Siraj Aurangabadi

Life

Along with Wali Dakhni siraj was the only other poet from Deccan to have left deep imprint on the tone and diction of Urdu. Siraj was one of the two front ranking poets who actually led life of a mystic, other being Mir Dard.

Works

The anthology of his poems titled Kulliyat-e-Siraj contains his ghazals along with his masnavi Nazm-i-Siraj. Influenced by famous Persian poets like Hafiz, Siraj gave ghazal a new orchestration of mystical experience. Hence his ghazals have two dimensional layers of meaning the mystical and metaphysical at one level, and secular and physical at another. Siraj's masnavi Nazm I Siraj, though based on saga of love remains an embodiment of the emotion of love revealing the mysteries of life through sorrow and yearning. Siraj had his share of influence on the north Indian Urdu poets along with Wali Dakhni and after that Iqbal (Illama) and his lyrical ghazals are admired and emulated today.

Siraj is a poet of deep mystic fervour, but he expresses this mysticism through the idiom of love and romance. This makes his poetry universally acceptable and enjoyable. His ghazals are remarkable for the intensity and spontaneity of feeling, depth of thought, and simplicity of style. He had also compiled and edited a selection of Persian poets under the title "Muntakhib Diwan". The anthology of his poems, entitled Siraj-e-Sukhan, was included in Kulliyat-e-Siraj. In his later life, Siraj renounced the world and became a Sufi ascetic. He lived a life of isolation, though a number of younger poets and admirers used to gather at his place for poetic instruction and religious edification. Siraj was one of the two front ranking poets who actually led life of a mystic, other being Meer Dard (Urdu poet).

His most acclaimed ghazal Khabar E tahayyur E ishq sun, na junooN rahaa, na parii rahii has been sung by many Urdu Ghazal singers like Abida Parveen.