Vulgarity????

[mki...@my-deja.com]

Adab Arz hai,

I was just reading this article on Nazeer Akbarabadi , in which he has
been critisized for making use of words which were considred vulgar in
his day. There is a brief mention of his verses

"Shamsheer barehna, mang ghazab.....

Does anyone have views in this regard. I mean were the critics right to
condemn Nazeer Akbarabadi , and other poets who used to take liberties
when describing women.

Given the fact that society has progressed, would it be acceptable in
this age to come up with such verse.

I would be interested in your views, especially womens.

PS: If anyone has the complete ghazal " Shamsheer barehna...." can they
post it, please.

regards, kami

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Before you buy.

[Padmanabhan Srinagesh]

Kidwai Sahib:

I believe this ghazal is by Bahadur Shah Zafar, and it can be found on
Nitaji's excellent website. I don't understand what it means (not the
words, but the idea the poet is trying to make). Here is the matla,
copied from the website:

"shamashiir barahanaa maa.ng gazab baalo.n kii mahak phir vaisii hai
juu.De kii gu.ndhaavat bahar-e-Khudaa zulfo.n kii laTak phir vaisii
hai"

The ghazal reminds me of a couplet of Nazeer Akbarabadi's which begins:

"khoonrez karishma naaz sitam ghamzon ki jhukaavat vaisi hai"

I'd be interested in any comments on either piece.

Nagesh

[il_kh...@my-deja.com]

In article <381E4E...@pacbell.net>,

It is true that in his own age, Nazeer Akbarabadi was
not considered a poet to be classed amongst the "classicists",
for want of a better word. Subsequently, particulalry since
the last 60-70 years, his "popularity" has gone up, for
various reasons. For one thing, people who are averse to the
Persian influence and Arabic/Persian vocbulary in Urdu poetry
have found a perfect anti-thesis in Nazeer's poetry. The
"Indian-ness" of his subject-matter and the diction makes him
stand apart from other poets of his era. I am sure, in his
own age, he must have been very popular with the common masses.
He deserves a special place in the annals of Urdu poetry as
perhaps the only worthwhile poet of this genre. The word
"vulgar" used by Kidwai Sahib is perhaps apt, in its wider
sense, as something not "genteel" or "polite", not in the
sense of "obscene".
Also, I am sure some modern poetry contains far more
"vulgarity" than what Nazeer used in his age.
It seems this particular ghazal
"Sahamsheer brehna, maang ghazab" was a popular selection
with courtesans who had to cater to all tastes. For its
sheer "musicality", the ghazal is truly a gem. As Nagesh Sahib
has pointed out, the ghazal is attributed to Bahadur Shah
Zafar.

Afzal

[mki...@my-deja.com]

Dear Afzal and Nagesh Saheb,

Thanks for your response,

I had heard "Shamsheer barehna......." sung beautifully by Habib Vali
Muhammad.

When reading the article on Nazeer Akbar Abadi, I came along a verse
also with the end lines "........phir waisi hai" !

I assumed the verses belonging to "shamsheer....".

Thankd for correcting me!!!!