Prayer

By

Ghulam Mohammad Mehjoor

Lord! You are my hope and trust, lead me to the way of truth;

How long shall I dwell in ignorance! Pour me the nectar of knowledge

Lend ear to my wailing and pleas, cure me of ills and pains;

Be kind each moment to me; let me never feel in want.

Save me from sloth, infirmity and doubt,

Surcharge my heart with passion, zest and hope.

Let me not ever chant the sleep-inducing tales;

Let me sing the songs which infuse life into the dead.

Let me sing of that which inspires people with love,

And cause all bitterness and hatred to vanish.

You brought me to bloom with the earliest vernal breeze;

Let not the burning heart of summer wither me grey.

Like dew, how long shall I wait for the first flash of the sun?

Awaken me with the flowers in the first stroke of the dawn.

In form I am man, in substance far from humanity,

Subject me not to trials, shame not my human form.

Forsaken by men am I, and so they call me Mehjoor,

People may desert me this but you don't abandon me Lord!

(Translated from Kashmir by Prof. G.R. Malik)

Glossary:

Word	Meaning	Urdu Meaning
Dwell		کسی مخصوص جگہ پر رہنا۔
Wail	To cry because of pain or sadness	ژور ژور سے رونا
Plea	An urgent and emotional request	درخواست، التجا
Sloth	Unwillingness to work or make any effort	کاہلی، سُستی
Infirmity	Weakness	کمزوری، سُستی
Surcharge	To supply with an extra amount	زیادہ دیا، یا زیادہ عطا کرنا
Zest	Enthusiasm, eagerness	جوش و جزبہ
Chant	To sing a religious prayer or song to a simple tune	مذہبی گانہ گانا
Infuse	To fill someone or something with an emotion or quality	عطا کرنا
Vernal		موسم بہار میں ہونا یا موسم بہار سے متلق
Wither	To fade away	آہستہ آہستہ کم ہونا
Trail	A tough test	مشکل امتحان
Forsaken	Abandoned, isolated	چھوڑا ہوا
Desert	To abandon	چھوڑا دین

About the Poet: 

The poem”Prayer” is originally written by G.A.Mehjoor.He was born on August 11 in the year 1887 in Mitrigam area of Pulwama of south Kashmir and died at the age of 66 on April 9 in the year 1952. Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released a postage stamp in his honour on June 26 in the year 2013.

About the Poem:

In the poem, ‘Prayer’ the poet begs to Almighty Allah in a desperate and earnest way to provide him with knowledge and to save him from sluggishness, weakness and ignorance.

Summary: 

The poem is addressed to God. The poet implores his Lord to lead him to the path of truth. He has been dwelling in ignorance, so he requests his Lord to pour upon him the nectar of knowledge. He wants his Lord to be receptive to his wailings and pleas, and give him rid of all ills and pains. He implores Him to be always kind to him so that he will never feel himself in want. He earnestly requests Him to save him from sloth, infirmity, and doubt, and surcharge his heart with passion, zest, and hope.

The poet begs his Lord to spare him from chanting sleep-inducing tales, and instead let him sing such songs that will infuse life into the dead. He wants his songs should inspire people with love and remove hatred from them. He aspires his life should flourish with spring blossoms and it is spared from stifling heat of summer. He wants to be awakened with flowers in the first stroke of dawn.

The poet also implores his Lord not to put him to harsh tests lest his human form should be put to shame. The poet has always felt being deserted by the people so he implores his Lord not to desert him.

Thinking about the Poem

1. Which way the does poet implore his Lord to lead him to?
Answer: The poet implores his Lord to lead him to the way of truth, to remove all his doubts and darkness of ignorance.

2. Name the blessings that the poet prays for?

Answer: The poet prays for the blessing of truthfulness, righteousness; motivation to remove bitterness; the ability to inspire. He also prays that his heart be surcharged with passion, zest and hope.

3. What is it that the poet wants to sing?Answer: The poet wants to sing those songs which will infuse life even into the dead and will inspire people to come under the same umbrage of love and eradicate the bitterness and hatred from their hearts.

4. “Subject me not to the trials, shame not my human form”, explain?

Answer: The poet shows his humble submission before his Lord. He knows that if his Lord puts him to the trials, he is sure to collapse. Hence he begs his Lord to spare him from the trials because he is sure to fail, and this way his human form be ashamed.

Thinking about the Literary Devices

Identify the similes’ and metaphors in the poem ‘prayer’.

Answer: There are only two similes used in the poem as given here:
a) ‘Like dew how long shall I wait for the first flash of the sun’.
b) Awaken me with (like) the flowers in the first stroke of the dawn.

There are, however, many metaphors, which are:

• Dwell in ignorance;
• Nectar of knowledge;
• The way of truth;
• You are my hope and trust;
• You brought me to bloom.