See the script bar at the bottom of the page for viewing choices. I have corrected obvious calligraphic errors, and have adjusted the punctuation for clarity. The original long paragraphs have been numbered (#1# and so on) and then broken into shorter ones. Sectional numbers have been inserted. Qamar Ra'is, ed., pp. 236-237.
[(2) The best definition of literature]
#4# adab kii bahut sii ta((riife;N kii ga))ii hai;N lekin mere ;xayaal me;N us kii bahtariin ta((riif tanqiid-e ;hayaat hai _ chaahe vuh mi;saalo;N kii shakl me;N ho , yaa afsaano;N kii yaa shi((r kii _ use hamaarii ;hayaat kaa tab.sirah karnaa chaahi))e _ jis daur se guzre hai;N use ;hayaat se ko))ii ba;ha;s nah thii _ hamaare adiib ta;xaiyulaat kii ek duniyaa banaa kar us me;N man-maane :tilism baa;Ndhaa karte the _ kahii;N fasaanah-e ((ajaa))ib kii daastaan thii , kahii;N buustaan-e ;xayaal kii , aur kahii;N chandrakaa;Ntaa santatii kii _ in daastaano;N kaa manshaa ma;ha.z dil-bahlaa))o thaa , aur hamaare ja;zbah-e ;hairat kii taskiin _ li;Trechar kaa zindagii se ko))ii ta((lluq hai ? is me;N kalaam hii nah thaa , balkih vuh musallam thaa -- qi.s.sah qi.s.sah hai ; zindagii , zindagii _ dono;N muta.zaad chiize;N samjhii jaatii thii;N _
shu((araa par bhii infaraadiyat kaa rang ;Gaalib thaa ((ishq kaa mi((yaar nafas-parvarii thaa aur ;husn kaa diidah-zebii _ inhii;N jinsii ja;zbaat ke i:zhaar me;N shu((araa apnii jiddat aur jaulaanii ke mu((jaze dikhaate the _shi((r me;N kisii na))ii bandish , yaa na))ii tashbiih , yaa na))ii parvaaz kaa honaa , daad paane ke li))e kaafii thaa , chaahe vuh ;haqiiqat se kitnii hii ba((iid kyuu;N nah ho _ yaas aur dard kii kaifiyate;N , aashiyaanah aur qafas , barq aur ;xirman ke ta;xaiyul me;N is ;xuubii se dikhaa))ii jaatii thii;N kih sun'ne vaale dil thaam lete the , aur aaj bhii vuh shi((r kis qadar maqbuul hai , ise ham aur aap ;xuub jaante hai;N _
#5# be-shak shi((r-o-adab kaa manshaa hamaare a;hsaas kii shiddat ko tez karnaa hai _ lekin insaan kii zindagii ma;ha.z jinsii nahii;N hai _ kyaa vuh adab jis kaa mau.zuu(( jinsii ja;zbaat aur [[237]] un se paidaa hone vaale dard-o-yaas tak ma;hduud ho , yaa jis me;N duniyaa yaa duniyaa kii mushkilaat se kinaarah-kash honaa hii zindagii kaa maa;h.suul samjhaa gayaa ho , hamaarii ;zahnii aur ja;zbaatii .zaruurato;N ko puuraa kar saktaa hai ? jinsiyat insaan kaa juzv hai , aur jis adab kaa beshtar ;hi.s.sah isii se muta((lluq ho , vuh us qaum aur us zamaanah ke li))e fa;xr kaa baa((i;s nahii;N ho saktaa , aur nah us ke .sa;hii;h ma;zaaq hii kii shahaadat de saktaa hai _
kyaa hindii aur kyaa urduu shaa((irii , dono;N kii ek hii kaifiyat hai _us vaqt adab-o-shaa((irii kaa jo ma;zaaq thaa , us ke a;sar se be-niyaaz honaa aasaan nah thaa _ ta;hsiin-o-qadar-daanii kii havas to har ek ko hotii hai _ shu((araa ke li))e apnaa kalaam hii ;zarii((ah-e ma((aash thaa _ aur kalaam kii qadar-daanii ra))uusaa aur umraa ke ((alaavah kaun kar saktaa?
#6# hamaare shu((araa ko ((aam zindagii kii saamnaa karne aur us kii ;haqiiqato;N se mutaa;sir hone ke li))e , yaa to mauqa(( hii nah thaa , yaa har ;xaa.s-o-((aam par aisii ;zahnii pastii chhaa))ii hu))ii thii kih ;zahnii aur shu((uurii zindagii rah hii nah ga))ii thii _ ham us vaqt ke adiibo;N par is kaa ilzaam nahii;N rakh sakte _ adab apne zamaane kaa ((aks hotaa hai _ jo ja;zbaat aur ;xayaalaat logo;N ke dilo;N me;N halchal paidaa karte hai;N , vuhii adab me;N bhii apnaa saayah ;Dalte hai;N _ aisii pastii ke zamaanah me;N yaa to log ((aashiqii karte hai;N , yaa ta.savvuf aur viraag me;N ma.sruuf ho jaate hai;N _ chunaa;Nchih us daur kii shaa((irii aur adab dono;N isii qism ke hai;N _ jab adab par duniyaa kii be-;sabaatii ;Gaalib ho , aur ek ek laf:z yaas aur shikvah-e rozgaar aur ma((aashiqah me;N ;Duubaa hu))aa ho , to samajh liijiye kih qaum jumuud aur in;hi:taa:t kaa shikaar ho chukii , aur us me;N sa((ii aur ijtihaad kii quvvat baaqii nahii;N rahii , aur us ne darjaat-e ((aaliyah kii :taraf se aa;Nkhe;N band kar lii hai;N , aur mushaahide kii quvvat ;Gaa))ib ho ga))ii hai _
[(2) The best definition of literature]
#4# Many definitions of literature have been made, but in my view its best definition is 'criticism of life'-- whether it would be in the form of examples, or stories, or poetry. It ought to comment on our life. The era through which we have passed had no discussion of life. Our authors made a world of the imagination, and always used to cast delightful spells. On every hand were the dastans of Fasanah-e 'Aja'ib, of Bustan-e Khayal, and of Chandrakanta Santati. The purpose of these dastans was to divert us, and to fulfill our desire for astonishment. Does 'literature' have any relation to life? About this there was no doubt; rather, it was accepted-- a story is a story, life is life. Both were considered opposite things.
Over the poets, too, a style of individualism prevailed. The standard of passion was desire-nourishment and the adornment of beauty. In expressing these sensual emotions, poets used to show off miracles of inventiveness and acumen. In poetry some new artifice, or new simile, or new flight of fancy, was sufficient to earn praise-- no matter how remote from reality it might be. Moods of despair and pain, the nest and the cage, the lightning and the harvest, were imagined and shown so excellently that the hearers pressed their hands to their hearts, and even today how popular that poetry is, we and you know very well.
#5# Undoubtedly the intention of our poetry and literature is to sharpen the intensity of our feelings. But human life is not only sensual. Would it be limited to literature in which the theme would be sensual feelings and the pain and despair created by them, or in which only avoiding the world or the difficulties of the world would be considered the fruit of life? Can it fulfill our mental and emotional needs? Sensuality is a part of humanness, and the literature of which the greater part would be related to this alone cannot be a cause of pride to that community and that era; nor can it testify to their correct taste.
Whether it would be Hindi or Urdu poetry, both have just the same mood. To be detached from the taste of the literature and poetry of that time was not easy. Everyone has a greed for praise and critical appreciation. For the poets, their compositions were their chief means of livelihood. And who besides the elite and the rich could appreciate poetry?
#6# For our poets to confront common life and be influenced by its realities, either there wasn't even any occasion, or else everyone, high and low, had become pervaded with such a mental lowness that mental and intellectual life hadn't remained at all. We cannot blame the authors of that time for this. Literature is a mirror of its time. The feelings and thoughts that create turmoil in people's hearts, also cast their shadow in literature. In a time of such lowness either people practice lover-ship, or they become absorbed in mysticism and asceticism. Thus both the poetry and the literature of that era are of this very kind. When literature would be dominated by the instability of the world, and every single word would be drowned in despair and complaints about the age and about romance, then consider that the community has fallen prey to rigidity and decline, and no power for effort and struggle has remained in it, and it has closed its eyes toward lofty levels, and its power of vision has vanished.
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