A Psychological Poem By Iqbal -- "MaaN Ka KH(w)aab" -- English Translation & Commentary

[Afzal A. Khan]

As Naseer Saheb observed in a recent post, we seem to be concentrating
on English translations of Urdu Poetry.

Here is one more in this sequence. It is entitled


MaaN Ka KH(w)aab

MaiN soii jo ik shab to dekha yeh KH(w)aab

BaRha aur jis se mira iztiraab

Yeh dekha ke maiN ja rahi hooN kaheeN

Andhera hai, aur raah milti naheeN

Larazta tha Dar se mira baal baal

Qadam ka tha dehshat se uThna muhaal

Jo kuchh hausla paa ke aage baRhi

To dekha qataar ek laRkoN ki thi

Zamurrud si poshak pehne huwe

Diye sab ke haathoN men jalte huwe

Woh chup-chaap the aage peechhe rawaaN

KHuda jaane jaana tha un ko kahaaN

Isi soch men thi k(e) mera pisar

Mujhe is jamaa'at men aaya nazar

Woh peechhe tha aur tez chalta na tha

Diya us ke haathoN men jalta na tha

Kaha maiN ne pehchaan kar meri jaaN

Mujhe chhoR kar aa gaye tum kahaaN

Judaaii men rehti hooN maiN be~qaraar

Piroti hooN har roz ashkoN ke haar

Na parwa hamaari zara tum ne ki

Gaye chhoR, achhi wafa tum ne ki

Jo bach'che ne dekha mira pech-o-taab

Diya us ne mooNh pher kar yooN jawaab

Rulaati hai tujh ko judaaii miri

NaheeN is men kuchh bhi bhalaaii miri

Yeh keh kar woh kuchh der tak chup raha

Diya phir dikhaa kar yeh kehne laga

Samajhti hai tu ho gaya kya ise ?

Tire aaNsuoN ne bujhaaya ise !



*****************


English Translation :



A Mother's Dream

As I slept one night I dreamt
A dream that heightened my discontent
I saw myself going somewhere
Unable to find my way in the gloom
Trembling, drowning in my terror
As I continued on, I saw
# (A Group of) Boys walking in line
# Wearing emerald-hued coats, carrying (lighted) lamps
Silently they walked
God knows where to
As I stood lost in thought
There I saw, my son
Walking forlornly in the back
Carrying an extinguished lamp
Recognizing him, I cried, "my love"
Why have you forsaken me ?
I pine for you; and every day weave a necklace of tears
Not once did you think of me
Alone and abandoned
$ The child seeing my agony derisively (dismissively) replied
"Your tears do me no favours";
@ Silent then for a moment {He showed me the lamp, after a
few moments' silence)}
Do you wonder what happened to it ?
Your tears put it out !"


# : Words in parentheses added by me. Not in original translation
$ : 'Derisively" doesn't seem appropriate. I have suggested an
alternative in brackets.
@ : I have suggested a complete alternate line.

************************

Commentary :

On the surface, this poem is simply a description of a mother's
dream, fearing for her child's safety. It is a profound explana-
tion of a core concept in child development : "Separation --
Individuation", the process by which a child grows psychologically
and develops the capacity to tolerate prolonged periods of separa-
tion from its mother (or other parental figure) on its way to
becoming an adult.

It should be noted that simply being conversant in a language does
not mean that one is able to appreciate its poetry. Iqbal's
poetry, with its dense metaphysical and philosophical themes, is
even more of a challenge for the casual reader. This poem,
however, is written in a simpler style.

The use of the word "emerald" {'zamarrud'} or green is interesting.
Why green ? This might be one key to unlocking the life-affirming
message of the poem. In many cultures, green symbolizes hope and
growth. The most common associations, however, are (to be) found
in its ties to nature. For example, Islam venerates this colour,
as it expects Paradise to be full of lush greenery. In many folk -
lores and literatures, green has traditionally been used to
symbolize Nature and its embodied attributes, namely those of life,
fertility and rebirth. Green was symbolic of resurrection and
immortality in Ancient Egypt; the God Osiris was depicted as green-
skinned. It is often used to describe foliage and the sea, and has
become a symbol of environmentalism. In short, the use of emerald
seems to represent life and vibrancy.

The poet's reference to an "extinguished" lamp contains a glimpse
of the central theme of the poem : a lamp used to light one's way,
is now dark and useless, unable to show its bearer the way forward.

Even though the translation does not do justice to the power of
Iqbal's words, it is hard not to be moved by the setting of the
poem : darkness, a dreamworld, figures with emerald coats and a
Mother, lost and tearful.

The concluding lines : Here we come to the central message of the
poem : a mother's grief and agony at having to let go of her child
as it grows and matures and becomes more independent, and (in the
process) inevitably moving away from her. Iqbal arrives at a
profound psychological insight, perhaps from his own experience
with his mother, perhaps through his observations as a sensitive
artiste. As a child grows, the mother, who has learned to cater to
its every need and whim, must now learn to allow the child to
stumble out of her grasp, perhaps to fall, make mistakes and get
hurt. She must accept that those hurts are an inevitable part of
growing and changing into an adult. Interestingly, the poet makes
no mention of a father anywhere in the dream, a figure that can
help moderate the intensity of the emotions involved.

Also, this pattern of a mother's intense attachment to the child,
and the child's resultant feeling of perhaps being smothered, would
be quite typical in the feudal, non-industrial culture of British
India where Iqbal was born, raised and lived most of his life.

In the end, Iqbal is pleading both sides of the case. The mother
describes her suffering to the child (and to us) and it is proof of
her love. The child does not reject it, but points out to her the
consequence of such excessive attachment, his difficulty in finding
his way in the dream (and presumably in life), because of the
effect of his mother's tears and grief.


***********************

Note : The Translation and Commentary are by Mr. Ali Hashmi.



Afzal

[Naseer]

Thank you for posting this nazm, Afzal SaaHib. I often wondered
exactly what Iqbal had in mind when he wrote this touching poem. I had
an idea and that has been confirmed by Ali Hasimi's commentary.

A couple of points.

Wearing emerald-hued coats, carrying (lighted) lamps

The original line is " Diye sab ke haathoN men jalte huwe". So, why
has the translator added "lighted" in brackets when the original has
"jalte hu'e" anyway?

Secondly, do you think there is word play in the use of "baal baal"
when "baal" also means "bachchah"? Just a thought.

Naseer

[Afzal A. Khan]

On 9/24/2012 4:46 PM, Naseer wrote:

> On Sep 24, 6:08 pm, "Afzal A. Khan" <me_af...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Larazta tha Dar se mira baal baal

>> Diye sab ke haathoN men jalte huwe
>>

>> Gaye chhoR, achhi wafa tum ne ki
>>
>> Jo bach'che ne dekha mira pech-o-taab
>>
>> Diya us ne mooNh pher kar yooN jawaab
>>
>> Rulaati hai tujh ko judaaii miri
>>
>> NaheeN is men kuchh bhi bhalaaii miri
>>
>> Yeh keh kar woh kuchh der tak chup raha
>>
>> Diya phir dikhaa kar yeh kehne laga
>>
>> Samajhti hai tu ho gaya kya ise ?
>>
>> Tire aaNsuoN ne bujhaaya ise !
>>
>> *****************
>>
>> English Translation :
>>
>> A Mother's Dream
>>
>>

>> # (A Group of) Boys walking in line
>> # Wearing emerald-hued coats, carrying (lighted) lamps
>>

>> $ The child seeing my agony derisively (dismissively) replied
>> "Your tears do me no favours";
>> @ Silent then for a moment {He showed me the lamp, after a
>> few moments' silence)}
>> Do you wonder what happened to it ?
>> Your tears put it out !"
>>
>> # : Words in parentheses added by me. Not in original translation
>> $ : 'Derisively" doesn't seem appropriate. I have suggested an
>> alternative in brackets.
>> @ : I have suggested a complete alternate line.
>>
>> ************************

>> Note : The Translation and Commentary are by Mr. Ali Hashmi.
>>
>> Afzal



>
> Thank you for posting this nazm, Afzal SaaHib. I often wondered
> exactly what Iqbal had in mind when he wrote this touching poem. I had
> an idea and that has been confirmed by Ali Hasimi's commentary.
>
> A couple of points.
>
> Wearing emerald-hued coats, carrying (lighted) lamps
>
> The original line is " Diye sab ke haathoN men jalte huwe". So, why
> has the translator added "lighted" in brackets when the original has
> "jalte hu'e" anyway?
>
> Secondly, do you think there is word play in the use of "baal baal"
> when "baal" also means "bachchah"? Just a thought.
>
> Naseer

Naseer Saheb,

The word "lighted" (in brackets) has NOT been added by the
translator Mr. Ali Hashmi. It has been added by "Aap ka
KHaadim" i.e. Yours Truly ! "Lighted" is a crucial word
in the context of the poem's conclusion or moral. And I
cannot fathom why Mr. Hashmi chose to ignore this word. If
he is to be given the benefit of doubt, one has to assume
that it was simply an omission. And I did explain having
made certain additions in brackets in my explanatory note at
the bottom. Please examine the symbol '#'. This additional
word is included in that note.

Re : Your second point. I don't think so. 'Baal' (in the sense
of "child" is seldom used in Urdu. And, IMHO, there was
absolutely no "guNjaaish" in this poem for indulging in any such
word-play. A poet worth his salt (and even regular Urdu readers)
would realize that such 'gimmicks' would detract from the poem's
impact.

As an aside, Naseer Saheb, I would like to add that all of us have
our idiosyncrasies. For instance, I have my own sense of what
constitutes "idiomatic" or 'faseeh' style of writing English. Now,
my ideas in this regard may not correspond to somebody else's
style of writing. My style may not even be considered correct at
times. But I can't help it. And that is why I have used the word
'idiosyncrasy'. Between you and me, I have made a few very subtle
changes in the language of Mr. Hashmi's Commentary ! Of course, it
doesn't affect his opinions or slant in the slightest.


Afzal

[Naseer]

janaab-i-Afzal SaaHib, aadaab.

Yes, as soon as I pressed the "send" button I realised I had
misunderstood and that it was you who had placed the additional words
in brackets.

In the process of searching for as letter for the "sab kahaaN kuchh
laalah.." Ghazal thread, I came across the following from Ghalib, in a
letter addressed to Munshi Nabi BaKhsh SaaHib..

"...begum ko du3aa pahuNche aur sab laRke baaloN ko. yahaaN Baaqir Ali
aur Hussain Ali tum ko bandagii aur apne bhaa'ii-bahnoN ko 3alaa qadr-
i-muraatib bandagii, salaam du3aa kahte haiN.."

In Punjabi, we regularly use "baal-bachchah". So , this is the reason
the thought occurred to me.

Naseer