“A Voice of Her Own: Translations of Ishrat Afreen’s Poems.” Trans. Sobia Khan and Talmeez Burney. Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies. 2012 (original) (raw)
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Urdu literature prides itself on the presence of many significant female voices, both in fiction and poetry. I would like to investigate whether women’s writing in Urdu is merely one homogenous category, or are the women in the Urdu literary scene creative writers first and women writers afterwards? The case of Bilqees Zafirul Hasan would be an interesting one to explore, as she blossomed into a full-fledged writer only about the time when she was in her fifties, and had mothered six children. She gave up writing after marriage and devoted herself to the care of her husband and family. What were her possible concerns in turning to poetry? Bilqees Zafirul Hasan (b. 1938) has published two collections of poems in Urdu, Geela Eendhan (“Damp Fuel”), 1996, and Sholon Ke Darmiyan (“Amidst the Flames”) in 2004. A volume of short stories, Weerane Aabad Gharon Ke (“The Wildernesses of Flourishing Homes”), came out in 2008. She also writes plays. Very little of her work is available in translation, although her entire body of work deserves to be translated into English, and into Hindi and other Indian languages. This interview (conducted over several sessions in 2008) aims to present an introduction to the poetry of Bilqees Zafirul Hasan, who has not received the attention she deserves. It includes many excerpts from her beautiful poetry which may not necessarily dwell on a woman’s identity.
Towards a Socialist Pakistan: The Modern Urdu Poetry Translations of Daud Kamal
Socialism and Democracy , 2019
Daud Kamal’s translations of Urdu poetry deserve wider critical recognition. His translations of Munir Niazi convey an oneiric reality that traces the effects of dictatorship and capitalism on Pakistan. Kamal is best known for his translations of Faiz Ahmed Faiz which have become classics in the literature of imprisonment. Besides discussing translated poems by Faiz and Niazi, this article also discusses Kamal’s translation of Ahmed Faraz’s “Incandescent Beauty,” which displays a dynamic mastery of perspective, as well as his translation of Iftikhar Arif’s “Perspective,” which commemorates a seminal and archetypal event in Islamic history.
Some Recent English-Language Poetry from Pakistan (Review Article)
ARIEL: A Review of International English …, 1998
independence has generated in both nations and in other countries throughout the world a plethora of celebratory activities. These vary widely in their scope and focus. Some, like concerts and exhibitions, are evanescent; others are more permanent. Within this latter category falls this distinctive series of books of English-language poetry from Oxford University Press, Karachi, which has been strongly supportive of Pakistani poets writing in English. The appearance of this current set of well-edited, carefully published, and handsomely presented matching volumes from Oxford University Press not only celebrates the golden jubilee of Pakistan's independence from Britain but also highlights the best work of seven of the country's foremost Englishlanguage poets. When Pakistan was established in 1947, only a few poets there were writing in English. The best known of these included Shahid Suhrawardy (1890-1965) and Ahmed Ali (1910-94), both with strong literary connections in the West. In 1965, Oxford University Press's groundbreaking anthology First Voices: Six Poets from Pakistan appeared from Lahore and featured poems by older English-language poets such as Suhrawardy and Ali, but also a number of younger writers. First Voices: Six Poets from Pakistan was followed by Pieces of Eight: Eight Poets from Pakistan (ig7i) and Wordfall: Three Pakistani Poets (1975). Among the young poets included in all three volumes was Taufiq Rafat (b. 1927), whose first collection, Arrival of the Monsoon: Collected Poems (1947-78), appeared in 1985. His blandly named A Selection in this anniversary series of poetry is drawn in
‘You have a right to a pedestal and Heaven’: Perspectives on Islam in the Poetry of Pakistani Women
The patriarchal structures of Pakistani society and its self-proclaimed identity as an Islamic state have necessarily and inevitably exercised a strong influence on Pakistani women poets. This paper examines how these poets negotiate with their religion and how this interface finds expression in their poetry. In order to engage with these issues, it would be pertinent to make a reference to Kishwar Naheed who, in her prose work Aurat Khwab aur Khaaq ke Darmiyan points out how traditional opinions concerning the role and position of women in Pakistani society have been conditioned by the injunctions of the Koran as interpreted and enforced by men:
The Legacy of the Misfit Poet: Repositioning Majid Amjad in the Modern Urdu Canon
My life, Amjad, was spent mourning the spring seasons May roses bloom eternally on my grave! 1 When one thinks of poets who gave a new direction to Urdu poetry in the modern era, the names of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Nun Mim Rashed and Miraji always come to mind. 2 In the ghazal, the slightly younger, extremely talented, Nasir Kazmi (1924 -72) began to make a mark soon after Partition. 3 These poets regardless of their politico-literary affiliations ushered in a trend broadly called "the new poetry." The "new poets" pushed the conventional boundaries of Urdu verse to include a variety of subjects that were personal and unorthodox, such as a more direct engagement with love and loss. The loss could be the loss of freedom, and the love could be a yearning for the past. They refurbished and expanded the range of classical metaphors and popularized styles that were idiosyncratic, even whimsical. These poets mostly favored the nazm as a mode of expression because it allowed more space for experimentation. In this cluster of 1 Majid Amjad, Shab-e raftah, (reprinted with corrections by Khvaja Muhammad Zakariya), Hanif Printers Lahore 2007; p 158.This is the last poem a ghazal in the volume. It was composed on October5, 1956. All translations of poetry except "Urban Expansion" are mine. While all translations of poetry are problematic and are approximations, they also reflect the word choices made by the translator. The fluid, limpid and musical charm of Amjad's verse is lost in English.
NIHCR Journal, 2020
This article analysis the literacy theme of Pashto poetry of Haji Sher Afzal Khan Afzal, popularly known as Afzal Sahib. Sher Afzal who was given the title of "Baba-i-Tanz-o-Mazah" was an educationist by profession. He remained a teacher throughout his career and got retirement as principal from the Education department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In fact, he uses poetry as a conceptual apparatus to better understand the phenomenon of class-difference social-inequality, political emancipation of the poor people, use of religious for gaining worldy benifits etc. All these major themes have been explained and analysed academically in the article. The study also explores the methodological tools through which Sher Afzal has so nicely convey his message of love through Pashto Poetry. An attempt has been made to investigate the reformative aspect of the pashto poetry of Sher Afzal to better understand his place in Pashto Arts and Literature. No doubt, Master Sher Afzal is the master of Pashto poetry who has proned this by writing on several other themes like romanticism. Islam, society culture and Pakhtun nationalism. The present article is an attempt to understand the reformative aspect of understand the reformative aspect of his poetry in more articulate and organized manner.
Challenges in Translating Poetry: A Study of Two English Poems Translated in Urdu by Muhammad Iqbal
Universal Review, 2019
Poetry is a metaphorical writing. It is the soul of literature. The sublimity of poetry lies in its bejeweling itself with rhythm and literary devices. Various civilizations have encoded their cultures, traditions and knowledge in poetry. Composing poetry and decoding it is no less than an art. For a translator of poetry, it is a herculean task when compared to prose translation. This paper critically examines how Sir Muhammad Iqbal, a renowned Urdu poet, successfully translated William Barnes" "A Mother"s Dream" and Mary Matilda Betham"s "A Child"s Hymn" into Urdu while overcoming those challenges.
The Convergence of Aesthetics and Politics in the Poetry of Yasmeen Hameed: A Voice from Pakistan
2015
The paper looks at the mystique of the poetic process and the manner in which the subterranean cultural and primal patterns of the mind of the poet – Yasmeen Hameed, manifest themselves in the lyrics. Contrary to the western paradigm of duality such patterns are studied in the light of the oriental Sufi tradition where I and you pine for each other. The thee is perceived as the core and the me is in a perpetual quest/voyage gyrating towards the core. The convergence of these two poles is the unison that has both aesthetic/intellectual relevance as well as spiritual resonances for the reader and the poet alike. This gravitational pull finds expression in an idiom that is almost metaphysical in the poetry of Yasmeen Hameed. The paper explores how the two poles of the artistic process, the technical craftsmanship and content converge and finds expression in a language that is transparent as well as veiled. It also studies the way in which the visceral, existential poetic experience con...