Muhammad Salim-ur-Rehman (Urdu Writer/Poet/Translator)
Translations demand patience, persistence and humility...
Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman
Translations demand patience,
persistence and humility...
Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman
To read an interview with Muhammad Salim-ur-Rehman, Please click here
The life of Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman is a rich tapestry of literature. Over the past sixty years, he has enriched various genres of Urdu literature. Apart from literature, he has a deep interest in many other fields. In English, such individuals are called polymaths, and in Urdu, they are referred to as “Jamea-ul-Uloom”. Beyond the world of knowledge and literature, his field of interest is particularly wide, including cricket. He is an editor, critic, storyteller, compiler and translator. He is well known for his translations. He has translated a good number of books especially western fictions.
Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman was born on April 12, 1934 in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. His family moved to Aligarh where his father, Maulana Aqeel-ur-Rehman Nadvi, was a teacher of Arabic and Persian languages and literature at a local school and a renowned poet. He did his F.Sc. from Aligarh University. The literary environment of Aligarh put deep impacts on him. During his stay at the University, he read all the books of literature available in the college library. After partition, his family migrated to Pakistan in 1952. By then his father had died. They settled at Lahore. He became familiar with Persian in his childhood. He also learnt Spanish in his youth.
Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman’s first literary essay was published in 1950 when he was only 16. He translated Homer’s Odyssey in Urdu in prose in 1956 at the age of 22. He also wrote short stories, novels, books of poetry. He is a playwright, too. Now he has about 50 books in his credit. He is also an editor of the well reputed Urdu literary journal “Savera”. Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman has become a legendary figure of Pakistan in the field of literature, who is equally respected and honored in Pakistan and India.
….
To read an interview with Muhammad Salim-ur-Rehman, Please click here
The life of Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman is a rich tapestry of literature. Over the past sixty years, he has enriched various genres of Urdu literature. Apart from literature, he has a deep interest in many other fields. In English, such individuals are called polymaths, and in Urdu, they are referred to as “Jamea-ul-Uloom”. Beyond the world of knowledge and literature, his field of interest is particularly wide, including cricket. He is an editor, critic, storyteller, compiler and translator. He is well known for his translations. He has translated a good number of books especially western fictions.
Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman was born on April 12, 1934 in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. His family moved to Aligarh where his father, Maulana Aqeel-ur-Rehman Nadvi, was a teacher of Arabic and Persian languages and literature at a local school and a renowned poet. He did his F.Sc. from Aligarh University. The literary environment of Aligarh put deep impacts on him. During his stay at the University, he read all the books of literature available in the college library. After partition, his family migrated to Pakistan in 1952. By then his father had died. They settled at Lahore. He became familiar with Persian in his childhood. He also learnt Spanish in his youth.
Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman’s first literary essay was published in 1950 when he was only 16. He translated Homer’s Odyssey in Urdu in prose in 1956 at the age of 22. He also wrote short stories, novels, books of poetry. He is a playwright, too. Now he has about 50 books in his credit. He is also an editor of the well reputed Urdu literary journal “Savera”. Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman has become a legendary figure of Pakistan in the field of literature, who is equally respected and honored in Pakistan and India.
….
“Every language has its own linguistic, literary and cultural center or region, though not spoken, understood, written, or read by millions but at least by a few hundred thousand of people. The inhabitants of that land consider themselves to be
Good translations add richness and diversity to any language. New styles and new ideas open the way to understanding
“Every language has its own linguistic, literary
and cultural center or region, though not spoken, understood, written, or read
by millions but at least by a few hundred thousand of people. The inhabitants
of that land consider themselves to be the guardians or heirs of the refinement
and interpretation of that language.
Good
translations add richness and diversity to any language. New styles and new
ideas open the way to understanding.
the guardians or heirs of the refinement and interpretation of that language. They are not willing to give this right to anyone else and they insist that whatever is written in that language, wherever is written, must conform to the standards set by them, otherwise it will be rejected as substandard, alien or rustic.
At one time, this attitude was adopted by the Urdu literary circles of Delhi and Lucknow. They claimed that they would determine what to write and how to write, and they won’t stamp the poetry and literature of those who contradicted them. This stubbornness since long been dashed and the main reason for this is that linguistic purity, like racial purity, is a volatile idea, unrelated to facts. Just as races continue to intermingling, languages also never remain pure. Fresh waters from new springs keep coming and mixing with them, never allowing them to stale.”
(For Urdu version courtesy to: https://auraqesabz.com)
***
“I asked Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman Sahib, “How the idea of a poem or a story does arises in the mind of a creator?”
He replied, “There is no single way. Sometimes an idea hits like a lightning bolt and the artist sees in a moment all that was hidden from his perception. This is more specific to poetry, although sometimes it can also apply to novels or short stories. However, the art of novel or short story writing is more akin to gardening or farming. You till the soil, sow seeds, nurture the plants. Eventually, the crop gets ready. Fruit ripen. But it takes time. Ripen gently, it is sweet.
The strange thing is that whether it’s poetry or fiction, it is not entirely under you command. It keeps giving you a sense of its freedom. Even if you’ve predetermined everything, still during the course of writing, the poem or story takes a direction that you hadn’t imagined before. Yes, once a work of art is complete or you think that it cannot be further improved or expanded, you can trim and polish it. And if your artistic sense falters, this trimming or correction can ruin a good piece of writing. I think that every poet or fictionist is somewhat little afraid of their writing or its freedom, and sometimes, instead of leaving it free, they start to draw curtains and fences around it.”
[For Urdu version courtesy to the book: “Guzri Hui Duniya Se” (From The Past World) by Mahmoud-ul-Hasan]
***
“Inventiveness was never valued in the past. Retelling old stories, rearranging old plots, was all that was needed. A writer’s success or failure depended on how well he retold an old story or how skillfully he rejuvenated a familiar plot. Even the Classical Greek dramatists derived the material for their plays from famous and well-known myths. Shakespeare never bothered to write a play on an innovative story. What was the need for it?
They are
not willing to give this right to anyone else and they insist that whatever is
written in that language, wherever is written, must conform to the standards
set by them, otherwise it will be rejected as substandard, alien or rustic.
At one
time, this attitude was adopted by the Urdu literary circles of Delhi and
Lucknow. They claimed that they would determine what to write and how to write,
and they won’t stamp the poetry and literature of those who contradicted them.
This stubbornness since long been dashed and the main reason for this is that
linguistic purity, like racial purity, is a volatile idea, unrelated to facts.
Just as races continue to intermingling, languages also never remain pure.
Fresh waters from new springs keep coming and mixing with them, never allowing
them to stale.”
(For Urdu
version courtesy to: https://auraqesabz.com)
***
“I asked
Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman Sahib, “How the idea of a poem or a story does
arises in the mind of a creator?”
He
replied, “There is no single way. Sometimes an idea hits like a lightning bolt
and the artist sees in a moment all that was hidden from his perception. This
is more specific to poetry, although sometimes it can also apply to novels or
short stories. However, the art of novel or short story writing is more akin to
gardening or farming. You till the soil, sow seeds, nurture the plants.
Eventually, the crop gets ready. Fruit ripen. But it takes time. Ripen
gently, it is sweet.
The
strange thing is that whether it’s poetry or fiction, it is not entirely under
you command. It
keeps giving you a sense of its freedom. Even if you’ve predetermined
everything, still during the course of writing, the poem or story takes a
direction that you hadn’t imagined before. Yes, once a work of art is complete
or you think that it cannot be further improved or expanded, you can trim and
polish it. And if your artistic sense falters, this trimming or correction can
ruin a good piece of writing. I think that every poet or fictionist is somewhat
little afraid of their writing or its freedom, and sometimes, instead of
leaving it free, they start to draw curtains and fences around it.”
[For Urdu version
courtesy to the
book: “Guzri Hui Duniya Se” (From The Past World) by Mahmoud-ul-Hasan]
***
“Inventiveness was never valued in the past.
Retelling old stories, rearranging old plots, was all that was needed. A writer’s
success or failure depended on how well he retold an old story or how
skillfully he rejuvenated a familiar plot. Even the Classical Greek dramatists
derived the material for their plays from famous and well-known myths.
Shakespeare never bothered to write a play on an innovative story. What was the
need for it?
There were hundreds of stories. Pick one, mould it into a play. (How delightful it would have been if Shakespeare’s access had extended to the stories of “Alif Laila”!). Even in the East, the same old stories were, with a little bit of modification and extravagance, told and written over and over again. Our forefathers did not find it amiss to read what they already knew. Why go away? Ghazal’s example is before us.
Literature
gains strength from translations. It can be correctly understood in this way,
and it has scientific support too, that if the close members of a family
continue to intermarry, their offspring will eventually suffer various
disorders.
of Ghazal, find this genre just boring repetition. He will think that every poet keeps playing with the same ideas, the same words, the same imageries and metaphors. Ghazal seems to dance in a very small space, but it is surprising how many meanings it can carry despite its brevity. As though it is not Ghazal but a nuclear thread of an infinite energy that every poet can connect with.
“It
seems that previously, poets and writers were not required to tell a completely
new story, to create a completely new content. The listeners and readers simply
wanted the storyteller or poet to sprinkle some salt and pepper of novelty in
the form of his unique style, so that the audience could enjoy a fresh
experience. Classical literature is impersonal in the sense that the writer did
not try to highlight his individuality through the work of art, but attempted
to blend the individuality into the work of art. That is why the pages of
classical literature are so devoid of autobiographical content. Even when the
writer uses the monologue, the reader cannot be sure that personal ideas or
feelings are being expressed. Or the word “I” is just a mask or
persona.
In
short, literature was truly collective in the past. It belonged to all. Whether
it is an aspect of pleasure, an invitation to contemplation, an ability to
penetrate the heart and mind that from the realm of literature, everyone found
something of his own interest. Simple-hearted people were drawn to the
fictional elements or common-sense aphorisms, while those with more
sophisticated minds found deeper meanings from the same texts. Literature is an
invaluable heritage of humanity that has come to each person without
discrimination. Anyone can take his share as he pleases, without malice,
without grudges, and without lawsuits. In fact, this legacy would double and
quadruple the more people receive it.”
***
A person will, who is unfamiliar with the tradition of Ghazal, find this genre just boring repetition. He will think that every poet keeps playing with the same ideas, the same words, the same imageries and metaphors. Ghazal seems to dance in a very small space, but it is surprising how many meanings it can carry despite its brevity. As though it is not Ghazal but a nuclear thread of an infinite energy that every poet can connect with.
“It seems that previously, poets and writers were not required to tell a completely new story, to create a completely new content. The listeners and readers simply wanted the storyteller or poet to sprinkle some salt and pepper of novelty in the form of his unique style, so that the audience could enjoy a fresh experience. Classical literature is impersonal in the sense that the writer did not try to highlight his individuality through the work of art, but attempted to blend the individuality into the work of art. That is why the pages of classical literature are so devoid of autobiographical content. Even when the writer uses the monologue, the reader cannot be sure that personal ideas or feelings are being expressed. Or the word “I” is just a mask or persona.
In short, literature was truly collective in the past. It belonged to all. Whether it is an aspect of pleasure, an invitation to contemplation, an ability to penetrate the heart and mind that from the realm of literature, everyone found something of his own interest. Simple-hearted people were drawn to the fictional elements or common-sense aphorisms, while those with more sophisticated minds found deeper meanings from the same texts. Literature is an invaluable heritage of humanity that has come to each person without discrimination. Anyone can take his share as he pleases, without malice, without grudges, and without lawsuits. In fact, this legacy would double and quadruple the more people receive it.”
***
“In fact, the presently prevailed firm belief that the more natural the fiction is, the more excellent it is, has nothing to do with our classical literary traditions. Let alone our classical traditions, there was no importance of originality in any language’s classical literature.”
Story is also a river; a river that flows within our beings, perhaps before consciousness and even after consciousness is lost. It is not known from which mountains it rises and in which ocean it sets.
“In fact, the presently prevailed firm belief that the more natural the fiction is, the more excellent it is, has nothing to do with our classical literary traditions. Let alone our classical traditions, there was no importance of originality in any language’s classical literature.”
Story
is also a river; a river that flows within our beings, perhaps before
consciousness and even after consciousness is lost. It is not known from which
mountains it rises and in which ocean it sets.
“Story is also a river; a river that flows within our beings, perhaps before consciousness and even after consciousness is lost. It is not known from which mountains it rises and in which ocean it sets. Somewhere we are opposite to it; somewhere in meditation one experiences its waves and depth. Telling and listening have many stages.
Literature is the common heritage of all of us and I am presenting you what I have got from this heritage. There are thousands of storytellers and millions of listeners and readers. Here are various reflections, surfs and eddies. This flow is our recognition, this is our pride.”
(For Urdu version courtesy to Foreword of “Short Stories, Plays, Few Pages of Novels” by Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman)
***
Ghazal is a very tough genre. During the second half of the 19th century, its usefulness was viewed with skepticism. Even in the 20th century, some critics and poets continued to criticize it. They struggled hard to crush it but they suffered with blatant defeat. The world has been called bride of millions of husbands. Ghazal is no different. It keeps changing its semblance according to the requirements of each era. Its inner core is the heart’s abode. Those with limited abilities merely scratch the surface. The adept, however, touch its core and become immortal.
(For Urdu version courtesy to: https://auraqesabz.com )
***
“Circumstances do not and cannot make anyone a poet. The ability to create poetry is innate. Now it is up to you to decide how to utilize to this ability. Whether to be satisfied with a little praise or, disesteeming it, simply carry on expressing whatever you want to.”
(For Urdu version courtesy to: https://www.humsub.com.pk )
***
“Literature gains strength from translations. It can be correctly understood in this way, and it has scientific support too, that if the close members of a family continue to intermarry, their offspring will eventually suffer various disorders. If the literature is disconnected from the literature of other languages and becomes a frog of well, then its freshness will be lost and it will start to stench.
“Good translations add richness and diversity to any language. New styles and new ideas open the way to understanding.”
***
“Translations demand patience, persistence and humility (from translators).”
….
“Story is also a river; a river that flows within our beings, perhaps before consciousness and even after consciousness is lost. It is not known from which mountains it rises and in which ocean it sets. Somewhere we are opposite to it; somewhere in meditation one experiences its waves and depth. Telling and listening have many stages.
Literature is the common heritage of all of us and I am presenting you what I have got from this heritage. There are thousands of storytellers and millions of listeners and readers. Here are various reflections, surfs and eddies. This flow is our recognition, this is our pride.”
(For Urdu version courtesy to Foreword of “Short Stories, Plays, Few Pages of Novels” by Muhammad Saleem-ur-Rehman)
***
Ghazal is a very tough genre. During the second half of the 19th century, its usefulness was viewed with skepticism. Even in the 20th century, some critics and poets continued to criticize it. They struggled hard to crush it but they suffered with blatant defeat. The world has been called bride of millions of husbands. Ghazal is no different. It keeps changing its semblance according to the requirements of each era. Its inner core is the heart’s abode. Those with limited abilities merely scratch the surface. The adept, however, touch its core and become immortal.
(For Urdu version courtesy to: https://auraqesabz.com )
***
“Circumstances do not and cannot make anyone a poet. The ability to create poetry is innate. Now it is up to you to decide how to utilize to this ability. Whether to be satisfied with a little praise or, disesteeming it, simply carry on expressing whatever you want to.”
(For Urdu version courtesy to: https://www.humsub.com.pk )
***
“Literature gains strength from translations. It can be correctly understood in this way, and it has scientific support too, that if the close members of a family continue to intermarry, their offspring will eventually suffer various disorders. If the literature is disconnected from the literature of other languages and becomes a frog of well, then its freshness will be lost and it will start to stench.
“Good translations add richness and diversity to any language. New styles and new ideas open the way to understanding.”
***
“Translations demand patience, persistence and humility (from translators).”
….
No doubt, M. Salim ur Rehman is the legendary who taught a lot how to write fiction.
No doubt Muhammad Salim Ur Rehman knows how to write fiction
[…] To read an Essay on Muhammad Salim-ur-Rehman click here […]
well written