Nazrul a poet of romanticism throughout, never a rebel poet only

We should ponder upon two profound questions: Why should Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam be categorized as a rebel poet all the time in his poetic life- even after his death?

Is it the only reason that Poet Nazrul has created a few invigorating poems in his early life against British colonialism in India?

The word ‘Rebel’ must not be glued with Poet Nazrul’s name as a prefix or a title while describing him as a poet in Bengali literature.

Because, Poet Nazrul’s rebelliousness is one of the salient features of romanticism-which unveils love, sorrows and joys amidst beauteous ambience of nature along with the bold reactions to oppression, suppression, anarchism and all outdated norms and traditions.

It is our misconception and misjudgment to brand Kazi Nazrul Islam as a rebel poet of Bangladesh. Whereas, Poet Nazrul is an unrivalled romantic poet in Bengali literature.

He produced more than four thousand romantic lyrics, and legion melodic ghazals, devotional lyrics, poetry, prose, and dramas; he enriched the Bengali literature to its highest level; in music he also added his own created seventeen classical ragas and composed his romantic lyrics with the modes and melodies of those ragas.

Poet Nazrul’s romantic poems, from the beginning to the end, are very much akin to a pattern of sea waves with ups and downs- high up with love and down with pain and melancholy.

During the period of Romanticism (in late 18th century and mid 19th century) the founders of Romanticism movement William Wordsworth, and Persey Bysshe Shelley created their poems on social inequities and sufferings of the common people.

Both Wordsworth and Shelley were against the reign of kings, priests, social injustice, oppressions, and tyranny.

But they were never branded or marked as rebel poets rather they are regarded as the finest romantic poets in English literature as well as in the world literature.

The themes of the poems ‘The Rebel’, ‘I sing the song of Equality’, ‘Mankind ‘and ‘The Cooli laborers’ gave birth to a literary revolution in Bengali literature. Because those poems revealed humanity through a superb poetic brilliance.

Poet Shelley divulged the themes of rebellion in his lyrical drama ‘Prometheus Unbound’. It is a masterpiece work in English romanticism exploring the themes of rebellion, humanity and tyranny.

Prometheus is a symbol of humanity; a character of Greek mythology suffered much pain as he was tortured by God Jupiter. Later Tyrant Jupiter was overthrown, and Prometheus was set free from chain.

Poet Nazrul’s romantic revolution further accelerated when he borrowed foreign exotic words from Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu.

As he started using those words in his poems, he was vehemently criticized by Poet Rabindranath Tagore for using the Farsi word ‘Khun’ (???) in the poems. Poet Nazrul was shocked terribly.

Straightway he reacted to Tagore’s criticism and wrote an article ‘Boror piriti balir band’; where he wrote: “I used not only the word ‘Khun’ in my writings, I used many other Arabic and Farsi words too, which are customary in the spoken language of Bengali speaking people.

However, I do have an explanation. I think, the world literature has its own ‘musolmani’ style. As far as I know, the world literature did not lose its elegance at all in ‘musolmani’ attire.

The Bengali literature will not be treated as an outcast if it is adorned with some Persian ornaments. Rather, it will glow with more alluring beauty.”(Translated from the original article, page 543, Nazrul Rachana Shamagra, vol.4).

However, Poet Tagore’s criticism could not stop Poet Nazrul from using the exotic foreign words in his literature.

He used them in his poetry, lyrics, prose and dramas; the inclusion of those words in his mellifluous ghazal lyrics added more elegance and sublimity.

In the canon of Bengali literature his masterpiece oeuvres are embellished with nature’s beauty, divinity, humanity, justice, sacrifice, self-respect, poverty, equality oppression and emancipation.

He remained steadfast in his own harmonious poetic cosmos and regarded highly for his sensibility, and individuality with romanticist idealism.

Poet Nazrul’s romanticism is expressed in his dual emotions – soft, charming, tremulous and wanton emotions are mixed with turmoil, sorrows and bitterness.

He exhibited an extraordinary ability to blend the beauty of nature, spirituality, human emotions, and human sufferings while crafting the poems with poetic melody; he celebrates not only love but also conveys the message of profound demur.

His bamboo flute can render artful innocent melody. At the same time his trumpet heralds a war against unjust oppressors and tyrants of the world.

In the poem ‘For the joy of creation’ (Aj Shristi Shukher ullashe) Poet Nazrul described that his life is flanked by birth and death, a newborn child and a dead old man create both happiness and sorrows in his heart.

Poet Nazrul is like a ‘whirl wind’; whose love is infinite. In the vast gap of infinite and finite the poet is strolling for his unselfish lover.

In Poet’s Nazrul literature the role of symbolism and imagery from nature conveys the depth of emotions and the complexity of love, sufferings, afflictions, grieves and joyfulness.

All those factors above serve as a testament to the fact that Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam is a romantic poet by heart and soul.

His poetic themes of love, pain, devotion, compassion, remonstrance and ethics will remain forever, not as rebellious, but as romantic attachments to his literature.

(The writer is a Nazrul researcher living in the USA)