Dawn

Date:12-03-06

Source: The Dawn

Says Kabeer: A Selection from the Guru Granth Sahib
Translated by G.S. Talib and S.S. Singh
Edited by Maqsood Saqib and Faiza Raana
Suchet Kitab Ghar, 11 Sharaf Mansion, 16 Queens Road,
Chowk Ganga Ram, Lahore.
Tel: 042-6308265.
Email: suchet2001@yahoo.com
143pp. Rs140

Spiritually significant to Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs alike, Kabeer is an important figure in 15th century India. The mystical poet raises the voice of truth. Philosophical in nature, his poems are characterized by a free use of the vernacular and are unfettered by the grammatical bonds of his day. He can convey in just two lines what others may not even be able to express in many pages. Kabeer gives guidance by picking up situations from everyday lives and writing about them.

The holy Guru Granth Sahib contains over 500 verses by Kabeer. This book offers only selection of his work.

On the Bank of Indus
By Shaikh Ayaz
Translated by Prof Lateef Noonari
Shaikh Ayaz Chair, Shah Abdul Lateef University, Khairpur.
Available with Kathiawar Book Store,
Urdu Bazar, Karachi
102pp. Rs100

Translating poetry is an art. Not everyone can do it. Even those who are well versed in the English language would have some reservations before attempting to translate poetry written in another language. On the Bank of Indus, a collection of Shaikh Ayaz’s beautiful Sindhi verses also has English translations, on the facing pages, by Prof Lateef Noonari. The translations which should have been a tribute to the late poet and writer have come out as pure mockery of his work. The translator’s English is poor and due to his limited vocabulary, he has chosen some of the most unfitting words to translate the Sindhi. It is surprising that the Shaikh Ayaz Chair at the Shah Abdul Lateef University Khairpur would even publish such work.