Pakistani Poetry: Spotlight on Ahmed Faraz

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I will highlight a few Pakistani/Middle Eastern poets in the next few classes. Today let's introduce Mr. Faraz:

Ahmed Faraz:

Considered one of the most popular Urdu poets, Faraz died in 2008 in Chicago of kidney failure. He was a lecturer at Peshawar University (Pakistan). Among many prestigious international and national poetry and literary awards he was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz prize in 2004, in recognition of his literary achievements. He returned the award in 2006 after becoming disenchanted with his government and its policies.

"My conscious will not forgive me if I remained a silent spectator of the sad happenings around us. The least I can do is to let the dictatorship know where it stands in the eyes of the concerned citizens whose fundamental rights have been usurped. I am doing this by returning the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (civil) forthwith and refuse to associate myself in any way with the regime..." --Ahmed Faraz

Poem Sample:
Dreams Do Not Die

Dreams do not die.
Dreams are not heart, nor eyes or breath
Which shattered, will scatter (or)
Die with the death of the body.
Dreams do not die.
But dreams are light, voice, wind,
Which cannot be stopped by mountains black,
Which do not perish in the hells of cruelty,
Ensigns of light and voice and wind,
Bow not, even in abattoirs.
But dreams are letters,
But dreams are illumination,
Dreams are Socrates,
Dreams - Divine Victory!'

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