Translation, Meaning, and Revolutionary Voice: A Critical Study of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s Poetry in Urdu and English

Abstract

The paper explores the intricate process of translating the revolutionary Urdu poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz into English, and how linguistic change influences the meaning, emotion and politics of the poetry. This paper examines the conflict of fidelity and interpretation that is a part of poetic translation by closely reading four classic poems: “Mujhse Pehli Si Mohabbat, Subh-e-Azadi, Hum Dekhenge, and Bol Ke Lab Azad Hain Tere. Based on the theories of translation of Walter Benjamin, Roman Jakobson, and Eugene Nida, the analysis shows that English translations can be successful in transferring the political vision and thematic issues of Faiz, but frequently lose the musicality, the metaphorical richness, and the cultural depth of the Urdu originals. The paper will claim that there is neither a direct transference nor total betrayal in translation of the work of Faiz, but a creative re-enactment that opens up new interpretive possibilities and unavoidably alters the affective and aesthetic aspects of the original. This change especially affects the revolutionary voice that determines the poetry of Faiz as the transfer of the tradition of the ghazal in Urdu to the English verse changes the thin line between the lyricism of romanticism and the criticism of politics, which is the distinctive feature of the poetic success of Faiz.