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A Study of Select Metaphors in Urdu Ghazals

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A Study of Select Metaphors in Urdu Ghazals International Journal of English and Literature (IJEL) ISSN(P): 2249-6912; ISSN(E): 2249-8028 Vol. 6, Issue 2, Apr 2016, 33-40 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd METAPHORS OF YORE – A STUDY OF SELECT METAPHORS IN URDU GHAZALS K. TEJASWANI Department of English, GITAM University, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India ABSTRACT The word Ghazal has more than one meaning, but literally it means conversing with women. Ghazals are a very important part of Urdu literature and have roots in Persian literature and Arabic traditional poetry techniques. The normal ghazal is brief and contains one or more ideas. The themes range from love and devotion to God and human beings, praising the might of man, afflictions and greatness of human race. Some ghazals which contain a single theme have been used as songs in Hindi movies. Urdu poets generally adhere to traditional techniques of ghazal. In fact, that is the main reason for the liberal use of conventional and classical metaphors and symbols which were quite widespread in Arabic and Persian poetry. In spite of the interval extending to centuries, those who hold on to their unrequited love, find solace in the couplets of the Urdu poets ranging from Amir Khusrau to Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Unfortunately, changing times leave their impact on people and their lifestyles. What has been taken for granted by Article Original the previous generation may be considered as frivolous or ridiculous by the next generation. Invention of articles or gadgets to make the common man’s life easier like the light bulb also end up erasing an entire range of memories or identity of previous generations. Many symbols and metaphors used in Urdu Ghazals are based on the relationship of mankind with certain customs in life. For example the lighting of a candle or a diya in the evening, going to the river bank or a lake to fill water, nightingales singing in rose gardens etc. Regrettably, with changing times these commonplace incidents which are used as metaphors with deep philosophical meaning in Ghazals are becoming incomprehensible. The paper briefly explores the system of metaphors in select Urdu ghazals and attempts to study the effect of times on certain metaphors like candle (shama), garden (chaman) and tavern (maikada). KEYWORDS: Urdu Ghazals, Metaphors in Urdu Ghazals, Symbols in Urdu Ghazals Received: Feb 29, 2016; Accepted: Mar 08, 2016; Published: Mar 15, 2016; Paper Id.: IJELAPR201607 INTRODUCTION Contrary to widespread belief, Ghazals [1] are not restricted to love alone. The themes of ghazals range from love for God, praise for humanity, love between two persons, grief of unrequited love, misery of separation, daily life, etc. Among these ghazals, the ghazals that describe love for another person and the travails they undergo for reciprocation of their love endure forever. Readers who find themselves in similar situation have great affinity towards this type of ghazals. Poets generally wax lyrical about the beauty of their beloved and the suffering they have to undergo to prove that their love is true in these types of ghazals. Urdu poets’ celebration of the deep wounds caused by unrequited love through immortal verses haunt people in similar situations. The readers end up with memories of their beloved and the bygone days. The exhilarating intoxication that accompanies true love is once again welcomed in their memories [2]. www.tjprc.org [email protected] 34 K. Tejaswani Ghazal poetry is highly symbolic in nature. From the Persian poetic tradition, ghazals inherited elegance and symbolic art form. Most of the metaphors used in ghazals are intertwined with symbols and this led to the development of an entire system of metaphor – symbol system. The symbol 1, ‘chaman’ or rose garden forms a basis for many other symbols related to it like the gul and bulbul. Again, the gul and bulbul lead to further symbols like gulchin, baghban, qafas, and sayyad. Also, chaman is a symbol for seasons or mausam which again leads to bahaar, barsat, and khizan. One of the frequently used symbolic pairs is the gul and bulbul or the rose and the nightingale. The rose garden is the abode in which they reside and it is a symbol for heaven or the residence of the beloved. The nightingale with all its mundane problems and efforts represents the worldly life. The bond between the gul and bulbul is used as a metaphor to portray affiliations like the love between the loyal ashiq (nightingale) and the unpredictable mashooq (rose flower) and the bond between the devotee and the Almighty. Metaphor- symbol system related to mehfil (gathering) and maikhada (tavern) are also frequently used in Urdu ghazals. Systematic development of symbols used in Urdu poetry - Example Chaman Figure 1 Table 1 S. No. Characters Characteristics 1.1 Gul (rose) Khilna (bloom), murjhana (wither), rang-o-bu (color and fragrance), khamosh guftagu (communication in the form of silence), bebasi (helplessness) and bechargi (misery) 1.2 Bulbul (nightingale) Gul ka deewana (lover of the rose), aamad-e- mausam-e-gul (arrival of spring), naghma sarai (singing melodies), ruksathe-mausam-e-gul (departure of spring), aah-o-zaari (cry out in pain) 1.3 Sayyaad (hunter) Cruelty, tyranny, hunting of nightingale, imprison nightingale, cutting of the wings 1.4 Gulchin (rose picker) Cruelty towards roses 1.5 Baghbaan (gardener) Protects the garden and the roses 1 The author acknowledges the constant support and encouragement received from Prof. Khalid Saeed (retd.) Department of Urdu, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad. Impact Factor (JCC): 4.4049 Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 6.1 Metaphors of Yore – A Study of Select Metaphors in Urdu Ghazals 35 Mehfil Figure 2 Characters and their characteristics associated with Mehfil Table 2 S. No. Characters Characteristics 1.1 Mehfil (gathering) Used as a symbol for world and life 1.2 Shama (candle) Jalna (to light up, to give life, selfless), pigaljana (to melt), roshni (light), sham (evening), subh (morning), andhera (darkness) 1.3 Parwana (moth) Diwana (besotted), jaljana (to sacrifice life for the sake of love) Maikhada Figure 3 Characters and their characteristics associated with maikhada Table 3 S. No. Characters Characteristics 1.1 Sharab (wine) Life sustainer, substance, life, 1.2 Sakhi (woman Life givr, a person who gives solace, who doles out gifts bartender) 1.3 Rind (drunkard) A person who is going through troubles, a person who forgets his duties www.tjprc.org [email protected] 36 K. Tejaswani The poets’ creativity can be measured by the skill of crafting apparent and veiled meanings using these metaphors and symbols. Many a times what is unsaid in a ghazal is creatively interpreted in many ways as compared to the surface meaning [2]. Many other symbols could exist for the above examples. Mir Taqi Mir (1810) and Mirza Ghalib (1869) are two prominent poets whose contribution to the Urdu literary canon stands out even in the present day. Their couplets covered a vast range of emotions from pathos to praise or from ‘aah’ se ‘waah’ tak. Select couplets of some of these great poets with translation 2 are given here. Couplets (ash-shars) on chaman 1. Patta patta, boota boota, haal hamaaraa jaane hai, Every leaf and every bud is perceptive of my love Jaane na jaane gul hi na jaane, baagh to saaraa jaane hai The entire garden is aware of my love except the rose – Mir [5] which is completely oblivious In the above couplet, the poet wonders how it is possible for his beloved to be ignorant of his love when it is known to all and sundry. The implicit meaning is that his beloved is probably pretending to be unmindful of his love. The classic mashooq, the beloved, seems to be hell bent to test the ashiq’s love. The language seems contemporary though the couplet was written in the early nineteenth century. The words display a fine balance between the conventional Persian imagery and the language reforms of the times. Mir’s consideration for Urdu as an Indian language is revealed by the native Hindi words he uses in this couplet. Mir’s superb creativity is responsible for the contemporary quality of his verses even after centuries. 2. Magar diwana tha yeh gul bhi kasu ka But the rose was also in love with someone Ki pairahan me sau jaagah rafoo tha Which is evidenced by the darning on its leaves. - Mir [5] Knowledge of the culture and tradition of the poet is essential to comprehend the explicit and implicit meaning of ghazals. This couplet follows the traditional claim and reason (dava aur daleel) path. The first line gives the claim and the second line gives reasoning. The imagery Mir evokes is unprecedented as he compares the veins of leaves to the darning of torn clothes. Cultural characteristics explain that people go crazy due to love and tear their clothes in despair as the beloved does not reciprocate their love. The couplet says that the appearance of the rose is contrary to the popular belief that the rose is indifferent to love. He supports his argument by pointing out to the veins of the leaves which resemble torn and mended clothes. It also implies that the rose’s madness is cured which again establishes the fact that the rose cannot be a true lover as it is impossible to come out of love or madness. Mir establishes the rose’s fickleness and hypocrisy is in this couplet. 3. Misaal yeh meri koshish hai ki murghay-easeer My efforts resemble the futile attempts of a caged bird which tries to build a nest with twigs. Kare kafas mein faraaham khus ashiyaa ke liye – Ghalib [5] The implicit meaning of the couplet is however much a person is oppressed; his or her natural instinct cannot be suppressed.
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