shakes and ghalib

First let us have a glimpse of some couplets and fragments of sonnets which are parallel if not identical in form and content. Distinct qualities of Urdu poetry are a keen ability to enjoy to the last drops everything that life brings, unsentimental detached observation of man and god and the universe. There is a strong sense of independence and self respect, conviction of originality, and of the value to mankind, upholding his values to the end no matter what other men may think of him. these are the very qualities of Shakespearean sonnets as well. I would like to deal one by one with all of them.

love
Shakespaere in sonnet 46 describes the war between his eyes and heart for having a first glimpse of his beloved.

“Mine eyes and heart are at mortal war
How to divide the conquest of thy sight.” (46)
Galib is also in the same dilemma that his heart and eyes like opponents are engaged in rivalry of emulating each other by glancing and meditating of her image.

“Baham digar hue hai dilo deeda fir rakib
Nazzarh o khyal ka saman kiye hue.”


Heart of Galib now further proceeds in the reproachful by lanes after having demolished his own temple of pride and egotism, but Shakespeare’s heart and eye approach the Court, the heart debares the eye of her right of vision as beloved’d closet canot be pierced by mortal eyes and defendant eyes plead that her appearance lies in her. The verdict determines their moiety one half to each. And thus mine eyes due is thine outward and my hint’s right thine inward love of heat. A league is made and they are no more antagonists each does good turn to other. Heart feast and my love’s picture and eyes is now heart’s guest.
“Between mine eye and heart a league is took,
And each doth good turns now unto the other” (47).

Thus the idea continues in the next sonnet. Now in sonnet 132 the eyes and heart are of the lady who is not in love with this infatuated lover but her beautiful black eyes take pity on him and her heart mourns for his desperate mood, now there is an argument, a pun on mourning and morning runs all through the sonnet.

“As those two mourning eyes become thy face.
O, let it then as well beseem thy heart to mourn for me.” (132)

Shakespeare presents this paining of eye and heart or some larger canvas of litigation and tangle of overlapping renaissance conceit “contest and legalistic debate between eye and heart were a common place fancy in Renaissance.”Booth pg 208

Galib’s attitude toward human love is conventional, but he does not idealize his love. Galib presents in new light the stock characters of a Gazal-the lover, his mistress, his unworthy rivals for her love and in the sphere of mysticism he may show a new light in man’s relationship with god. However the Gazals are distict in style and in them the rights of lover are stressed as much as the rights of the mistress, and in this lover’s self respect is asserted.

To every word that I utter you answer , ‘Who are you?
You tell me, is this the way, then I should be spoken to?
Ghalib dallied with several women, accepted the institution of the courtesan without censure, and at the age of 23, had what was the most traumatic love affair of his life. He wrote later of this, though we know little of the girl, who died early. “In the days of my youth, when the blackness of my deeds outdid the blackness of my hair and my heart held the tumult of the love of fair-faced women. Fate poured into my cup too the poison of this pain, and as the bier of my beloved was borne along the road, the dust rose from the road.”

Galib states his own attitude in two successive verses of a Gazal, deliberately parallel in their structure, in which he speaks in turn of the cruelty of fair women and the transience of spring, and stresses that without in nay way blinding himself to these realities, it is to their beauty that he surrenders himself:

The fair are cruel. What of it? They are fair.
Sing of their grace, their swaying symmentry.


My heart, this grief and sorrow too is precious; for the day will come.
You will not heave the midnight sigh nor shed your tears at early morn.

In Shakespeare’s sonnets beauty and love are the issues that have been idealized and sometimes proved to be false and deceptive and sometimes used as a basis for the philosophy of love the conflict of body and soul, matter and spirit. The everlasting spirit of poetry is a recurring theme in various sonnets by such juxtaposition of heavenly and earthly glories. The concept takes the form of a satire, apparently giving a semblance of parody but the unreal comparison ends in the idealization of the mistress.

thou art as tyrannous, so as thou art,
As those beauties proudly make them cruel;
For well thou know’st to my dear doting heart
Thou are the fairest and most precious jewel.” (131)

My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun,
Coral is more fair red then her lips red
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun,
if hairs be wire, black wires grow on her head. (130)

Galib is eager not only to do virtuous deeds but to commit sin as well, partly because he does not classify sin as others classify it, and partly because he wants the experience too, and if what he does is sin , he is more ready to pay the penalty.
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Shakespeare lives every moment to the full, prepared to face what is to come, but careful to make no optimistic assumptions about it. This sonnet describes Shakespeare’s relationship with the lady probably his mistress. The lovers do not seem to be in love at all and are aware of the mutual hypocrisies they practice with each other. Yet for them this love is as good as the real one since it keeps “the simple truth suppressed”. Shakespeare candid realism is remarkable in the acceptance of his faults and sin of not loving truly .And the comparison provides a fanciful evidence of wit and love.

“Therefore I lie with her, and she with me
and in our faults by lies we flattered be. ”(138)


Thus, the immortalizing power of poetry is the central argument that brings reconciliation between the constancy and inconstant attitude of love and beauty.


The metaphor of music though is a conventional motif , but for both Shakespeare and Galib it is a key for unlocking their heart. Shakespeare has drawn his imagery of the sonnets from his experiences of music, stage, poetic craft, commerce, court , the crown and the emperor, religion and nature. The sonnets have an undercurrent of autobiographical and historical references, imbibed with renaissance attitude.
The sonnet takes two turns, first is the picture of lover standing beside his lady love and expresses his envious appreciation of the lucky wood whose movements sways the string concord while he is standing by her, blushing at the woods boldness. The keys when tickled shifts with the dancing chips. In this way the dead woods remain more fortunate as they receive a touch of his fingers. Both the musical instrument and the poet are resonant one with sound and the other with feeling.

“How oft when thou, my music play’st
Upon that blessed wood whose motion sounds
With they sweet fingers,when thou gently sway’st.” (128)

Galib also exploits the simile of instrument of music. Here the lover wishes to be transformed into the wooden key or in the affectionate strings. Shakespeare chooses an instrument probably to exploit the punning mode. He uses the word ‘jack’ i.e though the wooden key touches his beloved’s palm is a worthless thing but if we take the music in a metaphoric sense in which the harmony is achieved by the means of string. The juxtaposition of the poet and the musical instrument creates a new image of the lover who cherishes a complaint against both key and the beloved and then by exploiting a conceit by tickling the string by finger he himself aspires that the fingers would tickle him as well, touching gently making him fortunate like dead wood though there is nothing but a storm of complaints in the heart of the lover. Galib is also inducing her to tickle his senses like the string of the instrument.

“Pur hun mein Shikve se yun raag se jaise baja
ek jara cheriye phir dekhiye kya hota hai”.


On occasions of admiring of love and beauty the complications resulting to a large extent from their conventional structure have been turned into many-sided relationship between the poet and his beloved. Through his many dimensional imagery comes down the amalgamation of the convention , novelty and individual talent . It has resulted in an anti thesis, irony and paradox of poet’s love and its perspective.




Shakespeare and Galib anticipates the turn of thoughts through the method of pun, ambiguity, multi layered word meanings, irony, paradox, wit and conceit. All these methods are often exploited but has been given a new shape in their verse. So their endeavor is to reinvent old methods as new –i.e. in a new light -exploiting again what has already been exploited.

“This narrow imperfect vessel of Gazal is not in conformity with my utterance of love. Some more variations and new found methods are needed for expanding my way of expression.” Both Shakespeare and Galib are in quest for new potential variations in form and poetic ingenuity. The parallelism is striking because both are against monotonous of expression to give some passionate demonstration to their love. Every poet however great he might be, thinks himself imperfect in influencing his reader of implicitly his object of love.
He introduces a method in which the main argument runs on subconscious and conscious level simultaneously unlocking the poet’s heart in his poetry. It allows him the counter movement of his thoughts before the reader is aware of its presence.
“Bakadra sauq nahi zarfe tangnae gazal’
Kuchh aur chahiye vusat meri zuban ke liye.”



Shakespeare is of the view that the poem can only be worthy of appreciation when it possess all that gentle grace and universal qualities which makes the hearer identify with the impressions and emotions of the poet at the time of the composition of the poem.
The fellow poets in such expressions of Shakespeare’s beloved finds that it is their own voice of heart and mind. We look at this sonnet as a consistent resentment of Shakespeare against his patronage and the behaviour of his fellow poets. We do little justice on the relation of poet and reader in the process of emotional communication. The poem is in the real sense a masterpiece with which the reader and the fellow poet identify with the feeling and the argument of the poet. Every poet however great he might be, think sometimes himself imperfect influencing his readers and his object of love. He feels his mode of expression because of being conventioanl is now lacking in inventiveness. His creativity is now suffering from monotonous expression. A poem can only be an exquisite expression if the reader identifies himself with the poet’s view and expression. He feels that it is his own feeling and outlook that has been communicated in this verse. Both Shakespeare and Galib feel the necessity of tradition while exploring the new dimensions of their poetic modes. They feel satisfied by dressing up old similes and metaphors with new symbols and images. Galib says though my soul preoccupation is to sing of your charming and amorous gestures with some novelity but they cant attract attention without the mention of dagger and dart.




“ maqsad hai nazo gamza vale guftagu se kam
Chalta nahin hai dashnao khanzar kahe bager.”

In the same way when he writes the poems of mystic experiences he feels the necessity of suggesting the traditional metaphor of wine to express the exclusive union of man with god. He says however it may be the dialogue on the witness of the absolute truth. It can’t be dually expressed without the help of the flash of wine and its hangover.


“Why is my verse so barren of new pride,
So far from variations or quick change? ” ( 76)

Shakespeare also holds a traditional course of poetic craft when he declares that he is not an innovator of his time but he feels that beloved and love are the everlasting themes so like others he would also endevour to dress up old words anew. The sun rises everyday so he is old but when he rises he bring new aspirations and splendour so it it is a new sun. So his old poetry also bears a new garment on her flames. According to Booth “it also has a potential emblem of glorious eternally Phoneix like rejuvination”. (266)


“For as the sun is daily new and old,
so is my love still telling what is told.” (76)

The poet howsoever exquisite is his way of expression might be thinks his mode of utterance imperfect in influencing his reader or more implicitly his object of love. He feels as if his poetry was suffering from monotomy of expression. He yearns to add some new dimensions to his narrow world of poetry as to change the conventional verse techniques. Shakespaeare laments

Why write I still all one, even the same,
And keep invention in a noted weed. (76)


So all my best is dressing old words new,
Spending again what is already spent. (76)


He accepts that he has resorted to a technique of the traditional, devoid of any new invention without any variation or change but as it arises from inner most recesses of his heart and mind, we find that every word has an imprint of his personality. He imitated the style of Bedil and felt it was a torment for him to exploit conventional styles. Later on he declared with confidence Galib writes in a letter to A.R Shaiker

Writing in Urdu in Bedil’s style
What a torment, AsadullahKahan.”


At another point galib praises his poetic craft as something a class apart.
Galib ka Andaze Bayan Hai Aur.”


It should be noted that Shakespeare is a great name in the realm of poetry. But at heart he is full of the feelings of the shortcomings of his poetic expression. He is not mistaken it is the primitive urge of every poet for developing new poetic fashion. yet at times he is aware of his superiority above his rival poets.









“While I call upon thy aid,
My verse alone had all thy gentle grace.”

Galib says it with the same urge of that he should be recognized as an innovator in the realm of poetic craft.


“Take heed, dear heart, of this large privilege:
The hardest knife ill used doth lose his edge.”
Here the parallelism is based on the metaphors of pain and pleasure. It proves an wholesome state of mind as wholesome where the sickly appetite and the pain rendering wound, both are pleased and fed with the same expressions and experiences. The nurse,the physic , the surgeon are of the same. G doesn’t want that his wound should be cured.he extends the idea in another couplet where he exploits the conceit of negative as positive ,foe as friend and then redefines him in true colours of false lovers, intolerant to the smarting pain.
“The wound that can be easily stiched by any device,
O my lord write it in the fate of my rival.”
“Jis zakam ki ho sakti ho tadbir rafoo ki
Likh deeyo yarab usse kismat mein udu ki.”


To take delight in pain is a morbid state of mind. The customary device of joining pleasure and pain in the form of reconciliation of opposites is exploited both by Sha and G. they explore the moods of love in unusal modes and situations . here is an indication of describing a positive sane mood of infatuation with a negative amazing expression. The poet connets pleasure and pain in an unezxpected relation.
“My love is a fever
please.” (147).
Shakespeare feels the pleasure of his fever of love as it prolongs his infatuation in the form of illness. G also says that synomn of pleasure is pain. His love is in form of a wound that gives him pleasure when he feels a smarting pain of the pricking of the stiching needle. The stiching means the sweet pain of pain caused by the touch of the needle.
People aspire for heaven simply to get rich and life full of love and pleasure. Their preachers present a charming picture of heaven. Both Shakespeare and Galib feel that a paradise is that it si not different from the abode and the blissful company of lady. But if it is simply an abode of lust it is hell and better be enjoined with paradise for moderation. And should avoid extreme
Pg 129 sonnet
Galib also presumes the same situation of paradise and in its quest he thinks better to shun extreme. He says My lord better join hell with paradise it will then provide a larger place for excursion.
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A serious concept is presented humourously again he says “we know the reality of heaven but it is simply a good fond fancy for keeping oneself happy. but he aspires may be the praise of pardise be true then it may be like her beloved’s abode. Shakespeare says it is
“a joy proposed behind
A serious concept is here a dream. ” (129)
In another sonnet Shakespeare develops the concept of heaven in a peculiar way. According to him it is not an abode of charming angel a fiendish angel may be there better let them remain friendly with each other. One angel in the other’s paradise or in other’s hell. This is a moderate situation free from extremes nearer to what is proposed by galib and formally envisaged by Shakespeare






Time and immortality through verse

The main theme of the sonnets is the transience of youth and beauty and the role of his poetry to confer immortality on youth and beauty. Love, time and their mutability- as well as conflict-` result in the struggle between the spiritual and physical love, reason and passion. There is a conflict between the symbols of youth and beauty and the destructive forces of war and nature and this anti thesis based on the paradox of black and bright brings in the idea that ‘in black ink my love may still shine bright.’

In sonnet 18 the poet compares the young man to a summer day and proceeds to the correlation between the course of nature and the course of his eternal verse. Both the counter statements are juxtaposed by the symbolic meaning of summer, the seasons of youth.
“But the eternal summer shall not fade.
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.”
“So long as men can breathe ,or eyes can see,
So long live this, and this gives life to thee.” (18)


Galib’s creative genius firmly withstands the assault of time, deceptiveness, faithfulness, betrayal, despair and depression. It has given him an understanding in human psyche which goes forward and backwards in dimensions within credibility. To capture this incredibility the poet resorts to puns, the contrast and the paradoxes which are based on the play of words.
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Classical allusions
Quote aadam

One of the major important points is linked with his use of religious (muslim) and biblical allusions which both the poets profoundly exploits to speak of his love as boundless in time and space.

In sonnet 1 the word “increase” has clear biblical echoes of god’s command to his creatures to increase and multiply. The language is of natural fertility –increase implies natural fruitfulness and this suggestion is picked up by many words and images in the poem such as rose, riper, abundance, fresh, spring and bud.The biblical and natural connotations reinforce each other- it is both right and natural for the addresses to produce a tender heir. The sonnet begins, so to speak, in the desire for an Eden where beauty's rose will never die.
“From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die.”

The allusions from classical myths help in contrasting the two spirits of good and evil, angels and devil, hell and heaven are amalgamated in a single spirit.
53. Allusion of Helen and Adonis -Helen is the symbol of inconstant love and Adonis is the symbol of constant love both are juxtaposed in the image of the young man.

When too many arguments are at constant flux and conflict they can be reunited by mingling various shades of meaning in a single word. There remains an implied contrast and unity in such expression through the paradoxical situations the readers mind moves from one point to another and then seeks an alliance between them.
For instance in sonnet 53 there are three meaning of shadow in the quatrain they are silhoutee picture reflection symbol or ghost.

“What is your substance,whereof are you made,
Tht million of strange shadows on you tend?” (53)

There are similar ambiguities in regard to ‘substance, tires,blessed shape and counterfeit’ all art of beauty suggests the use of cosmetics.

The double use of ‘state’ in 29 sonnet brings out the contrast between the poet’s outcaste state and the state of joy described in the 3rd quatrain. The poet reveals his depression in the image of a lark at break of day who sings hyms at heaven’s gate.
“when in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcaste state.” (29)


Massive anagrammatic, metaphorical and punning word play.
This is possibly a self-addressed sonnet about the counterpoint between outward beauty and hidden vices. sweets dost thou thy sins enclose sums up the sonnet’s presentation of apparently sweet words that veil vices.
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O, what a mansion have those vices got
Which for their habitation chose out thee,

“I am full of vices that are disguised by my graces that seduces others’ view of me.” Virtual euphoria at his own paradox. Mansion conveys the enormity of the vices as well as the space in which they are able to be disguised. Mansion is a euphemism for the human body and may contain a pun on "man".
Life went on, and so did the loom of history. Mughal power slowly dwindled. British power they were securely installed as the rulers of India, with their capital at Calcutta. Delhi felt the reverberations of their rule, and Ghalib registered these. He was a part of his city and of his times There is still something to be said for Ghalib’s insistence that a bureaucracy that overlooks the standing of a poet does so at its own historic risk. Ghalib is an invaluable chronicler of this turbulent period. The structure of Delhi crumbled as if in an earthquake.
He wrote:
“An ocean of blood churns around me-
Alas! Were these all!
The future will show
What more remains for me to see”.
In this dissatisfied mood, he wrote:
In eternity without beginning,
My star has reached the zenith of acceptance;
But in this world the renown of my verses will be
after me.

Similarly in the sonnets there are numerous references to contemporary events . as in sonnet 25 shakespeare complains of his own lack of public honour and fortunes at times.
“The The painful warrior famoused for fight,
After a thousand victories once foiled,
Is from the book of honour razed quite,
And all the rest forgot for which he toiled” (25)

This sonnet is refered by Shakespearean critics as the precious confirmatory evidence for the dating of the sonnets. All Elizabethan scholars recognize that ‘mortal moon’ refers to Queen Elizabeth and the Lopez conspiracy .There is also a referance to the end of a long religious war in france which lasted during the lifetime of shakespeare.
“the mortal moon hath her eclipse endured,
and the sad augurs mock their own presage:
Incertanities now crown themselvers assured,
And peace proclaims olives of endless age.” (107)

In one of the sonnets Shakespeare’s eyes play the role of a painter who draws the painting upon his heart and thus:

“Mine eye hath played the Painter and hath stelled
Thy beauty’s form in table of my heart”(24)

There is a far fetched conceit that his beloved would see through the window of her eyes this painting and thus a reciprocal process of peeping into each others eyes would begin. The imagery is suggested in G to be indelibly carved by a pen. Shakespeare has used the word steel for a painter’s pen and thus a mosaic of blood from the canvas of heart flows. galib’s image though not far fetched but emerges out of the same wit in Shakespeare’s sonnet. G says the steel of my eye lashes is drawing a blosooming garden on the fringe of my garment with the blood of my heart. Though the expression does not literally reveal the idea what “good turn eye for eyes have done” in Shakespeare.

“Phir bhar raha hai khamah mizgan bakhoonae dil
Saze chaman tarazie daman kiye hue”

Galib suggests with the connotation of the painting of garden which beseeches itself to be glanced by the eyes of his beloved. It is the beloved eyes that can grace his art as he says in this succeeding couplet : “I cherish a longing for seeing my beloved’s dagger like eye lashes sharpened by the use of collorium.”ie a suggession of reciprocal peeping into each others eyes.






Na kardah gunahon ki bhi hasart ki mile dada
Yarab agar in kardah gunahon ki saza hai.