The opening statement of the poem ‘Do not ask of Me, My Love’ suggests that the theme of the poem is ‘romantic love’. However the theme of the poem is not the expression of a young lover’s passion for his lady love, but it is an expression of a young man’s concern for his fellow men and his intention to shower his compassion and empathy on those who are suffering untold misery for political reasons and human vices. Thus, this poem is a love poem which presents an altogether different dimension of an individual’s love for his fellow beings.
Moreover, the young man, while acknowledging that he had once been passionately in love with his beloved, continues to appreciate the beauty of his beloved. However, he takes the occasion to express that there is a major shift in his priorities. The statement, “You are beautiful but I am helpless too” further clarifies his attitude towards her. He only means to say that his ‘love’ for her remains the same but he can’t express it now with the same intensity because there are ‘other’ people also whose ‘sorrows’ and ‘pleasures’ demand his equal attention. He probably makes this statement because he does not want his ‘beloved’ to think that he is betraying her trust.
A close look at the context in which Faiz Ahmed Faiz recited this poem for the first time offers some clues for understanding the poem. Critics say that this poem is a landmark, for it leads Faiz to a consideration of the misery he saw around him related to the freedom struggle in his homeland. The poem depicts the struggle going on in Faiz’s heart, between love and patriotism.
The poem is in the form of a dramatic monologue. It begins with the speaker’s statement with which he tries to persuade his beloved not to ask him for the kind of love he had once showered on her. The speaker says that his beloved had very beautiful eyes and her beauty and her company made his life resplendent, young and blooming. He believed that it was her beauty which made the spring everlasting. His love for her was so strong that no other sorrow caused him more pain than her sorrow. He had thus come to believe that while he was in her company, the whole world was his.
However, there is a sudden change in his attitude towards his beloved. He says in a confessional and regrettable tone that such possessive love for his beloved was an illusion, and it was probably born out of his wishful thinking than out of reality. It is at this juncture in the poem that he declares that there are other ‘sorrows’ which are equally compelling and ‘pleasures’ which demand his attention. Next, he says that there is so much human misery, bloodshed, disease, deprivation and exploitation of the weak and the oppressed for gratifying man’s vices around him that it would be inconsiderate, and selfish of him if he ignored such ‘sorrows’, and indulged in only appreciating the beauty of his beloved.
Finally, since he does not wish to be accused of betraying the trust of his beloved, he says, “You are beautiful still, my love, but I’m helpless too”, so as to convince her that he still relishes her beauty but can’t dedicate his life for her.Finally, since he does not wish to be accused of betraying the trust of his beloved, he says, “You are beautiful still, my love, but I’m helpless too”, so as to convince her that he still relishes her beauty but can’t dedicate his life for her.
