Political Significance of Romantic Symbols in the Ghazals of Faiz Ahmed Faiz: From Gham-e-Janaan to Gham-e-Dauraan

Abstract

This research examines the political significance of romantic symbolism in the ghazals of Faiz Ahmed Faiz.Faiz is widely recognized for combining traditional romantic expression with social and political consciousness.His poetry transforms the conventional themes of love, separation, longing, and beauty into broader expressions of collective suffering.This study focuses on the transition from Gham-e-Janaan to Gham-e-Dauraan in selected ghazals of Faiz.It explores how romantic symbols acquire political and revolutionary meanings within his poetic discourse.The study particularly examines symbols such as the beloved, separation, night, dawn, chains, flowers, and spring.These symbols are analyzed in relation to oppression, injustice, freedom, resistance, and social change. The research argues that Faiz does not abandon the traditional aesthetics of Urdu ghazal but reinterprets them in a contemporary political context.His romantic vocabulary becomes a powerful medium for expressing the pain and aspirations of the oppressed.The study also highlights the relationship between individual emotions and collective historical experiences in Faiz's poetry.Through a textual and critical analysis of selected ghazals, the research demonstrates the multidimensional nature of Faiz's poetic symbolism.It concludes that the transformation of romantic imagery into political expression is a distinctive feature of Faiz's contribution to modern Urdu poetry.