1
Mere Khuda mujhe itna to m‘utabar kar de
Main jis makaan mein rhata hoon us ko ghar kar de
Ye roshni ke ta‘aqub mein bhagata hua din
Jo thak gaya hai to ab us ko mukhtasar kar de
Main zindagi ki dua maangne laga hoon bahut
Jo ho sake to duaon ko be asar kar de
Qabeela waar kamaanein khadakne waali hain
Mere lahoo ki gawaahi mujhe nidar kar de
Main apne khwaab se kat kar jiuun to mere Khuda
Ujaad de meri mitti ko dar ba dar kar de
Meri zameen mera akhiri hawaala hai
So main rahoon na rahoon us ko baarawar kar de
1
My God, a real man of me, just make me so
And let my house be my home, just make it so
This day, chasing the light ever without an end
If it’s tired, make it shorter, just make it so
I’ve been praying for a long life, all the while
If you would, return my prayers, just make it so
Tribe by tribe, the swords shall be drawn to rattle now
Let my blood’s witness make me brave, just make me so
If I ever live without my cherished dream
Blow out my soil, throw it around, just make me so
My land is the last sign, the last mark, of my being
May I live or die, let it glow, just make it so
2
Mansab na kulaah chahata hoon
Tanha hoon gawaah chahata hoon
Ai ajr-e azeem dene wale
Taufeeq-e gunaah chahata hoon
Darta hoon bahut balandiyon se
Pasti se nibaah chahata hoon
Wo din ke tujhe bhi bhool jaaoon
Us din se panaah chahata hoon
2
Neither a title nor a proud cap do I desire
I’m all alone, only a witness do I require
O the giver of all the bliss and all the pride
Only a small will to sin I must acquire
I am dead scared of heights, truly I am
Now with depths and lows I wish to conspire
May the day I forget you never come
If it does, let me put that day on fire
BEYOND NEW POETICS
Since the 1980s, the Urdu ghazal has shown remarkable variations on the multiple versions of modernism that showed up during the 1950s and after. It is no longer self-conscious as the ghazal of the preceding decades was. The contemporary ghazal has grown out of the modernist need of the previous decades to establish itself as a prominent and individual tradition of literary expression. Transcending the limits of the modernist ghazal, the contemporary ghazal has acquired a certain stability and speaks in much more sober and serious tones. It has been flourishing in both India and Pakistan with greater resilience than before. This newest of the new ghazal has shown infinite passion for life and art; it is perennially positive, as it is against the pensive and the ponderous compositions of the past. Instead of engaging with the problem of identifying themselves as modern or postmodern, today’s poets have grown calmer and more composed. They have chosen to engage with the philosophical and mystical aspects of existence and, at the same time, have engaged with history and heritage. Monologic and dialogic in their compositions, the contemporary ghazal addresses the readers as their compatriots and co-readers. These poet-citizens of a larger world have chosen to defy socio-political polarities and speak in a language of common aspirations to compose a literary culture of greater inclusivity and strength. While representing the larger signifiers of a new world order, of new spaces and of new skylines under constant change of colours, contours and schemes, the poets of our times have brought the ghazal to a point of serenity, and from where its future course might be imagined only in terms of possible-impossible turns of future history, and impossible-possible ways of human imagination.
The contemporary ghazal historicizes, politicizes and mythicizes the vital points of contemporary history. It qualifies socio-political cultures on their merits and demerits, interrogates the dichotomies of the modern day-to-day life and living in terms of power-play and broader antinomies in local and global contexts. It chronicles the illusive notions of progress that underline the dynamics of society, economy and polity in the community of competitive nation-states of our times.
56
Sarwat Hussain
Sarwat Hussain (1949–1996), a prominent name among the new wave poets of Pakistan, was born and brought up in Karachi. A college teacher of Urdu by profession, he had the opportunity of drawing upon the great traditions of Urdu poetry and hone a tone of voice and an angle of perception that was essentially his own.
Hussain emerged in the 1970s as a voice to reckon with. Along with his close contemporaries, he contributed towards finding a fresh idiom for the Urdu nazm, where he charged simple prose with a heightened poetical utterance. His ghazal may also be considered alongside his nazm. While engaging with both of these forms, he developed a passionate narrative depicting the sensitive moments of life lived in an age of disillusionment. He is remarkable for his phrasal precision, tonal spark, spontaneity and lucidity. Hussain published the first collection of his poetry titled Aadhe Sayyaare Per during his lifetime. Two other collections, Khaakdaan and Aik Katora Paani, were published posthumously. His collected works have now been published in his Kulliyaat.
1
Safeena rakhta hoon darkaar ek samundar hai
Hawaaein kehti hain us paar ek samundar hai
Main ek lehr hoon apne makaan mein aur phir
Hujoom-e koocha-o baazaar ek samundar hai
Ye mera dil hai mera aaeena hai shehzaadi
Aur aaeene mein giraftaar ek samundar hai
Kahaan wo pairahan-e surkh aur kahaan wo badan
Ke aks-e maah se bedaar ek samundar hai
Yahaan to har dar-o deewaar ek samundar hai
1
I have a vessel with me, I need a sea
The breeze tells me at that end there lies a sea
I’m a wave in my abode and beyond all that
The swarm at the souks and the streets is but only a sea
Princess! This is my heart, this my mirror
And in the mirror, lies imprisoned a sea
That bloodshot garment here, there a glowing body
Alive with the moon’s reflection, there lies a sea
This is the city of infinite joy, Sarwat
Here, each door, each wall, is but a sea
2
Achha sa koee sapna dekho aur mujhe dekho
Jaago to aaeena dekho aur mujhe dekho
Socho ye khaamosh musaafir kyun afsurda hai
Jab bhi tum darwaaza dekho aur mujhe dekho
Sub’ha ke farsh pe goonja us ka aik sukhan
Kirnon ka guldasta dekho aur mujhe dekho
Baazoo hain ya do patwaarein naao pe rakhhi hain
Lehrein leta draya dekho aur mujhe dekho
Do hi cheezein is dunya mein dekhne waali hain
Mitti ki sundarta dekho aur mujhe dekho
2
Have a dream, a good one, and look at me
When awake, look at the mirror, look at me
Think, why this silent voyager is so sad
When you look at the door, look at me
On the dawn’s floor echoed her sole voice
Look at the urn of rays, look at me
These are arms, or two oars on the boat
Look at the surging river, look at me
Only two things in this world are there to see
Look at the soil’s wondrous beauty, look at me
57
Farhat Ehsas
Farhat Ehsas (1950–) was born Farhatullah Khan in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India. He received his early education in Bahraich, and then joined Lucknow University for a short period of time. He got his master’s degrees in English Literature and Islamic Studies fro
m Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, respectively. He worked as a freelance journalist before joining the Urdu daily, Qaumi Awaz, in New Delhi. He has also been associated with the editing of Islam and the Modern Age and Islam Aur Asr-e Jadeed, published by Jamia Millia Islamia. He has written extensively on society, culture, politics and literature for the Urdu Press and the All India Radio, apart from producing scripts for documentaries and TV serials. He works as the chief of editorial department at Rekhta Foundation.
One of the most remarkable poets among his contemporaries, Ehsas writes poetry rich with metaphors in a language that is accessible and a style that is liberated from all constraints of the poetic and the non-poetic. His apprehensions are characteristically mystical and his references essentially philosophical. He views his content with detachment and renders them universal without being heavily allusive and obscure. His collections, Main Rona Chahataa Hoon and Shairi Naheen Hai Yeh, have been received well and have made way for more remarkable work in the future. Qashqa Khaincha Dair Mein Baithha is a comprehensive collection of his works in the Devanagiri script.
1
Ye baagh zinda rahe ye bahaar zinda rahe
Main mar bhi jaaoon to kya mera yaar zinda rahe
Qadeem raaste rooposh hote jaate hain
So tera koocha teri rahguzaar zinda rahe
Hamesha saaz bajaati rahe yun hi teri zulf
Aur us ke saaz ka ek ek taar zinda rahe
Ye khaak zinda inheen aansuon ke dam se hai
Har ek deeda-i aansoo sh’aar zinda rahe
Faraar rooh huee saara naqd-e jaan le kar
Hum apne jism se le kar udhaar zinda rahe
Main tere ghar yoon hi be-qaid aata jaata rahoon
Teri nazar mein mera aitebaar zinda rahe
Hazaar shukria Ehsas ji un aankhon ka
Hum un ke teer ka ho kar shikaar zinda rahe
1
May this garden live long, may this spring live long
It doesn’t matter if I die, may my friend live long
Old paths go into hiding with each passing day
May your lane live long, may your street live long
May your tresses play their music all along
May the music play long, may the strings live long
This earth lives on for the tears shed here
May each tear’s nursing glance, live on, live long
The soul flew away claiming all the cost of life
Drawing on a loan from the body, we did live long
May I keep coming to your place without a check
May your eyes hold me in trust, may your trust live long
Many thanks, Ehsas-ji, to those obliging looks
I sustained all its arrows and I lived long
2
Tujhe khabar ho to bole ai mere sitaara-i shab
Meri samjh mein to aataa naheen ishaara-i shab
Use main aik musalsal chiraagh kar deta
Meri giraft mein hota jo ista’ara-i shab
Main ek chiraagh kahaan tak muzaahimat karta
Mere khilaaf tha kitna bada idaara-i-shab
Bahut se chaand bahut se chiraagh kam nikle
Banaane baithha jo main raat goshwara-i shab
Kisi bhi sub’ha ka marham asar naheen karta
Ke har sehar hai yahaan doosra kinaara-i shab
2
If you know, let me know too, my dear stars of night
I just can’t make out the signs of the stars of night
I would have turned it into a lamp burning in rows
If I could lay my hand on the metaphor of night
I was a lonely lamp; how could I ever resist
There stood in front the colossal designs of night
Many a moon, many a lamp, but they proved less
When I sat to account for an account of night
No dawns can ever bring a soothing touch to me
Every dawn is but only another end of night
58
Ashufta Changezi
Ashufta Changezi (1951–?) was born in Bareilly, where he received his early education. He acquired a BA (Honours) degree from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. He worked in the Post and Telegraph department for his living, before moving to Saudi Arabia to better his professional prospects. He disappeared in 1996 and has not been heard of ever since.
Changezi was a poet of rare sensitivities. His poetry is one of an intimate dialogue with his own self. He reflected upon the mysterious relationship between nature and man, as well as upon the inter-relationship between man and man to develop a narrative of power and powerlessness. His poetry is especially successful in its abundant depiction of natural and nature-related images, showing them in their resplendence, but also always in relation to the human predicament. His collection of ghazals, Shikaston ki Fasl, Gard Baad and Shehr-e Gumaan, stand out for these qualities he represented with distinction.
1
Ye bhi naheen beemaar na the
Itne junoon aasaar na the
Logon ka kya zikr karein
Hum bhi kam ‘ayyaar na the
Ghar mein aur bahut kuchh tha
Sirf dar-o deewaar na the
Sab per hansna shewa tha
Jab tak khud us paar na the
Teri khabar mil jaati thee
Shahr mein jab akhbaar na the
Pehle bhi sab kuchh bikta tha
Khwabaon ke baazaar na the
Maut ki baatein pyari theen
Marne ko tayyaar na the
1
Not that I was never riled
But never so very wild
Not to talk of the people
I was no less profiled
There was enough at home too
Not only walls and doors piled
Making fun, a dear habit
Only till I wasn’t beguiled
I got to get your news when
The city was not so filed
Then also, all could be bought
But no market with dreams piled
We were enamoured, talking of death
But with dying not reconciled
2
Aankhein hain chakaachaund pa jhilmil to likhunga
Main tera saraapa na sahi til to likhunga
Kya shart lagaa dee ke tera zikr na aai
Lekin kaheen dushman kaheen qaatil to likhunga
Ye such hai isee shahr ka baashinda hoon main bhi
Naghma na sahi shor-e salaasil to likhunga
Samjhe jo koee kaar-e junoon us ko samajh le
Naam apna kabhi tere muqaabil to likhunga
Yoon dekho to sahil bhi samundar se laga hai
Saahil jise samjha use saahil to likhunga
Qarz aur bhi kitnon ke hain Ashufta chukaane
Har haal mein phir bhi use shaamil to likhunga
2
The eyes are ablaze but in a haze I must write
That I’m not your image but about your mole I must write
What a condition that you may not be mentioned!
But now an enemy, now an assassin I must write
It is true; I too am one from this very city
If not music, the clank of chains I must write
Whosoever thinks it wild, is free to think
My name, just opposite yours I must write
At a distance, the shore too looks next to the sea
That I thought a shore was a shore I must write
Many a debt I need to pay off Ashufta
On all occasions, he stood by I must write
59
Jamal Ehsani
Jamal Ehsani (1951–1998) was born in Sargodha, Pakistan. He received his early education there and then shifted to Karachi. He was a self-proclaimed bohemian, ever defying a sense of arrival. Impatient with a principled life as it suffocated him, he yearned for freedom under open skies and associated his freedom as being one with the world of elements. His poetry appealed to the younger generation as they could identify themselves with
him because he wrote of their aspirations.
Ehsani’s poetry is richly melancholic. Even though he constructed the conditions of deprivation with metaphoric precision, he looked at life with hope and faith. He indulged in the act of negotiating with life in simple and plain terms now, now in philosophically complex manners. He concretized the ambiguities of existence and the human power of perseverance in a refreshingly new vocabulary that also showed his understanding of the classical poetic language and the possibility of revisioning it. He exploited this potential to project his understanding of life’s manifestations, which in turn, are represented in his collections. These are noticeable in his collections that include Sitaara-i Safar, Raat Ke Jaage Hue and Taare Ko Mehtab Kiya. They were finally put together in the volume titled Kulliyaat-e Jamal.
1
Hamraah tere mansab-o lashkar zuroor hai
Lekin shikast tera muqaddar zuroor hai
Gardish mein aaj mere sitare hain gar to kya
Tera bhi aik waqt muqarrar zuroor hai
Kya hai, ye mujh ko ‘ilm naheen ho saka abhi
Kuchh hai ke jo bisaat se baahar zuroor hai
Rehtaa yun hi naheen hai tah-o baala ye nizaam
Is kaaenaat mein koee chakkar zuroor hai
Ye hukm hai ke koee banaai na kashtiyaan
Is shahr ke kinaare samundar zuroor hai
Qadr-e dil-e mahaajir-e khasta karo ke ye
Be shajra-i nasab naheen beghar zuroor hai
Shaayad samajh gaya wo dar-o bast-e khaana se
Is ghar mein koee doosra bistar zuroor hai
1
You enjoy all the power, all the glory, I’m sure
But defeat, surely defeat is your share, I’m sure
It doesn’t matter if my stars don’t favour me
Your days too are counted, that’s for sure, I’m sure
I could not ever find what the matter was
But something lies beyond my control, I’m sure
The earth is not shattered without reason