Daud Kamal bt z malik

                                               Daud Kamal

One of the most striking features of Kamal’s poetry is the multi-dimensional symbolism found in it. This is achieved by means of rapidly changing imagery that is borrowed from no specific source or literary tradition. It usually involves common natural objects like the winds, the mountains, the sand and the river. What renders the imagery as unique is the unique symbolic significance attached to it. For instance, in one of his poems, “The Blue Wind”, Kamal uses a common natural object, a valley, in an uncommon and striking way, as he observes the valleys to be ‘green with regret’. In another of his poems, ‘Turquoise’, he presents a unique image of the ‘sky patched with cobwebs’, which, on being pondered upon, opens up a whole train of ideas in the reader’s mind. What is interesting is that one might lead this train in many a variant symbolic directions, as there is no stamp of finality and that of ultimate conclusion on this poet’s works.

Shamsie (1998) describes Kamal’s style as unique owing to the distinct and striking use of compact images that change rapidly as the poem proceeds. Frequently, these images are pregnant with deep inner meaning that may be subjected to different interpretations. Carrying the influence of Pakistani milieu and Urdu literature, Kamal’s imagery also comes to hold deep affinity with the local environment and concerns.

Rehman(1991) aligns Kamal with the Imagist school of thought, owing to his use of brief images that are not linked by joining words but by the essential connection in the thoughts that all of them seek to convey. For instance, in the poem, ‘Floods’, Kamal paints the heartrending picture of water-buffaloes stuck helplessly in muddy water, which is followed by an entirely different scene of a bride-to-be in an army relief-camp; both images are different yet similar on account of the idea of misery and helplessness that each of them represents.

Rehman draws a comparison between the suggestive style of Kamal and Rafat. While Rafat’s verses are also rich with precise and concrete imagery, he mostly relies on logical narrative to communicate his thoughts; Kamal, on the other hand, lets his images express his innermost reflections and feelings, his verses are literally robed with symbolic imagery. And it is this intensity of imagery that imparts a peculiar ‘inner dimension’, ‘an esoteric level of meaning’, to his poetry. Occasionally the pressure of deep thoughts renders Kamal’s imagery unintelligible; but the complexity is never an outcome of pretentiousness rather that of an extraordinary ‘faculty for thinking in terms of symbols and images.’  ( Rehman, 1991, p.34)

Objective Correlative:

Coined by Eliot (1920), the term ‘Objective Correlative’ refers to the presentation of ‘a concrete experience which is the equivalent of the emotion the poem is attempting to promote in the reader.’(1969:65). Kamal’s poems show a complex but beautiful application of this figurative technique. Tools of imagery, symbols and pathetic fallacy are blended together in a way which, being subjective and concentrated, gives rise to a number of emotions that are, in turn, open to the individual interpretation of every reader.

To begin, the very titles of his poems have nothing particular to do with the content but are chosen on account of that unique fusion that occurs in moments of heightened creativity and aggravated feeling. For instance, the poem ‘The Blue Wind’, demonstrates use of the stylistic device of Objective Correlative. The idea of the continuity of the natural cycle as it rings the bell of finality for everything that once blossomed, the idea of stoically enduring what cannot be healed, the prospect of remaining indifferent with regard to the transformations occurring around, are all suffused under a suggestive title, that is, ‘The Blue Wind’. Intellectually, the title might not coalesce with the content of the poem, but it is the poet’s creative imagination that unites the two together on a unique level of correspondence. The melancholy that is traditionally associated with blueness, and the idea of change that is traditionally connected with the blowing winds, are merged together to convey entirely new ideas – a process that takes place solely in the mind of the poet. Herein lies that genuine ‘intensity of the artistic process, the pressure, so to speak, under which a fusion takes place.’ (Eliot, 1920: 930)

Similar is the case of the poem, ‘Turquoise’, which never mentions anything about the actual stone on whose name it is entitled, rather the poem is a manifestation of that supreme poetic process under which

A feeling attaches to an image, which came, which did not develop simply out of what precedes, but which was probably in suspension in the poet’s mind until the proper combination arrived for it to add itself to.

                                                                                                                      (Eliot, 1920: 930)

And so somehow, the image of this magical stone came to conjure up the themes of memories, loss, and that of adapting to the changes brought about by time. One can only conjecture that the mysterious attributes of this ever-changing stone must have found some distant connection with the likewise unexplainable changes occurring in human life – a unison made in that ‘perfected medium in which special, or very varied, feelings are at liberty to enter into new combinations.’ (Eliot, 1920: 930)

Tools of Objective Correlative:

The device of objective correlative functions through two cardinal tools, that of the metaphor and the image. We come across abundant metaphorical representations in Kamal’s poetry, which not only render the poem as concrete but also heighten the interest of the reader.

Nature imagery and the use of Pathetic Fallacy:

Kamal’s poems are replete with nature imagery; often he assigns human qualities to  inanimate objects of Nature so as to drive home his ideas in a manner that is vivid as well as aesthetically pleasing. In his poem, ‘Turquoise’, we may observe that pleasant inseparable union between the poet’s emotion, his intellect, and the objects of the natural world that Coleridge (1796) advocated to be the hallmark of effective poetry. For it is this poetic combination, eventuating from the intense concentration of the poet, which generates verses that are strikingly different from what is commonly supposed to be produced on a particular experience.

The poem opens with a highly personalized Nature symbol:

A sky

Patched with cobwebs. (Line 1-2)

As the whole of the initial stanza is about reminiscing or reliving the past, this image seems to refer to the fragmentary nature of memories. The vastness of the sky complements the vast scope of memories that encompass a large portion of our life. Interestingly, the ever-changing shades of the sky may correspond to the great degree of variance found in the zone of memories.

While the image of cobwebs may represent the mesmerizing trap of memories, it also makes one wonder about the complexity of time itself; time keeps passing and makes us pass along with it but the nature of its passage lies beyond the reach of our determination. To add to that, the huge transformations that time undergoes while traveling from one point to another, makes it incredible for us to perceive it as one big whole rather we deem it as patches in the sky of life.

Connecting this symbol with the upcoming verse, that is:

Take a deep breath,

she says,

and the past

will come back. (Line 3-6)

The image of a ‘sky patched with cobwebs’, also seems to hint at the different compartments of mind; while some flow along with the present tides, keeping pace with the future ahead, others remain stuck in the past, always whining for what is now gone.

Kamal continues to draw analogies from the natural world; the next stanza opens with the following verses:

Blind fish

(they don’t change color)

glide between the branches

of submerged trees. (Line 4-7)

Blind fish, having been destined to dwell in shadows, learns to live in that condition quietly and calmly, as suggested by the word, ‘glide’. In this regard, it comes to stand for all those fate-stricken creatures and people who keep moving smoothly at the face of any impediment. From here also stems the idea of developing adaptability to the environment set up for us by Nature.

Linking the image of the blind fish with the upcoming verse, stating how ‘the stars chronicle the suffering of mankind’, another notion comes to mind, that of living in illusions and fantasies. Like the submerged trees, fantasies are nothing more than a shadow of reality that one grips so as to make existence pleasing for oneself. One might procure heavenly pleasures by gliding about in the world of delusions, but the price to be paid is nothing less than the blindness of eyes and heart.

The final message of the poem is again wrapped up in the cloak of Nature imagery:

The wind        

has bled the stones white. (Line 17-18)

Here, the word ‘bled’ indicates the use of pathetic fallacy as it assigns empathy to the otherwise lifeless stones. Because of this figurative technique, the verse comes to attain broadness and allusiveness. On the exterior level, the image only serves to demonstrate the bleaching process of Nature. But in relation to the foregoing verses, it implies how Nature keeps functioning at all costs, in the same way ever. It also signifies the process of aging brought about by the ever-blowing winds of time – the disorientation of life; as if to negate the consideration of the initial stanza, that is, the past cannot be called back to existence.

Moreover, the idea of the hardness of Fate that had been running subtly throughout the whole poem now sees a vivid culmination with the use of the word, ‘bled’. The underlying idea is that of accepting one’s place in the hierarchy of life. The choice is not always ours to make. Intervention into natural processes is neither possible nor suited to mankind. When one cannot ride on the wind, one must learn to ride along with it!

On yet another level, the bleeding of the stones may complement the situation of those who are unable to accommodate with changing times; as if to say, when one does not step forward to create the required change, sooner or later, Nature forces it upon one – with all the pain that accompanies forced changes.

Thus we observe how all the themes of the poem are conveyed by resorting into the realm of Nature imagery, how the feelings and sensations of the poet are so exquisitely embodied in the Natural scenes as to make the reader feel that Nature itself is speaking on  behalf of the poet.

Kamal’s exceptional ability to sketch his emotions on the canvas of imagery, particularly Nature imagery, is well-realized in his poem, “Damp-Stone Doorstep”. The gnawing sense of absence, the havoc brought about by time, and the difficulties of achievement – all these themes are delicately knitted together behind the descriptions of Nature. In fact, the images seem to be over-brimming with the force of overlapping thoughts. One prominent example is that of, ‘stars pollinating the silky air’.

The image is a composite of four different entities; the stars, the act of pollination, the tactile effect of silkiness, and the air, all hail from different worlds of existence, yet here they are artistically intermixed through the use of pathetic fallacy. The poet feels that the way new life emanates from pollination, so are stars the source of life for the sky which would be left as a mere blank covering without the adornment of stars. The objective correlative of beauty, delicacy, and softness is further intensified by attributing ‘silkiness’ to the air. 

The poem moves on in the mode of symbolic nature imagery:

Your absence coils around me

And I think I see

What the pulseless eyes

Of the rock-cliffs see. (Line 4-7)

Here, absence is perceived as an animal coiling around the prey, suffocating it within its tight grip.

The poet goes on to elaborate his condition, by comparing it with the rock-cliffs. Rocks, being known for the attribute of hardness, allude to that state of vacuum where one sees without feeling, where one hears without registering, where one touches without penetrating. The description of this particular state is accentuated through the image of ‘pulseless eyes’. On the whole, the signification is that of an abrupt exposition to reality – a reality that is too hard to leave any space for lively emotions.

The poem ‘Damp-Stone Doorstep’ speaks volumes about Kamal’s spontaneous manner of infusing his thoughts and feelings in Nature, as if he could mould Nature in whichever way he wants it to be. The oxymoronic effect of symbols like the ‘pulseless eyes’, and ‘Your absence coils around me’, enables Kamal to use the same old Nature imagery in a style afresh.

Multi-layered Symbols and Terseness of Style:

The poem, ‘The Blue Wind’ is commendable as regards the compactness achieved by suggestive style.                                                                                      

Considering the image of ‘valleys green with regret’, we can see how the tool of pathetic fallacy is employed to lend manifold suggestions all at once. Apart from its traditional interpretation in terms of the Autumn season, the image may also be alluding to that blooming ripeness which, after having culminated to its wondrous heights, carries the alarming promise of an upcoming downfall. Every thing that reaches the top-most summit has to roll downwards once again. The idea may be applied to human life and its different stages; after reaching the fulfillment brought about by middle age, one is bound to be haunted by the approaching decay of old age. Irrespective of one’s pre-conceived knowledge and beforehand preparation, it is natural to regret the passing away of bloom and felicity. The idea further branches off in the direction of the fact as to how every natural creation has to undergo a prescribed/incessant cycle of opposites following each other.

 On yet another note, the color green can also be seen as a manifestation of envy for the one who possesses what we can only yearn for. Thus so many ideas are suffused in this single image.

Kamal’s tendency of juxtaposing the opposites together is often realized in the form of rapidly changing images that serve to comment on each other – another way of giving lots of ideas but with an economy of words. Taking the following example:

Chart the flight of birds

on the night’s migratory page

……………………………

but the rocks stand apart

asymmetrical in the torrent’s rage. (Line 5-10)

After experiencing the mobility of the flight of birds, the fixedness of the rocks standing asymmetrical becomes all the more striking. The idea of moving along with the changing seasons, as juxtaposed with that of staying rooted to the self-chosen spot (inflexible to the changing circumstances) is accentuated through an artful setting of imagery.

Delving into the world of the formerly mentioned image, the phrase, ‘night’s migratory page’ catches the attention and makes one wonder as to how Kamal’s poetic sensibility  ascribes the migratory instincts of the birds to the sky itself which only stands as a medium of that migration. On stretching the poem’s theme further, the image may appear to stand for the migration of the night after the completion of its prescribed hours, so as to give way to the awaiting day. Likewise, in the context of human life, it imparts the idea of sorrow giving way to joy, once having performed its due role in the circle of life.

Going further, ‘the rocks standing asymmetrical in the torrent’s rage’, is a captivating symbolic representation of the division that is created in a being that deviates from the path mapped out by Nature; the rocks may sustain the rain temporarily, and be contented with the temporal expansion, but the ultimate result would be nothing but sheer breakage. Those who refuse to bow to the destined fate, have to fall and fall heavily. The adjective ‘asymmetrical’ aptly manifests the above mentioned weakened state; be it on the level of natural objects or that of human beings themselves. Moreover, the indifferent demeanor ascribed to the rocks is vaguely reminiscent of the Post-modern Man who exists in a particular circle yet remains out of it emotionally and psychologically. 

All in all, the poem, ‘The Blue Wind’, just like the poems discussed above, is saturated with deep thoughts going beyond the brief space assigned to them. This sort of symbolic concentration enables Kamal to retain the interest of the reader by preventing his verses from becoming arduous or excessively sentimental. The figurative techniques – objective correlative, metaphor, simile and pathetic fallacy – all contribute in achieving the desired effect of balance and terseness. The tight symbolic construction of verses is also vital to the mood of serenity that pervades in Kamal’s poems; it embellishes the poems along with providing a beautiful encasement to the sublimity of deep rushing thoughts. For Kamal’s imagery, using Pound’s words, is like ‘a vortex, from which, and through which, and into which, ideas are constantly rushing.’ (Cited in The Identity of Yeats, 1954: 156)