A treat for Urdu lovers

Geetu Vaid

Hailed as one of the most revered interpreters of Ghalib’s life-and-works, Ralph Russell is one of the few western scholars who have a mastery over Urdu language and literature. Published originally as Hidden in the Lute: An Anthology of Two Centuries of Urdu Literature in 1995, this revised edition picks its title from a couplet from Mir Taqi Mir’s ghazal:  

My love, I can not tell the tale of all the things I want from you.

A hundred longings fill my soul, a thousand yearnings throng my heart.

Meant primarily for Urdu lovers for whom translations are the only way to get acquainted with the best of literature in this language, Russell has made a personal selection of the works and literary figures. Readers are given substantial extracts from a relatively smaller number of renowned writers rather than crowding smaller selections from a larger group.  

Concisely yet meticulously Russell handholds the reader from poetry to short stories to novels along with giving a peep into the lives of doyens of Urdu poetry — Ghalib and Mir — besides touching upon the key role played by reformers like Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan and Akbar Illahabadi in the evolution as well as growth of the Urdu literature. 

Thus, in the short stories and sketches segment one can savour Ismat Chughtai’s Tiny’s Granny, Saadat Hasan Manto’s The Black Shalwar, Krishan Chander’s Kalu Bhangi as also Shaukat Thanavi’s Love and Prudence. In the popular literature section, which navigates through the works that appeal to a primarily “plebeian audience”, one can find tales of Akbar-Birbal, Mullah Dopiaza, Shaikh Chilli, Sikander and Khwaja Hasan Nizami’s Guests are Pests. A slice of Mirza Muhammad Hadi Rusva’s classic novel Umrao Jan Ada is also on the platter here for the lovers of prose. The Lives of Poets chapter features some lesser known names like Nasikh, a contemporary and friend of Ghalib and novelist Abdul Halim Sharar.

What stands out, however, is Russell’s fascination for the “kings of ghazal” Ghalib and Mir. There is a generous dose of different aspects of their poetic genius. Russell carefully chooses couplets and ghazals to highlight not only their love poetry but also their philosophy and the imagery used by them.

Condensing a huge repertoire of Urdu literature in 370 pages is no mean task,  but Russell accomplishes it effortlessly. While the sensitive translations of ghazals capture the nuances of complex thoughts of the poets in English within the framework of the poetic metre, the prose selection offers an insight into the thoughts and concerns of Urdu speakers across two centuries.

The academic tone of the work, however, can’t be overlooked as different chapters are used to put different aspects of the poems and different forms of prose written by noted writers besides giving a peep into their lives and the time in which a particular piece was written. No wonder then that this book is a collector’s delight, especially for those in love with the language but not having complete proficiency in it.

Russell’s fascination for the “kings of ghazal” Ghalib and Mir stands out in this volume.  He treats the readers with a generous dose of their poetic genius. The author carefully chooses couplets and ghazals from different collections to highlight not only their love poetry but also their philosophy and the imagery used by them