Adil Najam
February 13, 2011, marks the 100th birth anniversary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
From the very first post on this blog, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and his poetry has been a muse, a mentor, a monument, and a mirror to our thoughts, our wishes, our hopes and sometimes also our fears. In our posts, and also in the comments from our readers, probably no personality has been evoked more often or more fondly than Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
On this, his centenary birthday, what is the best way to remember Faiz Ahmed Faiz? We can remember his persona and personality, his politics and ideology, his life and times, his music and melody, and so much more. But there can be no greater tribute to a poet than through the power of his own poetry. And that we wish to offer as a tribute today.
Help us write this post today. Help us make this the most moving, the most authentic, and the most vital post of all. Tell us what is (are) your favorite verse(s) from Faiz Ahmed Faiz? And why? What moves you about them? What thoughts do they evoke? What sentiments do they invoke?
Let me get the ball rolling here.
Like many of you, I do not have a single favorite Faiz verse. Different verses play the chords of my sentiments at different times and in different situation. Right now one that is playing constantly in my head, is:
Halqa kee-aye baithay raho iss shammaa ko yaaro
Kuch rooshni baaqi tou hai, har chand kay kumm hai
Do share, dear readers, your favorite Faiz verses. At the very least this can become a special ‘Faiz Edition’ of bait baazi. At best it will become a people’s tribute to a people’s poet.
As I push 50, new nuances of Faiz’s poetry are suddenly opening up to me, and they bring tears to my eyes almost everytime Ms Tina Sani or Begum Iqbal Bano’s pognant voices give life to his beautifully poems whether ‘bahaar aayee’ or ‘hum dekhengay’. The romance and revolt are etched side by side in the softest words and exasperating expressions Urdu language has to offer. I am certainly in no position to comment on his work, even to the extent of saying he is still ‘The greatest’ but as a person Faiz’s poetry and its lyricism and the excellent renditions have affected me like nothing else, I am simply ‘blown over’ and this tsunami continues unabated
jis dhaj say koi maqtal mein gaya wo shaan salamat rehti hay
ye jaan to aani jaani hay; iss jaan ki koi baat nahin
Teri umeed, tera intizar jab say hai
na shab ko din say shikayat, na din ko shab say hai
kisi ka dard ho kartay hain teray naam raqam
gila hai jo bhi kissi say, tairay sabab say hai
گرمي شوق نظارہ کا اثر تو ديکھو
گرمي شوق نظارہ کا اثر تو ديکھو
گل کھلے جاتے ہيں تو سايہ در تو ديکھو
ايسے ناداں تو نہ تھے جاں سے گزرنے والے
ناصحو! راہبر و راہگزر تو ديکھو
وہ تو وہ ہيں، تمہيں ہو جائے گي الفت مجھ سے
اک نظر تم ميرا محبوب نظر تو ديکھو
وہ جو اب چاک گريباں بھي نہيں کرتے ہيں
ديکھنے والو، کبھي ان کا جگر تو ديکھو
دامن درد کو گلزار بنا رکھا ہے
آئو، اک دن دل پرخوں کا ہنر تو ديکھو
صبح کي طرح جھمکتا ہے شب غم کا افق
فيض تابندگي ديدہ تر تو ديکھو
وہی ہے دل کے قرائن تمام کہتے ہیں
وہی ہے دل کے قرائن تمام کہتے ہیں
وہ اِک خلش کہ جسے تيرا نام کہتے ہیں
تم آرہے ہو کہ بجتی ہیں میری زنجیریں
نہ جانے کیا مرے دیوار و بام کہتے ہیں
یہی کنارِ فلک کا سیہ تریں گوشہ
یہی ہے مطلع ماہ تمام کہتے ہیں
پیو کہ مفت لگا دی ہے خون دل کی کشید
گراں ہے اب کے مئے لالہ فام کہتے ہیں
فقیہہ شہر سے مے کا جواز کیا پوچھیں
کہ چاندنی کو بھی حضرت حرام کہتے ہیں
نوائے مرغ کو کہتے ہیں اب زیانِ چمن
کھلے نہ پھول ، اسے انتظام کہتے ہیں
کہو تو ہم بھی چلیں فیض، اب نہیں سر دار
وہ فرق مرتبہ خاصہ و عام ، کہتے ہیں