A.R. Tariq, English translation of Iqbal's Asrar-i khudi

A.R. Tariq, Secrets of Ego. Lahore : Islamic Book Service, 1977. Printed on good paper, full cloth bound. Demy 8vo., pp. 227. Price Rs: 45.00

The book purports to be a “descriptive and comprehensive Translation of Allama Iqbal's `Asrār-i-Khudī' “. The use of the word “descriptive” in this context and the omission of the definite article from before “Ego” in the book's title struck the Reviewer as somewhat odd. But the blurb on the cover-flap claims: “And here is the most emphatic and enlightening English translation of his [Iqbal's] unique work.” It further tells us that “The Translator has been studying Iqbal's Persian and Urdu works for the last thirty years, and he has dived deep into his Philosophy.” These declarations raised high the Reviewer's expectations when he started reading the book.

The translation is preceded by a Preface covering no less than 36 pages. Apparently the Translator is quite uninhibited in the use of hyperbole. He talks of the original text as dealing with “all the possible Aspects of `Ego' in a philosophical and convincing style.” He adds: “In its language and expression, it is most musical and emphatic! In its meaning, it is highly educative, constructive and inspiring! In its literary beauties, it is Unique! As a matter of fact, there is a Divinity reflecting itself in all the verses of this book, without a single exception” (p. 9). This some-what bewildering spate of words is interlarded with interjections and italics. At pp. 10-11 of the Preface, one comes across the sentence: “He [Iqbal] devoted his entire life to the preachment of this innate and divine feeling in man.” The Chamber's Twentieth Century Dictionary gives the meaning of “preachment” as “a sermon in contempt; a discourse affectedly solemn”. The Reviewer feels sure that the Translator did not intend to attribute such an artificial stance to Iqbal. The choice of the word is injudicious. At pp. 11 and 13 again, one encounters captions such as “`Ego' as proved by Holy Quran,'” “`Ego' as proved by the Holy Prophet” and “'Ego' as proved by Great Saints and Mystics”. Under the first caption occur the words: “How many and how great honours, distinctions and favours, Man has from Allah? —The Holy Quran represents them and explains them from the very beginning to the end!” The use of the words “proved” and “represents them” are likely to raise literary eyebrows By the time the Reviewer had waded through half the reface, his mind began to be assailed by doubts about the linguistic equipment of the Translator, for the arduous task he had undertaken with such over-weening self-confidence.

Other unusual expressions came to light as the Reviewer proceeded further. At p.15, while discussing factors that strengthen the ego, the Translator mentions, inter alia, “A good `Ideal'”. The redundancy of the adjective here is obvious. At p. 16, Nietzsche's Superman is described as the “Beyond Man”. At p. 18, he says about a Perfect Man: “He is not a narrow-minded or prejudicial person at all, but is very generous and broad-minded by nature, to serve every human being, regardless of colour, creed and nationality.” Apart from the involved construction of the sentence, the word “prejudicial” has been wrongly used for “prejudiced”. In a footnote at p. 19, the Translator talks of “`Space' however long it is!” Here “long” seems to be doing service for “extensive”.

Quotations from Western authors, which in the Translator's estimation are akin to Iqbal's views on the ego, cover pp. 20-26 of the Preface. The relevancy of most of them is open to grave question. The quotations are also marred by numerous misprints. The word “has been translated at p. 31 inaptly as “outer space”. It should have been “non-space”. The Translator's thirty years 'study of Iqbal his apparently failed to reveal to him the fact that “God's Trust” offered to Man (The Qur'ān, xxxiii. 72), is, according to Iqbal, the trust of a free personality and not Law, as he has specified at p. 12, probably in conformity with orthodox opinion.

Professor Nicholson's translation of the .Asrār-i Khudī, despite a few mistakes here and there, has held the field so far as a standard to be emulated. A fresh translation could be justified only if it at least equals if it does not supersede it. The Reviewer has discovered such identities or near identities between the present translation and Professor Nicholson's as would raise a strong suspicion that the present work may not be the product of a wholly original intellectual exercise. There is no word of acknowledgment of this indebtedness. The Translator has indeed tried to introduce some variations from Nicliolson's version, to gain credibility for his work as an independent venture. Nicholson's translation is line by line, but Mr. Tariq has split up the two lines of a verse so as to form a stanza of three or four lines. He has either altered or omitted a word here or added a word there or in some instances changed the order of words and gratuitously introduced capital letters, italics and interjection marks to give his creation a fresh look. But these stratagems are too transparent for the camouflage to be effective. Where the Translator has departed from Professor Nicholson's rendering, the result has been more often than not disappointing. Given below are some instances of close correspondence between the two translations (T. indicates Tariq's translation and N. stands for Nicholson's).

Prologue:

(2) My Tears washed away Sleep From the Eye of the Narcissus! My cries wakened the Grass And made it Grow!

(86) That a Drop may become Co-equal with the Sea, And the grain of Sand, Grow into a Desert !

spring-cloud's bounty. No one hath told the secret which I will tell Or threaded a pearl of thought like mine.

I was complaining of the sorrows of the world, And bewailing the emptiness of my cup. That the drop may

(13) Lest you be put to Shame Before the Holy Prophet, On the Day, when every Soul Shall be Stricken with Fear!

(14) The Moon gets her Substance From the Table of the Sun, Therefore she bears the brand Of his bounty on her heart !

Exhausted by hard struggle, And they had set their hearts On the enjoyment of Luxury;--‑

(4) Life is a powerful Hunter, And Desire is its Snare! Desire is Love's message To Beauty.

The dark clay, whose name is the body—Our reason is ever bemoaning its iniquity.

(6) Since I am well-acquainted With the harmony of Life, I'll tell you what is the Secret Of Life !

These are instances picked up at random from various parts of the book. They could be easily multiplied, but I refrain from adding to them for fear of overburdening this note. The discerning reader may draw his own inference from these tell-tale similarities. It would stretch the long arm of coincidence to breaking point if it is suggested that Mr Tariq shared with the late Professor Nicholson not only a common stock of English words but also his turn of phrase and style of expression.

Where Mr Tariq has departed from Professor Nicholson's version, the result is more often than not an unhappy reading. Here are some examples :

(47) And set a high PriceMy song exceeds the range of the chord, Yet I do not fear that my lute will break. And sprinkle the dry

*This is a translation of “r'5 yE; P ..r.I” which could be rendered as “And add my tears to my merchandise (or goods).”

*The word in the original is ““ which also means an almanac but here that equivalent would be clearly inappropriate.

“Negative-self” is an odd phrase to use for “ which occurs in the original.

In the poem on Plato, Mr Tariq has translated the word “c.)4l” as “fantastic things,” whereas the 'Allāmah was clearly refer-ring to Plato's well-known theory of Ideas. Professor Nicholson

In the headings of Chapters, the phrase << „ repeatedly occurs. Mr Tariq translates it to “in the meaning of” instead of “showing” or “to the effect” as adopted by Professor Nicholson.

To be fair to Mr Tariq, I did land on one instance in which his difference from Professor Nicholson was eminently justified. The original verse (Asrār, p. 14) is :

And is always restless for Action! And by “Action” it is bound To the means of Action”!

But this, like the proverbial solitary swallow, fails to betoken an intellectual summer. For a book of the character and antecedents outlined above, the price of the Publication is definitely on the high side.