Precious Pearls — Page 5
7 TRANSLATOR’S NOTE Durr-e Sameen , literally meaning Precious Pearl, is a compilation of all the Urdu poems and verses of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as of Qadian, India (1835-1908). The actual poetry was composed over a period of approximately twenty-eight years, from 1880 to 1908, and was included in the more than eighty books of prose that he wrote on various religious subjects. The first edition of Durr-e Sameen was published in India in 1896 by Khalifa Nooruddin Jamooni and included all the Urdu poems of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad written up to that time. In the same year, a second edition was published, this time by Hakeem Fazluddin Bhervi. Some five years later, in October 1901, Khalifa Nooruddin Jamooni published the third edition under the title Durar-e Sameen Kaamil (meaning Perfect Precious Pearls). Since the publication of these very early editions, the Urdu 1 Durr-e Sameen has gone through numerous printings over the past hundred years. Other than occasional translations of individual poems that have been published in the various magazines and newspapers of the Ahmadiyya Community, there have not been many serious attempts at translating the entire work. Sufi A. Q. Niaz carried out the first systematic English translation of the Urdu Durr-e Sameen in the mid nineteen-sixties. The translation is now out of print and covered less than twenty percent of the Urdu poetry of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Although beautifully and very elegantly rendered into English, Sufi Niaz’s work falls into the category of explanatory or exegetic translations that aim to describe in great detail the complete meaning of a verse. While such an approach succeeds admirably in elucidating the full meaning of the Urdu verses, it makes the reading somewhat cumbersome and verbose. Explanatory translations of poetic works frequently fail to convey the brevity, melody and beauty that are so striking in the original language. An attempt, therefore, has been made to present a new rendering of Durr-e Sameen into the English language. The translation covers the entire Urdu poetry of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and is carried out in prose, without any constraints imposed by rhyme or rhythm. Although the original Urdu verses of Durr-e Sameen follow both rhyme and metre, it was felt that a translation in prose would allow a more accurate rendering of the original text. The objective of the present work is to convey to the reader not only the exact meaning of what Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad has said in his Urdu poetry but also to provide a taste of how beautifully he achieved it. However, the translating of one language into another is a difficult task, particularly when it relates to the field of poetry. Such attempts invariably involve some sacrifice of meaning as well as of diction. It is practically impossible to render all aspects of a poetic work into another language without affecting its overall literary quality. In this respect, the present translation is not expected to be above such natural limitations. Nevertheless it is hoped that this new translation of Durr-e Sameen will contribute to the reader’s enlightenment and enjoyment and thus fulfil the purpose for which Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad originally wrote the verses more than a century ago. The arrangement of poems in the present translation is exactly the same as in the recently published versions of the Urdu Durr-e Sameen , following essentially a chronological order in which the poems were actually written. The poems of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad never bore any titles when they first appeared as part of his original books. However, the editors included appropriate titles when these poems were published as separate collections as Durr-e Sameen. For the sake of ease in reference, the Urdu titles of the poems have been retained in the present translation. Also included for each poem is the date of publication and the name of the book in which it first appeared.