Memory: Poetry of Faiz Ahmad Faiz

82 Pages·1987·1.65 MB·English

by  Faiz Ahmad Faiz

FAJZA HMAD FAJZ
Poetryof
Translated by
SAIN SUCHA
MEMORY
Poetorfy
FAIAZH MADF AIZ
Translated BY
SAINS UCHA
Publication
Copyright OriginUarld u& Punjabi FaizA hmadF aiz
Copyright EnglisThr anslation SainS ucha
FirsPtu blished 1987
ISBN 91-86620-22-3
Publishbeyd
VudyaK itabaFno rlag
Box6 099S,- 1910 6S ollentuna
SWEDEN.
AllR ightRse served
Bookp rintebdy P eterP almT ryckerAiB ,M arstaS,w eden.
To
TheF ree-thinkers
Who sacrifitchee igro odn ame,
tor eacht heg oodi nl ife;
And
Shameo na llt heH ypocrites
Who,w hilpeu ttinogn a goodn ame,
debasteh eg oodl ifaes i mposters.
Acknowledgements
Ia m greatftuolt hem emberso fP akistSatnu dyF orum
who,d espitteh ed ivergenocfet heivri ewsr,e gularaltyt entdh e
oncea monthm eetinagn d,t husp,r ovidteh es timulatwihoinc h
isv itatlo k eept hem indf unctioning.
Thankasr ea lsdou et oI nvandrarKnualst urcentrfuomr
allowiunsgt ou set heiprr emiseisnG amlaS tanS,t ockholfmo,r
ourm eetings.
Speciatlh anktso I rfaMna lifko rh ish elpw ithc ertain
wordsa nde xpressiionn" s A llT heW ay 11•
CONTENTS
No Title �age
Preface I
A ShoIrntt rodutcotF iaoin.zb y B.M eerI V
POEMS& ...
1 Introduction 2
(MontgomJeariycl i,r 1c9a5 3)
2 A LoveTro H iBs eloved 4
(MontgomJeariycl i,r 1c9a5 )4
3 LetI tB e 6
(Londo1n9,7 8)
4 A Word 8
(? , J ul1y9 7)7
5 TheM omenTto L amenTti meD'esa th 10
( Tashke1n9t7,9 )
6 WhenS priCnagm e 14
(? , A pr1i9l7 5)
7 Evening 16
(Lahorcei,r c19a5 7-58)
8 Don'Astk M eM yD arling 18
(Amritscairr,1c 9a3 5)
9 Dogs 22
(Lahor1e93,0 )
10 YouT elUlsW haTto D o '24
(L ondo1n9,8) 1
11 SoC lose 28
(LyallJpauir1l 9,5 1)
12 NotA lone 28
(MontgomJeariy1l 9,5 )4
13 Trust 28
( HyderaJbaaid1l 9,5 2)
14 TheM eeting 30
(MontgomJeariy1l 9,5 )4
15 NoT racOefB lood 34
( Karac1h9i6,5 )
No Title �age
16 EnchaiBnyeL do ve 36
(Beiru1t9,8) 1
17 SolitCaornyf inement 38
(LahorFeo rJta i1l9,5 9)
18 AsheAsn dB lossoms 40
(Lahor?e,1 982)
19 LooAkt T heT owFnr omH ere 42
(Karac1h9i6,)5
20 SoS oftly 46
(Mosco1w9,6 4)
21 Predicament 48
(?,1 966)
22 Elegy 48
( ?, 1968)
23 OurR elationship 50
(Lahor1e9,8 2)
24 Infatuation 52
(? 1,9 69)
25 Memory 54
(MontgomJeariyl , 1c9i5r3c) a
26 FeeAln dL isten 56
(? 1,9 555-9)
27 SninAtnsdS inners 56
( ?' 1955-59)
28 TheS pring 58
( ,?c ir1c9a6 )4
29 TheO atAhn dT heP romise 58
(? 1,9 68)
30 TheV oice 60
(LyallJpauir1l 9,5) 1
31 Tonight 60
( ?c ir1c9a7 3)
,
32 AlTlh eW ay 62
( ?,1971)
33 O'T ruGeo d 64
( ?1 9,7 4)
PublisnhoetrIe'n:ss o mcea setsh ey eaarn dt hep lacweh ean
piecwea sc omplerteemda uinnc ertWaeiw ni.lb let hank­
fuflo arn yi nformawthiioctnhh er eademrasyp roviudse
fotrh feu tucroer rections.
I
PREFACE
Thisb ookw as,p rimariplryo,d ucebdy a ngerb;u t,
theni,t i sr aiseodn m y respecatn da ffectifoonr Fa-iz
I was
askedb y WaleedM eert ot ranslaatnea ntholoogfyP aizA hmad
Paizi ntSow edishW.e weret ou sea,l ong witho rtihgei nal
writinbgysP aizt,w or eferenwcoer ksi nE nglisthr ansla,tion
- onet ranslatbeyda nA mericapno etw,h ilteh eo thebry
a Pakista-nif oro urg uidance.
Noto nlyI ,a ndm y co-translaGtaoirlf ,a iletdo
impart fluteono cuyr w ork,b utI a lsob ecamei ncreasingly
restledsiss,t urbaendd t henr athearn grya tt het wor eference
bookso:n eo ft het ranslathoardsw rittehni sp oetruyn der
then ameo fF aizu,s inPga iz'msa teriawlh;i lteh eo thehra d
composed, wIhc aatl als ,t hee xplanatonroyt etso F aiz's poetry.
Ino nec ase poewtarsyt herbeu tP aiz's stylceo nwsacsi,o usly
ors ubconsciouescllyi,p seidnt; h eo thehri st houghtwse re
kepta nde xplainbeudt h isp oetrwya sm issing.
Undert hec ircumstancdeasr,i nags i ti sI,t ook
itu ponm yseltfo r endewrh atI b elievteob e Faiz'pso etry
inP aiz'sst ylea;n d,I h opew,i tha minimumo fc olourifnrgo m
my pen.
How doeso net ranslaatneo thepre rsonw-'--osr ds
andh ism ind?
-
- It hintkh atw erei ta nothepro etI w ouldh avec ontained
myselmfa inltyo t hew ordsb;u ti nt hipsa rticuclaasre t he
situatiiosdn i ffereIng tr.e wu pi nt hea gea ndt hes hadow
ofP aizS,a hiarn d,l atelPya,r azN.o mattehro wm ucho riginal
thinkiInm ga y likteo a ccredit mymsye lmfi,n dm ustb ed eeply
impregnatweidt ht hei mpressicoansst u poni tb yt hesteh ree
poets, who bteolm oyn ign tellecltiufael.
AlthougIhl efPta kistoavne rt wentysyiexa rasg o,
andt henp ickeudp m orselosf m entanlo urishmefnrto ma variety
ofs ourcemsy maind iets,t ililn,c ludes those fewwh itcohn ics
thesper oviders caftoerrm eed w henI wasy oau thT.h erefore,
whenI r eadP aizt odayd,e spitteh ep assagoef t imet,h et houghts
aren oto nlyf amilibaurt t heyc ouladl sob em y own- although
theu ltimatoer igionfm anyo ft hemm ay veryw ellb ea ny
oft het hree pomeetnst ioneadb ove.*
* And,o fc oursem,a nyo thers.
II
Ther ecitatoifop no etriyn t heE astu,n likmeo st
oft heW estercno untripelsa,y as v itarlo lein t hes ociatlr ans­
formatioofnt hep eopleA.s a matteorf f actI m ay endorse
thatl iteratuirnpe r,o saen dp oetryh,a sp layead g reatepra rt
int hep oliticcoanls ciousnoefst sh ep eoplteh.a nt hea ctivities
oft heo rganispeodl itical pianrt thieIe nsd iasnu b-continent.
Theo ppressotrhsr,o ughoaugte sh,a ved onet heir
bestt os ilentchee v oiceosf t hosteh inkewrhso w eren otd edi­
catedt of latterWyh.e nF aizw rote,
" IfI a m depriyeofdp ena ndp aper, twhheant ?
Ih aved ippetdh ef ingeirnsm y hearti'nsk .
Ifa seahla sb eenp uto nm y tongues,o w hat?
Ih avep utm y voicien c haine'vse ryl ink."
he wasn oto nlyp resenting
a poeticco mpositifoonrt hem entaslt imulatibounta, l sdoe scrib­
inga ne xisting situWahteinoenv.eh re i si nt hem oodf ort he
intellectual flhiere txacteiliosnn p rovidiinmgp ulsefso rt he
thoughatl oneb;u th ei sa lsof ulliyn volviendt hee ventosf
ther ealw orldw,i tha ll iotfsp racticparlo blemTsh.o ughb y
hisb irthhe d idn otb elontgo t hes ocialsluyb jugatpeedo ple,
hep articipaatcetdi veilnyt heilri faen dt houghtto q ualiffoyr
beintgh eirre presentatYievte,,.h ipso etriys n otm erelpyr otest.
Whilhee v erifitehsa tp aini sa resulotf t hei nflictoifoi nn jury,
hea lsroe cognisietas s a tormentienxgp erienwchee na ctive
participaitnip olne asuirsed eniedo,re venc onstrainaeldt;h ough,
att imes, thaerrese t rong elemoefnm tass ochistgirca tification
inh isd escriptiwohnesn ,a ndw hereA,n guisrhe ignssu premely.
DidI f insdo methinagm issi nh isp oetry?
As fara st echnicaaslp ectasr ec oncerneIdc ann ot
bet hej udg-e I am jusnto tp roperilnyi tiatiensd u chn iceties.
Poetiicn ebriatoiontn h,e c ontrarayl,o nwgi thi tso ccasional
adverse agitoaftt ihoesn p iriitssa , m uchc herisheldi,f e-long,
afflictiaonnda; s ipo fferefdr oma na cclaimesdp rinogf i ntoxi­
catinwgo rdsb ya nyf ellow libeirsrt eivneer eads a joint-gift
fromB acchuasn dM inervaI.nt hec aseo fF aizw,i thoubte ing
tooc oncerneadb outh ism ethodI,c anc onsumteh ev olumes
flowinogu to fh isp enb yt heb ooksI.n a rrestiinmga gination
througthh em ediumo fp en,d owno nt hep aperh,e i sa master
int hea rto fc reatisnigm ilHei.s s ensitivaintdsy e nsuality provide
devastateixncgu rsiofnosrt hem entaelx ploratoifot nh er ealm
III
ofh umane xperiencBeut.t heries a lacko f onaes pecitn h is
expressi-onr awnesse,v enw hen urgeFnati.z i ss ophisticated,
eruditoeb,s ervanatn,da protestaogra instth eu njusyte;t h,i s
protesitst hec ontrollperdo tesotfa man whoh asl earntto
recognisfea,c ea ndf ightth ee viiln a composemda nnerI.t i s
nota protesitnt hev oicoef t hem ajoritoyft hosweh om he
represenTthse.i prr otesmtu stb em uchm orel ouda ndr aw,e ven
obsceneb,ec austeh eimri seriys s os everteh ati ti sn ott hem ind
whichr easonbsu tt heh earwth ichc urse-s andw hent heh eart
cursetsh ene uphemismasr er athefrr agicloen veyeorfsi tst urbu­
lentp ulsations.
If aitlo d ecidief h el acketdh atr awnesso,rh ec hose
toi gnoriet .H e coulndo tb eu nfamiliwairt ht hei ntensiot-yf -­
sufefr inwgh icht heo rdinahruym anb eingasr es ubjectteodi n
theidra illyi f-e hel iveadm ongt hem.A ndh e wasd efinitely
nota strangteort het onguoef t heP unjab-i-sD amn it!O nei s
nota fulPlu njabiifo nec ann otp uto ne'hse arbte forteh em ind,
atl eassto metimes.
StilIlm ,u stn otl etm y owns teamo ff eelings,
againstth eo ppressofrosg,F aiz'wso rldo fp oetry.
Faizw rotef ora lmosfti ftyye arsH.i sw ritings
refletchte t empero fd ifferepnetr iodFsi.r sIth adt houghtto
makea chronologipcraels entatoifoh ni sp oetryb;u t,t henI,
refraineTdh.ep resenste lectiaonnd t heo rdeorf p oemsi sq uite
personaaln,d I a ppologitsoet heo theard mirerosf F aizi ft hey
wouldh avep refer�ad d iffereanrtr angement.
Oneo fm y greatesro rrowsitsh att hitsr anslation
projecstt arteadf teFra iz'dse athi n1 984a,n dI c oulnde ver
contachti mp ersonaltloya ,s kh iso pinioonra dvicweh enI·f elt
aloofo;r w asa td isagreemewnitt ht hosfer ienwdhso may turn
outt ob et heb etteirn terpretoefrh si sm etaphortsh anI ;i fa,n d
when,c riticjauld gemenitsp asseodn m y efforBtu.t e veni nt he
worstof h appenitnhge ries s tislolm es olacfeo rm e - whato thers
didt oh isp oetrmya dem e angryr,e sultiinntg h ea ppearance of
thibso oka;n di fm y interpretatmiaokness omeone furious, then
Il ookf orwartdo t hew orkw hich thpaetr sosnh alclo mpile.
SainS ucha
StockholJma,n .2 3,1 987.