Allama Iqbal Urdu Poetry

 

Not to forget the renowned poet in Urdu and Persian, he dips into the quiver of time, filling it from verses that strike Home at the very core of modernity. In the process of poetic creation, the poet unfolded hidden thoughts of a philosophical hue, metaphoric schemes of a complex nature, and he was aided by refined diction that flowed from an idealistic emotion and a talented language.

Part of the life and works of this poet, one of the greatest in the Urdu language during the second half of the nineteenth century. Born in New Delhi, this poet embarked on a poetic career under their original name in 1797 in Agra, India, amidst the decline of the Mughal empire and the rise of British imperialism. The poetic journey culminated in Delhi—a city which is a great center of culture: love affairs, grief, religious search, and other important questions of the age.

Their pen name means conqueror or dominant, and in its sublimity and dignity, their pen name seems to be quite in concordance with the destiny of this great master in these worlds worlds of Urdu and Persian poetry. Their ghazals are known for their profoundness—had it been planted with symbolism and mastery of language—and it presents them among the reputed literary heroes.

The following work is an attempt at fathoming something about the nature of the poetry written by this poet. He stands not as a mere wordsmith but as the genius who plunges into the desolation of the soul with ghazals speaking of love, sorrow, and hope, surmounting beauty and time. Each couplet in his ghazals is like a universe unto itself, making it extremely difficult reading on many levels of implication—that is, emotional.

ستاروں سے آگے جہاں اور بھی ہیں

ابھی عشق کے امتحاں اور بھی ہیں

تہی زندگی سے نہیں یہ فضائیں

یہاں سیکڑوں کارواں اور بھی ہیں

قناعت نہ کر عالم رنگ و بو پر

چمن اور بھی آشیاں اور بھی ہیں

اگر کھو گیا اک نشیمن تو کیا غم

مقامات آہ و فغاں اور بھی ہیں

تو شاہیں ہے پرواز ہے کام تیرا

ترے سامنے آسماں اور بھی ہیں

اسی روز و شب میں الجھ کر نہ رہ جا

کہ تیرے زمان و مکاں اور بھی ہیں

گئے دن کہ تنہا تھا میں انجمن میں

یہاں اب مرے رازداں اور بھی ہیں

Poet: Allama Iqbal