Poems by Zehra Nigah (Edition1)

Among the first women to gain recognition and fame in the almost entirely

male-dominated field of Urdu poetry, Zehra Nigah (born in 1935) is today

taller than any Urdu-language poet writing in South Asia or beyond. She is

also an eagerly awaited figure on the mushaira circuit in India and Pakistan.

A classicist in style, her themes are urgent and contemporary-she has been

hailed for 'saying "big" things in a seemingly conversational manner'. This

selection contains her best-known nazms and ghazals, which showcase her

lyricism and also her deep insight into the human condition and the social and

political realities of our age and our region.

Among the gems in this collection are poems like 'Bhejo Nabi ji Rehmatein',

'Mein Bach Gayi Ma', 'Qissa Gul Badshah' and 'Insaf ', which have as their themes

sexual war crimes against women, female infanticide, repressive Shariah

laws and child soldiers in a 'religious' war; tender, bitter-sweet poems about

love and family relationships, like 'Shaam ka Pehla Taara', 'Ek Sachchi Amma ki

Kahani' and 'Qurbaton se Kab Talak Apne ko Behlayenge Hum'; and wise and moving

reflections on the emotional and social life of a woman-'Samjhauta', 'Hawwa ki

Kahani' and 'Sylvia Plath'.

Translated with regard and respect for both the poet and the English-language

reader, this collection is a splendid introduction to the work of a legend of

Urdu poetry.