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. 238-239.
[(3) Our literary taste is quickly changing]
#7# magar hamārā adabī mażāq baṛī tezī se tabdīl ho rahā hai - adab maḥaẓ dil-bahlāʾo kī chīz nahīñ hai , dil-bahlāʾo ke sivā us kā kuchh aur bhī maqṣad hai - vuh ab maḥaẓ ʿishq-o-ʿāshiqī ke rāg nahīñ alāptā , balkih ḥayāt ke masāʾil par ġhor kartā hai , un kā muḥākamah kartā hai, aur un ko ḥal kartā hai - vuh ab taḥrīk yā īhām ke liʾe ḥairat-angez vāqiʿāt talāsh nahīñ kartā , yā qāfiyah ke alfāz̤ kī t̤araf nahīñ jātā - balkih us ko un masāʾil se dilchaspī hai jin se sosāʾiṭī yā sosāʾiṭī ke afrād mutāṣir hote haiñ - us kī faẓīlat kā maujūdah miʿyār jażbāt kī vuh shiddat hai jis se vuh hamāre jażbāt aur ḳhayālāt meñ ḥarkat paidā kartā hai -
aḳhlāqiyāt aur adabiyāt kī manzil-e maqṣūd ek hai , ṣirf un ke t̤arz-e ḳhit̤āb meñ farq hai - aḳhlāqiyāt dalīloñ aur naṣīḥatoñ se ʿaql aur żahn ko mutāṡir karne kī koshish kartā hai - adab ne apne liʾe kaifiyāt aur jażbāt kā dāʾirah chun liyā hai - ham zindagī meñ jo kuchh dekhte haiñ yā ham par jo kuchh guzartī hai , vuhī choṭeñ taḳhaiyul meñ jā kar taḳhlīq-e adab kī taḥrīk kartī haiñ - shāʿir yā adīb meñ jażbāt kī jitnī hī shiddat-e aḥsās hotī hai , utnā hī us kā kalām dilkash aur buland hotā hai -
jis adab se hamārā żauq-e ṣaḥīḥ bedār nah ho , rūḥānī aur żahnī taskīn nah mile , ham meñ quvvat-o-ḥarkat paidā nah ho , hamārā jażbah-e ḥusn nah jāge , jo ham meñ sachchā irādah aur mushkilāt par fatḥ pāne ke liʾe sachchā istiqlāl nah paidā kare , vuh āj hamāre liʾe be-kār hai - is par adab kā it̤lāq nahīñ ho saktā -
zamānah-e qadīm meñ mażhab ke hāthoñ meñ sosāʾiṭī kī lagām thī - insān kī rūḥānī aur aḳhlāqī tahżīb maż'habī aḥkām par banī thī aur vuh taḳhvīf yā taḥrīẓ se kām letā thā - ʿażāb-o-ṡavāb ke masāʾil us ke ālah-e kār the - ab adab ne yih [[239]] ḳhidmat apne żimme le lī hai , aur us kā ālah-e kār żauq-e ḥusn hai - vuh insān meñ is żauq-e ḥusn ko jagāne kī koshish kartā hai - aisā koʾī insān nahīñ jis meñ ḥusn kā aḥsās nah ho , adīb meñ yih aḥsās jitnā hī bedār aur pur-ʿamal hotā hai utnī us ke kalām meñ tāṡīr hotī hai - fit̤rat ke mushāhide aur apnī żakāvat-e aḥsās ke żarīʿah us meñ jażbah-e ḥusn kī itnī tezī ho jātī hai kih jo kuchh qabīḥ hai ġhair-mustaḥsan hai , insāniyat se ḳhālī hai , vuh us ke liʾe nā-qabil-e bardasht ban jātā hai - nez vuh bayān aur jażbāt kī sārī quvvat se vār kartā hai -
8 yūñ kahiʾe vuh insāniyat kā , ʿalviyat kā , sharāfat kā ʿalam-bardār hai - jo pāmāl haiñ , maz̤lūm haiñ , maḥrūm haiñ , chāhe vuh fard hoñ yā jamāʿatī , un kī ḥimāyat aur vakālat us kā farẓ hai - us kī ʿadālat sosāʾiṭī hai - isī ʿadālat ke sāmne vuh apnā istiġhāṡah pesh kartā hai aur ʿadālat us ke aḥsās-e ḥaq aur inṣāf aur jażbah-e ḥusn kī tālīf kar ke apnī koshish ko kāmyāb samajhtā hai - magar ʿām vuqalā kī t̤arah vuh apne muvakkil kī jānib se jā-o-be-jā daʿvâ nahīñ pesh kartā - mubāliġhah se kām nahīñ letā - iḳhtirāʿ nahīñ kartā - vuh jāntā hai kih un tarkīboñ se vuh sosāʾiṭī kī ʿadālat ko mutāṡir nahīñ kar saktā - us ʿadālat kī tālīf tab hī mumkin hai jab āp ḥaqīqat se żarā bhī munḥarif nah hoñ - varnah ʿadālat āp se bad-:an ho jāʾegī- aur āp ke ḳhilāf faiṣlah sunā degī -
[(3) Our literary taste is quickly changing]
#7# But our literary taste is very quickly changing. Literature is not only a diversion, it has some additional purpose besides diversion. It doesn't only sing the songs of passion and lover-ship; rather, it reflects on the problems of life, brings indictments against them, and solves them. It now does not search out amazing events for stimulation or suspense, or direct itself toward rhyming words. Rather, it is interested in those problems that affect 'society', or individuals in 'society'. Its present standard of excellence is an intensity of feeling that creates movement in our feelings and thoughts.
Ethics and literature seek the same goal, only their styles of address are different. Ethics tries, by means of proofs and counsels, to influence the intelligence and the mind. Literature has chosen for itself the domain of moods and feelings. What ever we see in our lives, or whatever happens to us, these same shocks enter our imaginations and move us to the creation of literature. According to the intensity of the poet's or author's feelings, is the attraction and loftiness of his speech. That literature through which our true taste would not awaken, through which spiritual and mental peace would not be obtained, which would not create in us strength and energy, which would not awaken our feeling for beauty, which would not create in us a true intention and a true resolve to become victorious over difficulties-- that literature today is useless for us. Literature cannot be dovorced from this.
In ancient times, the reins of 'society' were in the hands of religion. Human spiritual and moral cultivation was based on religious commands, and it used to make use of instigation or threat. Matters of religious punishment and reward were its means of operation. Now, literature has taken the responsibility for this service, and its means of operation is the taste for beauty. It tries to awaken in people this taste for beauty. There is no man who would not have a sense of beauty; in an author, however much this sense would be awake and active, that much effect is in his speech. Through scenes in the world and his own quickness of perception, in him the feeling of beauty becomes so sharp that whatever is polluted, is non-virtuous, is devoid of humanity, for him becomes unendurable. He hurls the spear of expression and feelings with full force.
#8# It can be said that for humaneness, loftiness, nobility, he is the standard-bearer. Those who are downtrodden, oppressed, deprived-- whether they would be individuals or groups, his duty is to support them and advocate for them. His court is 'society'. Before this very court he presents his case for justice; and the court, won over by his sense of right and justice and feeling of beauty, considers his attempt to be successful. But like most attorneys, on behalf of his client he does not present haphazard, inappropriate claims. He does not make use of exaggeration. He does not invent things. He knows that through those methods he cannot influence the court of 'society'. The winning over of that court is possible only when he would not depart even a bit from reality/truth. Otherwise, the court will become suspicious of him. And it will announce a decision against him.
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