''Payam-i-Mashriq'' ( fa, ; or ''Message from the East''; published in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, 1923) is a philosophical poetry book of

Allama Iqbal Sir Muhammad Iqbal ( ur, ; 9 November 187721 April 1938), was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

, the great poet-philosopher of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

Introduction

Payam-i-Mashriq is an answer to '' West-östlicher Diwan'' by

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

, the famous

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

poet.

History

Immediately after the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Iqbal started writing the Payam and it can be presumed that he would have thought in this respect to achieve a goal of bringing the East and the West closer to each other. It is evident from some of Iqbal's

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Syed Sulaiman Nadwi Syed Sulaiman Nadvi (—; 22 November 1884 – 22 November 1953) was a Pakistani historian, writer and scholar of Islam. He co-authored ''Sirat-un-Nabi'' and wrote ''Khutbat-e-Madras''.Uhland Uhland may refer to: *Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862), German poet *Uhland, Texas Uhland ( ) is a city in Caldwell and Hays counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 1,588 at the 2020 census, up from 1,014 at the 2010 census. Uhland is na ...

, were barristers. After practising for a short time Goethe was appointed as an educational adviser to the state of Wiemar and, thus, found much time to pay attention to his artistic intricacies. Uhland devoted his whole life to the law suits, and, therefore, he could write a few poems."'' The relevant excerpts from other letters are the following: ''"Now I am writing a collection of Persian poetry in response to Goethe’s Divan and its one third part has been written.... I believe that this collection will be translated, because in it every aspect of Europe’s intellectual life has been regarded, and it will be tried to warm a bit the cold thoughts and ideas of the West."'' ''"In response to Goethe, I have written Payam-i-Mashriq that is near completion. I hope that it will be published before the end of this year."'' ''"In response to the Eastern Divan of Goethe (a German poet) I have written a collection of Persian verses. It will soon be printed. In the preface, I shall try to show how Persian literature has influenced German literature."'' ''"I have written Payam-i-Mashriq in reply to Western Divan of Goethe, a famous German poet. It is in print. I believe, you will like it."'' Because of these personal remarks and its pre-publication coverage in the literary journals, Payam gained much popularity and the intellectuals as well as the common readers waited impatiently to see it in printed form. Finally, in May

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

, its first edition came out and was warmly received by the masses. Payam was presented to the public with the intention of "warming the cold thoughts and ideas of the West." In the preface, Iqbal himself had outlined the objective of this most important collection of Persian poetry in these words: ''"I need hardly say anything about the Payam-i-Mashriq which has been written a hundred years after the Western Divan. The reader will himself see that its main object is to bring out those social, moral, and religious truths which have a bearing on the spiritual development of individuals and communities. There is a certain amount of similarity between the East of today and the Germany of a hundred years ago. The fact, however, is that the inner turmoil which the nations of the world are going through today, and which we are unable to regard objectively inasmuch as we ourselves are affected by it, is the forerunner of a social and spiritual revolution of very great magnitude. The Great War of Europe was a catastrophe which has almost wholly destroyed the old world order. Out of the ashes of civilisation and culture, nature is now building up a new humanity and a new world for that humanity to live in. We can catch a glimpse of the new world order in the works of Professor Einstein and Bergson. Europe has seen with its own eyes the dreadful consequences of its scientific, moral, and economic pursuits and has also heard from Signor Nitti (a former Prime Minister of Italy) the heartrending story of the decadence of the West. It is a matter for regret, however, that the intelligent but conservative statesmen of Europe have not been able to comprehend the real significance of the revolution that has taken place in the human spirit. From the purely literary point of view, the weakening of the life potentialities of Europe after the painful happenings of the World War is detrimental to the development of a sound and mature literary ideal. There is, indeed, a danger that the minds of nations may not be subjugated by that time-worn and devitalising escapist mentality which cannot differentiate between the thoughts of the head and the feelings of the heart.....'' ''The East, and particularly the Muslim East, has opened its eyes after having slumbered for centuries. The Eastern people have, however, realised that life cannot effect a revolution in its environment before it has had, in the first instance, a revolution in the inner depths of its own being, nor can a new world assume external form until its existence takes shape in the hearts of men. That immutable law of the Universe which the Quran has enunciated in the simple but comprehensive verse:'' ''"God does not change the destiny of people unless they change themselves."

iii. 11 ''III.'' (pronounced ''Tringle'') is a three song extended play (EP) by American singer JoJo. ''Tringle'' consists of three songs: "When Love Hurts", "Save My Soul" and "Say Love". The singles premiered on JoJo's official SoundCloud page on Aug ...

' ''holds good for the individual as well as the collective aspects of life. In my Persian works I have tried to keep this truth in mind."'' The Payam has been very rightly acclaimed as "a genuine attempt by an eminent Eastern poet, endowed with knowledge of Western literature and thought....to enter into a dialogue with Europe." The work includes a collection of quatrains, followed by a group of poems setting forth Iqbal's philosophy of life in lyrical form and some poetical sketches that picture European poets, philosophers, and politicians.

Introduction

History

See also

Notes

External links