Analysis of "The Stone-Chat" by Taufiq Rafat

Biography of Taufiq Rafat

Taufiq Rafat was born in 1927 in Sialkot, Hazir building. He was the son of Khawaja Ghulam
Muhammad Hazir, during the WWll, his father served the British Army as a supply contractor.
His father later on shifted to Dehra Dun. After the partition of the Sub-continent, his family
came back to Pakistan and start living in Sialkot. Rafat received his education in English Colonial
System in Dehra Dun. He later on studied at Aligarh and then at Lahore. He completed his
graduation The Holly College of Commerce in Lahore. Then he became an executive in a
company. Later on married to Rana Rafat, a Women Right Activist. He introduced a distinctive
idiom known as ‘Pakistani Idiom’ which became a standard for Pakistani poets to compose
poetry that can reflect Pakistani society, culture, tradition and ideology. According to Rafat:
‘Poetry emanates from very land in which it is written. The culture Substratum that gives
inchorage to its roots remains a variable source from which it gains nourishment and defines
the self of the poet.’
He is best known as Philanthropic, humanitarian, Romantic, Mystic, prosaic, prolific and
nostalgic poet. The legendry Rafat is also known as the ‘Great Ezra Pound’ of Literature.
Subject of his writing
Subjects of writing were Post-Colonial societies, National and Cultural self-hood, preservation
of festivals, rites and rituals, conflict between tradition and modernity, tradition of joint
family system, simple life with pain of complexities.
He was a creative writer and real carpenter of life. He used conversational tone, forceful
words, natural concrete and logical imagery, symbolism, cultural sub-strains. His writing also
include simplicity of language.
Themes of his poetry
His Major themes were loneliness, traumatic reality of death, cultural riots, villiage life of
Pakistan, South Asian Riots, village and urban life, depressed emotions, sacrifice and sufferings,
social issues, love and relationship.
Major Works
Rafat is the one poet whose works has appeared in all three of Pakistan’s major anthologies:
First voice (1965)
Piece of eight (1971)
 World-Fall (1975)
His famous work include ‘The Arrival of Moon Soon’ (1947-78)

Analysis of "The Stone-Chat"

"The poem examines the resistance of the local stone chat and the
way it adapts to its surrounding as a mataphor for the poets search
of Identity"
(Amara Raza)
This poem ‘The Stone Chat’ was written by a famous Pakistani poet Taufiq Rafat who is the
founder of Pakistani poetry in world due to his representation of Pakistani culture throughout
the World in English Language. This poem can be interpreted in more than one ways such as
with the point of view of usage of symbols, imagery, historical background, including his own
experiences, biography, nature, language usage, use of conversational tone etc. make several
interpretations of this poem.
Significance of the title:
Title of the poem has a great significance. Stone Chat is known for its resistance and resilience.
it frequents sparsely vegetated areas rich as moors, open pasture lands and march
environment.
"He heaps upon its plains and seaside"
(Carlo Coppola)
This bird symbolically represents struggle of Pakistan towards his development at economic
and social level. As this poem is written in the context of conflicts between Pakistan and India.
Elements of poet’s own biography can also be also found in the poem as he has mentioned
Stonechat only once in the poem ‘That Stonechat there lost against no colour background’.
Through this line theme and purpose of this poem can be clarify. He symbolically represents
this bird as representation of Pakistan’s poor condition at that time that in almost in 196
countries Pakistan has been lost with no colour background. Pakistan was included as the
poorest country in the world also termed as under-developed country. Though he has
particularly used this stonechat in order to make his vision clear that like this we should try our
best to make our country strong. We are strong from inside but there is dire need for
inspiration. Like this bird we need to learn how to survive in harsh environment. From very
beginning to last poet inspire us to effort for our own homeland. Unlike great English writers he
starts his poem with optimism and ends with pessimism as in the very beginning he said:
‘The beautiful is beautiful anyway
So why embalish it with words
He says that beautiful is beautiful so instead of longing for the beauty, wait with Determination
for your harsh circumstances to become beautiful. There is a need for resistance and wait to be
successful and beautiful. The poem then shifts its focus and presents the first contrasting
imagery ‘green and fruitful moments’ and ‘ pouched for desert’ and this also has its biographic
significance that before Pakistan they used to live in Dehra Dun, located near the Himalayan
foothills where there is greenery and pleasant environment but he has to parched towards
desert. Here he uses the imagery of desert to represent depression, wars and death of
thousands people from 1947 to 1971. Firstly there was partition from in 1947 then Pak-Bharat
war 1965 and separation of Bangladesh caused thousands and millions of people. After these
great wars Pakistan has become desert where sign of life and death are invisible where there is
no greenery at all and he is so depressed because of environment of his country. He is near
‘seeking subtleties where none seems to exist’ this statement is very paradoxical that there is
nothing but he is here to find something. Poet then draws an analogy between these endowed
hills of Jehlum and ‘a village crone’. These hills according to the poet seems barren and holds
no significant value but they seems to possess a special maturity and experience. This line can
also symbolized the economy of Pakistan at the time of partition there was only one bank that
was named as Reserved Bank of India that became a part of India. After partition India left
nothing except a piece of Land and thousands homeless migrants. The Migrants were aware of
the economic condition of Pakistan but they still migrated to that country obviously they were
parching towards desert seeking subtleties where nothing seem to exist. At that time Pakistan
was only on mercy of Allah because they built Pakistan in order to develop Islam as true religion
but till 1985. There seemed No Islam in any institute where people are still blindly following the
rules made by their colonizers they moved from city of Gods to city of Islam but unfortunately
he founded that they are still Following British people.
As poem moves further poet uses an imagery in order to present another images. Symbol to
present another symbol. He takes an Imagery from Pakistan in order to present condition of
Pakistan, image Of ‘Jehlum eroded hills’ symbolically represent the harsh environment, worst
economic condition Which Pakistan is still facing. Eroded hills also stand for every individual
who was destroyed during migration. It shows rudeness and broken story of every person and
every family who were destroyed completely by those incidents because their families were
looted and murdered by brutal people and their women were also raped. Eroded also meant
that this country will last only for few years more because he represents this country
metaphorically by ‘village crone’ and for old lady who is unable to walk and is lingering. Village
crone is also symbolized here the poor condition of the country. That like a village crone it is too
seemed bedridden, sick on bed unable to move towards development and prosperity. But
rather his pessimistic approach towards his country he also has optimistic approach as he said
that no matter how weak we are but still this country is ‘spitting out some occasional proverb’
like an old village crone. Occasional proverb means many useful things in it. Writer seems to be
optimistic here. He reminds his readers that like this village crone our country is also of very
great values because we have given blood in order to become independent. Now it is our duty
to pay heed to these resources and we need an approach to recognize to decipher these
proverbs. He further explained that in order to decipher this proverb ‘I must try and know
myself’ that I need to become what I was in present and what I have become in present. He is
glorifying his history that from centuries Muslims were rulers of subcontinent but with the
passage of time due to their own faults from rulers they became baggers so he is trying to
convey his message by making use of broken words as
And I must one have been and become
And become why even be……………even
If I have to become
So it is necessary to know ourselves, our values to be successful due to which Iqbal focused on
‘The Secret of Self’ in which he states three stages to become a ‘perfect man’ or Mard-e-
Momin as it was written outside The Academia
‘First know thyself’
Many Sufi poets such as Bulleh Shah, Sachal Surmust etc. too preached for this concept. They
moved Away from their homes in order to know themselves. So poet says that the basic thing
that all of us must know is about ourselves. Only by this we can become responsible citizens.
Then he suddenly talks about a bird The Stone Chat which is ‘lost against no colours
background’ here he is moving towards his original topic that is the situation of his country.It
can Also symbolize that Pakistan has no history of his own while history or India is centuries old
therefore Pakistan is lost with no colour background but India has his name.He again uses the
image of the bird and wants to convey his message that like this bird we are also lost. Stone
chat is a bird which can survive in desert also in harsh environment. Stone Chat is knows for
resistance and resilience. Like this bird our country is also standing in the mid of the desert. So,
we should also be resisted in order to survive in this harsh environment. Stone Chat
symbolically represent his own self because he has moved from greenery to desert. Dehra Dun
is a city known for its climate which is pleasant with Himalaya Uphill, with the greenery, it
represents life in it too.Greenery is also a symbol of happiness here. Also according to him this
bird has adopted this environment while preserving it's own identity. Like stone chat he is also
new to this new environment and he needs resistance to keep his identity alive in this new
country. Also he is again referring to historical background of Pakistan that like stonechat our
county also needs resistance to this new time.Then he said that
His tale vibrate with excitement
Hold in place by a slab of sunlight
This is representation of his Optimism that still he us damn sure that they will survive.
Then he diverts his attention from stonechat to his food. He satires on resources of food that
are considered sufficient for millions of people to whom he called as
Ridiculous terrace of wheat
Till know Pakistan is known for wheat. At the time of independence and till know it is wheat
only that Pakistan is producing in abundance. Even industrialization is not playing as much role
as wheat is. But only wheat is not enough to meet needs of every individual. Then he is mocking
by saying that still they are calling this country their homeland. Home is a place where there is
peace and happiness but in this country from 1947 to 1978 there was neither peace nor
Happiness. Still this country is his homeland and he is calling this country as lovely place as a
garden is. Know he has to wait for good time.
"Everything in Taufiq Rafat's verses was nearby and inside the setting of Pakistan
culture"
(Sarwat Ali)
By moving forward he is making a contrast between economy of Pakistan and India. He is
describing that there in Pakistan "Only various shades of grey" that it is producing only wheat a
single product.Grey colour also symbolize fertility and soil while riot of color May also mean
Caste system in India Like Brahmin Shudhi etc.But neighborhood "is a riot of color" which
mean that apart from wheat india is also producing many other useful products also most
famous is indian spices for which this country is famouse for whole over the world But Pakistan
is only famous for wheat.Wheat is a staple food crop of Pakistan, dominating all crops in
acreage and production. Wheat accounts for 37.1 % of the crop area, 65 % of the food grain
acreage, and 70 % of the production.while India is one of the world's most attractive countries,
and multiple factors have increased its popularity among tourists. Its natural wonders, artificial
marvels, national parks, theme parks, etc., have made it a popular name for tourism. Further, it
is a land famous for its diverse cultures and enchanting landscapes.
Also there are Romantic elements in his poetry Like Wordsworth, Shelly and many other
Romantic poets he has used nature to convey his message Like Stonechat , deserts , greenery,
etc
"He was an inventive author and genuine craftsman of nature"
(M. Tahir Athar)

Style of this poem

He has not sacrificed his idea for the sake of rhyming scheme. Content is more important for him than
forms.

This poem is written in conversational tone. And simple language which is known as lucidity in
language.Also this poem is written in Free verse.
Themes
Following are the themes of This poem
Pessimism vs optimism
Death of life
Idea of beauty
Loss of identity also search for lost identity
Flow of time
Rejuvenation

Made by Sadaf Safdar