Thought-provoking and insightful poetry

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