KARACHI: Divan-i-Sharqo Gharb, the Urdu translation of Goethe’s collection of verses — Der Westoestliche Divan — by the erudite Mian Ghulam Qadir was launched on Monday at the Arts Council of Pakistan.
The speakers who introduced the book included Prof Saher Ansari; Afaq Siddiqui, who also chaired the ceremony, and the translator himself who had visited Germany in 1970 after acquiring enough knowledge of German language. What inspired him to translate the work was his immense regard for the German poet who was also a scientist, an administrator and a teacher, having many qualities. But above all, for Goethe’s reverence for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Islam, Arabic and Persian languages and literary pieces.
The Urdu version in simple prose, carries the verses written in praise of the Holy Prophet, Quran and four noted women of Islamic — Hazrat Aasia, Hazrat Maryam, Hazrat Khadija and Hazrat Fatima.
Once, during a controversy when asked if he considered the Quran a heavenly book revealed on the Prophet (PBUH), Goethe promptly replied: “Yes like all true Muslims I believe so,” Mian Qadir disclosed, and added that the publication of the book was in present times all the more necessary since Islam, a religion of piety, human love and tolerance, was being distorted and maligned in the West and elsewhere. He said this aspect of Goethe’s life, his poetry and thought was ‘carefully’ concealed from common readers.
How the famous author, who wrote such a great play like Faust and also challenged Newton’s theory of gravity, was influenced by the Islamic faith was revealed by the fact that he learnt Arabic, wrote Divan-i-Maghrabi va Mashraqi in Arabic script and borrowed titles of his verses from Arabic and Persian classics, like Saqi Nama, Hafiz Nama, Ishq Nama etc., etc. A devotee of Hafiz and Saadi, Goethe would proudly called himself ‘Bulbul-i-Shiraz’ (the nightingale of Shiraz). Goethe, it was told, came to know about Divan-i-Hafiz in 1914.
Later, in 1915, he composed fifty verses, all soaked in Islamic faith and the East’s spiritual values. He wrote a preface spread over 150 pages for the benefit of German readers to comprehend the poetic message.
Mian Ghulam Qadir, a retired PTCL officer, who earned a two- year diploma in German language with distinction and a gold medal, learnt French and Turkish as well. He did his MA in English from Punjab University and MA in Urdu from the University of Peshawar. A widely-travelled person, he took around four years to translate the original text which carries a foreword by Dr Javed Iqbal. The book was published by National Book Foundation, Islamabad.—Hasan Abidi
