Dr Kalpna Rajput

Different shades of love in Hamza Hassan’s ‘Some Moments of Love’

Reviewed By: Dr. Kalpna Rajput

Some Moments of Love, Hamza Hassan Sheikh’s first collection of poems is an incessant flow of beautiful love lyrics from his heart to the hearts of whole mankind. Reading this collection is simply enjoying the sweet moments of affection, charm, beauty, desires, dreams and their turning it into reality and sometimes into nightmares, hope, happiness, illusions and disappointment arising out of love. He has beautifully arranged these love lyrics into the garland of this collection which appears to be a simple and sober offering voice to love. Dr. R K Singh rightly observes, “He sounds a human voice, dominated by an elusive beloved in a poetic world which carries a deft touch with emotion and feeling.” [1]

He gives words to his meeting with a lady beautifully:

The moment my eyes crashed with her

I was captured in the cage

Of her blue and crystalline eyes

Eternally. [2]

At another place, he makes a search for his beloved who has left the world and gone into depth:

Like a roving leaf flying with the air

He leaves himself to the fate and in desire to see her:

I jumped into sea to go into depth

To meet my beloved I embraced the death. [3]

Some of his poems such as Meeting, While Playing Flute, Some Moments of Love, Love in rain, Waxen doll, Love’s force and Fog of love give bent to the hope in hapless life of lovers. In A Meeting he soothes a fascinated but perplexed girl and finally at his faithful approval, she responses him. While playing flute pictures the happy meeting of the two lovers in the magical tune of flute. In some moments of love he makes his meeting with the beloved more beautiful by caring heartily for each other:

If you feel weariness than hold my hand

Then we both will walk on the grassy land.

Taking hand in hand I will walk with you,

Then at that instant love will become true. [4]

Poems like Gorgon, Buried love, Garland, Known Stranger, Astraying in desert, blow the sir of disappointment and frustration in love. He shows his disappointment realistically leaving a thin line of sadness on the heart of the readers. But in spite of facing the torments in love, he is still hoping for his beloved’s arrival in Buried love:

I put wreath of flowers

On tomb-stone

Expecting

For her arrival;

To delight my dreadful glooms.

In Known Stranger he is so much shattered at heart that he suspects at his ability to love:

Leaving me alone

Crushed my love,

Under feet.

Perhaps I can’t get skill or ability

To love her. [6]

From bubbles to Rainbow is his simple and magnificent poem merging love into nature and ultimately universalizing it:

When clouds dispersed,

Then these seven colours

Decorated forehead of sky

Showing our love

In the shape of rainbow.  [7]

Beloved Moon, In Falling of Snow, Magic Statue and Once You Come mark the clear sentiments breathing in the heart of a lover who always lost in the dreams of his beloved. Dr.B.K.Das aptly remarks, “Love is one of the major themes of poetry although the ages. Like God, love is beyond any definition and also multi-dimensional. It is the bed-rock of life. Hence, it is not without any justification that poets treat it as a prime theme in poetry.” [8]

This maiden collection of the poet is truly a splendid work in all the way. I hope his star of creativity will shine brightly in the canopy of literature. Mr. Ejaz Rahim says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Hamza, has taken the first step. In due course of time, instinct, emotion and intellect will bear fruit and add new dimensions to his poems.” [9]

References”

1. Sheikh, Hamza Hassan, outer Blurb of Some moments of love
2. 2. Ibid. ‘Crystalline Eyes’ p.11
3. 3.Ibid. ‘In her search’ p.14
4. 4.Ibid. ‘Some Moents of love’ p.39
5. 5. Ibid. ‘Buried love’ p.37
6. Ibid. p.42
7. Ibid. p.22
8. B.K.Das. Love and death in Indian poetry in English. Ed. S.N.A. Rizvi, New Dehli: Doaba House, (1989) p.72

9.  Sheikh, ‘preface’ p.7