I need a muse…

I am stuck in a deep rut. I have never had such a bad case of writer’s block. Very often I could write something quite easily. But not this time. I am speechless, wordless.

I am frankly quite enamoured with the theme of love right now. It’s just that I could not find that object of affection to coax the words out of me. The ideas are growing, but I just cannot pen the words down.

Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred

Here’s a classic. I remembered listening to it when I was 15 during literature class. We were analysing the poem, Charge of The Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poem was written in 1854 about a war during the same period. To capture our interest, my teacher played for us a song by Iron Maiden entitled “The Trooper”.

We asked what a heavy metal band has anything to do with classical poetry. We were surprised on two counts. One, the song rocks (obviously) and stuck to our mind like a bad headache. Two, the song’s lyrics were inspired by the original poem.

Here’s the original poem:

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldiers knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Their’s not to make reply,
Their’s not to reason why,
Their’s but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash’d all their sabres bare,
Flash’d as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the sabre-stroke
Shatter’d and sunder’d.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

And here are the lyrics to Iron Maiden’s version:

you’ll take my life but i’ll take yours too
you’ll fire your musket but i’ll run you through
so when you’re waiting for the next attack
you’d better stand there’s no turning back
the bugle sounds the charge begins
but on this battle field no one wins
the smell of acrid smoke and horses breath as I plunge on into certain death

(chorus)
oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ohx2

the horse he swaets with fear we break to run
the mighty roar of the russian guns
and as we race towards the human wall
the screams of pain as my comrades fall

we hurdle bodies that lay on the ground
and the russians fire another round
we get so near yet so far away
we wont live to fight another day

(chorus)

we get so close near enough to fight
when a russian gets me in his sights
he pulls the trigger and i feel the blow
a burst of rounds takes my horse below
and as I lay there gazing at the sky
my body’s numb and my throat is dry
and as I lay forgotten and alone
without a tear I draw my parting groan

Obviously we enjoyed Iron Maiden’s version more. I also realised that many great rock and metal songs have classical influences. I’ll introduce more next time.

Oh yes, enjoy the video as well.

Is there only a single purpose in life?

To address this question, we have to first establish the viewpoint in which we are going to look at it. It is possible for us to look at from a religious viewpoint. At the same time, we can also consider it at a strictly secular level.

From a religious viewpoint, as Muslims, we are aware that the sole purpose for which Allah has created us is for us to worship and to glorify Him. That is His intention for our creation. Therefore, from that angle, our single, most important purpose in life is to worship and to glorify Allah. 

In worshipping and glorifying Him, we fulfill His commandments and shy away from His prohibitions to prepare ourselves for the inevitable. This inevitable event, is His promise made to Adam a.s. on his expulsion from Paradise. We are all preparing ourselves for our deaths. In that, we can consider it to be our single purpose in life.

It could be argued that our time on earth is filled with many challenges and difficulties. In leading our daily lives, there are many things that require our attention. We also have many roles to play. However, every single action in our lives, if done with the intention to seek the pleasure and blessings of Allah, becomes an act of worship and devotion. I believe that worship and devotion should never be associated with a ritual. It should form the basis of every single thought and action. We could be reading, studying, playing with our friends and siblings, sleeping; the list goes on. In Islam, we are taught and encouraged to dedicate every single action of ours to Allah and to seek his blessings.

In doing so, we may feel that in our lives we may have many different purposes, but in reality we are really fulfilling that one single purpose, which is to worship and glorify Allah. At the same time we are also preparing ourselves for our inevitable deaths. With His blessings, one day we will return to Him in the best possible condition and be rewarded with a place in His Paradise that he has promised to “people of the right hand”.    

Response to Comment by Megafreak

I wrote this in response to Megafreak.

“In response to megafreak’s last comment, I would like to first commend him for having thought deeply about what I wrote.

All of us would have particular areas of interest. All of us would also have our own reasons why we read. The same line of reasoning goes for why we write.

The common denominator in all these is the pursuit and sharing of knowledge. We are strongly encouraged to pursue and share knowledge that is beneficial.

Knowledge that is not beneficial to us, is useless and the time spent is a waste. So if you want to read, read something beneficial.

We also may have some opinions or views that may not be acceptable from the viewpoint of our religion. If it is frowned upon by Allah, then it is best to avoid it.

Sometimes the community may not accept a writer’s message because it does not conform to their cultural or social beliefs. They may not be ready to accept what you have to say. Seek guidance from Allah. If the message that you have is beneficial to your community, then your responsibility is to use your ability and skill as a writer to attract your audience to your message.

Ultimately, remember our purpose – lillahi Ta’ala!”

The Writing Process… What’s your Purpose?

Here is a little guide to explain the writing process to you aspiring writers.

As a writer, you must have a sense of purpose before you even start to write. Your purpose will decide what and how you will write. If your purpose is to inform your reader, then you will probably write in an informative style. You definitely won’t be writing a fairy tale or even poetry.

So how do you find a purpose? You may been assigned a task. Analyse the task and find out exactly what is expected out of you. That is not very difficult to do. All you have to do now is to do what it says.  Another rule is: When in doubt, ask!

The biggest challenge is faced by creative writers. For creative writers, there are virtually no boundaries to rein in their creativity. Very often, the limitation is in the minds of the writers themselves. So how do you find a purpose?

The purpose should come from the “heart” of the writer. You will find it easier to write about something that interests you. You will also find it easier to write about things that you are especially knowledgeable about.

Finally, do research. Read widely. Talk to people who write and do not be afraid to seek advice from those who know.