Poetry as a Universal Tonic and Borders of the Heart’: Transnational Poets and Their Universal Echoes by Muhammad Adnan-Pakistan

 

"Poetry is a universal tonic"—this becomes clear when we observe poets from diverse cultural backgrounds. Their core themes are inherently universal, reflecting what they perceive in their surroundings. These themes are often shared across different cultures. I believe poetry is the language of the heart, and its artistic value can be measured by its sensitivity and sharpness. It’s a language of the senses, as even the deaf can dance to its rhythm and the mute can feel its beat and warmth. Poetry encapsulates emotionality, critical insight, and poetic expression so profoundly that it is rightfully called a universal tonic. Great poets such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Tagore, Basho, Pushkin, W.B. Yeats, Homer, Dante, Jalal Uddin Rumi, Lorca, Pablo Neruda, Seamus Heaney, Muhammad Iqbal, Virgil, Whitman, Hughes, Pessoa, Agha Shahid Ali, and Derek Walcott all sing of mixed emotions and universal griefs. Their poetry is filled with human suffering, sadness, loss, fear, horror, terror, and the many forms of grief they perceive and portray in their poetic language.

Homer, the first renowned epic poet, artistically unfolds the suffering of human beings. His legendary epic, The Odyssey, reflects the vulnerability of the world-famous hero, Odysseus of Ithaca—a man of action and crises. His sufferings are similar to those of Derek Walcott’s hero in Omeros. Walcott, a legendary poet from St. Lucia, vividly portrays the lives of the people of the Caribbean islands and their struggles. These sufferings, like those of Odysseus, are internal as well as external. Both poets use the medium of poetry to convey the inner turmoil and challenges they experience in their lives.

In addition, Waris Shah, another legend of the subcontinent, also shares themes of grief and sadness. His heroine, Heer—often referred to by Amrita Pritam in her famous poem, where she says, "Today, I call Waris Shah, speak from inside your grave," and urges him to "turn the next affectionate page in the book of love"—is the beauty of East and West Punjab. Heer is quite similar to Penelope, the beloved of Odysseus. Both women wait, but their waiting is filled with pathos, loss, and trauma. They live in memories and hope for happier times. Their emotions are strikingly similar. Waris Shah, often referred to as the Shakespeare of the Punjabi language, soulfully captures Heer’s complex emotional character, just as Homer portrays the heartbroken Penelope. Both heroines share similar emotional depths.

Here, it’s the tonic of poetry that beautifully bridges these characters from different cultures and backgrounds. It's evident that Homer, Derek Walcott, Usman Ali, and Waris Shah use poetry as a medium to express the full spectrum of human emotions. Their poetic styles are unique, yet they resonate with a shared understanding of the human condition. They read and reach into the human heart with artistic precision. These poets belong to different times and places, yet their focus is on humanity. They are artists who paint the human experience with their words.

This clearly reveals that poetry is a universal tonic. Its universality is vivid and transparent, so clear that one can see it with the naked eye.

Moreover, Pablo Neruda also highlights the thirst and quest of humans. He is one of the popular in the contemporary generation. 

You start dying slowly by Pablo Neruda

If you do not travel,

If you do not read,

If you do not listen to the sounds of life,

If you do not appreciate yourself.

You start dying slowly.

When you kill your self-esteem.

When you do not let others help you.

You start dying slowly.

If you become a slave of your habits,

Walking everyday on the same paths…

If you do not change your routine,

If you do not wear different colors

Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.

You start dying slowly

If you avoid to feel passion

And their turbulent emotions;

Those which make your eyes glisten

And your heart beat fast.

You start dying slowly

If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love,

If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain,

If you do not go after a dream,

If you do not allow yourself,

At least once in your lifetime,

To run away from sensible advice…

This piece of poetry is filled with a universal theme. It’s not just for the Chilean people; it’s for all ages, speaking to all races and tribes of humanity. Its setting and tone resonate with everyone. As it speaks to “you,” the “you” represents all people, but it also reflects something deeper—it highlights the innermost part of yourself. It crosses borders, it rises above oceans. Though universal, it’s an ongoing rehearsal of life, where you start to die slowly, a slowness shared by people of every generation.

I am deeply impressed by Neruda's message and didacticism. He engages all of humanity with simplicity and encouragement. His style and delivery are fluent and deeply touching. He speaks like a persuasive orator, and his words flow into the oratories of the heart. His aura captivates the senses, as the very beginning of his work is so impactful.

These are million-dollar lines. These lines speak to you, but we can only understand them if we are truly alive. Most of us are living dead bodies. We eat, drink, walk, and talk, but inwardly, we are fickle, hollow, and shallow. We breathe, but we don't truly breathe. We walk, but we are dragged by various commotions. We are like T.S. Eliot's hollow men. We resemble Athena’s words to Odysseus: “These mortals understand so little.” If we can grasp even a little, it is enough.

Pablo Neruda, too, chooses the language of the heart, the language of beats, the language of heat, and the language of Keats. Poetry's lounge is shared by all poets. It transcends race, religion, ethnicity, and cultural shackles. Sometimes, I think of it as a bridge that connects different islands, a sturdy tree that provides shade in the hectic summer, or a warm sun in the cold winter. It is a garden where all poetic minds gather to cherish their wit.

It's quite clear that "Poetry is a universal tonic," prescribed by all physicians of the mind and heart. It juxtaposes black and white, as we see how diverse, transcultural poets express human emotion beyond boundaries and across seas. As I express in one of my poems, I regard my continent as borderless. It is universally acknowledged that man is free and cannot be confined by ideological or rational boundaries. My poem concludes with the thesis that poetry is a universal tonic. As a transnational poet, I aspire to this vision:

A Vision of Borderless Asia by Muhammad Adnan

I wish Indians to peep into Lahore,

I wish Pakistanis to sleep in Amritsar,

I wish Lankans to visit Karachi through Bombay,

I wish Bengalis to ring bells in Chennai;

I wish East Punjab and West Punjab to be just Punjab,

I wish the mingling of Ganga and Chenab,

I wish Delhi and Lahore as twins,

Threading their hearts with a common pin;

I wish for the land to be like Europe,

Where you wander like an unidentified troop,

I wish for the commoners before the partition,

Not facing a divisional commission;

I wish for the bright face of the Asian economy;

Where laymen enjoy autonomy,

I wish for love as the remedy,

And mercy and peace as policy;

I wish for the richness of Pakistaniness

I wish to be valued as Indianness,

I wish for Lankans to beat around the continent,

And for Bengali rice and fish to be permanent;

I wish to cherish the echoes in vegetable markets,

I wish to relish the laughter of old folks in the streets,

I wish for commoners to sing the songs of joy,

I wish for teenagers to play with nostalgic toys;

I wish for the integrity of Asians around the globe,

Standing tall and still in a colorful robe,

I wish for humanity to be its religion

And, I wish for the gravity of all regions.

MUHAMMAD ADNAN GUJJAR

Lecturer in English Language and Literature at the University of Chenab, Pakistan

Founder and Editor-in-Chief at The Wordsmith Magazine, Pakistan 

Managing Director at Calypso Magazine, Greece 

Ambassador English Literature at Insight Magazine, USA. 

Vice President at FEMALPC, Pakistan-Peru.

 

 

 

TAJALLA QURESHI

Writer- Poet, Columnist, Essayist, Fiction Writer 

Language Expert and Co-founder at Language Lounge 

President at FEMALPC. Pakistan-Peru 

Co-founder and Co-Editor at The Wordsmith Magazine, Pakistan 

Editor in Chief and Co-founder at Calypso Magazine, Greece 

Youth Member in the Government. Miss Feroz U Din Girl High School, Pakistan