Fiza Azmi: rich verses in ghazal
By Shahid Rizvi
Poetry symbolizes cultural traditions through the medium of poet’s own feelings, sentiments, and personal thinking. Poetry also has something to contribute to human society in the era it belongs to. Fiza Azmi has composed very rich verses in ghazals and blank verse but he has confined himself to narrate and express whatever his heart has suffered. Composing a couplet or even a hemistich is a long and tedious process.
The toughest representing and feelings comprise of millions of icons in the mind and divine thought (wajdan) has to find out what it best in it. “Fikre” is an essential part of poetry. Fiza is a traditional poet who has used his competence in composing verse and written beautiful couplets but has to put in his feelings directly without giving it a deep thought. He has himself admitted it and the beginning that his poems and ghazals are the expression of what he has felt.
Dr. Farman Fatehpuri has also praised him for his efforts. Fiza Azmi has followed the footsteps of great poets Ghalib and Mir. He has also been influenced by Firaq and Faiz and his ghazals show their colors. Some of his verses do excellently represent the poet and his era. A few of his verses are:
‘Mujhko bhi ho chala tha wafao ka kuch yakeen,
lekin woh muskura diya ehd-e wafa Ke baad’
‘Taskin mein iztirab mussaratt mein gham mila,
kya inteha ho dekhiae is ibteda ke baad’
‘Takhreebe gulistan Mein barabar ke the sharik,
Be wajah badguman hoey daure e khizan se ham’
Fiza has mostly and his poetry harped on melancholy notes which shows the extreme sensitivity of his heart. He has said that whatever philosophical notions he has about life are embedded and the poem ‘beloved, poet and philosopher.’ The poem shows multi-dimensional thoughts and do not concentrate to give a clear picture.
With the change of times, life and its requirements and its culture love has all changed.
New experiments have been made in literary forms and contents have been enriched. Fiza Azmi living in modern society and having led a successful life, has fully known the demands of the day. He has tried to imbibe new thinking in his poetry but having been bound to the traditional form of poetry especially ghazel in the old style, he has not succeeded in breaking the change.
The use of the old terminology within its limited meanings and the biggest hurdle to expressing the new world. Fiza could not go beyond. He is a good poet and he would prove to be a precious asset to Urdu literature if he adapted himself to the new trends. The book is however interesting reading.
