A legendary poet like Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) needs no introduction. In Pakistan, where one authoritarian government has made way for another since 1947, Faiz’s person and work is largely known as a symbol of resistance. In his poetry, he represented the people’s longing for freedom and democracy and became a source of inspiration for those seeking to build a just society.
Faiz began his career as a lecturer in English at Amritsar, but switched to journalism after the Second World War. He went on to become the editor of The Pakistan Times. In 1951, he was charged with complicity in the Rawalpindi conspiracy case and imprisoned. It was his four-year term in prison that gave him first-hand experience of the harsh realities of life and provided him with much-needed solitude to translate his thoughts into poetry.
As a poet, Faiz began writing on the conventional themes of love and beauty, but soon these thoughts were submerged in the larger social and political issues of the day. An admirer of Karl Marx, Faiz was also honoured by Soviet Russia with the prestigious ‘Lenin Award for Peace.’
Over the years, Faiz’s poetry has provided hope during the dark days of martial law, even as recently as November 3, 2007, when former president General Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency.
Twenty-five years ago, when Faiz passed away at the age of 73, Dawn described him as the ‘greatest Urdu poet of his time,’ who became a living legend for ‘his intrepid struggle against what he himself once described as “the dark and dastardly superstitions of centuries untold”.’
Today, to mark Faiz’s death anniversary, Dawn.com invites its readers to share their favourite lines by the masterful poet and help keep the power of his poetry alive.
The views expressed in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
Teri aankhon kay siva dunyaa mein rakha kiya hai …
also :
HUM PARVARISH E LOH O QALAM KARTAY RAHAIN GAY
JO DIL PE GUZARTI HAY RAQAM KARTAY RAHAIN GAY
HAAN TALKHEE-AYYAAM ABHI AUR BARHAY GEE
HAAN EHL-E-SITAM MASHQ-E-SITAM KARTAY RAHAIN GAY.
I love the one Fakhar Jaffery posted above. It’s hard to pick just a few from his amazing collection, but here are a couple of my favorites
Faiz, na hum Yusuf, na koi Yaqoob jo hum ko yaad karay
Apna kya Can’aan mein rahay, ya Misr mein jaa abaad huay
——
Ho na ho apnay qabeelay ka bhi koi lashkar
Muntazir ho ga andheray ki faseelon ke udhar
Usko Sholon ke rajaz apna pata to dengay
Khair, hum tak woh na pohnchay bhi, sada to dengay
Door kitny hai abhi subh, bata to dengay
Nisar main teri galion ke ae watan
Mujhe se pehli si mohabbat
Bol ke lab azaad hain tere
Hum ke thhehre ajnabi
The list just goes on…
lao tu qatal naama mera mayN bhi dekh looN
kis kis ki muhar hay sar e mehzar lagi hui
undoubtedly the best the world’s ever witnessed.
-HUM DEKHEINGE-
We shall live to see,
So it is writ
We shall live to see,
The day that’s been promised,
The day that’s been ordained;
The day when mountains of oppression,
Will blow up like wisps of cotton;
When the earth will dance
Beneath the feet of once enslaved;
And heavens will shake with thunder
Over the heads of tyrants;
And the idols in the House of God
Will be thrown out;
We the rejects of the earth,
Will be raised to a place of honour.
All crowns’ll be tossed in the air
All throwns’ll be smashed.
And God’s word will prevail,
He who is both present and absent
He who is beheld and is the beholder.
And truth shall ring in every ear,
Truth which is you and I,
We, the people will rule the earth
Which means you,which means I
Agar baazii ishq kii baazii hai jo chaaho lagaa do Dar kaisaa
Agar jeet gae to kyaa kehna haare bhii to baazii maat nahii.
here are a few that i remember fondly
(1)
Kabhi to subh tairay kunj-e-lab se ho aaghaz
Kabhi to shab sar-e-kaakul se mushkbaar chale
(2)
ik suKhan aur ki phir rangay takalum tera
harfay saadaa ko inayat kare ejaaz kaa rang
(3) A short nazm
Wo log boht khush qismat thay
Jo ishq ko kaam samajhte thay
Ya kaam se aahqi karte thay
Ham jeetay jee masroof rahe
Kuch isq kiya, kuch kaam kiya
Kaam ishq ke aarray aata raha
Aur ishq kaam say ulajhta raha
Phir aakhir tang aa kar ham ne
Dono ko adoora chorr diya
No name a few lines as favorite is not a fair with fans of Faiz Ahmad Faiz
but good effort to keep his memory alive
Hum khasta tanon say mohtisibo, kya maal manal ki poochtay ho
Jo umr say hum nay bhar paya, lo samnay laye detay hain
Daman main hai musht-e-khaak-e-jigar, saghar main hai khoon-e-hasrat-e-maye
Lo daman hum nay jhaar diya, lo jaam ultaye detay hain.
Faiz sahib was a giant among giants of the world. His greatness was tried to be contained by “labels.” In a world of political correctness, his greatness became a victim of cold war. Indeed, Faiz sahib was not what he was made to appear. Now that when he is gone, a new look at his poetry reveals the “un-labeled Faiz sahib.” He is a poet of humanity, emotion, wisdom, love, passion and action. In today’s world of chaos, people around the world miss two great champions of humanity: Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Bertrand Russell.
Some lines from Faiz.
Asmaan aas liay hai ke yeh jadoo tootay
chup ki zangeer katay, waqt ka daman chootay,
Jo guzri hum pay mut uss say kaho, huwa so huwa… jo huwa so huwa!
Balla Kashan-e-Mohabbat pay jo huwa so huwa…… huwa so huwa!
Makaam faiz koi rah main jacha hi nahin
Jo kooe yaar se nikle to su e daar chale.
Faiz ka jawaab nahin
jo hum pe guzri tu guzri magar shab e hijraan
hamaray ashk teri aaqbat sanwaar chalay
My romance with his poetry will never end!
Here is his evergreen poem…
Speak
Speak, your lips are free.
Speak, it is your own tongue.
Speak, it is your own body.
Speak, your life is still yours.
See how in the blacksmith’s shop
The flame burns wild, the iron glows red;
The locks open their jaws,
And every chain begins to break.
Speak, this brief hour is long enough
Before the death of body and tongue:
Speak, ’cause the truth is not dead yet,
Speak, speak, whatever you must speak.