Anwaar Qureshi’s Top Three
hmmm … 3 poems to select… Extremely tough choice… Where I admire every single word that I have read in Iqbal’s Baang-e-Daraa and Baal-e-Jibreel and every other of his works that I could get a hold of from the books like Zarb-e-Kaleem, Asraar-e-Khudi etc., it is injustice to leave many of my ideal’s work… feels absolutely helpless just like I feel helpless to share my favourites from my teacher Hasan Akbar Kamal, poems like:
Kiya hota hai khizaaN bahaar kaY aanaY jaanaY saY
Sub Mosam haiN dil khilnaY aur dil murjhaanaY saY
or like
Kamal maiN ussaY kiss dil saY baY wafaa keh dooN
WOh baY wafaa tau naheeN, baY wafaaouN jaisaa hai
It is almost heart breaking not to choose from Ghalib (although many of his contemporaries and olders like Zoq, Daagh, Meer, Momin had produced great works that I enjoy but not to the extent to call it a favourite - ahh .. taste), Faiz, Ahmed Faraz, A.N. Qasmi, Amjad Islam Amjad, Parveen Shakir etc.; however, I have chosen three poems that have always touched my heart during different phases of life all the time… Perhaps, the first two poems, colors of which are pretty evident in my own poetry… an inspiration.. no big words, no huge diction… Simple, striking, and revealation of the hearts… Stunning to say the least!!!
And No, I won’t share my poems I am not that big of a poet to put mine with such big names here except to say in my own words:
Dhanak, ruNg, phool, khushbu, mosam jo suhaanaY niklaY
AaNkh khuli tau inn maiN kitnaY hee fasaanaY niklaY
Jinn ko raakh kiyaa, aur phir naz’r-e-aab Anwaar
Seh’r hui tau wohi auraaQ sarhaanaY niklaY
The first poem by Anwer maqsood…
Friendship is truely an ocean… When the night falls and darkness surrounds, on the beaches of a great shore, you can feel alone in front of the waves hearing nothing but Silence of this Ocean. A friend’s heart is nothing but the very ocean - quiet but carrying a deepness along where a person like me will think twice before getting drowned. Those who do not deserve the bottom of the sea, will lurk around on the surface of a ship never knowing the mysteries of that world. It will remain water for them as it will remain ocean to those who conquer the land of the ocean. I’m but a poor person on the ship that will never sink.
Dosti Kaa ek Samander
Dosti ka ek samandar
Unginat Saahil wafa kay
Apnay seenay maiN chupaye
Jaanay kab say beh raha thaa
Daf’atun ek mauj ubhree
MotiyoN kee shakal maiN
Dhaltay huay alfaaz, jumlay
Khood-bakhood dil say uThai
Lub tak gaye
Dil ka her ek bojh lafzoN nay uThaia
Fik’r ka her lamha ek jumlay say Takraya
Bhikher ker kho gaya
Gham ka raiza raiza
Kuch baatoN ki ro maiN beh gaya
My second favorite poem would be of Late Muneer Niazi… It reflects the great quote that once my eyes read, my lips mumbled, yet my ears heard “RifaaqataiN mukhtasir bhee hoti haiN, magar tum jaantaY ho, yaadaiN mukhtasir naheeN hoteeN.”
**SitaaraY jo DamakktaY haiN
Kissi kee chahsm-e-HeraaN maiN
MulaaqaataiN jo hoti haiN
Jamaal-e-Ab’r-O-BaaraaN maiN
Yeh Naa Aabaad waQtoN maiN
Dil-e-Naashaad maiN ho gee
Muhabbat abb naheeN ho gee
Yeh kuch din ba’ad maiN ho gee
Guzar JaaaYeN geY jub yeh din
Yeh unn kee yaad maiN ho gee**
**This one is particularly one of my favorites too… ** The real and true definition of what Life actually is according to the CREATOR of life is beautifully depicted by The Poet of the east Sir. Muhammad Allama Iqbal in his book Baal-e-Jibreel
**Zindagi
**
Bar tar az andesha-e-sood-O-ziyaaN hai Zindagi
Hai kabhi JaaN aur kabhi tasleem-e-jaaN hai Zindagi
Tu issay Paimaana-e-Imroz-O-fardaa say naa naap
JavedaaN, Peha’m dawaaN, Har damm jawaaN hai Zindagi
Apni duniya aap peda kar agar zindoN maiN hai
Si’r-e-Adam hai, zameer-e-kun fikaaN hai Zindagi
Zindagaani ki haqeeqat Koh-kunn kay dil say pooch
Joo-e-sheer-O-teesha-O-sang-e-giraaN hai Zindagi
Bandagi main gha’T kay reh jaati hai ik joo-e-kamm aab
aur aazaadi maiN behr-e-bay karaaN hai Zindagi
Aashkaaraa hai yeh apni quwwat-e-taskheer say
garchaY ik miTTi kay paikar maiN nihaaN hai Zindagi
Qulzum-e-Hasti say Ubhraa hai tu maaniNd-e-Hubaab
Iss ziyaaN khaanay maiN teraa imtehaaN hai Zindagi
Khaam hai jubb tukk tu hai miTTi kaa aik an(m)baar tu
Pukhtaa ho jaaey tau hai shamsheer-e-bay zanhaar tu
Ho sadaaqat kay liye jiss dil maiN marnay ki taRap
Pehlay apnay paikar-e-khaaki maiN jaaN paidaa karay
PhooNk daalay yeh zameen-O-aasmaaN paida karay
Aur khaakistar say aap apna jahaaN paida karay
Zindagi ki quwwat-e-pinhaaN ko kar day aashkaar
Taa yeh chiNgaari farogh-e-javedaaN paida karay
Khaak-e-mashriq par chamak jaaey misaal-e-aaftaab
Taa ba’dakhshaan phir wohi La’al-e-giraaN paida karay
Suu-e-girdooN naala-e-shabgeer kaa bhaijaY safeer
Raat kay taaroN maiN apnay raazdaaN paida karay
Yeh GhaRi Mehshar kee hai, tu arsa-e-mehshar maiN hai
Paish kar ghaafiL, Amal koi agar daftar maiN hai
