SYED Nomanul Haq’s literary discourse, ‘Whither portraiture? The poetic resilience of sarapa” (Sept 8, Books & Author) made delightful reading for Urdu poetry lovers with a passion for the English language. What an artistic narrative of ‘sarapa nigari’ rooted in the cultural ethos of Urdu poetry, and keeping alive for its resilient nature. A delicate reference to the Muslim visual art that flourished in Spain, Levant, Central Asia and the Indus Valley is not only unique but awesome.

The selection of verses from Ahmad Faraz, Aziz Hamid Madani, Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmad Faiz (not to forget the lyrical opening of the famous novel by Mirza Hadi Rusva, Umrao Jan Ada) is scintillating and has been craftily interspersed in the prose. Their English translation, both diction and imagery, is superb, undoubtedly.

While enjoying the eloquence of Syed Nomanul Haq, my own modest study of Urdu poetry, especially of Ghalib’s, slowly brightened up the faded memory; and some of those verses emerged in the mind which have dauntlessly portayed the beloved (mehboob) without clipping the flight of imagination. Look at these verses from Ghalib, luring yet sublime.

Dr Andaleeb Shadani (the late poet and professor of Urdu language at Dhaka University) was able to capture the dazzling sight of the beloved’s sarapa in its unbounded manifestation by using the brilliant metaphorical expressions.

HAROON R. SIDDIQI
Karachi