Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911–1984)

Well It's faiz and his collection of poetry, verses, melancholy, ghazal, and
It has been an honor to be able to interact with the verse that is numinous is form and still manages to descend down to the understanding of the most primal human needs.

From Sufi poetry, romantic poetry, poetry about childhood, partition, early stages of life and journey from youngsters to adulthood, Faiz manages to evoke the Sufi mysticism and cultural impulse and non-ignorant which presents faith as relationship show more between God and the devotee, and society outcry about the issues that he saw around his surroundings and that make him one of the greatest poet of 20th century.

Faiz extends emerge as a cultural icon by his rich use of metaphor, rhyming scheme, similes and sublime that derived from the subcontinental experience. His giving colors to imagination and beautiful experience to readers . The poetry power he presents in “Zindanama” built the ray of hope amidst the collective feeling of entrapment. Moreover, the flawless writing of the verses that adheres to the traditional norms of writing and permeate through the living roots of cultural identity simply absorbs the reader. The repetition of tropes such as the blood-stained cloth, deserted streets, spring wind, Sun, Moon and the crumpled rose to capture the collective stain and his political leanings, love, and desire in one color stroke. show less

Don't get one star less in the rating wrong. These are beautiful poems and the translation is perfectly etched to bring out the essence of original poems... Yet I missed the sound of urdu / hindustani words while reading each poem... This is a must read for poetry lovers...

I requested a copy of this book of poems from the library because VioletBramble recommended it. When it came I read a few, found them interesting but not compelling and put the book aside because I had so many other books to read. When it was due I took it back to the library, but at the last minute, on a whim, I renewed it instead. And it sat for another week. On another whim I grabbed it as I went out the door when we were on our way to our get-away house in Vallejo. I’m currently show more reading a fantasy book that has to do with living under tyrants, fighting back and accepting responsibility for knowing that others may suffer because of what you are doing. There is torture, intrigue and most of all the importance of memory. This afternoon, giving myself a “rest” from my main read I picked up this book of poems. (There is a point to this "background!")

About the author: Faiz was born in 1910 (or 1911 depending on which reference you are reading) in Punjab, he earned degrees in both English and Arabic literature and in WWII served in the Indian Army, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1947 after the partitioning of the Indian subcontinent, Faiz chose to live in Pakistan where, in 1951 he was jailed on a charge of planning a Soviet sponsored coup. He spent four years in prison under a sentence of death, mostly in solitary confinement. After his release he held various positions on newspapers, in the Pakistan government—depending who was in power—, won the Lenin Peace Prize in 1962 when his poetry was translated into Russian and became a world renowned figure especially in Pakistan, India, the Soviet Union, and the Middle East. He died in 1984 in Lahore.

Reading Faiz’s poems would give one no clue to his political views. He is a romantic poet writes of love, but usually as memory, especially in his “prison” poems. The feelings that resonated with me were his passion for life and his deep feelings about the suffering of his country and its people and his despair about not being able to “make things right.” There was also the feeling of finding strength to keep on trying, as well in the delight with so many of the “little things” in life. Many of his poems would put side by side images of love and peace with images of war and terror. Roses and blood were often used together, for example. In some ways my reading of his poetry this afternoon became entwined with the feeling I have been having about the novel I’ve been reading—life often means having to bear great pain and great responsibility to try to a greater good. One of his most poignant poems concerns a death by torture of a prisoner he knew.

I’m not expressing myself very coherently because in many ways I’m still trying to sort out all these feelings myself. It just seem strange—and somehow fitting for a passionate reader—how a fantasy novel written by a Canadian and a group of poems originally written in Urdu have made me think deeply about the world we live in—with is beauty and pain all mixed together. Also the importance of memory--remembering good times helps us endure the bad.

On another note—this poet introduced me to a new form of poetry, which I try, rather inadequately, to describe below.

GHAZAL, a traditional Urdu poetic form, is the most popular poem in India/Pakistan/Bangladesh/Iran. Many of Faiz’s poems use this form, of which he was a master, although the form must necessarily be lost in translation.

In Ghazal:

(1) Minimum 5 Stanzas, which is called share. (The introduction to the book said a minimum of 4 stanzas or couplets.) Mostly Ghazal comprises a 7 Stanza/share, but there is no limit; you can write thousands stanzas/shares as you like.
(2)Every stanza/share comprises 2 lines
(3) In first stanza/share last word in both lines is repeated.
(4) Thereafter, last word of 2nd line of all the subsequent share/stanza is repeated as last word of first stanza.
(5) MOST IMPORTANT is that every Stanza/share has separate subject or meaning

From the introduction here is an example– created by John Hollander-- to illustrate the form:

For couplets ghazal is prime; at the end
Of each one’s a refrain like a chime: “at the end.”

But in subsequent couplets throughout the whole poem,
It’s the second line only will rhyme at the end.

You gathered all manner of flowers all day,
But your hands were most fragrant of thyme, at the end.

Unfortunately, because Faiz’s poems were translated from Urdu, the form was lost in the translation, although you could see it visually on the Urdu page. show less

Faiz's early poems had been conventional, light-hearted treatises on love and beauty, but while in Lahore he began to expand into politics, community, and the thematic interconnectedness he felt was fundamental in both life and poetry.

On March 9, 1951, Faiz was arrested with a group of army officers under the Safety Act, and charged with the failed coup attempt that became known as the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case. He was sentenced to death and spent four years in prison before being released. show more This poetry collections, Dast-e Saba focus on life in prison, which he considered an opportunity to see the world in a new way. While living in Pakistan after his release, this book is written ghazals, two liners, poetry, sonnets and melancholic . He wrote in a tone of nationalist and lover that make it beautiful and interesting. He was recognised for his work and banter with sadat hassan Manto during Manto court case. His progressive writing is so hard and interesting for those he shows the mirror of society. show less