A bilingual volume of some of Kaifi Azmiýs finest poetry: One of the finest Urdu poets of the subcontinent, Kaifi Azmi has borne witness to an entire era of social change. Born in 1918 in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, in a zamindar family, Azmi wrote his first poem at the age of eleven. He joined the Communist Party when he was nineteen, and wrote for the Party paper, Quami Jung. Subsequently, he moved to Bombay, and wrote his first lyric for the film Buzdil, directed by Shahid Latif, in 1948. A member of the Progressive Writersý movement, Azmi has been an active spokesperson for several workersý unions and works passionately to rectify social injustices even today. The richness of experience and maturity of perspective is captured in his poems, which reflect the many aspects of Azmiýman, lover, activist and poet. Some of his best verses are about the plight of the exploited, like the famous ýMakaaný which highlights a system where the poor, homeless footpath dwellers build palaces for the rich. At the other end of the spectrum are his love poems, including memorable lyrics for films that haunt the reader with their tenderness and contained passion. Azmiýs preoccupation with such disparate themes are indicative as much of his zest for life as his sincerity and honesty of experience. Brilliantly translated by Pavan K. Varma, this bilingual selection brings to a wider audience the wisdom and lyricism of Azmiýs poetry.

カイフィ・アズミの詩作は、社会正義への情熱と繊細な抒情性が同居する稀有な空間です。進歩的作家運動の旗手として格差社会を鋭く告発しながら、同時に人間への深い慈愛を歌い上げる。この多面性こそが彼の真骨頂であり、搾取される者の苦悩と高潔な愛が、一つの魂の中で見事に調和しています。 特筆すべきは映像文化との融合です。不朽の名作映画で愛された彼の詞は、銀幕の旋律と響き合うことで更なる深みへ到達しました。テキストの知的深淵さと、大衆を魅了する映像的な情感。その相乗効果によって響く言葉は、読む者の魂を熱く鼓舞し、現代を生きる我々に真の豊かさを問いかけます。