Poetry that strikes home with readers

Hum ko khabar hai jeena kia hai kehtay hain kis ko mar jana

Jeena dil ki betabi hai marna dil ka tehar jana

The first thing that strikes you about Nusrat Zaidi’s poetry is that it does not use the paradoxical tone favored by scores of today's poets. Instead it sticks firmly to the tested tone popularized by the likes of Mirza Ghalib and Mir Taqi Mir.

Nusrat does indeed possess a remarkably mature talent. When he is under the shadow of Ghalib and Mir, we are certainly in for a treat. We see a lot of variety formally and thematically:

Haan shamo sahar hum hain hareefay ghumay douran

Haan khalwatiyay kakilo rukhsar hamin hain

Aay ahlay khirad laghzashay masti pe na jao

Har chand kay deewanay hain hushiar himin hain

Kis taraf ko manzal hai kis se rahbri chahain

Kho gaya musafat mein miray karwaan apna

The range of the subjects of Nsrat Zaidi’s poetry is wide but his dominant topic is love. If you go through his poetry, you will find a shower of love experience. Every one of his poems is exactly the same: an expression of love. But within each part of his poetry are also totally separated and kept apart pieces. They function as the make-up of the poem:

Nusrat bus ab us koochay kay pharay na lagao

Badnam bohat izatay saadat hui hai

Muj ko kehti hai tray zikr pe dunya kia kia

Wakfay haal mri yeh tri dunya tu naheen

Us ko ek taaluk tha hum se kutch dinoun pehlay

Zikr es hawalay se hai kahan kahan apna

Skepticism is also one of Nusrat Zaidi’s favorite subjects. The overwhelming feel of such poetry is highly infectious:

Shakhsiatay Nusrat tu samaj mein naheen aati

Kaafir ki tarah hai na Musalman ki tarah hai

Hum rawayat kay muqalad na aqeedat kay ghulam

Nusrat is baat pe ek dunya khafa hai hum se

Kutch log souchtay hain keh Nusrat ko kia kahain

Kaafir naheen tu pairway Islam bhi naheen

Nusrat’s poetry is highly personal and impulsive. However strong his sentiment and emotion is; there is firmness that has a passionate edge to it. The image that keeps arriving in mind when reading Nusrat’s poetry is a sight of flowers budding in an uncultivated land fixed firmly by an artistic hand. It is such a pleasure to go through it:

Bazm ki bazm gharkay masti hai

Un ki anghoun se mai barasti hai

Sharh kia keejiyay jawani ki

Aik salaabe kaifo masti hai

Dil ko kaaba na keh aray waaiz

Yeh butoun ki purani basti hai

Dil ki basti ujarnay walay

Yeh bari mushkloun se basti hai

Nusrat’s poems say a lot about Nusrat Zaidi’s world. Thorough reading reveals Nusrat Zaidi’s world a little more. The reader sees a little further into the social spectrum and broad nature of his poetry:

Cheen lay ya meri ankhoun se basarat mairi

Ya phir es dour mein pathar ka bana dey muj ko

Tuj ko hai paham baray honay ki  dhun aay admi

Apnay logoun se bhi apni baat suon aay admi

Waaza bas hamain firdous ki baatain na suna

Apni manzal he naheen kooyay botan se agay

Raatain guzara karta tha footpath par jo shakhs

Rehta hai ab wo shehr kay oonchay makan mein

 Mana gonahgar hain hum phir bi waayaza

Tarzay khatab kutch tu shareefana chahiyay

Nusrat kaho waaiz se keh fatwa na lagayay

Toba kay tu darwazay abhi band naheeb haun