“We ought to have met, in another time, in pursuit of attainable dreams, below a different sky,
Upon a different earth, we ought to have met then, there.”
Parveen Shakir
وہ تو خوشبو ہے ، ہواؤں میں بکھر جائے گا
مسئلہ پھُول کا ہے ، پھُول کدھر جائے گا
ہم تو سمجھے تھے کہ اِک زخم ہے ، بھر جائے گا
کیا خبر تھی کہ رگِ جاں میں اُتر جائے گا
وہ ہواؤں کی طرح خانہ بجاں پھرتا ہے
ایک جھونکا ہے جو آئے گا، گُزر جائے گا
وہ جب آئے گا تو پھر اُس کی رفاقت کے لیے
موسمِ گُل مرے آنگن میں ٹھہر جائے گا
آخرش وہ بھی کہیں ریت پہ بیٹھی ہو گی
تیرا یہ پیار بھی دریا ہے ،اُتر جائے گا
Today marks birth anniversary of a great poetess of Pakistan. Even after sixteen years of her death, her poetical works remain unmatched. As a prolific poet, she started writing at a very young age. The first volume of her poetry “Khushbu” got great critical acclamation in 1970s. The other volumes of her poetry, “Sad-e-Barg”, “Inkaar”, “Khud Kilami” and “Kaif-e Aaaina” were also equally popular. Besides her poetical works, “Gosha-e-chashm” (compilation of her newspaper columns) was also acclaimed. The work “Mah-e-tamam” forms a compilation of her all poetical works.
جستجو کھوےّ ہووّ ں کی عمر بھر کرتے رہے
چاند کے ہمراہ ہم ہر شب سفر کرتے رہے
راستوں کا علم تھا نہ ہم کو سمتوں کی خبر
تیرے جانے کی خبر دیوار و در کرتے رہے
وہ نہ آےّ گا ہمیں معلوم تھا ، اس شام بھی
انتظار اس کا مگر کچھ سوچ کر کرتے رہے
Her poetry primarily draws deep influences from Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi. She used to call him “Ammujan” and the first collection “Khushbu” is dedicated to him. Also, the opening poem titled “Sar-e-Shaakh-e-gul” of “Khushbu” is also written on him. Parveen is also the first poetess to use English titles for Urdu poems. Her poems “Ecstasy”, “Prism”, “Catharsis”, and “Duty” have English titles.
She was known as poet of Dreams, colors and Fragrances.
پنی رسوائی، ترے نام کا چرچا دیکھوں
اِک ذرا شعر کہوں اور میں کیا کیا دیکھوں
نیند آ جائے تو کیا محفلیں برپا دیکھوں
آنکھ کھُل جائے تو تنہائی کا صحرا دیکھوں
شام بھی ہو گئی، دھُندلا گئیں آنکھیں بھی مری
بھُولنے والے،میں کب تک ترا رَستا دیکھوں
Her work was often based on romanticism, exploring the concepts of love, beauty and their contradictions, and heavily integrated the use of metaphors, similes and personifications.
رات ابھی تنہائی کی پہلی دہلیز پہ ہے
اور میری جانب اپنے ہاتھ بڑھاتی ہے
سوچ رہی ہوں
ان کو تھاموں
زینہ زینہ سناٹوں کے تہہ خانوں میں اُتروں
یا اپنے کمرے میں ٹھہروں
چاند مری کھڑکی پر دستک دیتا ہے
Parveen had her own style and diction that remains matchless with any other poet of Pakistan. Ghazal and freestyle are the only two forms of poetry that she used. Her poetical works mainly reflect the themes of love, gender discrimination, social injustice, feminism, social stigmas and romanticism. Apart from being a romanticist, her works reflect the tranquil concepts of love, beauty and contradiction, along with usage of metaphors and embodiments. She was also the first poet to use a term “Larki” in her works.
“Gaye janam ki sada” from her first work “Khushbu”, are a few lines……..
“Woh ek larki………
Ke jis se shayad mein ek pal bhi nahi mili hun………
Mein uskey chehre ko janti hun k uska chehra…………..
There is another poem “Muqaddar” where she writes……..
“Mein wo larki hoon jis ko pehli raat……..
Koi ghoonghat utha key yeh kehdey………”
This unique style of using feminine language is seen rare in the world of a male-dominated Urdu poetry, where a girl is openly talking about something she feels or something that touches her. This gives the most elegant female touch to her work. After Fahmida Riaz, Parveen was obviously the next Urdu poetess to bring out and sketch an influential feminine voice that was both exigent and engaging to a male dominated society. This was the area where she created her own forte. As compared to her ghazals, her freestyle work is more about social matters and taboos like gender inequality, gender unfairness, nationalism, sham, prostitution, human psyche and current affairs.
بال بال موتی چمکائے
روم روم مہکار
مانگ سیندور کی سندرتا سے
چمکے چندن وار
جوڑے میں جوہی کی بینی
بانہہ میں ہار سنگھار
کان میں جگ مگ بالی پتّہ
گلے میں جگنو ، ہار
She is one of those Urdu poets whose works have impressed everyone through her thematic and pragmatic poetry. Her works simply add a new facet to the customary theme of love by presenting it in a simpler yet more transparent style and by using a multiplicity of words and metaphors to express different thoughts with varying intensities. Her works truly define the susceptibility of several generations and reflect an in-separation of poetry and tragedy. The very deep romanticism that radiantly runs in her works shows a subterranean and colossal refinement with an amalgamated melody.
Her poetry has also been sung and composed by many singers and musicians. Tassawar Khanum beautifully sang her poem “Tooti he meri neend magar…..”. Famous band Vital Signs sang her poem “Chehra” in different versions. Tina Sani sang her “Sundar Komal Sapno ki..” Mehdi Hasan sang “Koo ba koo phel gai” from collection “Khushbu” in 1982. Habib Wali sang “Gori karat Singhaar” from her collection “Khushbu”, later which was performed by Jawad Ahmed as well.
Her first book “Khushbu” won Pakistan's Adamjee Award and she was later awarded Pride of Performance. She left us on 26th of December 1994 in a car accident.
If he be scent, let him not touch me
and pass, until he be part of my existence.
The flower half-opened its lips,
I shall cleanse his lashes with my shawl
So the dust of this day's journey,
May not enter tomorrow's!
پُورا دکھ اور آدھا چاند!
ہجر کی شب اور ایسا چاند؟
دن میں وحشت بہل گئی تھی
رات ہُوئی اور نکلا چاند
کس مقتل سے گزرا ہو گا
اِتنا سہما سہما چاند
یادوں کی آباد گلی میں
گھوم رہا ہے تنہا چاند
