Masterpieces of Patriotic Urdu Poetry: Text, Translation of Transliteration

This anthology contains a selection of 100 patriotic poems drawn from the works of 40 poets, including such reputed names as Mir, Ghalib, Zafar, Wajid Ali Shah, Iqbal, Hasrat Mohani, Ram Parshad, Bismil, Josh Malihabadi, Faiz, Sardar Jafri, and the like. Many of these poets were not mere armchair philosophers, but accredited patriots, deeply involved in the freedom struggle. Their poetry is born out of deep conviction and personal experience of suffering and sacrifice. There are poems built around such traumatic events as the hanging of Bhagat Singh and his companions, the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the death of Jawahar Lal Nehru, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Chinese aggression and the Quit India Movement. The poems have been thoughtfully chosen and faithfully rendered into English. The language used for translation is simple, rhythmical and appropriate. Furthermore, an attempt has been made to retain the musical flavour of the original by making use of rhyme and assonance. The book also gives transliteration of the Urdu text in the Roman script. This should help those readers who are not familiar with Urdu in the Persian script. In addition, there is a brief biographical introduction to each poet.