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{{short description|1898 Gujarati poem by Manilal Dwivedi}}
{{Infobox poem
|name                = Amar Asha
|image               = Amar Aasha by Manilal Dwivedi.jpg
|image_size          = 
|caption             = ''Amar Aasha'' in Manilal's handwriting
|subtitle            = 
|author              = [[Manilal Dwivedi]]
|original_title      = અમર આશા
|original_title_lang = gu
|translator          = [[Natwarlal Pandya]] 'Ushnas'<ref name="Trivedī1987">{{cite book|editor1=Dahyabhai A. Patel|editor2=Jethalal N. Trivedi|title=Love Poems & Lyrics from Gujarati|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vnJjAAAAMAAJ|edition=first|year=1987|publisher=Gurjar Grantha Ratna Karyalaya|location=Ahmedabad|page=146}}</ref>
|written             = 1898
|first               = ''[[Sudarshan (magazine)|Sudarshan]]''
|country             = [[British Raj]]
|language            = [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
|subject             = Love, spirituality
|form                = [[Ghazal]]
|meter               = [[Hazaj meter#Persian hazaj|Hazaj]]
|rhyme               = AA, BA, CA, DA
|publication_date    = {{Start date|1898|10|1|df=y}}
|publication_date_en = 
|lines               = 20
|wikisource          = 
}}
'''''Amar Asha''''' ({{IPA-gu|ə.mər a.ʃa|pron|Gu-Amar Asha pronunciation.ogg}})<!--Pronounciation sounds different in the audio file--> ({{trans|Immortal Hope}}) is a [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] poem by [[Manilal Dwivedi]]. It was his last poetic work {{En dash}} published posthumously in the 1898 issue of his own magazine, ''[[Sudarshan (magazine)|Sudarshan]]''. Described as Manilal's most important work and cited as one of the most popular poems in [[Gujarati literature]], ''Amar Asha'' has been studied and interpreted by several writers since its publication.

==Publication history==
[[File:Manilal Dwivedi.jpg|left|thumb|Manilal Dwivedi]]
''Amar Asha'' was first published in ''Sudarshan'' (vol. 14, issue 1) on the day Manilal died, 1 October 1898, with some [[Typographical error|typographical errors]].<ref name="Mehta2912">{{Cite book|title=Sāhityika Sāmayiko : Paramparā ane Prabhāva|publisher=Rannade Prakashan|isbn=978-93-82456-01-8|editor-last=Mehta|editor-first=Hasit|edition=1st|location=Ahmedabad|date=May 2012|pages=64|language=gu|script-title=gu:સાહિત્યિક સામયિકો : પરંપરા અને પ્રભાવ|trans-title=Literary Magazines : Tradition and Influence|oclc=824686453}}</ref> It was reproduced and included in many anthologies of poems, such as the second edition of ''[[Atmanimajjan]]'', a collection of poems by Manilal, which was published in 1914 by his younger brother, Madhavlal Dwivedi, and an Himmatlal Anajaria's anthology, ''Kavyamadhurya'' (1920), with some corrections suggested by [[Amrit Keshav Nayak]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Anjariya|first=Himmatlal Ganeshji|title=કાવ્યમાધુર્ય Kāvyamādhurya|publisher=Himmatlal Ganeshji Anjariya|year=1920|location=Mumbai|pages= 94–95|language=gu|trans-title=Anthology of modern Gujarati poetry|jstor=saoa.crl.24513771}}</ref><ref name="Ātmanimajjana" /> It was also published in the 3rd edition of ''Atmanimajjan'' (1959), edited by [[Dhirubhai Thaker]], based on the original manuscript.<ref name="Ātmanimajjana"> Dwivedi, संपादकीय [Editor's Introduction], page 9</ref>

==Composition==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Syllabic structure of a verse
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Stress
| u
| –
| –
| –
| rowspan="2" |
| u
| –
| –
| –
| rowspan="2" |
| u
| –
| –
| –
| rowspan="2" |
| u
| –
| –
| –
|-
!Syllable
| Ka
| hīṁ
| lā
| khō
| ni
| rā
| śā
| māṁ
| a
| mar
| ā
| śā
| chu
| pā
| ī
| chē
|}

''Amar Asha'' consists of 10 [[couplet]]s and has been composed in [[Persian metres|Persian]] ''[[Beher (poetry)|beher]]'' (meter) ''[[Hazaj meter#Persian hazaj|Hazaj]]''. The opening couplet has rhymes in both lines, while the subsequent couplets' second line rhymes with the first couplet; i.e., the [[rhyme scheme]] is AA BA CA etc.<ref name="Thakar1956a"> Thaker : Sāhityasādhana મણિલાલ નભુભાઇ: સાહિત્ય સાધના Page 321</ref>

[[Mahatma Gandhi]] has noted that the poem includes some [[Urdu]] words and Persian legends representing study of Persian works by Manilal.<ref name="Ātmanimajjana2" />

== Lyrics ==
{{Listen
 |title = "Amar Asha"
 |filename = Amar Asha audio.ogg
 |description = Audio 1min 35s
 }}
<br>
<!-- Table-->
<div style="width: 80%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
{| class="wikitable" width="60%"
|-
|Gujarati
| English translation:<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ghazals from Gujarat|publisher=Gurjar Granth Ratna Katyalaya|others=Meer, Rashid; Shastri, Gopal|year=1997|editor-last=Patel 'Dinesh'|editor-first=Dahyabhai A.|edition=First|location=Ahmedabad|pages=22–25|translator-last=Pancholi|translator-first=Rajanikant}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Love Poems & Lyrics from Gujarati|publisher=Gurjar Granth Ratna Katyalaya|others=Trivedi, Jethalal N.|year=1987|editor-last=Patel|editor-first=Dahyabhai A.|edition=First|location=Ahmedabad|pages=146–149|translator-last=Pandya|translator-first=Natwarlal|translator-link=Ushnas}}</ref>
|-
|{{lang|gu|
<poem>
કહીં લાખો નિરાશામાં અમર આશા છુપાઈ છે!
ખફા ખંજર સનમનામાં, રહમ ઉંડી લપાઈ છે! –કહીં·૧

જુદાઈ ઝીંદગીભરની, કરી રો રો બધી કાઢી, 
રહી ગઈ વસ્લની આશા, અગર ગરદન કપાઈ છે. –કહીં·૨

ઘડી ના વસ્લની આવી, સનમ પણ છેતરી ચાલી,
હજારો રાત વાતોમાં, ગમાવી એ કમાઈ છે. –કહીં·૩

ઝખમ દુનીયાં ઝબાનોના મુસીબત ખોફનાં ખંજર,
કતલમાં એ કદમબોશી ઉપર કયામત ખુદાઈ છે. –કહીં·૪

શમા પર જાય પરવાના, મરે શીરીં ઉપર ફરહાદ,
અગમ ગમની ખરાબીમાં, મઝેદારી લુટાઈ છે. –કહીં·૫

ફના કરવું ફના થાવું, ફનામાં શહ્ સમાઈ છે,
મરીને જીવવાનો મંત્ર, દિલબરની દુહાઈ છે. –કહીં·૬

ઝહરનું જામ લે શોધી, તુરત પી લે ખુશીથી તું,
સનમના હાથની છેલી હકીકતની રફાઈ છે. –કહીં·૭

સદા દિલના તડપવામાં સનમની રાહ રોશન છે,
તડપતે તૂટતાં અંદર ખડી માશૂક સાંઈ છે. –કહીં·૮

ચમનમાં આવીને ઉભો ગુલો પર આફરીં થઈ તું,
ગુલોના ખારથી બચતાં બદનગુલને નવાઈ છે. –કહીં·૯

હજારો ઓલિયા મુરશિદ ગયા માશૂકમાં ડૂલી,
ન ડૂલ્યા તે મૂવા એવી કલામો સખ્ત ગાઈ છે. –કહીં·૧૦</poem>
}}

|
<poem>
Amongst millions of despairs, there hides an eternal hope,
In the angry stab of the beloved, there lies a deep kindness. – 1

I spent life-long separation weeping,
The hope of union will not be lost even if I am beheaded. – 2

Alas, the moment of union never came, the beloved left me in the lurch,
The thousands of night which we spent talking, these are my gain. – 3

The wounds of the worldwise tongues, difficulties and stabs of fear, I have endured,
Even in death I have kissed the kicks, the God knows and will bear me out in heaven. – 4

As moth goes into flame, so died [[Khosrow and Shirin|Farhad for Shirin]],
There lies a joy in the badness of such unknown pain. – 5

To sacrifice and be sacrificed, there is a dignity in sacrifice,
To live in a death, is the motto proclaimed by the beloved. – 6

Look for a glass of poison, gulp it down happily,
It is the last sacrifice of the reality at the hands of beloved. – 7

The path of beloved is known for eternal yearning of the heart,
At the end of that yearning, you find the beloved within. – 8

Having come to the garden, you have pleased by the roses,
Avoiding the thrones of the roses, wonders the rosy. – 9

Thousands of mystics and preachers have drowned in the beloved,
Those who have not drowned are also dead, thus sings the scriptures. – 10</poem>
|}
</div>

==Reception==
''Amar Asha'' is popular among Gujarati people.<ref name="Thakar1956b">{{cite book |last=Thaker|first=Dhirubhai|author-link=Dhirubhai Thaker|title=Manilāla Nabhubhāi: Sāhityasādhana|script-title=gu:મણિલાલ નભુભાઇ: સાહિત્ય સાધના|trans-title=Works of Manilal Nabhubhai|language=gu|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.305012/page/n13|year=1956|publisher=Gurjar Grantharatna Karyalay|location=Ahmedabad|pages=XV–XVI|oclc=80129512}}</ref>

[[Mahatma Gandhi]] liked the poem and reviewed it in his magazine ''[[Indian Opinion]]''.<ref name="Thakar1956b"/> He took it from ''Kavyamadhurya'' and included it in his collection of poems ''Nitina Kavya''{{efn-ua|The issue of ''Indian Opinion'' in which it was published is not known. ''Nitina Kavya'' was published by International Printing Press, [[Phoenix, Durban|Phoenix]], [[Natal (province)|Natal]] in an unknown year. ''Nitina Kavya'' has 34 poems in 48 pages. The review is not credited but, based on writing style, it is certainly written by Gandhi.<ref name="Ātmanimajjana2"/>}} along with the review. He praised it for the themes of finding god and love. He noted that it is written by a Hindu scholar in an Islamic style so Hindus and Muslims "both should be proud of it".<ref name="Ātmanimajjana2" /> He also noted that "the beloved" (''Sanam'') can be interpreted as a lover as well as the God or knowledge, similar to the interpretation of poems of [[Omar Khayyam]].<ref name="Ātmanimajjana2" /> 

In 1900, Manilal's disciple Gaurishankar Govindji Mehta had the poem reviewed by Vedanta monk Atmanand who had tried to interpret it in terms of [[Vedanta|Vedanta philosophy]].<ref name="Ātmanimajjana2">{{cite book|last=Dwivedi|first=Manilal|editor-last=Thaker|editor-first=Dhirubhai|title=Ātmanimajjana|script-title=gu:આત્મનિમજ્જન|series=M. N. Dvivedī Samagra Sāhityaśreṇī–3|year=2000|orig-year=1895|publisher=[[Gujarat Sahitya Academy]]|location=Gandhinagar|isbn=81-7227-075-5|pages=329, 338|language=gu|chapter=મિતાક્ષરી}}</ref> Gajendrashankar Pandya has called the poem "immortal".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pandya|first=Gajendrashankar Lalshankar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UJwRAQAAIAAJ&q=%E0%AA%85%E0%AA%AE%E0%AA%B0+%E0%AA%86%E0%AA%B6%E0%AA%BE&dq=%E0%AA%85%E0%AA%AE%E0%AA%B0+%E0%AA%86%E0%AA%B6%E0%AA%BE|title=અર્વાચીન ગુજરાતી સાહિત્યનો ઇતિહાસ Arvachin Gujarati Sahityano Itihas|date=1968|publisher=Gujarati Sahitya Prakashan|location=Ahmedabad|pages=77–78|language=gu|trans-title=History of Modern Gujarati Literature}}</ref>

Gujarati critic [[Mansukhlal Jhaveri]] called it "a gem of Gujarati poetry".<ref name="Jhaveri1978">{{cite book|last=Jhaveri|first=Mansukhlal Maganlal|author-link=Mansukhlal Jhaveri|title=History of Gujarati Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DA0RAAAAMAAJ|year=1978|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|location=New Delhi|pages=102|oclc=639128528}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist-ua}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{wikisourcelang-inline|gu|અમર આશા}}
{{Manilal Nabhubhai Dwivedi}}

[[Category:Works by Manilal Dwivedi]]
[[Category:1898 poems]]
[[Category:Gujarati-language poems]]
[[Category:Indian poems]]