Bridging Time Through Verse....

Some poets are bound by the limitations of their era, their voices resonating only within the framework of a particular historical moment, shaped by the political, social, and cultural forces of their time. Their words, while powerful, often remain confined to the specific struggles they address, their relevance gradually fading as the world moves forward. Others, however, transcend the barriers of time and geography, their poetry pulsating with a timeless energy that continues to inspire generations long after their voices have fallen silent. Their words become a river, unceasing in its flow, nourishing the hearts and minds of those who yearn for meaning, freedom, and truth.

Peerzada Ghulam Ahmed Mehjoor, the luminous Kashmiri bard, belongs to this latter category. His poetry is not a relic of the past but a living testament to the undying spirit of humanity. He is not merely a poet of Kashmir, nor is he confined to the annals of history—he is a poet of the universe, a voice that speaks across ages, cultures, and experiences. His verses are woven with the essence of longing, hope, and defiance, touching the innermost chords of the human soul. Whether it is the yearning of a lover, the agony of an oppressed people, or the dreams of a nation seeking renewal, Mehjoor’s poetry captures the spectrum of human emotions with an intensity that refuses to fade.

His words are more than just compositions of rhythm and rhyme; they are embers that continue to glow, igniting the spirit of those who read them. His verses have the rare quality of being deeply personal and yet profoundly universal. They speak to the Kashmiri peasant as much as they do to the revolutionary, to the exile as much as to the dreamer, to the poet as much as to the warrior. His poetry, steeped in the rich cultural and natural beauty of Kashmir, carries a resonance that is felt far beyond its origins. The mountains and valleys of his homeland are not just geographical markers in his verse—they become symbols of resilience, symbols of an enduring spirit that refuses to bow before oppression and despair.

In Mehjoor’s poetry, one finds both an invocation and a challenge—an invocation to embrace love, beauty, and freedom, and a challenge to rise above fear, bondage, and complacency. He does not merely reflect the reality of his time; he envisions a future shaped by hope, courage, and an unyielding desire for a better world. This is why Mehjoor’s poetry continues to endure. It is not a mere echo of the past, but a clarion call for the present and the future, reminding us that the struggle for truth, justice, and beauty is eternal.

To understand Mehjoor’s universality, one must first grasp the essence of his poetic philosophy. He was not content with ornamental verses that adorned royal courts or intricate metaphors that confined poetry to the elite. Instead, he embraced the raw, unfiltered language of the people, the Kashmiri tongue that had long been overshadowed by the literary dominance of Persian and Urdu. In doing so, he not only reclaimed an identity for his land but also ensured that his poetry resonated with those beyond academic and aristocratic circles. His poetry was sung in the fields, whispered by lovers, and chanted by those yearning for liberation. It is this accessibility, this ability to merge simplicity with profound depth, that elevates his work beyond the specificity of place and time.

Mehjoor’s verses bear the unmistakable stamp of timelessness because they articulate the perennial themes of human existence—love, nature, resistance, and hope. Consider his poignant couplet: “Gulshan wathwan kehn poash wathwan, tsolh wanday meh yemberzal wan” (The garden is filled with countless flowers, yet I yearn only for the narcissus). This expression of longing is not merely personal; it is universal. It encapsulates the ache of every heart that has ever desired the unattainable, every soul that has ever felt incomplete despite abundance. This is the essence of poetry that transcends borders—when the emotions conveyed are not bound to a single experience but belong to the collective human condition.

The literary scholar Dr. Ghulam Nabi Firaq once observed that Mehjoor’s poetry carries “a pulse that beats beyond Kashmir, beyond the constraints of history, into the heart of anyone who has ever yearned for beauty and justice.” Such a statement underscores Mehjoor’s ability to engage with the reader not as a poet of a distant land but as a fellow traveler in the journey of existence. His love for nature, his elegies for lost beauty, and his fervent calls for awakening are not tethered to a specific geography but rather belong to the universal imagination.

In the grand tradition of poets like Wordsworth and Shelley, Mehjoor’s depiction of nature is more than mere description—it is an invocation of the sublime, a bridge between the physical and the metaphysical. His imagery is at once deeply rooted in Kashmiri landscapes yet profoundly reflective of a universal yearning for connection with the natural world. “Vuchh myani yaar Kralpanas rozaan, Wathwan tul sheene poshan, shraan…” (See my beloved wander like a potter, walking through the gardens, drenched in snowflakes…). These lines capture not just a Kashmiri scene but the universal aesthetic of beauty interwoven with melancholy, an experience familiar to lovers of poetry across cultures and continents.

Beyond his romantic and pastoral verses, Mehjoor emerges as a revolutionary voice, one that refuses to accept stagnation and demands transformation. His famous call—“Walo ha bagwano naw baharuk shaan paida kar” (Come, O gardeners, create a new spring)—is not merely a plea for the arrival of spring in the literal sense but a battle cry for social and political renewal. It is an appeal that resonates wherever people struggle against oppression, wherever nations seek to awaken from the slumber of injustice. Professor Shafi Shauq, an eminent scholar of Kashmiri literature, once remarked that “Mehjoor’s poetry is an eternal march forward, an insistence that darkness must yield to dawn.” This ability to intertwine personal longing with political urgency is what renders Mehjoor’s work perpetually relevant, a hallmark of poets who belong to the world rather than to a single moment in time.

Comparisons to other universal poets reveal just how far Mehjoor’s influence extends. His defiance against literary constraints mirrors Ghalib’s refusal to be confined by tradition. His romantic melancholy echoes Keats’ odes to beauty and mortality. His deep connection to nature aligns with Wordsworth’s belief in the spiritual power of the natural world. His revolutionary fervor recalls the passionate calls of Neruda and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, poets who, like Mehjoor, believed that verse could be a weapon of change. It is no surprise, then, that literary critics across linguistic and national divides have found in Mehjoor’s poetry a kindred spirit, a voice that refuses to be silenced by time.

Mehjoor’s universality is also evident in the way his poetry continues to be read, sung, and interpreted beyond Kashmir. His words have been translated into multiple languages, yet they lose none of their power in the process—a testament to the intrinsic universality of his themes. Dr. Brij Nath Betab, a scholar and poet, noted that “Mehjoor’s poetry, even when translated, retains its fervor because it speaks in the language of human aspiration, which needs no linguistic boundaries.” His lines are inscribed in the hearts of those who have never set foot in Kashmir, proving that his poetry is not tied to a particular soil but to the larger realm of human emotion and resistance.

To call Mehjoor a poet of the universe is not an exaggeration but a recognition of the infinite reach of his words. His poetry, though born in the valley of Kashmir, soars above its mountains, traverses its rivers, and finds a home in the heart of anyone who has ever hoped for a better tomorrow. He is a poet not of one land, not of one people, but of all lands, of all who seek beauty, justice, and the promise of spring after the longest winter. His voice, unwavering and immortal, continues to call upon humanity to awaken, to love, and to dream. In the grand tapestry of world literature, Mehjoor’s thread is not confined to a single pattern—it weaves itself into the fabric of all who believe in the power of poetry to transform, to console, and to ignite the human soul.

Sanjay Pandita teaches English literature at Dehradoon University. He hails from village Murran, in Pulwama.