In his first book of poetry, Secrets
and Mysteries (1915-1922), Iqbal differentiates
between poets who indulge in optimism and beauty, and
those who indulge in dead ideas and ugliness (this distinction
is often forgotten in our times). The poets of the first
kind lead their society to success and the second to doom.
In the second work, The
Message of the East (1923), he applies this poetics
on the contemporary scene and shows that the literary
ideals coming out of the West after the First World War
(1914-1918) are unlikely to be healthy. Therefore, the
future of the East, and perhaps of the world, depends
on the ability of the poets of the East to attune themselves
with the new impulses of life arising in Eastern societies.
In the third work, The
Call of the Marching Bell (1924), he traces his
own poetical career to show how he gradually dissociated
himself from the self-destructive movement of Western
thought as well as the decadent trends of the East (which
he suspects would find new sponsors in the West very soon).
Saying goodbye to the decadence of both societies, he
arrived at a new vision and became attuned to the rebirth
of civilization that is now happening in the East (especially
mentioned in ‘The Dawn of Islam’ – see
Chapter 49 in A Novel of Reality).
The fourth work, Persian
Psalms (1927), includes a section exclusively
dedicated to depiction of the art and religion of the
slaves. The examples seem to highlight the new trends
emerging in the West in the interwar years (1919-1938).
It seems that they are being imported in to the East,
including the Indian sub-continent, by the new intellectuals.
Iqbal warns his readers against the dreadful impact of
such trends (see Chapter 62 in
A Novel of Reality).
The fifth work, Javid
Nama, illustrates the ultimate outreach of a
poet of Iqbal’s school of thought: here, Rumi leads
the poet on an odyssey across the spiritual universe.
The journey culminates on a face to face meeting with
God and a direct vision of the destiny of the human race
unveiled before the eyes of the poet. Hence the analogy
of Khizr becomes completed here
– just like the legendary guide, Iqbal has now received
knowledge from the Divine Presence and learnt the events
of the future history of the nations (see Chapter
80 in A Novel of Reality).
In the sixth work, Gabriel’s
Wing (1935), he shows how the visionary artists
weave a timeless tapestry even when hampered with the
limitations of mediums and materials that are time-bound
(see Chapter 86 in A Novel
of Reality).
In the seventh work, The
Blow of Moses (1936), he declares a “war”
against the present age. One of the five sections of the
book is dedicated to art and literature. A careful reading
of these poems in the light of the previous works of Iqbal
depicts a rather disturbing scenario: the East, which
reawakened not a long time ago, now faces a new threat
from its own intellectuals who are blindly the West. These
trends include the kind of poetry that was denounced in
Secrets and Mysteries as responsible for the
destruction of societies.
The last two poetical works –
What Should Now Be Done…?
(1937) and The Gift of Hejaz
(1938) – show how the poets and artists can work
together with other segments in their societies for discovering
a practical solution for their societies.
Special
thanks to Iqbal Academy Pakistan
