The eternal magic of Urdu shayari

May 13, 2012 - PRLog -- he format of the sher or Urdu couplet can express concentrated wisdom in a manner which is difficult to find in any other art or literary form. The Hindi proverb gaagar mein saagar is most apt to describe the thought expressed in an Urdu couplet. This quality makes Urdu shaiyari so special and fascinating for those who read it or hear it recited. And then follows the reaction...wah, wah, as a spontaneous appreciation of the two lines whether they rhyme or are in blank verse.

There are certain shers or couplets of Urdu that are quoted frequently. Some who quote them know the name of the poet who penned them while some people just recite them as lines they have read somewhere or heard from someone else.

Among such couplets are Mirza Ghalib’s hamko maloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin, dil ke khush rakhne ko Ghalib yeh khayaal achcha hai, Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s Aur bhi dukh hain zamaane mein, mohabbat ke siwaa/raahatein aur bhi hain wasl ki raahat ke siwaa, Bashir Badr’s Ujaale apni yaadon ke, hamare saath rehne do/na jaane kis gali mein zindagi ki shaam ho jaaye. Iqbal’s Sitaaron se aagey jahaan aur bhi hain, abhi ishq ke imtihaan aur bhi hain and Ghalib’s Ishq ne Ghalib nikamma kar diya, warna ham bhi aadmi thhe kaam ke.

In fact, Faiz wrote Aur bhi dukha hain but somehow, the way this couplet is quoted is Aur bhi gham hain zamaane mein mohabbat ke siwaa. A few people have the time to go back and see what the original sher was.

When in Hamlet Shakespeare said “Brevity is the soul of wit,” he did not know that he was writing a perfect description of the essence of the Urdu couplet. The beauty of the metre of an Urdu couplet is another factor that makes the poetry so lyrical. The excitement of waiting for the second line (misra ) of a sher after hearing its first misra can only be understood by a true lover of Urdu verse.

Mehfils that used to be earlier held in peoples’ homes to enjoy hearing Urdu poetry being recited are no longer common. Mushairas are a few and far between too. But this does not mean that those who know the true worth of this rich legacy are moving away from it. They listen to ghazals, recall old verses and these days, these poetry lovers even share good verse on Facebook.

For those in love and those whose hearts have been broken, Urdu poetry always has a sher for every emotion felt during these phases in life. Praising the beloved by quoting Urdu poetry is the ultimate way to ensure that he or she can ever want to be admired. Every Urdu poet worth the name has several ghazals in his repertoire that praise the beloved beautifully. In fact, the very word Ghazal in Arabic means talking to one’s beloved.

The 18the century Urdu poet Mir Taki Mir who gave a new shape to the Urdu language, is often remembered for one of his most delicately written ghazals in which he praises the lips and eyes of his beloved. Says Mir Naazuki uss ke lab ki kya kahiye; pankhudi ik gulab ke si hai ..Mir un neem-baaz ankhon mein, saari masti sharaab ki si hai. (How should I describe the delicate beauty of her lips? They are like a rose petal/And her half-closed eyes have all the intoxication of wine.)

It was from this typically romantic style of Urdu poetry that poets like Faiz and Sahir Ludhianavi moved away to quite an extent and began writing rebellious verse that questioned the inequality and injustice in society.

Says Faiz in his famous nazm which was immortalised by melody queen Noor Jehan, Mujh se pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang (Do not ask me, my beloved, for the love I gave you earlier). The poet has seen too much of reality and refuses to stay in the cocoon of romantic love for his lady love. Faiz also says, Duniya ne teri yaad se begaana kar diya/tujh se bhi dil-fareb thhe, gham rozgar ke.

However, the romance of Urdu verse is eternal and is not necessarily confined to the love between a man and a woman. It encompasses the entire world. As long as there are hearts which beat, Urdu poetry will live in them.

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