A pleasing trio of Urdu verse anthologies
By Syed Afsar Sajid
1. ‘Qadr-e-Mushtarak’ by Samiullah Urfi
2. ‘Gudaz Sahil Par’ by Manzoor Saqib
3. ‘Aik Pal’ by Abdul Waheed Bismil
‘Qadre-e-Mushtarak’
Samiullah Urfi is a seasoned bilingual (Urdu/Punjabi) poet from Faisalabad. This book comprises a vast collection (104) of his Urdu ghazal, besides a couple of Na’at and a Hamd.
In their respective flaps, Iqbal Navid, a noted litterateur from Birmingham appreciates Urfi’s accent and style in verse and calls him a true representative of the Lyallpur literary scenario, and Ghazanfar Hashmi, a distinguished writer and poet from Pakistan based in the US, also praises Urfi’s modernistic stance in his poetics. Dr. Waheed Ahmad, a leading poet of Urdu ‘nazm’, originally from Lyallpur, hails Urfi for his poetic excellence, in his flap annexed to the back cover of the book.
In his introduction to the book, Urfi briefly outlines his poetic manifesto contending that he writes verse to satisfy himself whether one likes him (sic) or not. Quest for truth is his end-purpose in poetry with concomitant pursuit of beauty. He expresses his debt of gratitude to his early teachers Salim Betab, Zuber-ul-Hussaini and Mir Yunus, who initiated him into the art of poesy. Veteran poet Nazir Qaiser too pays rich tributes to Urfi and contends that the instant collection of verse seems like a compendium of social, political and cultural essays in verse, conforming to the zeitgeist. Excerpts of some verses from the book would demonstrate Urfi’s artistry besides his grasp of Urdu wordage.
Uski mairi aadat may/ Qadr-e-mushtarak yeh thi/ Aik doosray ko hum/ Napasand kartay thay
Kya bata’uN zururtoN nay mujhay/ Mairay undar say kha liya hai dost
Haq apna gar mangtay haiN hum/ Tau kya hum darbari haiN
Urfiyat paa gaey woh Urfi ki/ Jo zamanay kay khaal-o-khad may rahay
Mray charoN taraf hai khaara paani/ Jazeeray par maeiN piyasa jee raha huN
‘Gudaz Sahil Par’
Manzoor Saqib is a veteran poet and academic. This book is his fifth in a series, after his prize-winning verse anthologies ‘Jugnu Tujhay Talash KaraiN’, ‘Naya Suraj Nikalta Hai’, ‘Awaza-e-Khushbu’, and ‘Aik Tabeer Khwab Chahti Hai’.
In his introduction to the work, he affirms that an artist cannot estrange himself from the contemporaneity in social, political, economic and academic domains. The book in hand portrays this state of affairs within the time frame of 2016-2023. It comprises ‘ghazal’, ‘nazm’, ‘qit’aat’, and ‘fardiyat’. Being an optimist, he dedicates the book to a peaceful and beauteous tomorrow.
Poet Nazir Qaiser appreciates Manzoor Saqib’s intent and style in poetry. In his opinion, the latter is well aware of the distinction between art and slogan-mongering which is tantamount to assuming that existentialistic reality is not alien to aesthetic ‘unreality’ insofar as their artistic merger leads to the creation of ‘truth’ which is synonymous with ‘beauty’. Here are a few select verses from ‘Gudaz Sahil Par’, to illustrate the poet’s art and person:
Ek tawazun pay hai uthaan mri/ Wazn aur qafiye ka aadmi huN
Hum nashini ka yeh lagta hai asar hai Saqib/ Jalnay lagta huN charaghoN ko jalaata hu’a maeiN
Daikhtay aur dikhatay haiN sukhanwar laikin/ Khwab tau khwab haiN tabeer ghazal may aa’ey
Apni sochoN ko sada rakha hai masbat hum nay/ Shab ki gahrai ko bhi qurb-e sahar jana hai
Sard raatoN ki khamoshi may hum/ Tayri yadoN ko suna kartay haiN
‘Aik Pal’
Abdul Waheed Bismil is a bilingual (Urdu/Hindko) poet from Abbottabad. ‘Aik Pal’ is his maiden Urdu verse anthology, mostly comprising ghazal. Writers and litterateurs like Imtiaz-ul-Haq Imtiaz, Ahmad Hussain Mujahid, Asif Saqib, Sultan Sukoon, and Hassan Abbasi have contributed flaps and prefaces to the book, commending the art and person of the author. There is a consensus among them on the innocuousness, fluidity, and spontaneity of Bismil’s poetics.
Bismil’s verse is essentially lyrical. What he experiences, he versifies it in simple, unadorned words. Lyrical poetry usually beats with the heart, tells not of things coldly and quietly considered, but of things seen and felt in a sudden clearness of the senses, and with a flame in the thought. This reminds us of the function of poetry, which is not self-expression, but the proper fusion of meaning in language. Famed poet Asif Saqib is of the view that Bismil’s ghazal is ‘see-able’. Here are a few quotes from Bismil’s verse, aimed to highlight the seemliness and contextuality of his poetry:
Berukhi apnoN ki Bismil! Daikhta huN jab kabhi/ Bolta kluch bhi nahi mehfil say uth jata huN maeiN
Deeda-e-shauq may mri utra usi ka aks-e noor/ Bazm-e khayal may mri uska hi zikr hai dawam
Maein nabalad hi raha har fareb say Bismil/ Keh seedha saada sa ek admi huN ga’oN ka
Mri khamosh fitrat say jo khailay khail haiN tumnay/ Zara sa rukh badal dala tau baazi haar jaogay
