Chehra badalnay ka hunar Amjad mujay na aa saka
Shahid hai mera aeena aaisa kabhi naheen hua
Amjad Mirza Amjad’s poetry collection Souz-e-Hayat covers a multitude of topics especially social and political issues of the day. Patriotic feelings are dominant in his poetry:
Aay arzay muqaddas Pak watan
Hum kehtay hain tuj ko apni Maan
Tun maun mein hamaray khushbu teri
Aur khoon hamara tuj mein rawan
Koi Aanh na tuj par aayay kabhi
Hafiz ho tumahra Allah Mian
Pakistan is a land which has been prodigiously endowed by the benevolent hand of Allah making it a place of vast opportunities, promises and possibilities, therefore, citizens are in the vanguard to defend it:
Bazoo hain hamaray folaadi
Jaanay na hamain kamzor jahan
Dushman kay leeyay talwaar hain hum
Hain sar pe kafan jazbay hain rawan
Amjad’s poetry is mostly the voice of his soul. Thousands of miles away from his homeland his nationalistic verses reflect pain and distress for his countrymen:
Kaisi surat hai dais ki meray
Kutch badalta nazar naheen aata
Aik hai jo ameer ka beta
Cake khata hai ghum naheen khata
Doosra baichay hai gurdoun ko apnay
Jis se bachoun ka pate bhar jaata
Poet’s homeland dilemma finds moving and unambiguous expression in his verses; political artifice and deceit by a decadent political elite, economic suffocation by a small gang of the corrupt and an unacceptable social chaos and moral degeneration:
Wohee chehray badal kay aatay hain
Aik jata hai doosra aata
Har siasi hai yaan hare k lota
Awaz notoun kay who hai bik jaata
Os ko uthatee hain golian aakhar
Kursi par hai jo chopak jaata
Amjad’s poetry also represents the open sore of society desiring to apply the healing remedy to the leaking sore and the sick soul of a careworn society:
Quaid ne hikmat se es ko Amjad Khoob sanwara hai
Raaz taraqqi karnay ka bas Logo bhai chaara hai
His poetry is repository of the individual and collective voice. It talks about cherished refrain of the Pakistanis who love their country very much:
Pakistan hamara hai
Jaan-o-dil se payara hai
Sun se ooncha es ka purcham
Jis pe chaand sitata hai
This book is not just the voice of Amjad’s soul, if you care to plunge into the ripples of his moods, you will come to know that he also writes on conventional subject of love from his heart. The poet could have done better had he written from his heart more:
Buri aadat hai aksar mij se un ko rooth jaanay ki
Bohat mashhoor hai aadat meri un ko manaanay ki
Mera chehra woh phartay hain sabhi kutch jaan laitay hain
Zaroorat hee naheen kutch bhi mujay un se chupaanay ki