100 Poems by Faiz Ahmed Faiz: 1911-1984

by Faiz Ahmad Faiz

This chronological presentation of 60 poems, 10 quatrains, and no less than 30 ghazals—some never translated into English before—enables the reader to trace the development of the young and romantic poet into the foremost leader of the literary opposition to injustice and the defender of the oppressed. Includes biographical notes, a key to Roman transcription, a list of titles or first lines, and a glossary of Urdu words in Roman script.

Genres: Poetry

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Faiz 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.

Reviews

[Mansoor Baloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faiz is a master poet. His poetry is sharp, bitter and cold. It chills your mind and your soul. I have read his poems, ghazals and quartets ever since my school days and each time I am left wondering how better can someone depict the situation of a country beieged by bigotry, corruption, hypocrisy and for lack of a better word patriotic and religious vandalism at the cost of the 180 million poor and downtrodden Pakistanis. He depicts their dreams and aspirations as well as the disappointments and disillusionments, and he does it well, better than everyone.

[Reluctant Anesthetist]

ﻓﯿﺾ ﺍﺣﻤﺪ ﻓﯿﺾ
ﺧﻮﺭﺷﯿﺪِ ﻣﺤﺸﺮ ﮐﯽ ﻟﻮ
ﺁﺝ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ ﻧﮧ ﭘﻮﭼﮭﻮ، ﻣﺮﮮ ﺩﻭﺳﺘﻮ
ﺩﻭﺭ ﮐﺘﻨﮯ ﮨﯿﮟ ﺧﻮﺷﯿﺎﮞ ﻣﻨﺎﻧﮯ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ
ﮐﮭُﻞ ﮐﮯ ﮨﻨﺴﻨﮯ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ، ﮔﯿﺖ ﮔﺎﻧﮯ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ
ﭘﯿﺎﺭ ﮐﺮﻧﮯ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ، ﺩﻝ ﻟﮕﺎﻧﮯ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ
ﺁﺝ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ ﻧﮧ ﭘﻮﭼﮭﻮ، ﻣﺮﮮ ﺩﻭﺳﺘﻮ
ﺯﺧﻢ ﮐﺘﻨﮯ ﺍﺑﮭﯽ ﺑﺨﺖِ ﺑﺴﻤﻞ ﻣﯿﮟ ﮨﯿﮟ
ﺩﺷﺖ ﮐﺘﻨﮯ ﺍﺑﮭﯽ ﺭﺍﮦِ ﻣﻨﺰﻝ ﻣﯿﮟ ﮨﯿﮟ
ﺗﯿﺮ ﮐﺘﻨﮯ ﺍﺑﮭﯽ ﺩﺳﺖِ ﻗﺎﺗﻞ ﻣﯿﮟ ﮨﯿﮟ
ﺁﺝ ﮐﺎ ﺩﻥ ﺯﺑﻮﮞ ﮨﮯ، ﻣﺮﮮ ﺩﻭﺳﺘﻮ
ﺁﺝ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ ﺗﻮ ﯾﻮﮞ ﮨﮯ، ﻣﺮﮮ ﺩﻭﺳﺘﻮ
ﺟﯿﺴﮯ ﺩﺭﺩ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻢ ﮐﮯ ﭘﺮﺍﻧﮯ ﻧﺸﺎﮞ
ﺳﺐ ﭼﻠﮯ ﺳﻮﺋﮯ ﺩﻝ ﮐﺎﺭﻭﺍﮞ، ﮐﺎﺭﻭﺍﮞ
ﮨﺎﺗﮫ ﺳﯿﻨﮯ ﭘﮧ ﺭﮐﮭﻮ ﺗﻮ ﮨﺮ ﺍﺳﺘﺨﻮﺍﮞ
ﺳﮯ ﺍﭨﮭﮯ ﻧﺎﻟﮧﺀﺍﻻﻣﺎﮞ، ﺍﻻﻣﺎﮞ
ﺁﺝ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ ﻧﮧ ﭘﻮﭼﮭﻮ،ﻣﺮﮮ ﺩﻭﺳﺘﻮ
ﮐﺐ ﺗﻤﮩﺎﺭﮮ ﻟﮩﻮ ﮐﮯ ﺩﺭﯾﺪﮦ ﻋَﻠﻢ
ﻓﺮﻕِ ﺧﻮﺭﺷﯿﺪِ ﻣﺤﺸﺮ ﭘﮧ ﮨﻮﮞ ﮔﮯ ﺭﻗﻢ
ﺍﺯ ﮐﺮﺍﮞ ﺗﺎ ﮐﺮﺍﮞ ﮐﺐ ﺗﻤﮩﺎﺭﮮ ﻗﺪﻡ
ﻟﮯ ﮐﮯ ﺍﭨﮭﮯ ﮔﺎ ﻭﮦ ﺑﺤﺮِ ﺧﻮﮞ ﯾﻢ ﺑﮧ ﯾﻢ
ﺟﺲ ﻣﯿﮟ ﺩﮬُﻞ ﺟﺎﺋﮯ ﮔﺎ ﺁﺝ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ ﮐﺎ ﻏﻢ
ﺳﺎﺭﮮ ﺩﺭﺩ ﻭ ﺍﻟﻢ ﺳﺎﺭﮮ ﺟﻮﺭ ﻭ ﺳﺘﻢ
ﺩﻭﺭ ﮐﺘﻨﯽ ﮨﮯ ﺧﻮﺭﺷﯿﺪ ﻣﺤﺸﺮ ﮐﯽ ﻟﻮ
ﺁﺝ ﮐﮯ ﺩﻥ ﻧﮧ ﭘﻮﭼﮭﻮ، ﻣﺮﮮ ﺩﻭﺳﺘﻮ
ﻣﺎﺭﭺ، ﺍﭘﺮﯾﻞ 1969 ﺀ

[Omama. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In the desert of solitude, beloved, quiver,
The shadows of your voice, the mirage of your lips;
Amidst the weeds and ashes of absence flower,
In this desert, the roses and Jasmine of our love.

From your nearness, the ardour of your breath seems to rise.
Burning without flame in its perfume, gently;
Somewhere far, beyond the horizon, glistens
The tender dew falling drop by drop, from your eyes.

In this instant, your memory strokes my heart so lovingly,
Gentle hand caressing a cheek with tenderness,
It seems, although its still the morning of exile
The day of parting is over, is come the night of togetherness."

.......

دشت تنہائی میں اے جان جہاں لرزاں ہیں
تیری آواز کے سائے ترے ہونٹوں کے سراب
دشت تنہائی میں دوری کے خس و خاک تلے
کھل رہے ہیں ترے پہلو کے سمن اور گلاب

اٹھ رہی ہے کہیں قربت سے تری سانس کی آنچ
اپنی خوشبو میں سلگتی ہوئی مدھم مدھم
دور افق پار چمکتی ہوئی قطرہ قطرہ
گر رہی ہے تری دل دار نظر کی شبنم

اس قدر پیار سے اے جان جہاں رکھا ہے
دل کے رخسار پہ اس وقت تری یاد نے ہات
یوں گماں ہوتا ہے گرچہ ہے ابھی صبح فراق
ڈھل گیا ہجر کا دن آ بھی گئی وصل کی رات

...

“Before you came,
things were as they should be:
the sky was the dead-end of sight,
the road was just a road, wine merely wine.

Now everything is like my heart,
a color at the edge of blood:
the grey of your absence, the color of poison, of thorns,
the gold when we meet, the season ablaze,
the yellow of autumn, the red of flowers, of flames,
and the black when you cover the earth
with the coal of dead fires.

And the sky, the road, the glass of wine?
The sky is a shirt wet with tears,
the road a vein about to break,
and the glass of wine a mirror in which
the sky, the road, the world keep changing.

Don’t leave now that you’re here—
Stay. So the world may become like itself again:
so the sky may be the sky,
the road a road,
and the glass of wine not a mirror, just a glass of wine.”

تم نہ آئے تھے تو ہر اک چیز وہی تھی کہ جو ہے
آسماں حد نظر راہ گزر راہ گزر شیشۂ مے شیشۂ مے
اور اب شیشۂ مے راہ گزر رنگ فلک
رنگ ہے دل کا مرے خون جگر ہونے تک
چمپئی رنگ کبھی راحت دیدار کا رنگ
سرمئی رنگ کہ ہے ساعت بیزار کا رنگ
زرد پتوں کا خس و خار کا رنگ
سرخ پھولوں کا دہکتے ہوئے گلزار کا رنگ
زہر کا رنگ لہو رنگ شب تار کا رنگ
آسماں راہ گزر شیشۂ مے
کوئی بھیگا ہوا دامن کوئی دکھتی ہوئی رگ
کوئی ہر لحظہ بدلتا ہوا آئینہ ہے
اب جو آئے ہو تو ٹھہرو کہ کوئی رنگ کوئی رت کوئی شے
ایک جگہ پر ٹھہرے
پھر سے اک بار ہر اک چیز وہی ہو کہ جو ہے
آسماں حد نظر راہ گزر راہ گزر شیشۂ مے شیشۂ مے

[Deepak Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bouquet of Poems

It was a pleasure to read poems of the great poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The beautiful Translation in English by Sarvat Rehman. It is a collectors item for Lovers of Urdu Poetry.

[Manas Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional with a tinch of solitude. These 100 poems are as fascinating as the author's life. Incredible read!

[Naad E]

good

[Sharf15 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great poet of Urdu in 20th century,His poems very conceptual and thought provoking

[Amit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant