The translation quandary

Ghaus Siwani’s “Do Aatisha” shows more than a spark

September 21, 2014 05:46 pm | Updated 05:47 pm IST

Ghaus Siwani’s Urdu translation of Persian poetry, Do Aatisha , contains works by 11 Persian masters — Sheikh Fariduddin Attar, Khaqani Sherwani, Nizami Ganjawi, Sheikh Sa’adi Shirazi, Maulana Jalaluddin Roomi, Fakhruddin Ibrahim Iraqi, Amir Khusrau, Hafiz Shirazi, Urfi Shirazi, Sa’eb Tabrezi and Abdul Qadir Bedil. Do Aatisha means “the cocktail” and the cover of the book shows a red drink being poured out of a tumbler. A flame completes the picture. There could have been a better symbolic representation of concept for greater impact.

In his dedication the translator writes, “To the foremost lover of the world who would certainly have been a poet.” I disagree, for the simple reason that it is quite possible for a poet to fall in love but it is not necessary that a lover should also be a poet.

Ghaus is a writer inclined towards tasawuf as he claims during a brief conversation. This is also evident from his other books listed on the back cover. Nearly all the books are on Sufism. He has also authored Bargad ki Chhaon , an anthology of his own poetry in very simple Urdu, each poem represented in both Devanagari and Urdu script on facing pages. He has also compiled Charaghh-e-Dair , a collection of Urdu poems by Hindu poets.

Ghaus, who got his post graduate degree from Patna, is a busy man, writing and making TV programmes for different channels. He has in the past been employed by Sadhna and Hamar channels. He has also written over 2000 articles for various publications.

The poems in Do Aatisha were translated only a year ago, but the Urdu style belongs to the last century when people generally spoke a fine quality of Urdu with a lavish sprinkling of Persian words.

He remarks, “In a country where Urdu readers are scarce, who shall go for Persian? But still there is a section that understands the importance of language, one who gets solace in poetry, one who is at peace with classical music, one who still wants to dwell in the past and the one who is carrying forward the legacy of the forefathers. My book is meant only for such people.”

There are instances where the translated couplet is not much different from the original. According to Ghaus, this was because sometimes the same words are used in both the languages; but at a time when even Urdu speaking people do not speak chaste Urdu, one cannot realistically expect them to appreciate Persian words in Urdu translation. This kind of translation actually defeats the purpose, since Urdu of today is far simpler. For example, take this couplet by Rumi:

Persian: Baghhbana! Ra’d Muthrab, Abr Saqi, Gash-o-shud

Baghh Mast-o-Raghh mast-o- Ghuncha Mast-o- Khara Mast

Urdu translation: Baghhbano! Ra’d Muthrab, Abr, Saqi sab hain Mast

Baghh Mast-o-Raghh mast-o- Ghuncha Mast-o- Khara Mast

Or a couplet by Attar:

Persian: Taa Gul Padshah wash Takht Nehad dar Chaman

Lashkaryan Baghh Raa, Khema-e-Nasran Nagar

Urdu translation: Shah wash Gulab ka Chaman mein Takht bichh Gaya

Lashkaryan Baghh Ke, Khema-e-Nasran ko dekh.

Translation requires a perfect linguistic expertise in both the languages, or else the translation would lack the essence of the original work. I know a very learned person who was the Dean, Faculty of Theology at AMU, Aligarh. With a command over three languages, Arabic, Persian and Urdu, he decided to translate works of the great Urdu elegy (Mersia) writer, Mir Anees, the poet who brought a great deal of richness, grandeur and respect to Urdu literature through his poetry and whose elegies remain an asset to the language. During the translation when he reached Sundal se maang, bachchon se godi bhari rahay/ Yarab, Rasool-e-Paak ki kheti hari rahay! he stopped the work and put down his pen saying, “The Arabian literature has no such expression as “Sundal se maang bharna”, hence this very fine sentimental expression could not be translated.”

The book is worth buying for the simple reason that it contains a selection of work from almost all the great Persian poets along with their brief life sketches. A great job indeed! But one wonders, though he has included Khusrau and Bedil, why he has ignored Persian works of two great Indian poets Ghalib and Iqbal. It would have made the book even more interesting.

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