Spring in Lahore

Those who visit the Model Town Park to walk on the track or just sit there on benches to savour the loveliness of the surroundings know how exhilarating an experience it is. But the fresh look the majestic trees put on with lush green carpet of grass below to complement during the spring is a beauty to relish.

Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s ghazal ‘Bahar aai’ takes you back down memory lane. In this ghazal, Faiz Sahib, as he was endearingly addressed by his admirers, blends the spring into his own words. Even though it’s possible to translate an Urdu ghazal into English but what’s lost is the depth and essence the poet had weaved into words. For instance, the first two verses – “bahar aai to jaise yak-bar. lauT aae hain phir adam se. vo khwab saare shabab saare. jo tere honTon pe mar-miTe the. jo miT ke har baar phir jiye the” – leave the reader with wistful longing for the past.

In the words of the great poet, spring suddenly brings back old dreams from eternity and rekindles the youth when dreams are shaped up. He reminisces how he was decimated by the lips of his beloved and how he resurrected again and again. Some beauty must have left the great bard love-struck. But then beauty lies only in the eyes of the beholder.

The parks usually have walking tracks on their outer perimeters. The green spaces in the middle are occupied by family get-togethers, more so these days when the spring is here. Families and friends throng the parks, be it Lawrence Gardens, Racecourse Park or the Model Town Park. Even the birds sense the change in the air and have begun to chirp. It is sad to observe, though, that the birds whose cooing one found nourishing for sensibilities are missing. Instead, the croaking of crows is a common feature or the carnivorous kites hovering overhead in the sky. Where have the beautiful doves, swallows and shrikes disappeared? Even the good old Mian Mithu is missing, perhaps fallen prey to pesticides.

Later in the ghazal, Faiz Sahib imagines the roses coming to their bloom and exuding the scent of remembrance of his love resting in peace. He compares the bright glow of the blossoming roses with the beauty of his beloved lost in the past. Then he regrets the tragedy of losing friends and the memories they bring back. All such emotions, according to him, boil over to question and to answer themselves. He believes all the memories are renewed now that the spring is here. It holds true for this writer too who lost his dear life partner in this month four years ago. Indeed, the memories boil over!

Faiz Sahib’s personality was such that many of his friends who once entered his inner circle remained there forever. Renowned columnist late Khalid Hasan who also wrote for this paper was one of them. When both were in London once, Khalid pointed out to Faiz Sahib about some friends from Pakistan who met the poet and were entertained. “Faiz Sahib’’ said Hasan, “don’t you remember these people talked a lot of nonsense about you back home yet you treated them so courteously?” What Faiz said was remarkable: “Jo aye aye kay hum dil kushada rakhtay hain (allow whoever wants to come since I have a large heart)”. Now that was the stuff the great poet was made of. Sadly, the nation didn’t give him as much respect as he deserved when living. Even sadder, many of those now living are filled with anger and vengeance instead of amity and magnanimity.

When faces are supposed to light up during spring, why do people look morose? The majority of the people living below the poverty line worry more about their livelihood than feeling the spring in their lives. Were Faiz Sahib alive, being a poet of the oppressed and the deprived, he would have written many poems to sympathise with them. Let’s wish the spring lessens their hardships and brightens their faces. Everyone has a right to enjoy the spring.

The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore.

Email: pinecity@gmail.com