Ability to see the beauty matters a lot in human society as well as in the framework of nature.
By Noor Ahmed Janjhi
Renowned poet John Keats has reflected beautifully on beauty. He says, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing!
The beauty is one of the fundamental concepts of world those cannot be defined. Indefiniteness of such concepts has kept them updated and people try to explain those concept in their own way, knowledge, experience and observance of nature.
Since centuries, people are expressing on the indefinite concepts. Many a definition prevails in the market but none covers the concept entirely. Beauty can be realized but cannot be expressed completely. No language has developed yet to express every occurrence of thought process. So is the case of the concept of beauty. It is like a dream of dumb which can only be thought it over but cannot be shared in true letter and spirit. Miran Bai has said….
گونگے بھیو سپنو سمجھ سمجھ پچھتإۓ
(A dumb has dreamt a dream and he feels repentance as he gets more understanding)
In this way beauty appeals everyone and all are attracted by it one or the other way. It inspires, encourages and inculcates vigor and rejuvenates human life. After getting inspiration people become very strong and do impossible things possible. World history is full of such examples. Realization of beauty sustains in thought process and provides aesthetic sense forever. A Sindhi couplet reads as…
اپٽيان ته انڌيون پوريون پرين پسن
وڃيو روز رسن حبيباڻي حجري
(If I am opening the eyes, they seem as seeing nothing and if I am closing them, then they see the beloved. They are approaching daily to the chamber of beloved)
All the scenic phenomena of nature provide the space which is mentioned as Habibano Hujro in the couplet quoted above. Opening of the eyes cannot see the real beauty as the opened eyed depend on material existence for observation while the closed eyes can observe the immaterial phenomena. It is a contradictory idea to explain ‘seeing’ and ‘not seeing’. Beauty ignites the potential of love, attracts lovers and manifest light around its existence. Renowned writer Franz Kafka has said:
“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
Ability to see the beauty matters a lot in human society as well as in the framework of nature. It assigns meaningfulness to life and all of its functions. The capacity and capability of the observation to beauty are very much interconnected and complicated strength. It allows human eye and mind to observe the beautiful phenomena every time. It is complicated as it cannot be defined. It emerges from internal feelings and gets soothing from an external existence or idea. The meeting of the two ends occurs here. Internal being and external embrace each other. The intermingling creates very ideas of innovative dynamism of life. The realization of beauty spurs the inner potential to create something new or move towards untouched fields.
Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a renowned Sindhi poet, traces beauty in its eternity. He is of the point of view that human beings were beautiful at the time of creation and they have lost their beauty by their choice of doing or adopting something. They have to return back to their origin. They cannot face the light of the origin without the beauty. He says in his sur Marui:
سونهن وڃايم سومرا ، ميرو منهن ٿيوم
وڃڻ تت پيوم ، جت هلڻ ناهي حسن ري
(I have lost my beauty O Soomro! My face has been turned into dirty one. I have to go where there is no heading ahead without beauty)
The couplet reflects the concept of the eternal beauty. The eternal beauty that was bestowed upon human being at the time of creation has been lost away. One cannot go back without the eternal beauty. Human beings have lost their beauty because of choice of doing thing. It is the choice of doing, adopting or leaving things that maintain human beauty. Prominent thinker Lao Tzu has rightly said:
“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”
He attributes the idea of beauty with abstract concept of truth. In his point of view, there is no permanence of beauty. Neither the truth is always beautify nor beautiful words always represent the truth. So beauty is beyond to routine considerations. People have very superfluous concepts about the beauty. They follow the material world as their human senses allow them to follow the code depending on material world, however, the idea about beauty as well as other such concepts beyond the material framework.
Shah Karim, a leading classical Sindhi poet sees beauty in the image of beloved. He expresses it by mentioning the image of a bird sitting on water. The bird sees its own existence in the water. Thus, a lover to the beauty beholds the self-image in it. Shah Karim says:
پاڻيهاريءَ سر ٻهڙو ، جر تي پکي جيئن
اسان سڄڻ تيئن رهيو آهي روح ۾
(The water fetching woman take two pitchers on head and a bird sitting on water (seem as one entity). Our beloved has been remained with our soul in that way)
The eternal beauty lies in everything but everyone cannot see it. The renowned philosopher Confucius has said, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” The universe is full of beauty. There is need of the eye that can see and enjoy the beauty. Beauty is positivity of things and concepts and it crystalizes thinking and shines inner self. In this it does not need a definition like a definition of proven formula or sums. It is infinity and cannot be covered human counting system because it reflects the very potential of creation of creativity and creation.
By and large, the joy of beauty is a joy forever….For all the spaces and time niches…
[author title=”Noor Ahmed Janjhi ” image=”https://sindhcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Noor-Ahmed-Janjhi-Sindh-Courier.jpg”]Noor Ahmed Janjhi is a senior educationist based in Desert District Tharparkar Sindh. He is author of several books in Sindhi and English on folk literature including two poetry books.[/author]
