Thinking Activity on Figurative Language

I.A Richards who along with T.S Eliot consider as the pioneer of new criticism gave an idea of close reading of text and also verbal analysis of text. He also gave the theory of practical criticism. So here I tried to analyze my own "Ghazal" which  one lover addressed his beloved. 

               " Jamal-ae-Do Jahan"

            (Beauty of Universe)

ए मेरी नूर-ए-मुजस्सम,

मेरी बेजान जिन्दगी की गुल-ए-तबस्सुम.

मेरे नफ्ज की फजिलत है तु, 

तु ही सूबह की हसीन इनायत.

हूकुमत है तेरी मेरे दिल पर ए मल्लिका-ए-जन्नत,

जैसे बिल्कीस की सुलैमान पर.

गुलाबी लब तेरे जैसे जाम-ए-कौसर,

कत्ल करता हुस्न तेरा जैसे मैदाने महेशर.

गुल-ए-रुखसार तेरा, जैसे रवानी में उठता भंवर,

सुर्ख अंधेरी रातो में जैसे निकलता कोइ कमर.

सियाह पर्दे में उठती ये मदहोश निगाहे,

तन्हा रात में तुंलु होते हुए चांद सितारे.

                                     ~ Abulhasan 

Here, we will discuss one by one couplet in detail.

"ए मेरी नूर-ए-मुजस्सम,

मेरी बेजान जिन्दगी की गुल-ए-तबस्सुम".

(नूर-ए-मुजस्सम-enlightened body, गुल-ए-तबस्सुम-smile)

In this couplet poet praising the beauty of lover's beloved with beautiful words. Lover says that his beloved body is like enlightened and bright, in next line he says that his beloved smile make his dead looking body alive

.

"मेरे नफ्ज की फजिलत है तु, 

तु ही सूबह की हसीन इनायत."

(नफ्ज-Soul, इनायत-grace)

In this second couplet again lover praising his beloved and says that his beloved is superiority of her lover's self or soul, means his beloved make her lover's soul immortal. In second line lover says that his beloved is like a morning grace or bless of the God.

"हूकुमत है तेरी मेरे दिल पर ए मल्लिका-ए-जन्नत,

जैसे बिल्कीस की सुलैमान पर."

In this couplet lover used mythical couple of Quranic story about bilqis, the Queen of Yemen and Sulayman, the King or prophet of Israel who loves beautifully each other. So here lover compare the relationship between Royal couple and theirs own.

"गुलाबी लब तेरे जैसे जाम-ए-कौसर,

कत्ल करता हुस्न तेरा जैसे मैदाने महेशर."

In these lines poet use metaphoric language. In the Islam people's belief that after the death, Prophet Muhammad drinks the water of the fountain and river of Paradise to his followers. So here lover says that his beloved pink lips are like water of paradise and pleased his thirstiness with lips kiss of his beloved.

 In the second line lover again connect his beloved beauty with the Quranic events. In the day of judgement. The God and his prophets, Angels all supreme power will be assembled in one beautiful field called "मैदाने महेशर".

 So, here lover feel wonder that how beautiful that day will be to see Almighty God. Further lover compare his beloved with that blessed day in the sense that looking at Supreme power and look at his beloved is wonder for him.

"गुल-ए-रुखसार तेरा, जैसे रवानी में उठता भंवर,

सुर्ख अंधेरी रातो में जैसे निकलता कोइ कमर."

(गुल-ए-रुखसार-Cheeks dipmle, कमर-moon)

Furthermore, lover describes his beloved beauty with natural elements like with Night, Ocean, Moon. In the first line lover compare the cheeks dimple of her beloved with the whirlpool of flowing Ocean. In another line he says that for him, his beloved is like a rising Moon in his darkened life.

"सियाह पर्दे में उठती ये मदहोश निगाहे,

तन्हा रात में तुंलु होते हुए चांद सितारे." 

(सियाह- dark, तुंलु- rising)

Lastly, in the final couplet of this Ghazal. Lover continuing his beloved praises with different metaphoric words. In the first line of this couplet he says about the beautiful eyes of his beloved that her raising eyes in veiled black scarf, it is like Stars and Moon raising in darkened and lonely night.

Here, we have seen that poet used much connotative words than denotative. As per I.A.Richard that there are two types of sense in metaphor, one is scientific and other is emotive. Then, if we look on  the words of this Ghazal some may have questions like.

1) Women have not pinked colored lips and also how can one pleased his thirst from lips. 

2) Poet also used the word "मदहोश निगाहे" means drunken eyes, some may have question that how can an eye become a drunken.

3) Poet connect his beloved cheeks dimple with the whirlpool of ocean that far fetched metaphor make misunderstanding .

According to I.A Richards that there are many types of metaphor that we can use in literary work. And we have to look at its emotive not at scientific. Here some metaphors which are used by poet that "जाम-ए-कौसर", "मैदाने महेशर", "कमर" this all have emotive or connotative words. 

To conclude, figurative language is a study of close reading, at first reading without any knowledge about any work we can not come to exact meaning of literature. It shows that to understand literary work one must have the knowledge of language, emotive sense, historical sense, social Sense also, because  writer writes satirical works also. After looking this things we can say that without all the sense they can't able to understand proper meaning of literary works.