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Dast e Saba / دست صبا
- GenresPoetry
94 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1952
10 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
About the author
Faiz Ahmad Faiz
59 books284 followersFaiz Ahmad Faiz [فيض ١حمد فيض] was born on February 13, 1911, in Sialkot, British India, which is now part of Pakistan. He had a privileged childhood as the son of wealthy landowners Sultan Fatima and Sultan Muhammad Khan, who passed away in 1913, shortly after his birth. His father was a prominent lawyer and a member of an elite literary circle which included Allama Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan.
In 1916, Faiz entered Moulvi Ibrahim Sialkoti, a famous regional school, and was later admitted to the Skotch Mission High School where he studied Urdu, Persian, and Arabic. He received a Bachelor's degree in Arabic, followed by a master's degree in English, from the Government College in Lahore in 1932, and later received a second master's degree in Arabic from the Oriental College in Lahore.After graduating in 1935, Faiz began a teaching career at M.A.O. College in Amritsar and then at Hailey College of Commerce in Lahore.
Faiz's early poems had been conventional, light-hearted treatises on love and beauty, but while in Lahore he began to expand into politics, community, and the thematic interconnectedness he felt was fundamental in both life and poetry. It was also during this period that he married Alys George, a British expatriate, with whom he had two daughters. In 1942, he left teaching to join the British Indian Army, for which he received a British Empire Medal for his service during World War II. After the partition of India in 1947, Faiz resigned from the army and became the editor of The Pakistan Times, a socialist English-language newspaper.
On March 9, 1951, Faiz was arrested with a group of army officers under the Safety Act, and charged with the failed coup attempt that became known as the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case. He was sentenced to death and spent four years in prison before being released. Two of his poetry collections, Dast-e Saba and Zindan Namah, focus on life in prison, which he considered an opportunity to see the world in a new way. While living in Pakistan after his release, Faiz was appointed to the National Council of the Arts by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government, and his poems, which had previously been translated into Russian, earned him the Lenin Peace Prize in 1963.
In 1964, Faiz settled in Karachi and was appointed principal of Abdullah Haroon College, while also working as an editor and writer for several distinguished magazines and newspapers. He worked in an honorary capacity for the Department of Information during the 1965 war between India and Pakistan, and wrote stark poems of outrage over the bloodshed between Pakistan, India, and what later became Bangladesh. However, when Bhutto was overthrown by Zia Ul-Haq, Faiz was forced into exile in Beirut, Lebanon. There he edited the magazine Lotus, and continued to write poems in Urdu. He remained in exile until 1982. He died in Lahore in 1984, shortly after receiving a nomination for the Nobel Prize.
Throughout his tumultuous life, Faiz continually wrote and published, becoming the best-selling modern Urdu poet in both India and Pakistan. While his work is written in fairly strict diction, his poems maintain a casual, conversational tone, creating tension between the elite and the common, somewhat in the tradition of Ghalib, the reknowned 19th century Urdu poet. Faiz is especially celebrated for his poems in traditional Urdu forms, such as the ghazal, and his remarkable ability to expand the conventional thematic expectations to include political and social issues.
In 1916, Faiz entered Moulvi Ibrahim Sialkoti, a famous regional school, and was later admitted to the Skotch Mission High School where he studied Urdu, Persian, and Arabic. He received a Bachelor's degree in Arabic, followed by a master's degree in English, from the Government College in Lahore in 1932, and later received a second master's degree in Arabic from the Oriental College in Lahore.After graduating in 1935, Faiz began a teaching career at M.A.O. College in Amritsar and then at Hailey College of Commerce in Lahore.
Faiz's early poems had been conventional, light-hearted treatises on love and beauty, but while in Lahore he began to expand into politics, community, and the thematic interconnectedness he felt was fundamental in both life and poetry. It was also during this period that he married Alys George, a British expatriate, with whom he had two daughters. In 1942, he left teaching to join the British Indian Army, for which he received a British Empire Medal for his service during World War II. After the partition of India in 1947, Faiz resigned from the army and became the editor of The Pakistan Times, a socialist English-language newspaper.
On March 9, 1951, Faiz was arrested with a group of army officers under the Safety Act, and charged with the failed coup attempt that became known as the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case. He was sentenced to death and spent four years in prison before being released. Two of his poetry collections, Dast-e Saba and Zindan Namah, focus on life in prison, which he considered an opportunity to see the world in a new way. While living in Pakistan after his release, Faiz was appointed to the National Council of the Arts by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government, and his poems, which had previously been translated into Russian, earned him the Lenin Peace Prize in 1963.
In 1964, Faiz settled in Karachi and was appointed principal of Abdullah Haroon College, while also working as an editor and writer for several distinguished magazines and newspapers. He worked in an honorary capacity for the Department of Information during the 1965 war between India and Pakistan, and wrote stark poems of outrage over the bloodshed between Pakistan, India, and what later became Bangladesh. However, when Bhutto was overthrown by Zia Ul-Haq, Faiz was forced into exile in Beirut, Lebanon. There he edited the magazine Lotus, and continued to write poems in Urdu. He remained in exile until 1982. He died in Lahore in 1984, shortly after receiving a nomination for the Nobel Prize.
Throughout his tumultuous life, Faiz continually wrote and published, becoming the best-selling modern Urdu poet in both India and Pakistan. While his work is written in fairly strict diction, his poems maintain a casual, conversational tone, creating tension between the elite and the common, somewhat in the tradition of Ghalib, the reknowned 19th century Urdu poet. Faiz is especially celebrated for his poems in traditional Urdu forms, such as the ghazal, and his remarkable ability to expand the conventional thematic expectations to include political and social issues.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 1, 2022
متاعِ لوح و قلم چھن گئی تو کیا غم ہے
کہ خونِ دل میں ڈبو لی ہیں انگلیاں میں نے
...
بجھا جو روزنِ زنداں تو دل یہ سمجھا ہے
کہ تیری مانگ ستاروں سے بھر گئی ہوگی
چمک اٹھے ہیں سلاسل تو ہم نے جانا ہے
کہ اب سحر ترے رخ پر بکھر گئی ہوگی
...
کررہا تھا غمِ جہاں کا حساب
آج تم یاد بے حساب آئے
...
کہ خونِ دل میں ڈبو لی ہیں انگلیاں میں نے
...
بجھا جو روزنِ زنداں تو دل یہ سمجھا ہے
کہ تیری مانگ ستاروں سے بھر گئی ہوگی
چمک اٹھے ہیں سلاسل تو ہم نے جانا ہے
کہ اب سحر ترے رخ پر بکھر گئی ہوگی
...
کررہا تھا غمِ جہاں کا حساب
آج تم یاد بے حساب آئے
...
January 31, 2020
Not my favourite Faiz volume.However includes Gar mujhe iska yaqeen ho,and Dasht e Tanhayee Main. Both memorably sung by Tina Sani.
March 15, 2020
اِس قدر پیار سے، اے جانِ جہاں، رکھا ہے
دل کے رخسار پہ، اِس وقت، تیری یاد نے ہات
یوں گماں ہوتا ہے، گرچہ ہے ابھی صبحِ فراق
ڈھل گیا ہجر کا دن، آ بھی گئی وصل کی رات
•••••
اک طرزِ تغافل ہے وہ، وہ اُن کو مبارک
اک عرضِ تمنا ہے، سو ہم کرتے رہیں گے
•••••
وہ آئیں تو سرِ مقتل، تماشا ہم بھی دیکھیں گے،
یہ شب کی آخری ساعت، گراں کیسی بھی ہو ہمدم
دل کے رخسار پہ، اِس وقت، تیری یاد نے ہات
یوں گماں ہوتا ہے، گرچہ ہے ابھی صبحِ فراق
ڈھل گیا ہجر کا دن، آ بھی گئی وصل کی رات
•••••
اک طرزِ تغافل ہے وہ، وہ اُن کو مبارک
اک عرضِ تمنا ہے، سو ہم کرتے رہیں گے
•••••
وہ آئیں تو سرِ مقتل، تماشا ہم بھی دیکھیں گے،
یہ شب کی آخری ساعت، گراں کیسی بھی ہو ہمدم
November 28, 2022
Typical Faiz Sahab. Poems from prison and after life. Really mesmerizing.
April 20, 2025
Faiz's early poems had been conventional, light-hearted treatises on love and beauty, but while in Lahore he began to expand into politics, community, and the thematic interconnectedness he felt was fundamental in both life and poetry.
On March 9, 1951, Faiz was arrested with a group of army officers under the Safety Act, and charged with the failed coup attempt that became known as the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case. He was sentenced to death and spent four years in prison before being released. This poetry collections, Dast-e Saba focus on life in prison, which he considered an opportunity to see the world in a new way. While living in Pakistan after his release, this book is written ghazals, two liners, poetry, sonnets and melancholic . He wrote in a tone of nationalist and lover that make it beautiful and interesting. He was recognised for his work and banter with sadat hassan Manto during Manto court case. His progressive writing is so hard and interesting for those he shows the mirror of society
On March 9, 1951, Faiz was arrested with a group of army officers under the Safety Act, and charged with the failed coup attempt that became known as the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case. He was sentenced to death and spent four years in prison before being released. This poetry collections, Dast-e Saba focus on life in prison, which he considered an opportunity to see the world in a new way. While living in Pakistan after his release, this book is written ghazals, two liners, poetry, sonnets and melancholic . He wrote in a tone of nationalist and lover that make it beautiful and interesting. He was recognised for his work and banter with sadat hassan Manto during Manto court case. His progressive writing is so hard and interesting for those he shows the mirror of society
February 6, 2018
Reading for fun.
October 7, 2021
ان کی نظر میں کیا کریں پھیکا ہے اب بھی رنگ
جتنا لہو تھا صرفِ قبا کر چکے ہیں ہم
جتنا لہو تھا صرفِ قبا کر چکے ہیں ہم
February 25, 2022
Beautiful beautiful collection of poetry by Faiz sahab. although my most favourite is اے دل بے تاب ٹھہر.
June 15, 2021
رواية " صبا موت مؤقت " ياسمين محمد ♥️
June 9, 2024
This collection of poems and ghazals includes poems mostly written by the revolutionary poet Faiz while he was imprisoned in the Montgomery jail.
Favourite couplets:
आए तो यूँ कि जैसे हमेशा थे मेहरबान
भूले तो यूँ कि गोया कभी आश्ना न थे
दिल मुद्दई के हर्फ़-ए-मलामत से शाद है
ऐ जान-ए-जाँ ये हर्फ़ तिरा नाम ही तो है
दिल ना-उमीद तो नहीं नाकाम ही तो है
लम्बी है ग़म की शाम मगर शाम ही तो है
Favourite couplets:
आए तो यूँ कि जैसे हमेशा थे मेहरबान
भूले तो यूँ कि गोया कभी आश्ना न थे
दिल मुद्दई के हर्फ़-ए-मलामत से शाद है
ऐ जान-ए-जाँ ये हर्फ़ तिरा नाम ही तो है
दिल ना-उमीद तो नहीं नाकाम ही तो है
लम्बी है ग़म की शाम मगर शाम ही तो है
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews