For better or for verse

In a national newspaper one of our leading intellectuals and historians celebrated for popularising pro-people history by writing scores of books in Urdu has very recently penned an article against poetry.
I respect him as an elderly friend, and an erudite teacher who has educated so many of us in Pakistan. But his treatise against poetry and eventually holding our love for poetry responsible for our current state of social and intellectual affairs in Pakistan is mind-boggling, to say the least. Such a linear and superficial line of argument was the last thing one would expect from someone like Dr Mubarak Ali – particularly when his book Achhoot logon ka adab (Literature of the untouchables), which also contains exquisite translation of Dalit poetry by Razi Abedi, has run into multiple editions. I have the honour of possessing a copy of this book signed by Dr Mubarak Ali for me. It is perhaps the only work of its kind available in Urdu.
Dr Mubarak Ali begins with the classical claim that historians see progress in human civilisations as a journey from simplicity to complexity. It may be fine up to this point. But he goes on further and says that in the age of simplicity, poetry is the main vehicle of expression and when civilisations grow it is replaced by prose. Poetry is about emotions and prose is about intellect. He says that since poetry is rhythmic and easier to memorise, it is recited to each other and in public gatherings. Prose replaces poetry in analysing and critiquing the social, political and economic issues when a civilisation has developed.
During the development of Greek thought and civilisation, he argues that Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’ and Hesiod’s ‘Theogony’ were replaced by the intellectual effort of natural philosophers and their subsequent writings in prose. He draws parallels with Indian civilisation and, in a way, reduces epic poems like the Mahabharata and versified Vedas to a secondary position compared to the Upanishads and Puranas, written later and in prose.
From the pre-Christian era, he jumps to European enlightenment and their overseas conquests. Dr Mubarak Ali clearly says that poets were relegated to an unimportant position after the industrial revolution and the rise of capitalism. Their position was claimed by people like Rousseau, Voltaire, Hume, Smith, Ricardo and Malthus. These thinkers could respond to the challenges posed by the modern world in the making. Later, people like Herder, Kant and Hegel steered the change process in German mind.
The comparison made between philosophers and poets in such simple terms is reflective of a purely instrumentalist understanding of history where the grand narrative dominates so much that Dr Mubarak Ali seems to forget that we are human beings first and that all social, political and economic phenomena affect us. There is something called complexity of emotions and depth of imagination which also come with changing times and changing circumstances.
An individual transforms when society transforms, or vice versa. Where does that individual or community searching for meaning and faced with new challenges find its expression? Besides, there are fundamental questions of being and existence which may well have been resolved by some out of convenience but continue to stare us in the face as there has been no final resolution.
If poets were relegated to an unimportant position in modern Europe as a result of developments in other disciplines, why is Shakespeare still so releyvant, not only for the English but to the rest of the world? Why do Germans celebrate and remember Goethe with such fervour, much more than anyone else the German nation has produced over centuries? What about the Romantics – Byron, Shelley, Keats? Why are T S Eliot, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes quoted from and referred to in any substantive conversation across many countries?
Simply put, as simply as the argument is made in the first place, the comparison Dr Mubarak Ali makes between poets writing poetry and thinkers writing prose is wrong, and one being superior to the other is wrong. They have their own separate domains of thought and expression. Both are equally important to understand nature, humanity, society and our collective perpetual quest for a better life. It would be strange indeed if we created a contrast between creative writing and sociology and then argue over which should be preferred over the other or which should be shunned for the other.
Not only does Dr Mubarak Ali ignore the ever expanding horizons of creative non-fiction and the role of fiction in dominating the realm of prose in today’s world, it seems that the changes introduced in the forms, styles and genres of poetry in most languages of the world over centuries are also completely overlooked by our worthy historian. There is blank verse, free verse, prose poetry, entirely non-rhythmic compositions. In older, more tested, forms as well there is a blossoming of new ideas, expression of feelings, thought processes, etc.
Coming to Pakistan, which in fact is the key point he wants to make in his article and to which the references from Greek, Indian and post-enlightenment European civilisation can be read as a preamble, Dr Mubarak Ali squarely blames poetry for its inability to analyse social and political issues rationally. But is that really the role of poetry? About Habib Jalib’s poem on the constitution promulgated by Gen Ayub Khan during the 1960s, Dr Mubarak Ali says:
“…when Habib Jalib, the famous poet, recited his poetry in public gatherings, people became emotionally charged and were inspired with revolutionary ideas. But as soon as the recitation was over, no lasting impression was left on the minds of the audience. His poem ‘Aisay dastoor ko main nahin manta’ on the constitution became very popular but failed to highlight the content of the constitution and its harmful impact on society.
“On the other hand, when a political scientist writes about the constitution and rejects it, he first analyses the provisions and acts of the constitution which are anti-people but protect the privileges of the ruling classes. His analysis creates a political awareness among the people in order to fight against the constitution. But poetry falls short of that and merely raises slogans, providing no rational tools for struggle.”
In fact, the only lasting impression we have on our minds from the resistance offered to the constitution imposed by the first military dictator is Habib Jalib’s poem ‘Dastoor’ (Constitution). Who in the world compares a poet rejecting the anti-people and anti-democratic nature of a constitution with a social scientist examining the constitution clause by clause? Both are important and both are necessary.
Artists and pieces of art only contribute to expanding the horizons, sharpening the sensitivities and enriching the consciousness of people. People and societies do not change overnight. Who enriches us more than Ghalib? Interestingly, Faiz’s poem ‘Hum dekhein ge’ (We shall see), another poem whose impact is dismissed by Dr Mubarak Ali, is sung as an anthem by political workers in Pakistan and India. Even some Naxalites recite it in their gatherings.
Moreover, there are poets like Noon Meem Rashid, Majeed Amjad, Fahmida Riaz and Sarmad Sehbai who introduce you to another consciousness, another orbit of being and another expression of feelings. Our languages other than Urdu have a long list of such poets as well. More than ever in Pakistan, we need poets, creative writers, painters and thespians to make us a more tolerant, humane, sensitive and civilised society.
I fully agree with Dr Mubarak Ali when he says at the end of his article that we need social scientists, thinkers and philosophers – not just poets. We need to contribute to serious prose, do analysis and examine our circumstances, create awareness and bring about social change.
However, that doesn’t mean that all who write poetry switch to writing philosophical pieces. Poets do not stop others from reading, thinking and writing prose. Some poets themselves write prose. I reject Dr Mubarak Ali’s thesis against poetry. And I have just picked up his book on riveting Dalit literature and poetry to read it again.
The writer is a poet and author based in Islamabad.
Email: harris.khalique@gmail.com