Name Shah Hussain | Role Poet | |
 | ||
Died 1599, Baghbanpura, Pakistan | ||
Classical poets shah hussain part 1
Shah Hussain (Urdu: شاہ حسین) was a 16th century Punjabi Sufi poet who is regarded as a pioneer of the Kafi form of Punjabi poetry. Hussain's love for a Hindu boy named "Madho" has resulted in them being referred to as a single person with the composite name of "Madho Lal Hussain" (Urdu: مادھو لال حسین)
Contents
- Classical poets shah hussain part 1
- Classical poets shah hussain part 2
- Name
- Life
- Shrine
- Kafis of Shah Hussain
- References
Classical poets shah hussain part 2
Name
Shah Hussain is also often known as Shah Hussain Faqir - Faqir meaning Dervish ( mendicant ) and Shah means King. So due to his extremely humble Sufi personality, people called him The Dervish King, a person who was a King and a Dervish at the same time.
Life
He was the son of Sheikh Usman, and belonged to the Dhudhi clan of Rajputs. He was born in Lahore in 1538, and died in 1591.
Shrine
His tomb and shrine is located at the Baghbanpura precincts, adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens Lahore, Pakistan. His Urs (annual death anniversary) is celebrated at his shrine every year during the "Mela Chiraghan" ("Festival of Lights"). Madho's tomb lies next to Hussain's in the shrine.
Kafis of Shah Hussain
Hussain's poetry consists entirely of short poems known as Kafis. A typical 'Hussain Kafi' contains a refrain and some rhymed lines. The number of rhymed lines is usually between four and ten. Only occasionally is a longer form adopted. Hussain's Kafis are also composed for, and the singing of them have been set to music based on Punjabi folk music. Many of his Kafis are part of the traditional Qawwali repertoire. His poems have been performed as songs by Kaavish, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Ghulam Ali, Hamid Ali Bela, Amjad Parvez, Junoon and Noor Jehan, among others. "It may be asserted that poetry is often written to be sung. And all poetry carries, through manipulation of sound effects, some suggestion of music".
Here are three examples, which draw on the love story of Heer Ranjha:
Another Kafi:
Two Kafis that are addressed to his converted Hindu disciple Madho Lal Hussain need a special mention: