The Surprises In Her I see

By Quazi Johirul Islam

Quazi Johirul Islam's 'The Surprises in Her, I See' is a poetic odyssey steeped in myth, history, and human introspection, unfolding like a tapestry woven from the earliest dawn of civilization to the restless present. Across these translated poems-rendered into English by me after a meticulous line-by-line reading-the verses pierce into the primal emotions, flaws, and longings that define humanity.
The work explores humanity's first lessons-jealousy, desire, and the ritual of burying the dead-learned from nature itself. From sacred pilgrimages that turn inward "mosque of the soul" to the boundless landscapes of love, loss, and spiritual quest, the poet portrays life as a journey where every path, no matter how winding, leads to the same eternal source. The imagery shifts from intimate scenes-a child's flute, a lone white duck on the river-to sweeping mythological panoramas of Lucy, Sodom, Gomorrah, Parvati, Ravana, and Vishnu's cosmic navel, interlacing ancient memory with modern reflection.

Myth serves not merely as an ornament but as a language of truth. Figures like Hallaj, Nero, Lot, and Nizamuddin Auliya appear as carriers of moral paradoxes, each revealing the fragility and resilience of the human spirit. Civilizations rise and decay under the poet's gaze, bound together by the inevitability of time's erosion. Nature-whether grass, trees, seas, or clouds-is never passive; it is an active witness and teacher, reminding us of impermanence.
The tone moves between reverence and defiance, questioning religious dogma, societal taboos, and the morality of history's judgments. Through cosmic, earthly, and deeply personal visions, The Surprises in You I See becomes less a collection of poems than a philosophical atlas-mapping where humanity has been, and where it might yet go. It is a dialogue between myth and modernity, between the ephemeral and the eternal, where every image conceals a moral seed waiting to bloom.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FN47FVBY
• ISBN13: 9798297569133
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 132 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.3" x 8.0"