Though Mirza Ghalib wrote a large number of poems in Persian, it is a pity that those works have been overshadowed by his Urdu writings. Most of his works available in English translation are also from Urdu works. In fact, Maaz Bin Bilal’s Temple Lamp is the first complete English translation of Ghalib’s famous ‘masnavi’ Chirag-e-Dair, a long poem written on Banaras during Ghalib’s stay in the city in 1826. The English translation of this work is timely as, in an era of religious divisionism, it reveals how a city usually considered holy by the Hindus could be a romantic and spiritual home for a Muslim poet, who once wrote to his friend Munshi Hargopal Tufta, “I consider all humanity to be my family; every man, be he a Muslim or a Hindu or a Christian, is my brother.”
Chirag-e-Dair was written by Ghalib in Banaras when he stopped there en route to Kolkata for submitting a petition to the British Governor General to remove difficulties in obtaining his pension in full. Before reaching Benaras, Ghalib spent a few days in Allahabad, a place he did not like at all. In a famous letter to Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan, Ghalib expressed his dislike for the city: “What a ridiculous place is Ilahabad! May God get rid of it; for it has no healing for the sick, nor anything of note for the gentleman…” Banaras, after this experience, seemed heavenly to him. Immediately upon reaching, Ghalib’s health significantly improved. To the same Nawab he wrote about enjoying a city that had “excessively heart-warming qualities.”
Chirag-e-Dair should be read as an appreciation of Banaras, a holy Hindu city, by one of 19th century India’s finest poets. The poem, divided into several sections, appreciates the natural and spiritual beauty of the city along with that of its people. Maaz Bin Bilal rightly argues that “Banaras, poetically, proves to be his romantic and spiritual home. In verse 25, Ghalib prays to God to keep the city protected from evil eyes: “May God keep Banaras/from the evil eye,/it is heavenly bliss,/paradise established.” In verse 47 he writes: “The (supreme) place of worship for/the conch-blowers,/surely, (Banaras) is the Kaaba/of Hindustan” – an indication that, to Ghalib, spirituality transcended institutional religion.
The structure of a ‘masnavi’ also helps Ghalib capture his spiritual sojourn into a holy city (not confined to a particular religion by barbed wire) poignantly. A ‘masnavi’ is a long narrative poem divided into ‘betis’ (couplets that make complete sense in themselves), composed of two equal lines known as ‘misra.’ There is internal rhyme in a ‘misra’ as well. Ghalib references Hindu rituals to describe the serene beauty of Banaras, subverting the so-called religion-specificity of language. In verse 42, he writes: “Autumn, when it shakes its wings/in pride,/becomes on (Kashi’s) forehead/a proud sandalwood mark.”
Maintaining the rhyme scheme of one language in another is a difficult task and Bilal has not been able to retain the internal rhyme of the ‘beti‘ in Temple Lamp. Had it been done, the poem could have been more musical. Bilal, however, should be thanked for choosing this particular work for translating in to English. It broadens Ghalib’s oeuvre to the English readers and is also more autobiographical and descriptive than his Urdu ghazals. Bilal rightly argues that Ghalib’s “penchant for physical beauty, his ability to perceive and represent pleasure and joy, and his zest for life,” contests “descriptions of Ghalib as primarily a poet of grief.”
Ghalib wrote Chirag-e-Dair in his youth. There is no reason, however, to think that Ghalib’s love for Banaras withered with time. An old Ghalib wrote to his friend Miyan Dad Khan Sayyah, “Banaras is beyond words. Such cities are seldom created. I happened to be there at the height of my youth. If I were young now, I would go and live there and not return.” In fact, contemporary India should read Temple Lamp to remind itself of a religious and literary past that thrived, despite differences, on mutual respect.
(Angshuman Kar is a poet and professor, Department of English and Culture Studies, University of Burdwan)
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