 1228 AD), Amir Khusro (1259-1325 AD) and Kwaja Muhammad Husaini (1318-1422 AD). As Urdu started flourishing in the kingdoms of Golconda and Bijapur, the earliest writings in Urdu arein the Dakhni (Deccani) dialect. The Sufi saints were the earliest promoters of the Dakhni Urdu. The Sufi-saint Hazrat Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gesudaraz is considered to be the first prose writer of Dakhni Urdu and some treatises like Merajul Ashiqin and Tilawatul Wajud are attributed to him but his authorship is open to doubt.

The first literary work in Urdu is that of Bidar poet Fakhruddin Nizami’smathnavi ‘Kadam Rao Padam Rao’ written between 1421 and 1434 A.D.Kamal Khan Rustami (Khawar Nama) and Nusrati (Gulshan-e-Ishq, AliNama and Tarikh-e-Iskandari) were two great poets of Bijapur. Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah, the greatest of Golconda Kings who was a distinguished poet, is credited with introducing a secular content to otherwise predominantly religious Urdu poetry. His poetry focused on love, nature and social life of the day. Among the other important writers of Dakhni Urdu were Shah Miranji Shamsul Ushaq (Khush Nama and Khush Naghz), Shah Burhanuddin Janam, Mullah Wajhi (Qutb Mushtari and Sabras), Ghawasi (Saiful Mulook-O-Badi-Ul-Jamal and Tuti Nama), Ibn-e-Nishati (Phul Ban) and Tabai (Bhahram-O-Guldandam). Wajhi’s Sabras is considered to be a masterpiece of great literary and philosophical merit.

Mohammedor Vali Dakhni (Diwan) was one of the most prolific Dakhni poets of the medieval period. He developed the form of the ghazal. When his Diwan (Collection of Ghazals and other poetic genres) reached Delhi, the poets of Delhi who were engaged in composing poetry in Persian language, were much impressed and they also started writing poetry in Urdu, which they named Rekhta.

medieval Urdu poetry grew under the shadow of Persian poetry. Unlike the Hindi poetry, which grew out of the Indian soil, Urdu poetry was initially fed with Persian words and imagery. Sirajuddin Ali Khan Arzu and Shaikh Sadullah Gulshan were the earliest promoters of Urdu language in North India. By the beginning of the 18th century a more sophisticated North Indian variation of the Urdu languagebegan to evolve through the writings of Shaikh Zahooruddin Hatim(1699-1781 AD), Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan (1699-1781 AD) Khwaja MirDard (1719- 1785 AD), Mir Taqi Mir (1722-1810 AD), Mir Hasan (1727-1786 AD) and Mohammed Rafi Sauda (1713-1780 AD).

Sauda has been described as the foremost satirist of Urdu literature during the 18thCentury. His Shahr Ashob and Qasida Tazheek-e-Rozgar are considered as masterpieces of Urdu literature. Mir Hassan’s mathnavi Sihr-ul-Bayan and Mir Taqi Mir’s mathnavies provided a distinct Indian touch to the language. Mir’s works, apart from his six Diwans, include Nikat-ush-Shora (Tazkira) and Zikr-se-Mir (Autobiography). Shaik Ghulam Hamdani Mushafi (1750-1824), Insha Allah Khan (Darya-e-Latafat and Rani Ketaki), Khwaja Haider Ali Atish, Daya ShankarNaseem (mathnavi: Gulzare-e-Naseem), Nawab Mirza Shauq (Bahr-e-Ishq,Zahr-e-Ishq and Lazzat-e-Ishq) and Shaik Imam Bakhsh Nasikh were the early poets of Lucknow. Mir Babar Ali Anees (1802-1874) excelled in the art of writing marsiyas.

The last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was a poet with unique style, typified by difficult rhymes, excessive word play and use of idiomatic language. He has authored four voluminous Diwans. Before the national uprising of 1857 the reign of Bahadur Shah Zafar witnessed the luxurious spring of Urdu poetry immediately followed by the chilly winds of autumn. Shaik Ibrahim Zauq was the Shah’s mentorin poetry. Next to Sauda he is considered to be the most outstanding composer of qasidas (panegyrics).

Momin Khan Momin wrote ghazals in a style peculiar to him. He used ghazal exclusively for expressing emotions of love. Any description of Urdu literature cannever be complete without the mention of Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib(1797-1869), who is considered as the greatest of all the Urdu poets.With his passion for originality, Ghalib brought in a renaissance in Urdu poetry. In the post - Ghalib period, Dagh (b. 1831) emerged as a distinct poet, whose poetry was distinguished by its purity ofidiom and simplicity of language and thought.

Urdu literature covers the time from the last quarter of the19th century till the present day and can be divided into two periods: the period of the Aligarh Movement started by Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan and the period influenced by Sir Mohammed Iqbal followed by the Progressive movement and movements of Halqa-e-Arbab-e-Zouq, Modernism and Post modernism. However, Altaf Hussain Hali (1837-1914) is the actual innovator of the modern spirit in Urdu poetry. Hali’s works include Diwan-e-Hali, Madd-o-Jazr-e-Islam or Musaddas-e-Hali(1879), Shakwa-e-Hind (1887), Munajat-e-Beva (1886) and Chup ki Dad(1905). Hali showered the art of writing biographies with a critical approach in his biographies Hayat-e-Sadi and Hayat-e-Jaweed.

Hali was the pioneer of modern criticism. His Muqaddama-e-Sher-o-Shaeri is the foundation stone of Urdu criticism. Shibli Nomani (b.1857) is considered as the father of modern history in Urdu. He has produced several works based on historical research, especially on Islamic history, like Seerat-un-Noman (1892) and Al Faruq (1899). Shibli also produced important works like Swanih Umari Moulana Rum, Ilmul Kalam (1903), Muvazina-e-Anis-o-Dabir (1907) and Sher-ul-Ajam (1899). Mohammed Hussain Azadwas an important writer and poet of this period. He laid thefoundation of modern poem in Urdu. Ab-e-Hayat, Sukhandan-e-Pars, Darbar-e-Akbari and Nazm-e-Azad are some of his outstanding literary works. Other leading poets of modern period include Syyid Akbar Husain Akbar Allahabadi (1846-1921), who had a flair for extempore composition of satiric and comic verses, Khushi Mohammed Nazir (1872-1944), who composed Jogi and Pani Mein, Mohammed Iqbal (1873-1938), Durga Sahai Suroor (d.1910), Mohammed Ali Jauhar (d.1931) and Hasrat Mohani (d.1951).

Iqbal’s poetry underwent several phases of evolution from Romanticism (Nala-e-Yateem and Abr-e-Guhar Bar) to Indian Nationalism (Tasvir-e-Dard, Naya Shivala and Tarana-e-Hindi) andfinally to Pan-Islamism (Shakva, Sham-o-Shair, Jawab-e-Shakva, Khizr-e-Rah and Tulu-e-Islam). Fani Badayuni (1879-1941), Shad Azimabadi (1846-1927), Yagana Changezi (1884-1956), Asghar Gondavi (1884-1936), Jigar Moradabadi (1896-1982), Akhtar Shirani, Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1912-1985), Miraji (1912-1950), N.M.Rashid (1910-1976), Akhtarul-Iman(b.1915), Ali Sardar Jafri (b.1913), Makhdoom Mohiuddin (1908 -1969), Kaifi Azmi (b.1918), Jan Nisar Akhtar (1914-1979), Sahir Ludhianvi(1922-1980), Majrooh Sultanpuri (1919-2000), Asrarul Haq Majaz (1911-1955), Nasir Kazmi, Ibn-e-Insha and Dr Kalim Ajiz have taken the Urdu poetry to new heights.

A generation of poets emerged around the sixth decade of twentieth century. The leading poets of this generation include Khaleelur Rahman Aazmi, Himyat Ali Shair, Balraj Komal, Ameeq Hanafi, Kumar Pashi, Makhmoor Saidi, Mazhar Imam, Dr Mughni Tabassum, Bani, Munir Niyazi, Suleman Areeb, Aziz Qaisi, Saqi Faruqi, Iftekhar Arif, Saleem Ahmed, Qazi Saleem, Shafiq Fatima Shera, Bashar Nawaz, Akbar Hyderabadi, Waheed Akhter, Shaz Tamkanat, Zubair Razvi, Muztar Majaz,Mushaf Iqbal Tausifi, Zohra Nigah, Kishwar Naheed, Zahida Zaidi, Siddiqua Shabnam and others.

short story in Urdu began with Munshi Premchand’s Soz-e-Vatan(1908). Premchand’s short stories cover nearly a dozen volumes including Prem Pachisi, Prem Battisi, Prem Chalisi, Zad-e-Rah,Vardaat, Akhri Tuhfa and Khak-e-Parvana. Mohammed Hussan Askari and Khwaja Ahmed Abbas are counted among the leading lights of the Urdu Short story.

Progressive Movement in Urdu fiction gained momentum under Sajjad Zaheer (1905-1976), Ahmed Ali (1912-1994), Mahmood-uz-Zafar (1908-1994) and Rasheed Jahan (1905-1952). Urdu writers like Rajender Singh Bedi and Krishn Chander (1914-1977) showed commitment to the Marxist philosophy in their writings. Krishn Chander’s Adhe Ghante Ka Khuda is one of the most memorable stories in Urdu literature. His other renowned short stories include Zindagi Ke Mor Par, Kalu Bhangi and Mahalaxmi Ka Pul. Bedi’s Garm Kot and Lajvanti are among the masterpieces of Urdu short story. Bedi’s important works include collections of short stories, Dana-o-Daam Girhen, Kokh Jali and Apne Dukh Mujhe Dedo etc., collection of plays “Saat Khel”and a novel Ek Chadar Maili Si (1972).

Manto, Ismat Chughtai and Mumtaz Mufti form a different brand of Urdu writers who concentrated on the “psychological story” in contrast to the “sociological story”of Bedi and Krishn Chander. Some of Ismat Chughtai’s leading short stories are Chauthi Ka Jora, Do Hath, Lehren and Lihaf. Manto dealt in an artistic way with many unconventional subjects, like sex, which were considered taboo by the Middle-class. His Thanda Gosht, which dealt with the subject of necrophilia, shocked the readers. Another of Manto’s praise-worthy works was Khol Do, which tackled the horrors of partition. Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi (b.1915) is another leading name in Urdu short story. His important short stories include Alhamd-o-Lillah, Savab, Nasib and others. In the post-1936 period, the writers belonging to the Halqa-e-Arbab-e-Zauq produced several good stories in Urdu. Upender Nath Ashk (Dachi), Ghulam Abbas (Anandi). Intezar Hussain, Anwar Sajjad, Balraj Mainra, Surender Parkash and Qurratul-ain Haider (Sitaroun Se Aage, Mere Sanam Khane) are the other leading lights of Urdu short story.

Several leading fiction writers emerged from the city of Hyderabad in the contemporary times, which include Jeelani Bano, Iqbal Mateen, Awaz Sayeed, Kadeer Zaman, Mazhr-uz-Zamanand others. Novel writing in Urdu can be traced to Nazir Ahmed (1836 - 1912) who composed several novels like Mirat-ul-Urus (1869), Banat-un-Nash(1873), Taubat-un-Nasuh (1877), Fasana-e-Mubtala (1885), Ibn-ul-Waqt(1888), Ayama (1891) and others. Pandit Ratan Nath Sarshar (1845 -1903)’s Fasana-e-Azad, Abdul Halim Sharar (1860 - 1920)’s Badr-un-Nisa Ki Musibat and Agha Sadiq ki Shadi, Mirza Muhammed Hadi Ruswa’s Umrao Jan Ada (1899) are some of the great novels and novelettes written during the period. Niaz Fatehpuri (1887 - 1966) and Qazi Abdul Gaffar (1862-1956) were the other eminent early romantic novelists in the language.

However, it was Premchand (1880-1936) who tried to introduce the trend of realism in Urdu novel. Premchand was a prolific writer who produced several books. His important novels include Bazare-e-Husn (1917), Gosha-e-Afiat, Chaugan-e-Hasti, Maidan-e-Amal and Godan. Premchand’s realism was further strengthened by the writers of the Indian Progressive Writers’ Association like Sajjad Zaheer, Krishn Chander and Ismat Chughtai. Krishn Chander’s Jab Khet Jage (1952), Ek Gadhe Ki Sarguzasht (1957) and Shikast are considered among the outstanding novels in Urdu literature. Ismat Chughtai’s novel Terhi Lakir (1947) and Qurratul-ain Haider’s novel Aag Ka Darya are considered as important works in the history of Urdu novel. Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, Aziz Ahmed, Balwant Singh, Khadija Mastur, Intezar Hussain are the other important writers in Urdu in the contemporary times.

Urdu was not confined to only the Muslim writers. Several writers from other religions also wrote in Urdu. Prominent among them are Munshi Premchand, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Pandit Ratan Nath Sarshar (Fasana-e-Azad) and Brij Narain Chakbast (1882 - 1926), who composed Subh-e-Watan and Tilok Chand Mahrum (1887-1966), who composed Andhi and Utra Hua Darya, Krishn Chander, Rajindar Singh Bedi, Kanhaiyalal Kapur,Upendar Nath Ashk, Jagan Nath Azad, Jogender Pal, Balraj Komal and Kumar Pashi. Akbar Allahabadi (1846-1921) was the pioneer among the Urdu humorists and satirists. Majeed Lahori, Mehdi Ali Khan, Patras Bokhari (1898-1958), Mirza Farhatullah Beg, Shafiq-ur-Rahman, Azim Baig Chughtai,Ibn-e-Insha, Mushfiq Khwaja, Mushtaq Ahmed Yousifi, K.L.Kapur, Amjad Hussain, Mujtaba Hussain, Himayatullah and Talib Khundmeri are the other leading names in the field of humour. Prof. Hafiz Mohammed Sheerani (1888-1945) devoted long years to the field of literary criticism. Others in this field include Shaikh Mohammed Ikram (1907-1976), Sayyid Ihtesham Hussain (1912 - 1976), Mohammed Hasan Askari, Ale-Ahmed Suroor, Mumtaz Husain, Masud Husain,Shams-ur-Rahman Faruqi, Gopichand Narang, Mughni Tabassum (b.1930) and others.-e-Asifya is the first Urdu dictionary based on principles ofthe modern lexicography, which was produced by Maulana Sayyid Ahmed Dehlvi (1846-1920) in 1892.