Museum of Reminiscence

Museum of Reminiscence

Poems by Hamza Hassan Sheikh

Book Reviewed by Mubarak Ali Lashari

“Museum of Reminiscence” is the second collection of his, Hamza Hassan Sheik; a young man from Pakistan, romantic and delicate English poems. It was published by Naqshgar Publication Rawalpindi, in 2009. It is with beautiful title, like Greek goddess of love and beauty holding flower in her hand, and having hard cover. The book consists of 112 pages, its price is 120, mostly having the poems scattered on the pages and having a few pages of comments by different viewer and readers of his first compilation of English poems “Some Moments of Love” with title.

The preface of the book is written by author/poet himself. In his preface he seems overflowed with the emotions and thoughts. From the preface his (poet’s) poetic emanation of sensitive feelings and delicacy forcefully come on top from where his poetic sensitivity and depth can be judged. He does not seem amateur poet or writer neither seems to write for fame or some vested interests. It is all his poetic overflowing of thoughts, which at the time youth, is natural giving out of romance.

Speaking thematically, the poems are very intimately related to the doctrine of romanticism, in other words, it can said much of subjective treatment. Although there is no sign of keeping the doctrine in front of him at the time of composing poems neither there is any appreciation of the doctrine, perceptibly. Even the objective occurrences are seen in the subjective reactions and rejoinders, like in the following lines;

The cool breeze has frozen

Everything

The humans are shivering

With cold.

Yet I am burning

In flames of memories

Past is flashing before my eyes.

In the above lines it can be seen that the shivering cold has nothing with his passions and there is warmth of passion or burning past in which he is still burning. Instead of such examples there are much objective and realistic poems as well. Such as the poem ‘Cut Kite’ is dealt realistically and pragmatically. In such poems poet has little say to mould mode of idea and its treatment. I this context, the young poet treats the past and reminiscence marvelously sometimes. The poem on which book is titled is really very fantastically dealt. The poem is about the past and failure romance but from it the positive and optimistic conclusion was drawn that is the major quality of his treatment. It is apt to have a good read of the poem ‘Museum of Reminiscence’ here;

I loved a statuesque

Who dominated over my senses

In bedazzling sunlight

And in glooms of the night.

In whose remembrance

I became moon-struck

But that triumphant

Turned into goddess

The goddess of atrocity.

Who choked my feelings

And assassinated my passion.

But I have decked one more

Unforgettable statue

In museum of reminiscence.

In this poem the poet is not nostalgic but romantic and having refuge in inner satisfaction. Objectively, it is uncanny and holds the truth of bitterness or suffering but the poet dealt it with positive subjectivity. Hamza deals poetry very adroitly and has real passion of poetic portrayal of the imagination and thoughts. He comes from lower strata of the society and meets both hands troublingly. Yet he harnesses the fervor of creative literature and contributes in the genre with lofty poems and ideals. His book is full of such scholastic and romantic ideals in poetic creation, which ultimately is bound to appeal the readers and their soft thirst of love and romance. It is also worth of giving gift to the beloved in the weather of rain or drought; can also be preserved in the shelves of romantic creative literature.