Since the day I was drawn to literature, an occasional giggle in private has kept oscillating between the free ends of my ribs in an attempt to define the poetry. The classical and romantic meanings were resonating in the depths of my psyche in an attempt to discover a way out, but every midnight, a new definition would erase my previous night’s labor. The procedure is similar to that of a poet’s work, which is the sum of all his creative abilities supported by the herculean task of shaping their thoughts in addition to framing and fusing the rhyme and rhythm. Many attempts have been made to pen down the verses, and one such grand genre is ghazal writing. The ghazal is a passionate poem or ode that originated in Arabic poetry. A ghazal is a lyrical depiction of both the anguish of loss or separation and the beauty of love in the midst of that pain. The ghazal form is old, dating back to 7th-century Arabic poetry. Its root precisely means “spinning.” The figurative connotation of “having passionate chats with women” In Arabic, the term can refer to both the overall subject matter of this type of poetry and a specific love poem composed in any prosodic form. Both standard usages have been known since the early Islamic period, which has caused some confusion about the precise meaning of the phrase as it was employed by literary critics and poets. For a time, Persian had the same ambiguity, but gradually ghazal became specialised as the term for a specific love poem characterised by a specific set of prosodic norms, certain thematic and aesthetic conventions, and an equally traditional supply of imagery. As a formal genre, the Persian ghazal is governed by a combination of rules, all of which are to be strictly observed, though no one is exclusive to this type of poem. The rhyming scheme is based on monorhyme with internal rhyme in the opening line, called matla’e-e morassa, as in a qasida (aabaca, etc.), but ghazals are much shorter poems. Toward the end of the 15th century, the poet Abd-al-Rahmān Jāmī traditionally regarded a lyrical poem of seven distichs as the most perfect form. Because it has captured a wide range of subjects, this genre has gained worldwide acclaim. It evolved into an excellent medium for mystical poetry; in fact, its usage for this purpose has been recognised since the beginning of the Persian ghazal’s recorded history. The links with profane love poetry, however, were never totally severed. The best examples carefully maintain a fine line between the possibilities of metaphysical and mundane references.
Lily Swarn, a poetess from Punjab has emerged as Urdu ghazal writer, something unheard of from a lady lesser known in the Urdu world. Her collection Yeh Na The Hamari Qismat is a wonderful blend of subtle thoughts and sensitive severities. Though Urdu seems her second love, but she has tried her best to carry on her first love i.e. free verse English poetry by rescaling her serious narratives through a much challenging genre especially in Urdu i.e. ghazal. Her subjects are both mundane and divine amazingly matching with requirements of ghazal writing. The majority of her ghazals depict the harsh facts of life through the velvety cushion of reflection. Her diction is one of the most appealing features I noticed. It is neither too symbolic nor too simplistic. She has taken an honest approach to dealing with this difficult genre. Writing in Urdu at a time when a foreign language has swept the entire world is a significant literary achievement made by Lily Ji. This collection is diverse enough to supplement our Urdu ghazal composition.
Chand TareyTawafKarte Hein
TereRukhKeHaseenUjaloun Mein
The moon and the stars are circumambulating around
The grace of your lustrous appearance
Touba Ham Ne Hazar Ki Laikin
Jam AateRaheKhayaloun Mein
Times many I have repented but
The fancies mine kept occupied by brandy balloon
It is a forthright revelation like a fawn that hides none of its naughtiness, rather than wandering across the lawns recounting her thought process in the backyard of her sub consciousness.The melody that runs parallel to her verses is pleasing to the ears, and Lily Ji appears to be well aware that music governs the flow of the verse, so she has used her emotional orchestra more effectively, as a musician would.
Bandishoun Ki DewaraounKo Ham ToudKar
SareDuniya Ki Rasmoun Se Ladte Gaye
Surpassing the hurdles of margins
Kept combating with the rituals of the world
Mout Ki Ham KoParwahNahi The Kabi
Tere Be KhofUlfatPeMarte Gaye
Never had I to the death given mind
As I died for your fearless faith
A bard is as free as the wind because lyrical speech can never be trapped in tombs and borders drawn by human wants but rather soars over the horizons of intellectual barriers and leaves its mark in the great infinite of humanity. Lily allows her singing birds to wander far and wide to their destinations. Even denying physical death is pointless because the pulse that governs life has already yielded to faith. This expression has pushed open the mechanical gates of possession, allowing the writing to be seen on the wall: to be faithful is to give up bodily life.
Waqt Aye QazaKaTouAyaKare
Hosloun Ki TouTadbeerKam Na Huvi
Allow the moment of death to determine
But there will be no lack of resolve
Zalzale Aye ArshHilneLaga
Mere Khaboun Ki TaibeerKam Na Huvi
The tremors may come to let the crown fall
But my dreams shall never fail to be translated
Lily, like a bold fighter, infuses her verses with optimism and tenacity in order to raise a voice for the rights of the oppressed. The voice is rich in wisdom, which serves as a thread to connect the frayed ends of the social fiber. A poet is not required to act like a preacher, but it is a moral obligation to use the creative gifts that have been provided. Lily’s voice is lyrical because her easy phrases evoke an echo in the caverns of hearts.
SharamEinKo Zara NahiAate
KaiseKaiseSawalKarte Hein
Shameless, they stand
For who asks so much
Hijre Waloun Ka Haal Kaisa Hei
Lamhoun Ko Mah-o-Saal Karte Hein
What is the state of those who are being separated from their loved ones?
They turn a moment into months and years
Lily has used her verse as a double-edged sword to expose a sufferer’s predicament; her senses are equally cut by the suffering of the ignorant class, thus her voice has emerged as an open slogan to represent a class of people who either neglect the common ambition or silence the voice of the voiceless. Lily has perched on the fragile limb of love, like a bird, to detect the suffering of all.Taking this literal work into consideration, one can think that Lily will keep herself engaged in composing more such works for Urdu lovers. This collection is a treasure that needs to be explored.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Mushtaq B.Barq is a Columnist, Poet and Fiction Writer. He is the author of “Feeble prisoner, “ Wings of Love” and many translation works are credited to the author like “ Verses Of Wahab
