Celebrating the Best of Urdu Poetry

by Khushwant Singh

Urdu is a beautiful language and it has earned fame for its beautiful poetry. Celebrating The Best of Urdu Poetry is a tribute to the language and a treat for the lovers of Urdu shaayri. for the past two centuries, there have been many known and unknown legendary Urdu poets, who have contributed innumerable poetic works. This book is an attempt by the author, to present a collection of these poems in one place for Urdu poetry fans. Urdu is a rich language which evolved as a mixture of many languages such as Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Hindi, Sanskrit, Dakni and Braj. Though it was passionately patronized by the Muslim rulers and nawabs, unfortunately this language has lost its significance and it is almost into the stages of extinction. This book is a humble attempt to rekindle the heritage of this language and bring out the best of its poetry in order to make the glory of this language familiar to the world. Celebrating The Best of Urdu Poetry has been authored by Khushwant Singh and translated by Kamna Prasad, who themselves are great admirers of Urdu and poetry. This book was published in 2011 by Penguin India. It is available in paperback.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Classics, History, Anthologies

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Khushwant Singh, (Punjabi: ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ, Hindi: खुशवंत सिंह) born on 2 February 1915 in Hadali, Undivided India, (now a part of Pakistan), was a prominent Indian novelist and journalist. Singh's weekly column, "With Malice towards One and All", carried by several Indian newspapers, was among the most widely-read columns in the country.

An important post-colonial novelist writing in English, Singh is best known for his trenchant secularism, his humor, and an abiding love of poetry. His comparisons of social and behavioral characteristics of Westerners and Indians are laced with acid wit.

Reviews

[Ritika · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good enough compilation of verses by various renowned Urdu poets, wherein each verse is in 3 prints- Devnagri, English phonetics, and English translation. There aren't complete poems or ghazals but only select portions, like a couplet or two.

I haven't read any Urdu poetry previously so as to be able to judge, whether this particular collection actually presents the best of them or not, but sure enough it's a good start.

[Jibran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Khushwant Singh earned my admiration when I read his translation of Allama Iqbal's Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa. Since then I have been on a hunt for more translations of famous Urdu poets. This book is part of the same effort, thanks to his early Urdu education in pre-partition India, which Khushwant Singh has made full use of.

This selection boasts the best ghazals and other poems of the most celebrated Urdu poets. Khushwant's natural translation style is to translate ghazal couplets in equivalent rhyming verse so as to properly represent the cadences of the original in English verse. This method has its limitations but Khushwant does it so well that a bilingual reader - like myself - is startled by the accuracy of word selection and verse construction.

It's a valuable collection for students of Urdu poetry in translation.

[E.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 A decent introduction but falls short of that expected from Khushwant Singh. Have read better and more satisfying introductions to Urdu Poetry earlier. It was surprising to see religious bigots like Iqbal quoted for pages and some poets given just a single couplet (sher). Why select the poet at all if only one sher is worth it ?
Also, there were a no. of spelling and translation mistakes.

[El-Jahiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A neat anthology covering most of the eminent Urdu poets from the Mughal Era to modern. The translations are often near to the emotional content, if not to the rhythm of Urdu poetry. Having the transliteration of the original poems adds real value to them.

[Itisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It should have had Jaun Elia.. Otherwise a mesmerizing read!

[Rutwik · Rating 3 out of 5]

English translations of Urdu verses always lose the resonance and charm of the original language. Sometimes, the translations were stretched and modified liberally just to fit in with a rhyme scheme in English as well and that didn’t go down too well with me. But Khushwant Singh does a phenomenal job of collecting some of the most memorable verses, from romantic or drunk verses of Ghalib and Bahadur Shah Zafar to more modern, bitter and satirical ones from Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Also helpful is the fact that all verses are presented in Devanagari, anglicized Hindi and an English translation.

Found myself interspersing the read with YouTube recordings of legends like Noor Jehan, and even more modern takes like coke studio (Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s Pehli si muhabbat made me go down that rabbit hole). I wish there were audiobooks of Urdu verses with the ghazals or nazms actually sung, how amazing would that be!

[Shivakumar Srinivasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic compilation of Urdu poetry, with translation, the book is a great introduction to the wonderful language Urdu and the beauty of its poetry

[Ayesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to poetry Asians/Africans will always, always serve.

[Yugvir Parhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

read and re-read and re-read haha

[حسن · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this beautiful and eclectic selection of Poems written in Urdu among many other Indian poetry books from The People's Library (also known as Ashraf The Communist' library) at Connaught place in New Delhi. What must be highlighted about this book is the excellent English translation.

On my last day in India I've read these beautiful lines, as If the goodbyes were mutual

"Spare your tears for the helpless traveler's plight
Who tired sits by the wayside when his destination is in sight"
- Sheikh Ghulam Mus-Hafi

[Shourya Agarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was extremely refreshing to read this beautiful assortment of Urdu Poetry. However, the compiler scarcely scratches below the surface to provide some of the lesser-known works. At the same time, the accompanying translation focusses only on the literal level and ignores the intricate allegory nestled in the verse. Nonetheless, it's good edition for beginners to get introduced to Urdu poetry. I deeply appreciate the publisher's attempt to aid in the revival of the dying tradition of Urdy poetry by creating a volume that can be easily consumed by the masses.

[Anhad Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book keeps giving me immense joy. It has been my companion during travels and is my go-to book to fill spare time. Division of chapters by different poets, following a short introduction sets a good mood by familiarizing the poet to the reader. The translation seems effortless and helps understand complex Urdu expressions.
Highly recommended to someone looking for an introduction to Urdu poetry but cannot read the script.

[Pankaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very, very concise snapshot of the vast world of Urdu poetry. Some good selections to whet the appetite and introduce novices to the magic of Urdu verse.

[Tanushri Indoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Celebrating The Best of Urdu Poetry is a collection of Urdu poems published by @penguinrandomhouse India.

It consists of Urdu Poetry by Mohammad Rafi Sauda, Meer Taqi Meer, Sheikh Ghulam Hamdani Mus-Hafi, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Zauq, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, Momin Khan Momin, Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh Dehlvi, Akbar Allahabadi, Mohammad Iqbal, Changezi, Firaq Gorakhpur and more.

The collection of one of the widely used languages which is now considered to be dying a slow death. Provided with translation for each and every verse, poems and ghazals; makes it easier for those who cannot read and understand the Urdu script.

No doubt the selection of poems is amazing.
But personally, I wasn't carried away with the translations.
There are a lot of words and phrases which have been transliterated and not give out the same emotion.

It would be better to catch hold of an urdu dictionary or kidnap a friend of yours who has good knowledge of Urdu and translate as well as understand it for yourself.

[Deeya B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book because of a few reasons:
1) The editors/compilers have produced the poems in Devanagri script, then re-wrote the lines in English script and only then have they translated them into the English language. Before you learn what exactly the lines mean (in case you are not comfortable with Urdu), you are faced with the beauty of the Urdu language. You first absorb the way the lines sound and then you slowly take in the meaning.
2) It is a nice introductory book for people who hope to read more Urdu poetry in the future.
3) Khushwant Singh's introduction. He presents to the readers the reality of Urdu, how the most quotable language of the world is on the face of being endangered because it is so wrongly misunderstood. He attempts in the introduction to make his readers see Urdu as much more than being a "Muslim language".

Why I was a little upset when I finished the book:
1) At times, it felt like the poems were chosen at random to form an anthology.

[Books You and Me · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celebrating the best of Urdu poetry🌷
Genre: Poetry

Mehrbaan hokey bulaalo mujhey chaaho jis waqt..
Main gayaa waqt naheen hoon ki phir aa bhee na sakoon
(Have mercy and send for me anytime you so desire; Time gone is forever gone,it's true--- but I'm not time, I can always return to you.)

Binge-watching Pakistani Urdu dramas is largely responsible for my falling in love with the language's beauty and grandeur.

Urdu is a type of art in and of itself. It's letters beautifully woven to form such enticing words.

I bought this book because I couldn't read Urdu. This has some beautiful collection of poems. The poems here are transliterated from Urdu to English along with English translation. But the translations made are quite monotonous and doesn't really comprehend the actual depth of poetry.

[Moushmi Radhanpara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely mesmerising read. I loved so many of these writers, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Momin Khan Momin, Mirza Ghalib, Shaad Azimabadi, Zehra Nigaah, to name a few. I still didn't like all the translations, but I guess some effect of the originality is bound to be lost in such cases. But apart from that I loved the book.

[Zubaa Abdulkhaliq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed reading the English translation of Urdu poetry. The selections were good too. However, the choice of presenting Urdu poetry in roman Urdu was a huge disappointment. Thus, -1🌟. This would have been okay if the texts were also written in the original Urdu transcript. Maybe this had to do something with the intended audience considering the presence of the Devanagari transcript.

[Kawish poetry]

it is a very nice book for those who are new to Urdu poetry.
very rich experience motivational quotes Nice bro great , this is really good post here
kawish poetry

[Manju · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one

[Sahil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though the translations are not at par and ruin the essence of urdu poetry but devnagri script does its job, you do have to know the urdu words though.

[Neeraj · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's good effort to arouse your interest in Urdu poetry but it won't take you to the climax.

[Viral Shah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Aditya Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's said that Urdu is the language of hearts, and this book with it's every line ,every phrase , every word vouches for it...

[Lalit Gangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can i read it in this app please give me solution

[Sukriti Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best part is the translations, although translations kill the subject matter, the book has done a fair job of keeping it alive

[Arin Goswami · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book, outlining the importance of Urdu in India and its waning popularity. The poems outlined are also incredibly touching.

[Vani · Rating 4 out of 5]

You just can’t get enough of it, you crave for more!

[Priyank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good compilation of Urdu poetry! Few new ones, other popular gems... All in all, good book for beginners in Urdu poetry...

[Saeed akbar]

this is very good Urdu poetry books I like it