Poetry is a strong vehicle, taking human thought in an excellent form. It is a transformation of the ideas through fluent word and aesthetic presentations of observances and experiences.
By Noor Ahmed Janjhi
Man has been blessed equally with great gift of time and freedom of thought. Sharing of the ideas and thoughts has been taking place in different forms and formations. All the endeavors of human thought focused on having time and space under the control. The inventions and discoveries can be referred as an example in this regard. Poetry is also a strong vehicle, taking human thought in an excellent form. It is a transformation of the ideas through fluent word and aesthetic presentations of observances and experiences.
History of the poetry is as old as the human himself. Poetry has a long history dating back to the prehistoric period to the compact, concise and direct word of present times. It is the strong form of literature with a wide range of genres and forms. It varies from one society to other. It has been flourishing in the hearts of people and in the corridors of powers alike. However, the real place and power of the poetry lies with people, not with power corridors. The civilizations of Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, Indus, Ganges and other rivers have inspired and enhanced the very vibrating voice of the poets. The religious reformers have also taken poetic expression as means of preach. It all reflects the strength and resonance of poetic expression as it takes a message of love or of the diversity of life. Considering the transmitting impact of the poetry, Rumi has said:
شاعري جزو ست از پيغمبري
جاهلانش ڪفر دانند از خري
By taking the message, it not only transfers the thought but also transforms thought by its strong inculcation of human sensitivity. The poetry has been tagged as the exaggeration because of its extravagant expression. However, it is not exaggeration of the natural potential as it is too vast to think it over. The poetry leads in the leas of dreams and enables human being to envision things of unseen time. Therefore, the poetry is also a human attempt to take the reins of time. It expresses the deep layers of human feelings and sensitivity. It is the language of soul. The spontaneous flowing words constitute poetry as the renowned English poet, William Wordsworth has rightly said, “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.” The poetic thought focuses mainly on love in its diversity, human life in its multidimensional profile and natural beauty in its maximal aesthetic reflection. Poetry has played great role in human mobilization and molding human thought. It has led the struggling people and endeavoring lovers in their trying times. Society has had much more from the poetry. Here are some examples from the poetry of different poets.
Rumi says….
پس بد مطلق نباشد در جهان ….بد به نسبت باشد اين را هم بدان
(پوءِ ڪوئي دنيا ۾ ناهي بلڪل برو..سمجهي ڇڏ ته نسبت ڪري ٿي برو )
در زمانه هيچ زهر و قند نيست …. که يکي را پا دگر را بند نيست
(زماني ۾ نه ڪو کنڊ آهي نه ئي زهر قاتل … جو هڙي جا پير ٻئي لاءِ بند ناهن ڪڏهن )
مر يکي را پا دگر را پائي بند … مر يکي را زهر و ديگر را چو قند
(هڪڙي لاءِ پير ته ٻئي لاءِ پير ڪڙي …. هڪڙي لاءِ زهر قاتل ته ٻئي لاءِ کنڊ مٺي )
زهر مار آن مار را باشد حيات … نسبتش با آدمي با شد ممات
(نانگ جو زهر نانگ لاءِ آهي حيات … ماڻهوءَ جي نسبت ۾ موت ۽ ممات )
خلق آبي را بود دريا چو باغ …خلق خاکي را بُود آن مرگ و داغ
(دريائي مخلوق لاءِ دريا آهي باغ … سُڪيءَ جي خلق لاءِ موت ۽ داغ )
همچنين بر مي شمر اي مرد کار … نسبت اين راز يک تا صد هزار
(ايئن ڳڻ ڳوت ڪر اي تجربيگار …هن راز جي نسبت هڪ کان تائين سئو هزار )
- A. Nicholson has translated the above lines as ……
Hence there is no absolute evil in the world: evil is relative. Know this also.
In Time there is no poison or sugar that is not a foot to one and a fetter to another—
To one a foot, to another a fetter; to one a poison and to another like sugar
Snake-poison is life to the snake; it is death in relation to man.
The sea is as a garden to the water-creatures; to the creatures of earth it is death and a brand.
Reckon up likewise, O man of experience, this relativity from a single individual to a thousand
A well-known classical Sindhi poet Shah Karim has expressed a great idea. It is a depiction of the scenic beauty of nature and loving relation with the beloved.
پاڻياريءَ سر ٻهڙو ، جر تي پکي جيئن
اسان سڄڻ تيئن ، رهيو آهي روح ۾
Shah Latif on enjoining and honoring the loving relations:
ڇنن توءِ م ڇن ، پاءِ اُميري اُن سين
جي اوڳڻ ڪنئي اسونهين ، ته تون ڳڻائي ڳن
پانڌ جهليو تون پن ، هن سونهاري سڱ ۾
(لطيف )
Sufi Sadiq Faqir on the importance of the singularity of time and ever-activation of human brain:
جيڪي اهي اڄ ، سُڀان ناهه صديق چئي
واڄي وانگر وڄ ، مٿي کي مُرلي ڪري
(صوفي صادق )
Khalifo Nabi Bakhsh Qasim on togetherness with beloved in a ‘do or die’ depiction:
صبر شڪر واٽڙي ، آيل آڇ م تون
وچان وِ ٿِ وصال جي ، ماء ! نه گهرجي مون
ڪان تان ڀيڙي ڀُون، جان تان ڀيڙي سڄڻين
(خليفو نبي بخش قاسم )
Ghullam Muhammad Janjhi on love as a driving and guiding force of human being:
سير سولي تن کي ، محبت من جني
پاڻي تن پني ، وهيو واهڙ وچ ۾
(غلام محمد جنجهي )
In this way poetry represents the coverage of the diversity of beauty, love, truth, life and nature. John Keats, in Ode on a Grecian Urn has beautifully said:
Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
In this way the poetry is a beautiful presentation of the beautiful human thoughts expressing all of the aspects of life….worth to be seen or worth to be avoided.
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