Let's start a Poetry Discussion/Commentary Thread...

Discussion in 'Poetry' started by Inwardreflection, Sep 6, 2016.

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  1. Is there anyone who has a high level command of urdu and can review naats written from a Sharri Perspective? This is a genuine request with some books that need reviewing
     
  2. Unbeknown

    Unbeknown Senior Moderator

    from the preface of the book:

    I am far from condemning rhyme altogether; there are departments of poetry where its peculiar tinkling may not be out of place. But I repeat, what the most competent judges have again and again affirmed— that, at the least, rhyme is not essential to melody of verse; and that it is attended with the disadvantage of fettering the mind in its more noble flights, and of making simplicity - sublime simplicity, —almost unattainable. Rhyme occasions the introduction of innumerable ideas and expressions which, but for the imaginary “necessity of rhyming” would never have appeared. Hence, in that portion of English poetry wherein blank verse has been employed, we find the most of simplicity and of strength; while in our rhyming poetry we find the most of redundant imagery and unnatural modes of sentiment and expression. And, therefore, it has long been considered desirable that, in lyrical poetry also, we should have some structure of verse that might be free from the incumbrance of rhyme, and yet not destitute of metrical melody.

    but for our own urdu, persian and arabic poetry, I would agree with the above completely. Perhaps, unlike these languages, rhyming is not so suited to the english language. Perhaps, English is deficient in some sort or not sufficiently deep. In any case, the author agrees that the imitation of foreign languages does not help. That is why while translating naaths or ghazals, maintaining the zest exuded by the original is not easy.

    To detail the different unsuccessful attempts that have been made, from time to time, to supply such a structure of lyric verse, were to me an irksome task, and unprofitable to the reader. It is enough to remark that their failure appears to have been owing to this circumstance,

    that Greek verse was in every instance chosen as a model, without considering that the Greek rules of quantity are utterly inapplicable to the genius of our language.
     
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  3. Unbeknown

    Unbeknown Senior Moderator

  4. Unbeknown

    Unbeknown Senior Moderator

  5. Aqdas

    Aqdas Staff Member

    kaTeeN = once
    kaTate = continuous
     
  6. yes--ala hazrat's masterpiece as far as individual couplets are concerned (arguably). the acme of urdu verse. hazrat yusuf :as: vs. huzoor paak صلى الله عليه وسلم:; husn [visual beauty] vs. naam [merely hearing the name]; kaTna (to be cut involuntarily) vs. Kataana (to deliberately get cut); misr [egypt] vs. arabia; angusht [fingers] vs. sar [heads] and; zanaan [women] vs. mard [men].

    prof tahir ul qadri says that not even al mutannabi, considered the greatest of arab poets, has a couplet with more than 5 juxtapositions!
     
  7. Aqdas

    Aqdas Staff Member

    Husn e yusuf pe kaTeeN misr meiN angusht e zinaaN
    sar kaTaate haiN tere naam pe mardaan e arab

    juxtaposition of 6 things in this couplet. it is one of the couplets about which imam ahmad raza himself writes a marginalia
     
  8. Aqdas

    Aqdas Staff Member

  9. Aqdas

    Aqdas Staff Member

    and on the ignominy of loving someone else and suffering, being
    humiliated... says the imam:

    phir ke gali gali tabah, thokareN sab ki khaye kyuN
    dil ko jo `aql de khudaa, teri gali se jaaye kyuN!

    would he roam the streets, broken, destroyed?
    be driven away and scorned by all?
    if the heart would have some sense employed,
    would he ever leave your street at all?

    [notice the juxtaposition of dil/`aql; heart/intellekt]
     
  10. Yaseen

    Yaseen Active Member

    Mashallah-the poetry of Ala Hadrat 'alyhi rahma is simply amazing. One of the reasons I like listening to Owais Qadri's recitation of Ala Hadrat 'alyhi rahmas poetry is that he often explains the true meaning of his kalaam which is beyond the likes of me. A nice rendition of this kalaam:

    http://www.owaisqadri.com/naats/wah_kya_joodo_karam_hey.rm
     
  11. :s1:

    The idea being that one person writes a couplet or two at most (and gives a translation if applicable) and then other people and him/herself discuss the possible meanings of the verses from all possible angles.

    Let me begin with the opening couplet from Ala Hazrat's Urdu diwan, Hadaiq e Bakhshish:

    Wah! Kya jood o karam hai Shah e Bath.aa tera
    Nahin, sunta hii nahin, maangne waala tera!


    Bravo! How extremely generous and gracious thou art Oh King of Madina
    A"No" is never heard by one who cometh to beg from thee!


    jood = generosity; it was explained by one scholar as being the extreme of
    generosity and magnanimity: one gives to others even when one doesn't have it for oneself. One gives others to eat even if it means he himself will go hungry. The scholar (Allama Sayyid Khizr Shah sahib) gave an example from the life of Hazrat Ali. It is the uppermost level of sakhawat [generosity] --sakhawat is when you eat yourself and also give others to eat; jood [noun: jawaad] is when you don't eat yourself but still feed others!
    Karam is grace from kareem and means merciful, beneficient. King of Madina is The Beloved صلى الله عليه وسلم:. The word play in the second verse is exquisite and full of alliteration in the original: "Never is a 'never' heard" by your mendicant could be another translation. In other words the Prophet never turns anybody away who comes to ask something from him. It is thus both sirah and also a supplication and hope for mercy!



     

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