Iqbal on Ghalib
By Dr. Zafar M. Iqbal
Chicago, IL
Early in his poetic career, Iqbal wrote a beautiful poem on his literary idol. ‘Mirza Ghalib’ is included in his Baang-e-Dara (part 1: before 1905). This was before Iqbal went to England and then to Germany for his doctoral degree.
What struck me particularly was that in this poem, Iqbal points to a ‘kindred spirit’ relationship between Ghalib and the famous poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 –1832), who spent most of his adult life in Weimar, Germany*. As part of his ‘Weltlitertur’ literary movement (also known as, Threek-e-Mashriqi), Goethe also wrote his famous ‘West-Ostlicher Diwan’ or ‘West-East Diwan’ as a tribute in German to the famous Persian poet, Hafez ((1325/1326 – 1389/1390) of Shiraz, and the Eastern poetic influence.
Goethe’s Diwan is composed of 12 books in German, with such evocative titles as Moganni Nameh (Book of the Singer), Hafis Nameh (Book of Hafiz), Ischk Nameh (Book of Love), Tefkir Nameh (Book of Reflection),Hikmet Nameh (Book of Maxims), Suleikha Nameh (Book of Zuleikha), Khild (Chuld) Nameh (Book of Paradise), etc.
Iqbal’s own Payam-e-Mushriq in Persian, was in response to Goethe’s Diwan. Goethe was Iqbal’s other literary idol, in particular for Goethe’s efforts to introduce Persian and Eastern philosophical concepts and contributions to the German/Western readership.
Here’s my translation of Iqbal’s ‘Mirza Ghalib’, included in my forthcoming book that, in addition to translation of Iqbal’s poetry, has several sections on his philosophy:
Mirza Ghalib
To the human intellect, you revealed
how far and high it can fly.
An embodiment of soul you were,
part of every literary get-together --
sometimes, life of the party,
sometimes, away from it.
Your eyes wanted to see the beauty
hidden in everything, the essence of life.
Life is rich, with echoes of music you create,
just as the silent mountains do
with the music of bubbling streams.
Gardens of your thoughts give
Nature its spring; the efforts of your mind
make the world green all over.
Life throbs in your spirited words
giving voice to a picture.
Thoughts are proud of the way
you express them;
stars are surprised by
their majestic flight.
Listening to the way you describe
one cannot but be enamored.
A bud in Delhi smiles
at a rose from Shiraz.
Alas, you lie in the ruins of Delhi;
your friend rests in the gardens of Weimar*.
No one excels your verbal skills,
None has the same vision and thought.
Ah, what’s now to become of India,
after that wonderfully keen observer!
Urdu’s hair still long, needs grooming,
this candle aches for a loving moth.
O, lively Delhi, the seat of
knowledge and technology,
everything quietly mourns everywhere.
In every mote rest sun and moon,
numerous jewels already
lie hidden in your dust.
Is anyone this remarkable
Any gem this precious
buried in your soil?
lie hidden in there?
~~~~~~~~~
Original in Romanized Urdu
Fikr-e-insaan pur thayri husthi say yey roshan howa
Hai pur murgh-e-thaqqul ki risa-ee tha kuja
Thah sur-a-pa rooh thoo, buzm-e-sukhan paiker thera
Zaib-e-mehfil bhi raha, mehfil say pinhaan bhi raha
Deedh thayri aankh ko oos husn ki munzoor hai
Bun kay soz-e-zindagi her shay main jo musthoor hai
Mehfil-e-husthi thayri berbuth say surmaya-daar
Jis thurha nudi kay nughm-awn say sookooth-e-kohsaar
Thayray firdaus-e-thaqqul say hai qudruth ki bahaar
Thayray kushth-e-fikr say oog-thay hain aalum subza-daar
Zindagi muzmir hai thayri shoakhi-e-theh-reer main
Thaab-e-goya-ee say junbish hai lub-e-thusveer main
Nuthq ko sao naaz hain thayray lub-aijaaz pur
Mahoo-e-hairuth hai surrayya rufuth-e- perwaz pur
Shahid-e-muzmoon tha-soduqh hai thayar undaaz pur
Khunda-zun hai ghuncha-e-Dilli, gul-e-Shiraz pur
Aah, thoo ujri ho-wee Dilli main aaraam-eeda hai
Gulshan-e-Weimar main thera hum-nawa khaw-beeda hai*
Luthf-e-goyaa-ee main thayri hum-saree mumkin naheen
Ho thqqul ka na jub thuk fikr-e-kaamil hum-nasheen
Hayey, ub kiya ho-ga-ee Hindusthan ki sur-zameen
Aah, aye, nuzzarah aamoz-e-nighah-e-nukhtha-been
Gaysoo-e-Urdu abhi minnuth pazeer-e-shana hai
Shama , yeh sauda-ee, dil-e-sozi-e-perwanaa hai
Aye jahanabaad, aye gehwaara-e-ilm o hunner
Hain surapa nala-e-khamoosh thayray baam o dur
Zurray zurray main thayray khawbeedah hain shams-o-qamar
Yun tho posheeda hain thayri khaak main laak-own gohar
Dufn thujh main ko-ee fukhr-e-rozgaar aisa bhi hai
Thuj main pinhaan ko-ee mothi aabdaar aisa bhi hai.
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