In English, Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Faiz Ahmed Faiz a Renowned Urdu Poet

By Riz Rahim

This book contains English translation of about 270 poems and quatrains derived from the 8 books of Urdu poetry that Faiz Ahmed Faiz published from 1941 to 1984, over a tumultuous period of 4 decades. For helping him and his poetry put in context, the book includes a ‘Preface’, how other writers viewed his poetry, including his own views on his poetry and how it sought social justice and freedom of speech and action, through his own incarcerations. This is another effort to bring to English readers poetry from a culturally philologically distant language and culture, and ‘A Word on Translation’ elaborates the issues involved. Recent Emergency in Pakistan (November 2007) also showed how relevant his poetry still was when protestors marched around, one of the slogans being, “Bol” (‘Speak Up’), the title of a poem he published in 1941.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 29, 2008
• ISBN: 9781462817733

Riz Rahim

Dr. Riz Rahim, a Professor of Biological Sciences, with a long affiliation with Toxicology-Cancer, has over the years published numerous articles in English and Urdu in newspapers/magazine in the US, India and Pakistan, on a wide range of topics from science, health, environment, history, politics to literary matters. In this book, Riz turns to translation of Urdu poetry by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, a renowned poet of the Indian subcontinent.

Book preview

IN ENGLISH,

FAIZ AHMED FAIZ

A Renowned Urdu Poet

missing image file

(1911-1984)

Riz Rahim

Copyright © 2008 by Riz Rahim.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

51828

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PREFACE

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

A WORD ON TRANSLATION

FAIZ POETRY Translation

A Naqsh-e-Feryadi (NF )*

1 May God Never Bring You Times (Khuda wo waqt na la-yey)

2 Last Letter (Aakhri khath)

3 May Every Truth Become a Dream (Her haqueeqath majaaz ho ja-yey)

4 The Beauty I Imagine (Haseena-e-khiyal say)

5 Afterthought (Baad-uz-Waqth)

6 Hymn of the Night (Sarood-e-shabana)

7 Three Scenes (Theen Munzer)

8 A Melody (Saroud )

9 Yearning (Yaas)

10 No Sad Strings Tonight (Aaj ki raat saaz-e-dard na chhair )

11 No Energy to Plead (Himmath-e-iltheja nahin baqi )

12 On a Traveler (Ek Rah-Guzar per )

13 A Scene (Ek munzer )

14 My Friend (Meray nadeem)

15 Don’t Ask Me, Sweetheart, for the Love We’ve Had Before (Mujh say pahli si mohabuth meri mahboob na maang)*

16 Losing Both Worlds in Your Love (Do-nown jahan theri mohabuth main haar kay)

17 Think (Sooch)

18 No Promises (Wafa-e-wada bhi nahin, wafa-e-digar bhi nahin)

19 To a Rival (Rakh-eeb say)

20 Loneliness (Tun-ha-ee)

21 Tried to Hide the Secret of Love (Raaz-e-ulfath chupa kay daikh-liya)

22 For Some Time, I’ve Been Waiting . . . (Kuch din say inthezaar-e-sawaal digar main hai )

23 A Rival of Spring, Again (Phir hareef-e-bahar ho baiyt-hay)

24 A Few More Days, My Friend (Chund roz aur, meri jaan)

25 Stray Dogs (Kuth-thay)

26 Speak Up (Bol )*

27 The Sun Is Back Once Again (Phir lao-ta ha khursheed-e-jehan thaab safar say . . .)

28 Iqbal*

29 Theme of Poetry (Mao-zoo-e-sukhan)

30 We, the People (Hum log)

31 Highway (Sha-rah)

32 Time to Test the Fate is Near . . . (Naseeb aazmanay kay din . . .)

B. Dast-e-Saba (DS )

1 Wait, Restless Heart (Ay dil-e-bay-taab tahar )

2 Faded Images of the Past Reappear Sometimes . . . (Kabhi kabhi yaad main uther-thay hain naq’sh-e—maazi . . .)

3 To a Politician* (Siyasi leader kay naam)

4 My Sweetheart, My Friend (Meray hum-dum, meray dosth)

5 The Dawn of Freedom, August 1947 (Subh-e-Azadi, August 1947 )

6 Tablet and Pen (Loh-o-khalam)

7 Tumult of Instruments—Four Parts (Shoorish-e-barbathwaney)

8 The Noose-and-Gallows Time (Thoukh-o-daar ka mausum)

9 The Altar (Sar-e-mukh-tel: Qaw-wali )

10 You Didn’t Come, Nor Is This Endless Night Over (Tum aa-yey ho na shub-e-inthezaar guzri hai . . .)

11 When Your Memory’s Wounds Begin to Heal (Thum-hari yaad kay jub zakhm bhur-nay lag-thay hain)

12 Evening Star Burned Out (Shafq ki raakh mein jul bujh gaya sitara-e-hujoom)

13 To Your Beauty . . . (Thum-haray Husn Kay Naam . . .)*

14 Anthem (Tha-ra-na)

15 Talk about Defeating the Oppressors (Ajs-e-ahl-e-sitham ki baath karo)

16 Two Loves (Do Ishq)

17 Our Night Apart . . . (Girani-e-shub-e-hijraan)

18 The Ways of the Heart Are Same, They Say (Woheen hai dil kay qara-een tamam kah-tay hain)

19 Color Is Your Dress; Fragrance, Your Flowing Hair (Rung pai-ra-hun ka, Khush-boo Zulf Leh-ra-nay ka na’am)

20 I’ve a Gripe, My Brother (Nooh: Mujh ko shikwa hai meray bhai )

21 To Irani Students Who Lost Their Lives in the Struggle for Peace and Freedom (Irani Thalaba kay naam jo aman aur azadi ki jud-o-jahed mein kaam a’yeh’ )*

22 Your Old Forgotten Memories Come Back (Dil mein ab yoon theray bhoolay hoo-way gham aa-thay hain)

23 August, 1952*

24 For Your Lanes, My Country (Nisaar mein thayri guli’yaon kay)

25 The Same Word of Madness (Ab wo-hi harf-e-junoon sub ki zaban tah-ri hai )

26 No Glass Messiah (Sheeshaon ka masiha koi nahin)

27 Let There Be Clouds and Some Wine (A-yay kuch abr, kuch sharab a-yey)

28 To Ghalib* (Nazr-e-Ghalib)

29 You in My Heart (Thayri soorath jo dil-nasheen ki hai )

30 An Evening in the Prison (‘Zindan ki ek sha’am)

31 A Morning in Prison (Zindaan ki ek subh’ah)

32 Memory (Yaad )

C. Zindaan Nama, 1956

1 No Friend of the Mullah (Shaik sahib say ras’m wo rah na ki )

2 Slain in the Struggle (Sob qatal ho kay theray muqa-bil say aa-yay hain)*

3 To an Unknown Woman Who Brought a Fragrant Gift (Aye habeeb-e-unber-dast)

4 Many Rituals of Oppression (Sitam ki ras’main bahut thi laikin, na thi thayri anjuman say pah’lay)

5 The Night Without You (Shaam-e-firaq ab no pooch)

6 In Autumn, We Looked for Spring (Rah-e-khizaan main thalaash-e-bahar . . .)

7 Meeting (Mula-qa’ath)

8 Out of My Control (Baath bus say nikal chooki hai )

9 Burning Desires (Wasoo-qath)

10 In the Branch, Flower’s Blood (Shaaq-e-gul per khoon-e-gul rawan hai wo-hi )

11 When Are You Not in My Mind? (Kab yaad main thera saath nahin, kab haath main thera haath nahin)

12 Their Accusation on My Love (Hum per thumari chhah ka ilzaam hi tho hai )

13 Oh, City of Lights (Aye rao-shini-yun kay shahr )

14 Pouring Color in Blossoms (Gula’on main rung bharay baad-e-nao bahar chalay)

15 Executed in Dark Alleys (Hum jo thareek ra-haon main maaray ga-yey)

16 Some Goes to the Cloistered Despots (Kuch moh-thee-sab-aon ki khil-wath mein)

17 Window (Dareecha)

18 Quietly Comes the Pain . . . (Dard aa’yay’ga dub’bay pa’on)

19 Come Back, Africa!: A war song of African Freedom Movement

20 See the Effects of Intense Desire . . . (Gur’me-aye-shauq-e-nazarra ka asar tho day’kho)

21 This Crop of Hopes (Yeh fas’l umeedaun ki humdum)

22 There Must be Some Foundation (Bunyaad kuch tho ho)

23 A Lover to His Beloved (Koi aashiq kisi mahbooba say)

24 August 1955*

25 Spring Came This Way (Yuun bahar aa-ee hai is baar . . .)

26 The Colors of This Morning (Sub’ha ki aaj jo rangath hai, wo pahlay tho no thi )

27 Hoping to See You, Waiting for You (Thay-ri ummeed thera inthayzaar

jab say hai )

D Dast-e-tha’ey Sung (DTS )*

1 With Hand under the Rock (Dast-e-thay-sung aama-da)

2 Travelogue: Beijing & Sinkiang (Safar-Nama: Beijing & Sinkiang)

3 On the Dance Floor (Bi-saath-e-rukhs pay)

4 A Day of Celebration, March 1957 (Jushn ka din)

5 Evening (Shaam)

6 How Can There be a Party . . . ? (Jam-ay gi kay-say bisaath-e-yaraan kay sheesha wo jam bujh ga’yay hain? )

7 You Tell Me It’s Hopeless . . . (Thum yeh Keh’tay ho ab koi chara nahin)

8 The Patients are Fainting (Bay-dum ho-way bi-mar, dawa kyon nahin day-tay)

9 Cacophony of Chains, in the Name of God* (Shorish-e-zanjeer, bismillah)

10 Walk the Streets, Feet Chained (Aaj bazaar main pa-ba-jolan chalo)*

11 Cure for the Pain (Yeh jafaa-e-gham ka chara)

12 Solitary Confinement (Qaid-e-tunha-ee)

13 Life (Zindagi: Maleka-e-sha-he-e-zindagi thera)

14 What Your Grief Was Looking For . . . (Theray gham ko jaan ki talaash thi, theray jaan-nisaar chalay ga-yey)*

15 When Will This Pain Stop? (Kab tahray ga dard-e-dil )

16 Two Elegies (Do mer-si-ey)

17 Waves of Grief Stopped Today (Aaj yun maooj-der-maooj gham tha-hem ga-ya)

18 Where Would You Go? (Kahan ja-o gay? )

19Like Noisy Complaints (Yek ba-yek shorish-e-fughan ki ther-ha)

20 Friends’ Town (Shahr-e-yaraan)

21 Don’t Waste a Half-drawn Arrow (Na gwa’on nawak-e-neem-kush)

22 Bravo, Security Against Pain (Khoosha zama-nuth-e-gham)

23 When in Your Blue Eyes (Jab Their Samunder aankhaon main . . . geeth)

24 The Color of My Heart (Rung hai dil ka meray)

25 Stay With Me (Paas Raho)

26 Confusion Everywhere (Her sim-th pareeshan thay-ri aa-mud kay kharee-nay)

27 To Explain the Separation (Sher-hay-firaq, mud-hay lub-e-mushkaboo ka-rein)

28 A Scene: Road, Shadow, Trees, Destination, and Door (Munzer: Rah-guzar, sa’yay, sha’jur, manzil-o-dur, hul-qa-e-baam)

E Sar-Wadi-e-Sinai (SWS), 1971

1 Dedication (In-thay-saab)

2 Trace of Blood (Laho Ka Surag)*

3 Look at the City from Here (Ya-haan say Shahr Day-kho)

4 The Moon Reflecting Your Mood (Yuun saja chaand kay jhulka theray andaaz ka rung)

5 Don’t Be Sad (Ghum na ker, ghum na ker )

6 Black-out

7 The Word You Tried to Hint At (Kis hurf pay thoo nay go-sha-ey lub, aye jaan-e-jahan ghum-maaz kiya)

8 A Soldier’s Elegy (Sipa-hi ka mer-si-a)

9 Promises, With Hope (Ki-yey aarzoo say pai-maan jo ma’al thuk nap ah-oon-chay)

10 Let Me Think* (Sooch nay do)

11 No One Looks Wounded (Na Kisi pay Zakh’m Ayan kisi ko fikr rafu ki hai )

12 Sinai Valley, After the Arab-Israeli War (Sar-e-wadi-e-Sinai, Arab—Israel jung kay baad )

13 Prayer (Doo-a)

15 Heart Attack

16 Elegies (Mer-si-ay)

17 Heat of Doomsday Sun (Khursheed-e-mehshur ki lao)

18 Call of the Flower (Jars-e-gul ki sada)

19 Disappointment at Absence (Farsh-e-naw-medi-yay-deedar )

20 Broken Rungs (Tooti jahan jahan pay kummand )

21 Couldn’t Describe the Predicament (Shar’hay bay-durdi-e—

halaath na ho-nay pai )

22 Stay Away from My Body (Hazar Karo Meray thun say)*

23 Rancor (Thah-ba-thah dil ki kudaroorath)

24 We Were Simple minded (Hum saada hi aiysay thay ki youn hi pazi-rahi )

25 Mood of the Gathering (Ghub-bar-e-khatir-e-mehfil ta-hair ja-yay)

26 Wish (Aarzoo)*

27 Darkness Is a Net (Theergi jaal hai )

28 How Autumn Came That Day* . . . (Ek din yuun khazan aa-ga-ee)

F Shaam-e-Shahr Yaaran (SSY ), 1979

1 The Day Death Comes (Jis roz khiza Aye-gi )

2 Everything Woven into Poetry (Hum nay sub shair main sanwaray thay)

3 An Evening in Ashgabat* (Ashgabat ki ek shaam)

4 If My Pain Were toTalk (Meray dard ko jo zaban milay)

5 Rinse the Blood Off (Pa’oon say lahoo ko dho daalo)

6 To Sajjad Zaheer* (Sajjad Zaheer kay naam)

7 O Evening, Be Kind! (Aye shaam meharbaan ho)

8 A Song (Geeth)

9 Bound by This Heart (Hum tho muj’boor thay is dil say)

10 No Friend, Advisor, or Well-Wisher (Na ab raqeeb, na na-seh, na ghum ghisaar koi )

11 On Return from Dhaka* (Dhaka say wapisi per )

12 This Spring Is Delightful, But . . . (Yey maoo-sum-e-gul gar-chay thurb-khaiz bahut hai )

13 The Spring Came (Bahaar aa-ee)

14 Do What You Must (Tum apni karna kar guzro)

15 Our Voice Talking to Us (Hum-me say apni nawa hum-kalaam ho-thi rahi )

16 I Called You Without Thinking (Tu-jhay pukara hai bay-irada)

17 Yearning to See Her (Husrath-e-deed main guz-raan hain)

18 A Leningrad Cemetery (Leningrad ka Goorstan)

19 What’s This Ache in My Heart? (Yeh kis khalish nay phir is dil main aashiana kiya? )

20 Loved Some, Worked Some (Kuch ishq kiya, kuch kaam kiya)

21 Beggars at Hope’s Door (Dar-e-ummeeed kay dar you-za-gar )

22 A Thought in Search of a Word (Aaj ek hurf ko phir dhoond’tha phir’tha hai khiyal )

23 Heart’s Naivete (Kis shahr na shuh-ra hoo-wa na-daani-e-dil ka)

24 Eulogy (Mud-dha)*

25 The Night’s Almost Over (Ab kiya day-khain rah thumari, beeth chali hai raath, a Geeth)*

26 I Came to You, a Movie Song* (Hum theray paas aa-ey, ek filmi geeth)

27 Hopes of Dawn (Um-meed-e-sahr ki baath suno)

28 Which Way to Bow Head? (Hairaan hai jabeen aaj kidher sajda rawa hai? )

29 My True God, a Punjabi Poem* (Rubba Such-chayya, Ek Punjabi Nazm)

30 Nazim Hikmet*: A Letter From Prison—Translation (Nazim Hikmet: Zindaan say ek Khath—Thurjuma)

31 Desert’s Night by Uljaz Omer Ali Suleiman* (Sehra ki ek raath: Uljaz Omer Ali Suleiman)

G Meray Dil, Meray Musaffer (MDMM ), 1981

1 My Heart, My Companion (Dil-e-mun, musafir-e-mun)

2 Withered Flowers (Phool murjha ga-ye saaray)

3 A Lover to His Beloved (Koi aashiq kisi mahboob say)

4 A Deccani Ghazal (Ek Deccani ghazal )

5 A Scene (Mun-zer )

6 Two Poems (Do Nuz-main)*

7 Bring My Execution Order (La-o tho qatal-nama mera)

8 Life’s Journey Made Easy (Sahel yuun rah-e-zindagi ki hai )

9 Three Voices (Teen Awaazain)*

10 Time for Mourning (Yeh matham ki ghari hai )*

11 I’m Bound by Love (Hum tho mujboor-e-wafa hain)*

12 All I Have Is from You (Subhi kutch hai thera diya hu’wa)

13 Paris

14 Crops of Patience Burn Again (Jala phir sabr ka kermaan: Qaw-wali )

15 What To Do? (Kiya kar’ain? )

16 Two Poems for the Palestine (Do nazm-ain Palestine kay liyay)

17 My Friends (Meray mil-nay wa-lay)

18 A Village Road (Ga-oon ki sa-ruk)

19 This Year in This Era (Ab kay baras dustoor-e-sitam main kya kya baab eezad hoo-way)

20 Grief in the Heart, Thanks on the Lips . . . (Gham ba-dil, shukr-ba-lub, musth-o-ghazal-kwan chul-yay)

21 The Idols Have Sown So Many Doubts . . . (Wo buta’on nay daalay

hain was’wasay . . .)

22 Oppression Will Teach You (Sitham sikh-la-yay ga rus’m-e-wafa aiy-say nahin hotha)

23 A Song: Pyres of Memory (Geeth: jul-nay lagi yaad-aon ki chi-tha-yain)

24 We Shall See! (Ya-ba-qi wahja-o-rub-buka*: Hum day-khain gay! )

25 To A Punjabi Farmer, a Song (Punjabi Kisaan Kay Liyay, ek Tharana)

H Ghub’bar-e-Ayyam (GA)

1 Tell Us What to Do (Tum hi kaho kiya karna hai )

2 Feet in Chains (Ishq apnay muj’rim’aon ko pa-ba-jo-lan lay chala)

3 If No Destination in Sight . . . (Nahin nigah main munzil tho joos-tha-jo hi sa-hi )

4 In Memory of Major Isaac (Major Is’haaq ki yaad main)*

5 A Verse for Karbala* in Beirut (Ek nagh-ma Karbala-e-Beirut kay li-yay)†

6 A Song for Palestinian Freedom-Fighters (Ek tarana mujahideen-e-Palestine kay liyay)

7 Though Not Everyone Drank Before (Go sub ko baham-e-sagar wo bada tho nahin tha)

8 It looks Like (Is waqt tho yuun lagtha hai )

9 Symbol of Royal Power (Durbar mein ab seth-ooth-e-shahi ki alaamath)

10 Ashes of Separation, Flowers of Union (Hijr ki rakh aur wasl kay Phool )

11 In What Godforsaken Place . . . (Yeh kis diyar-e-udam main . . .)

12 To Maulana Hasrath Mohani* (Nazr-e-Maulana Hasrath Mohani )

13 We Travelers Would Move Along . . . (Hum musaffir yoon-hi mus-roof e

safar ja-ain gay)

14 As If I Were Again with My Friend (Jaisay hum-bazm hain phir yaar-e-ther-ha dar say hum)

15 Our Relationship (Jo mera thum’hara Rishta hai )

16 No One Near Tonight (Aaj shub koi nahin hai )

17 Thoughts of Nazim Hikmat* (Turk shaer Nazim Hikmat kay ef-kaar )

18 Don’t Look Here (Ee’dhur na day-kho)

19 The World Would Be Crystal Clear (Phir aa-eenay-e-aalam shayed kay nikul ja-aye)

20 Flowers Crushed (Phool mus-lay ga-yay farsh-e-gulzaar per )

21 For Helplessness, No Remedy Allowed (Bay-basi ka koi der’man nahin kar-nay day-thay)

22 Destitute Evening (Shaam-e-ghur-buth)

23 In Life, Whatever I Received . . . (Bahut mila na mila zindagi say gham kiya hai )*

I Quatrains (Qs)*: Collection

1 Naqsh-e-Feryadi (NF )

2 Dast-e-Saba (DS )

3 Zindaan Nama (ZN )

4 Dast-e-tha-ey-sung (DTS )

5 Sar-e-Wadi-e-Sinai (SWS )

6 Sham-e-Shahr-e-Yaraan (SSY )

7 Meray Dil, Meray Musafir (MDMM )

8 Ghubbar-e-Ayyam (GA)

APPENDIX

Endnotes

In memory of my parents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Trite as it may sound, this project, with no definite origin or plan, grew into a labor of love. After years of scientific and academic preoccupations, my interests perhaps needed some balance, and it was a dusty old copy of Faiz’s Urdu poetry that was seductive and stirred some long-forgotten nerve. Then, on occasions, in trying to translate some of it for my English-speaking friends, I found myself struggling. From that frustration, a couple of years grew a desire to try to brave the process. This book, with about 270 poems and quatrains, is the result.

This, of course, was by no means a lone effort without any discussions with others more knowledgeable. Chief among them was my brother (ZMI), a cancer researcher, hardly the easiest person to ‘discuss’ things with. But after hours with him, I either saw the light or had to find refuge in a dark quiet corner.

There are other friends, TVL in particular, who commented on my drafts, gave helpful comments and let me sort a few things out. To them and their contributions, and to my always-supportive family, I remain grateful.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Riz Rahim has taught courses in biological sciences at various Chicago area colleges and universities including Northeastern Illinois, Roosevelt, East-West, besides being affiliated with Toxicology-Cancer. In addition, Dr. Rahim has published numerous articles in English and Urdu, over the years, on a wide range of topics from science, health, environment, history, and politics to literary matters, in the American, Indian, and Pakistani newspapers and magazines including Dawn, the Nation, Deccan Chronicle, Pakistan Link, and others. Now in this book, Riz turns to translation of Urdu poetry by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

PREFACE

A poet’s autobiography, Yevgeny Yevtushenko once said, is his poetry. Anything else is just a footnote.* This applies to a very select group of poets that must include the Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. In the case of Faiz, the reverse seems truer, if that is possible, because it is his poetry that fills the chapters of his life.

He published eight books of poetry: Naqsh-e-Feryadi, (NF), being his first, published in 1941, and Ghubbar-e-Ayyam (GA), his last (1984), and a collection of all his poetry, Nusqa-ha-e-wafa, was published posthumously. His early verses, written mostly during his student years, were quite traditional for Urdu poetry and were well received in student and literary circles. That phase did not, however, last long because Faiz underwent a major transformation from traditional Urdu poetry for poetry’s sake, exemplified by his idol, Ghalib, to poetry with purpose. It as not just a road less traveled but a terrain totally alien to Urdu poetry. Unlike [a] poem should not mean, but be,† each of his poems recorded a part of his own life in the larger context of his country’s history.

That break came with his famous poem halfway into his very book (#15 in NF). It starts with these memorable lines: Don’t ask me, sweetheart, for the love we had before / Many other woes in the world besides love and heartache / many other comforts besides our togetherness, Mujh say pahli si mohabuth meray mahboob na maang. He marked that change with a telling line from a Persian poet, Nizami: I have sold my heart, and bought a soul (Dil-e-bufro-khathm, jaan-e-khareedun).

He dwells on the same theme in #17, NF, in Think (Sooch):

What if I’m unhappy ?

The whole world is unhappy;

this pain isn’t just yours or mine,

this is our heritage, my dear.

Even if you were mine,

grief in the world would still remain;

webs of sin, chains of oppression

we can’t wish them away . . . .

Why not adopt the world’s pains

we’ll think of the solutions later,

We’ll dream of happiness later,

figure out the dream later.

Prior to that, it was romantic poetry, best represented perhaps by this Urdu quatrain (#1 in NF), still very nostalgic for many. (In translation, however, some quatrains are best not restricted to only 4 lines as in this and other translated quatrains in this book):

Last night

you sneaked into my thoughts

as if the Spring quietly came to a wasteland,

a soft breeze sailed through a desert,

a sudden solace touched the sick

for no reason.

This transformation stemmed from Faiz’s growing concern about social justice and his involvement with Progressive Writers Association founded in the mid-1930s. Those were tumultuous years in India and the world: the British Raj was in its last decade, the fascism was raging on, WWII was imminent, and the Soviet experiment with communism was being watched in liberal intellectual circles with great interest in it as a model. Faiz was feeling the urge to move from poetry’s cloistered garden to the problems of the struggling masses. His poems in part 2 of NF take on more political color, for instance, A Few More Days, My Friend (Chund roz aur, meri jaan), Speak Up (Bol), and We, the People (Hum loug). This trend continued in the books to follow.

While teaching at Amritsar, Faiz met his soul mate, Alys George, a fellow socialist from London on a visit to her sister in the area; courted her; and married her in 1941. When WWII started, he joined the British Indian Army (Public Relations Office). A few years later, India was partitioned, and he (now a family man, with wife and two children) opted for Pakistan, which included the town he was born in (Sialkot) and the one he adopted (Lahore). The independence of Pakistan in August 1947 turned out to be not the end but a beginning of his problems that dogged him the rest of his life: successive military rulers of Pakistan in a mostly conservative Muslim society, which did not share his progressive, nonreligious/atheistic, and socialist/communist preferences and were most intolerant of public dissent.

In the years to follow, his poetry gets gloomier and gloomier. In his second book Dast-e-Saba (DS), we notice the initial excitement of a newly independent Pakistan being gobbled up by the realities and increasing doubts:

These patches of lights, a night-like dawn—

this is not the dawn

we’ve been waiting for . . . . Keep moving,

not our destination, yet.

from The Dawn of Freedom, August, 1947 ("Subh-e-Azadi, August, 1947")

Raising those doubts did not endear him to the politicians; his patriotism was questioned, as well as his involvement in progressive causes and social justice in a new nation, and his criticism of the government authorities. He was ridiculed by the then-governor of Punjab (who was always ready with his Alsations, or police goons, to go after him) and Pakistan’s first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, after Jinnah’s death. Faiz was arrested in March 1951 (about four years after independence) on largely baseless charges of conspiracy to overthrow the government (the so-called Rawalpindi Conspiracy case) and was incarcerated for more than four years, including solitary confinement and denial of pen and paper. DS, published in 1952 while he was still in prison, includes one of his sad poems, An Evening in the Prison (Zindan ki ek shaa), ending in these beautiful these:

Even if they can snuff out

the candles of love

in our homes,

let’s see if they can

blow out the moon!"

Even at the fifth anniversary of Pakistan’s independence, he was still not very hopeful:

The desert is still a desert, but

by the blood of our feet, Faiz,

thorns of the cacti

are now being nourished.

(August 1952)

His third book, Zindan Nama (ZN) is an anthology of his prison poems, full of heartrending loneliness, uncertainty, swings of depression, glimmers of hope, endless waiting, and delusional attempts. His fellow prisoner, Major M. Is’haaq (Ret.), who also acted as his secretary during the prison years, gives an extraordinarily detailed account in ZN (see Appendix.B.2). In the prison desolation, Faiz wrote some of his most agonizing verses. When Faiz was refused pen and paper, Major Is’haaq tried to memorize as many poems as he