The People's Poet

Mr. Gill,

I was recently introduced to Faiz while visiting Pakistan.

Dard, Iqbal, Ghalib are my favorites.
However, I am looking for translated versions of Bulleh-Shah`s works. Any suggestions on where I should look?

I Wrote this quite a while ago........



(Dedicated to the living legend of the Urdu language)


To Poet Ahmed Faraz


To this weaver of Urdu words like fine Persian Carpets
A writer in English and a weak mother tongue pays homage
As the often controversial originator of many ageless poems
Startles us all by passing the age of sixty-five
But when did this happen, a generation asks?

Armed with the ammunition of words he battled
Against tyrants who held the power of guns and jails
But defiant the poet inside strengthened by a conscience
Behind bars, solitary confinement and then exile
Into the homes and hearts of many, yet still
The poet never forgot his country and its people


That Faraz is still with us now, we are lucky
Old tyrants are gone but new critics emerge to accuse
Writers who hold the basic rights of god’s humans
Close to their work, in their self as a sacred trust, this liberty
For which they are wrongly branded as atheists and traitors
But people know the strength and feel of truth

The keepers of the literary traditions of Urdu today welcome
Faraz as one of their greatest living craftsmen of verse
This Shayir-Poet has risen to the defense of many causes
Some popular, others not, and some now necessary
Like the recent deadly embrace of atomics in South Asia
Faraz and his pen now face the prospect of a Hiroshima
In a land where he continues to offer peace and
sincere friendship
As an alternative to the new nuclear madness
Started by those who claim to be the inheritors of
Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence.


Ras H. Siddiqui 7-24-98


A special thanks to Nora Boustany who was able to
remind this writer about the importance of Faraz in the Washington Post
(July 1, 1998) in an article titled “Roses Are Red, Bombs Leave You
Dead”

Aasif:72

salaam!

I feel honoured to be considered by you somewhat significant.

Before I delve into all the verses please tell me the following:

1) from where did you take the title? Could you please write the Urdu/farsi--if any.
2) The `transliteration` I do not understand, if you mean writing it in roman script, it is not a transliteration--it is just in another script.
3) Poets , who value language worry a lot not only about the word but also how that word , although correct, might be misheard or misunderstood.

example:
Door o nazdeek kay sun-nay waalay woh kaan
Kaan e la`l e karaamat pe laakhon salam

In the first line kaan is referring to ears; in the second it is mineral-mine. Now whenever we use farsi words in urdu diction we never say kaan-e; it could be heard as kaanay meaning one-eyed. Poets in mushairaas can be really roasted for it. Such composition lacks ``iblaagh`` (thorough & exact communication).

This becomes even more onerous where a hamd, naat or even an ordinary Quaseeda is concerned. The taqquaddus, sanctity, is seemingly injured because of thoughtlessness. Hence Naat & Salaam are a genre which ordinary but knowledgeable poets avoid.

Your Ahmad Raza Khan Sahib could not have done this. With his stature in scholarship it just cannot be so. Please look into it a bit more deeply--I mean the urdu part. It is most likely by someone who translated or transliterated it into urdu. I am aware that there are many many versions.

4) salam is now also an english word ( it is in the dictionary) so I won`t hesitate using it.

Please take this as a sincere desire on my part to state the truth & nothing but the truth.

Please inform, henceforth, on your ``Dew`` board.

I strongly resent calling this boor, ``a people`s poet``!

Probably, debauch men are attracted toward debauchery. What`s new? In civil societies, the norms of decency have different requirements. It`s different when you see a drunk african american youth getting wild and misbehaving. If a public figure and ``a people`s poet`` is acting in the same manner while uttering some poetical jargon then that is unacceptable. The poor comprehension of some ``naqis`al`aql`` on board is quite amusing.

Since Faraz is alive, his mannerisms as a poet, in public gatherings will be questioned. Had he been dead, things would have been different. You cannot change anything in a dead poet. Can you?

nasah, zahraj, inquirer...
faraz is a known debauch and drunkard...i never denied that...what i was trying to convey was that despite hit personal trait and shortcomings, his work is of the highest order...any one who knows a bit of peshawar social scene would attest to his infamous affair with begum k.s... furthermore, he is a drawing room socialist who cries for the plight of downtrodden yet his monthly rental income from his three properties in sector f-7 in islamabad alone is about rs. four lacs a mnoth...however, the point under discussion is his poetry which is top class and not his personal character which in simple language sucks...

Re: # 70
Khamkhwa -- most genius artists and celebrities have groupies of their talents -- they also have their own idiosyncrasies which they are entitled to have along with their superb talents.

they have earned their right to be admired -- and in turn admire -- they need not to be called debauch and drunkard -- piety is in the eyes of the beholder -- and socialists of are not supposed to starve nowadays -- they are now called ``Surmayadar Ishtrakis`` -- look at the chinois commies --

but you are exactly right especially educated people should focus and enjoy the superb talents of the artist -- not become the gossipy editors of National Enquirer tabloids

Some might like it:
chupkay sey kabhhee jubb yaad miri

Chupkay sey kabhhee jubb yaad miri, supnoaN sey tujhhay chaunkaa dey.
toO khoal jharoakaa, chaan sey kehnaa:``uun sey mujhhay milaa dey``

Someday when, stealthily , your memory of me disturbs your dream, then
Open the window, and say to the moon: `` Please arrange a tryst with him``

Re: # 69
Salamz. Could you take a look at my latest translation effort on Chowk (Dew from Truth`s Garden) and give me your views since I value your opinion on Urdu poetry highly?

Jazak Allah! Asif

#66, nasah; #65, khamkhwa; and #64, ZahraJ:

As an outsider in this war of thoughts, may be I can help. nasah and khamkhwa, you guys are not putting enough emphasis on social graces which for a woman are most important. It does not matter what you say, it is how you say it. Manners override the content!

ZaharaJ: A truly great poets does not balance things for social graces, ``sach munh se nikal jaataa hai, guzaarish nahiin kartaa.`` The monitors of social graces disappear in fifty years, great poetry lives for hundreds of years. So the poets work for the long run, of course, noncalculatively.

#63, freethinker: Very good poem. Since there is some surprize at Faraz` s mastery of Urdu, could you give a brief biographical description of his life? From what nasah says about Faraz in #61, I am finding another reason to like Ahmed Faraz.

Interactors:

Allow me to change the direction by the following ghazal of Faraz.

beniyaaz-e-Gam-e-paimaan-e-vafaa ho jaanaa
tum bhii auro.n kii tarah mujh se judaa ho jaanaa

mai.n bhii palako.n pe sajaa luu.Ngaa lahuu kii buu.Nde.n
tum bhii paabastaa-e-zanjiir-e-hiinaa ho jaanaa

Khalq kii sang_zanii merii Khataao.n kaa silaa
tum to maasuum ho tum duur zaraa ho jaanaa

ab mere vaaste tariyaq hai ilhaad kaa zahar
tum kisii aur pujaarii ke Khudaa ho jaanaa

Be well,

Mohammad Gill

``In my opinion Faraz is the greatest ``People`s Poet`` since Faiz ``(Ras)

I agree with you Ras 100% -- drinking or not drinking Ahmed Faraz is one of the most civilized shaista, humble, simply dressed, down to earth, easy to talk, courteous without an iota of arrogance -- poet.

for the knowledgeable -- he is the Poet Laureate of contemporary Urdu poetry -- a Baadshah of Urdu verse -- who espouses the CAUSE of Indo-Pak amity -- and fights for progressive secular democratic Pakistan -- whose powerful pen is the living nightmare for the Fazoolu`s Fundamentalists and the Donkey`s Dictators....


``And for others who are interested, how did THIS Pathan conquer
Urdu in Pakistan?`` (Ras)

same way Ras -- the OTHER great Pathan -- with his imposing height -- and humble bearings -- from the same ferocious Pathan Land -- conquered the hearts of both Hindus and Muslims of undivided India -- with his concept of Passive Disobedience and Non-Violence....the Great Baadshah Khan of yester years!

Regadless of his cultural affinity and literary prowess, a poet/public figure must be able to conduct himself in a decent manner in public. Excessive drinking or no drinking is a personal matter. But when the said icon is in public then he better be sober. In case of excessive drinking, he should stay home till he becomes sober. There is no need to make the audience feel repulsive by being a boor.

Re: # 64
zahraj...
obviously you have never read or seen john elia, josh malihabadi, jigar moradabadi, faiz ahmed faiz, ghalib, munir niazi, makhmoor sayeedi, abdul hameed adam and a host of many other urdu poets of great standing who were at their best when drunk...and no one has condemned their poetry till you came along with your personal standard of making a judgement on their work vis a vis their character...for further details, you may read my i-log which gives you some more information about urdu poets who did not drink...i know only three...how about you...

Re: # 65: Sorry to disappoint you, but I have had the opportunity of reading the life history and ins-and outs of at least 25 Urdu poets. Now, this had nothing to do with my love or liking to delve into their lives. Having many in the family with strong poetical leaning was one thing, but having an F.Sc. course that required us to memorize the life histories of over 25 poets was a killer. Interestingly, none of the censored life stories of those poets emphasized on their drinking habits. Reading a life history or a poem or an article is quite different from meeting someone face to face. You cannot gather someone`s mannerisms and alcoholic leaning by their writing. In your world, you may have taken it for granted that good poetry is a result of good liquor. In my world, it has never occured to me that ``good liquor`` is the driving force behind a poet`s influencing poetry.

As I said earlier(a point you may have missed like many other points), drinking or no drinking is a very personal matter. A poet`s poetry and how he or she writes is also a very personal thing. I was commenting on a few experiences that I have heard about from close friends and the repeated trend. And it is very disappointing for me to expect such lousy behavior from a poet of his caliber. Since video-conferencing is in, poets do not have to be at an event in person. Those who like to indulge can do so without being present in a people`s setting. I don`t want to give more ideas. Changinging the subject, one of my favorites is,

-Dilae Mun, Musafirae` Mun
..................(end of the poem)
Surae` Kooae` Na`Shanayaan, Humaen Din Sae Raat Kurna
Kabhi Iss Sae Baat Kurnaa, Kabhi Uss Sae Baat Kurna

Tumhaen Kyaa Kahoon Keh Kyaa Hae
Shabae` Ghum Buri Balaa Hae

Humaen Yeh Bhee Thaa Ghaneemat, Jo Koyee Shumaar Hota
Humaen Kyaa Bura Thaa Murna, Agar Aik Baar Hotaa.

I have attended way too many poetical gatherings in my teen-years. I have even forgotten some famous poets I have had the opportunity of meeting in person. I feel bad that I have forgotten the exact names, but I guess I have not kept in touch with that side of my childhood and teen-age years` interest. I know it is there, but being current is something very different from reminscing. I loved Syed Zameer Jaffery`s humorous and sweet delivery. When I was a little kid, I used to watch all the mushairas where he would facilitate. Interestingly, I ran into him a few times here in NY. He always reminded me of my childhood love and leanings toward poetry. From my UET, Lahore days, I also think he was the facilitator of a very nice mushaira where Hafeez Jalandhri participated. Again, I do not recollect all the details, but there are bits and pieces that have stayed with me. Meeting someone like that in real life can be quite a nice experience. And nice experiences form nice and pleasant memories.

Re: # 65

you have a point there Khamakhwa --

one of the yester years progressive poet who did not drink was Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi -- look what happened to hechaaray Qasmi sahib for not having an affair with Dukht-e Ruz --

as they used say in vernacular ``bigRaa gavaiyaa qawwaal/bigRaa shair mursiya go`` -- now bigRa taraqqi pasand shair Naat go...

...the poor man now a days writes Humds & Naats -- Kamli walay bolalay Madeenay mujhay.....

RE: #58 by ZahraJ

If someone disagrees with you, there is no need to get personal.

I do not know you and you do not know me. Do not try to tell

people you do not know how to conduct their lives.

Please stick to the topic.

And for the record, I am proud to be a Desi!!!

In my opinion Faraz is the greatest ``People`s Poet`` since Faiz

but Faiz was in a class all by himself.


So let us try to stick to that discussion.


And for others who are interested, how did this Pathan conquer

Urdu in Pakistan?


Ras