Daud Kamal, born in 1935, was a prominent Pakistani poet known for translating Urdu literature to English and won several international poetry competitions. His poetry features themes of cultural legacy, the importance of knowing one's roots, and critiques of urban life, often employing symbolic imagery and a style influenced by European imagists. Kamal's works reflect on the connection to nature, history, and the individual's place within society, ultimately advocating for the preservation of cultural heritage through art.

1. Introduction…..Biography…….Style and
Themes……Reproduction……The street of
nightingales…..Analysis……Conclusion
Group No: 2
Group Members

2.  Daud Kamal was born in 1935
in Abbotabad, the son of Chaudhry Mohammad
Ali
 Early Education
 Burn Hall Sirinagar
 Bur Hall Abbotabad
 Islamia College, Peshawar
 University of Cambridge, England
Vice Chancellor of the University of
Peshawar, and the founder of the Jinnah
college for women in 1964

3.  He started writing poetry when he was in his
twenties.
 He is called T.S Eliot of Pakistan.
 Kamal set a benchmark by translating Urdu
Literature in English. He translated two
major Urdu poets into English:
• The translation of Ghalib’s
work was titled “Ghalib
Reverberations (1970)”
Mirza
Ghalib
• The translation of Fiaz was
published under the title of
“Faiz in English (1984)”
Faiz Ahmad
Faiz

4.  For 29 years, he also had served as a
teacher and chairman of University of
Peshawar's Department of English.
 During the 1970s he won "three gold medals
in three international poetry competitions
sponsored by the Triton College , U.S.A.
 Professor Daud Kamal died in the United
States on 5 December 1987. Later on he was
buried in the cemetery of the same
university where he taught for 29
years, University of Peshawar’s graveyard.

5.  Kamal writes beautifully, little fragments of
beauty like a pearl necklace.
 Daud Kamal’s writing style is deeply
influenced by the European imagists.
 His inspirations include great names like and
William Butler Yeats
Ezra Pound

6. Unique sense of
history
Sense of loss and
spiritual displacement
Graceful images of
nature

7. Mystic philosophy
i.e. “Know thy self”
“Legacy” is what
makes a Nation great
Multi-dimensional
symbolism

8.  rural and pastoral
 Strands of Sufism
 The imagery of monasteries, miniature
paintings, bullock wagons and vintage are
recurrent themes.
 Connection of soul with the universe.
 Idea of brutal injustice of kings on common
men.
 History is what makes a nation eminent.

9. Reproductions
Reproductions
Of Mogul miniatures
Cut out
From last year’s calendar
And fragments
Of Ghandara sculpture
Bought for a song
Prince Siddhartha
Gone into the night
With Channa,
And old Tajiks
In their tents
Drinking China tea
Almond-blossoms
Fall
And a crow----
Carved out of ebony----
Pushes itself through the rain,
I sit scraping
The rust off my ancient coins.
--------------

10.  Stanza: 1
 In this poem “Reproduction”, at first, the
poet actually sees some paintings, miniatures
and sculptures of Mughal rule in Ghandhara
museum.
 Stanza: 2
 On which he observes Prince Siddharta was
gone at the time of night with his charioteer and
old Tajiks are enjoying their tea in the tent.
 Stanza: 3
 He also sees in the painting that almond
blossoms fall and the crow carved out of ebony
(dark wood) pushes itself through the rain. He is
saying I am only sitting and scraping the rust
from old coins.

11.  This is a poem which is actually based on
cultural heritage in which kamal discuses
culture (in any form i.e. paintings, sculptures,
songs etc) transcends barriers of time and space.
 The poet gives stress on “Holding onto the
legacy is what makes a Nation great”
 He allows his reader to understand the
importance of knowing your roots.
 He believes that in order to thrive as a
Nation we shouldn’t detach ourselves from
our origins.
 We have forgotten our glorious past, our
glory is only seen in the form of miniatures,
paintings and sculptures of Ghandara
museum.

12.  The poet is just standing and keenly
observing the pieces of art in the form of
paintings and sculptures.
 The poet considers those pieces of art as a
“Product” for him and he actually manifold
the form of art by using his poetic skills.
 The poet did imitation of art in the form of
poetry by writing this particular poem.
 In fact, he wants his nation to remember our
glorious past and he advises them that we
don’t only have to scrape the rust from old
coins, rather we need to reproduce our
present, to change it and to correct it.

13.  The poet also stresses on immortality of art
in this poem.
 He says that you can portray your culture
only through some art, it may either be a
painting, miniature, sculpture or music etc.
 He says that art is the only way to preserve
your cultural legacy.
 As we know art is immortal, hence in this
way your culture will become everlasting.

14. Importance
of Cultural
Legacy
Taste of
revolution
Imitation
Reproduction
of creativity
Immortality
of art

15. Tone
•Praising
•A bit
nostalgic
Diction
•Simple
•colloquial

16.  Poem consist of:
 It is a free
Verse poem Because
• There is no proper
rhyming schemes as
lines of poems are
unrhymed
• There is no set of
meter
• No set of rules
• Have no regular
verse
• Have no fixed
metrical pattern
Three Stanzas

17.  Kamal has developed his own distinct style
as a poet using brief visual images.
 “reproduction of Mughal miniatures Cut
out”
 “Fragments of Gandhara sculptures brought
For a Song”
Visual
Images
1. Sculptures
of
Ghandhara
2. Mughal
miniatures

18. The Street of Nightingales
by Duad Kamal
(Analysis)

19.  Summing up, through the specified images,
symbols and embedding connotative
meanings to his words, Kamal has portrayed
a scene of a metro street where people are
nothing more than machines that are far
away from their traditional values and the
aestheticism of nature
 The title of the poem has a metaphorical
significance because the symbol of
‘nightingale’ adds a romantic flavor to the
poem at first sight.

20.  The simple language of the poem unveils the
theme of the poem in very comprehensive
manner as the words are taken from everyday
speech
 The language of the poem is simple and
colloquial that depicts WordsWorthian concept
that poet is a man talking to men in the
language of common men. Wordsworth says and I
quote: “poet is a man speaking to man: a man, it
is true, endowed with more lively sensibility,
more enthusiasm and tenderness
 The poem focuses upon the idea of people’s
deviation from natural, social and traditional life

21.  poet portray a clear picture of an urban
street at the time of evening by using various
symbols, imagery and connotations
 He says, “The liveliest street in town, its
web of dreams” and by this he represents
the image of urban life as the ‘web of
dreams’ that reflects the urban life full of
ambitions, that compel everyone towards
desire of achieving his/her set goals in life.

22.  the symbol of ‘nightingale’ adds a romantic
flavor to the poem at first sight
 The poet depicts the image of an urban
street where everyone is working hard and
seems busy to accomplish their personal or
individual goals.

23.  Kamal talks about ‘our fat old whore-turned-
midwife rushes by.’ The poem focuses upon
the idea of people’s deviation from natural,
social and traditional life.

24.  This poem could also be taken as a
lamentation upon the loss of traditional
values as Kamal says, “Soon there will be
evening.” Here, he is not merely talking
about the evening itself but symbolizing it
with the fall of values which are over
whelmed by darkness. This is also an
example of portrayal of connotative
meanings by the simple use of words.

25.  Kamal targets the mechanical life of urban
area through this poem as he talks about
‘exhausted clerks’ that reflects the dilemma
of life where human beings have become the
cogs and nuts of the social machine in order
to earn for living. This thing also reflects the
idea of ‘capitalism’ as he talks about class
differences, restlessness and busy life of
people. He portrays the distorted urban life
in beautiful manner by symbolizing it with
sweet singing bird; nightingale

26.  He introduces different people like clerks,
school girls, a little boy, grocer, barber and
mid-wife who represent life through their
activities in the street.

27. Duad Kamal, being an imagist here tries to make
a clear sketch of a an urban and rustic life of
man by using simple diction and literary devices.
One of the most striking features of Kamal’s
poetry is the multi-dimensional symbolism
found in it.
For instance, in his poems, “The street of
nightingale”
He has created his own unique style. Deep
meaning
web of dreams, about escaping, speaking of
nightinagales, mystery of people’s need,
about sky that is heading out somewhere.

28.  He has magnificently composed plain
language here.
Tone
Free
verse
Motif

29. Kamal has
remarkably
created images
of common
objects in the
poem.
He has talked
about schoolgirls
who are coming
back and
chattering…
All his images in
poetry produces
innermost
reflection and
arise feelings of
connectivity with
his poems.
N
a
t
u
r
a
l
i
m
a
g
e
r
y

30. symbolism
Another
striking feature
is multi-
dimentional
symbolism.
The title of the
poem is quite
symbolic as it
portrays the
image
nightingales…
Passionate,
intimate
feelings
The title of the
poem has a
metaphorical
significance

31. Romanticism
Duad kamal got inspiration from romanticism and we can see it in his style , diction, coherence in
poem. Literature(especially poetry) of romanticism includes subjectivity and an emphasis on
individualism(it don’t focus on tales of king or queen ,wars); spontaneity(flow of emotions ); freedom
from rules(in modern time we see free verse); solitary life rather than life in society; the beliefs that
imagination is superior to reason and devotion to beauty; love of and worship of nature.
 We see connection between kamal’s poetry and in romantic poetry especially in “The street of
nightingales”. Both focus on interest in the common man, Strong senses, emotions, and feelings,
Awe of nature, Celebration of the individual,have Importance of imagination.
Soon it will be evening – it is a time when everyone comes back to home, a time of relaxation from
daily tasks
Themes
Romanticism

32. Nature Rustice life individual
supernatural imagination

33.  This is prominent theme of Duad kamal’s poem “ The street of
Nightingale”. Reader can observe its aspect at first glance
while reading. Such an attitude reflects what might be called the
dominant theme of kamal’s poetry and English Romantic poetry
the filtering of natural emotion through the human mind in order
to create meaning. Its mainly gives importance to individual , a
common man. This is same thing we are facing in modern days.
We can write our own piece of literature either on pastoral life or
on any other aspect from daily life. In past we see different things
in literature.
And man
nature

34.  The term escapist literature refers to fiction that provides a
psychological escape from depressing and grave realities of every day by
immersing the readers in a fantastical or imaginative situations and events.
 Escapism shows a tendency to run away from reality, the responsibilities and
routine of real life. Escapist does not feel at ease in the world around him. He tries
to escape by unrealistic imaginative activity. A poet escapes in to a world of
imagination.So they escaped to their ideal world created by imagination.
 In poem when kamal says,
The liveliest street in town, the web of dreams..(stanza 1)
(stanza 2) One thing is certain- there’s no escaping
Mystery of other people’s needs (stanza 4)
The sky is heading out somewhere(last stanza)
escape
Escapism
So
tr
Reality,
hardships

35. Someone says:
 “It was that picturesque landscape which haunted him for the rest of his
life”
Kamal writes beautifully, little fragments of beauty like a pearl necklace.
Daud Kamal’s writing style is deeply influenced by the European imagists.
His inspirations include great names like William Butler Yeats and Ezra
Pound. His poetry has a unique sense of history. Kamal was a man of
compassion, and wanted to serve the humanity. He was not ignorant of what
was happening around him. He could sense and feel the unjust society we
lived in.