THE VOICE OF THE POET

The unprecedented tragedy generated by the brutal repressions of 1937 was not restricted to the physical destruction of intellectual potential and the vanguard intelligentsia, it also eradicated many moral values, instilled fear in people, created black holes in their thinking and shrouded people's future in a cloud of impenetrable darkness. Demagogy, slander and public dishonour reigned in the press and public tribunes…

At a time when the abyss of lies and obscurantism, which broke everyone and everything was becoming deeper and deeper, the voice of one person - a Poet - who raised his hands to the limitless sky, sounded in a performance staged at the Azerbaijani theatre of new drama:

Oh God, man's fate is difficult,

Only you know what we endured…

Wretched is man - the crown of the Creator,

You are great and merciful - forgive us.

Samad Vurgun's drama "Vaqif", which was staged at the Azerbaijani National Drama Theatre 70 years ago - in October 1938 - opened with this scene. The whole performance portrayed the life of the Azerbaijani people; full of tension, collision and tragedy…

The rising curtain before that performance of "Vaqif" 70 years ago, in essence, ushered in a new era of literature and theatre art, as well as of the history of our people's public expression. With this performance, Azerbaijani public expression, which had survived the wild upheavals of 1937 (in fact, everything began much earlier), stepped onto a qualitatively new stage. Public thinking seemed to have found in the drama of "Vaqif" what had been lost.

It is a fact that "Vaqif" was written to order. This can be understood in the literal meaning of the word as well - after such ruthless repression, theatre needed new works and its leadership was forced to commission anew.

But Samad Vurgun, who was recognized and accepted by society as an outstanding talent, also experienced the order of the epoch and history, which is why the real reason for the appearance of "Vaqif" should be sought in the moral demands of those times.

In terms of content, one of the most important (perhaps, the most important) features of the drama is that the idea (or ideology) of Azerbaijanism is presented in perfect, artistic fashion. Samad Vurgun had consistently defended this ideology from his emergence in Azerbaijani literature, brushing aside all compromise and the ideological situation. The poet's position was clear and unambiguous: "Why do the characters in our prose come from Iran or Turan?" This is why it is not surprising that Samad Vurgun addressed the life of Vaqif - a great poet and historical personality who brought national elements into the Azerbaijani language and poetry and, in fact, created the language of the nation before it even took shape (this judgment was scientifically substantiated in fundamental research by Professor Nizami Cafarov "The History of the Nationalization of the Azerbaijani Language").

In "Vaqif", the Azerbaijanism factor was important, not just as an issue of ideology and language, but also as a fateful issue for Azerbaijan, and as a description and confirmation of the country's image. This retains its relevance. In the scene of a meeting between Qajar and Vaqif, Samad Vurgun, as well as confirming the ancient historical roots of Persian culture, subtly portrays and glorifies Azerbaijan and the greatness of its culture and arts. Another success was that Samad Vurgun, who loved pathos, did not actually declare this in the form of a meaningless slogan, but conveyed it to viewers via the example of Vaqif and Vidadi throughout the whole drama.

Another aspect of the phenomenon of "Vaqif" is that the work was written by a poet who glorified the leading ideology of his epoch fervently and who remained loyal to it until his last day. There is no point in seeking a rejection of Soviet ideology in this drama. To proclaim Samad Vurgun a "dissident" means to disrespect the history and memory of the poet himself. However, the difference and individuality of "Vaqif" is that although the leading ideology of that time relied on violence and fear, the high values embodied by Vaqif were based on popular love and sympathy. This work achieved fame by the fact that it overcame the official confines of leading ideology and rose above it.

At a time of a chaotic overturning of values, ideas like nation, nationalism, language and love for one's homeland were worse than a nightmare, and "Vaqif" brought a specific content and value to the definition of patriotism, reflecting it on stage in a way that was clear and relevant to all. It was just this quality that Mammad Amin Rasulzada, who had dedicated his life to the fight for the independence and freedom of Azerbaijan, valued so highly in the drama. In his work "Modern Azerbaijani Literature", he wrote about "Vaqif": "This play, which propagates Azerbaijani patriotism, is regarded as the most successful scenic work of modern Azerbaijani literature."

The recent period has seen attempts to assess "Vaqif" in terms of its approach to historical events and personalities. There have been polemical judgments about the historical personality of Ibrahim Khan or Aga Muhammad Shah Qajar, accusing Samad Vurgun of "distorting" history. However, none of them had a serious impact on attitudes towards "Vaqif", because this work was not written to give readers and viewers "a lesson in history", to show, identify and promote individual personalities, or to assess their role in history. The highest aim of the work was to attract readers and viewers' attention to topical problems of an epoch racked by public upheaval. There is no doubt that Azerbaijanism and patriotism were the most important of these problems. Samad Vurgun presented the audience with his idea, not in the context of contradictions and conflict between historical leaders, but against a background of confrontation of positions and ideological debate. He achieved this great artistic goal…

Another interesting feature of the phenomenon of "Vaqif" was that this work was not just an event in the theatre life of Azerbaijan, but also became a talking point among people who had no direct link to theatre. From the moment it appeared, it won the hearts and minds of many people, while individual quotes from it became proverbs in the Azerbaijan language. "Vaqif" became living folklore and a kind of monument to memory, which was another measure of Samad Vurgun's talent - his ability to elevate popular parlance, create a new level of literary language and transform the rich and diverse Azerbaijani vocabulary into a national property… This is not just an outstanding quality of a man of letters, but also a great boon for the people. At a time when our culture of writing was being Russified by preparations to replace the Azerbaijani alphabet with Cyrillic, and when any manifestation of Turkish was labelled as "an enemy of the people", our language, under artificial pressure from the Russian language (for example, the organ of the Union of Writers "Inqilab va Madaniyyat" was called "Revolutsiya i Kultura"), was subjected to many changes.

In that period, the works of Samad Vurgun rose to new heights of Azerbaijani literary language, and the fact that this drama became a talking point (like other popular works by the poet) and created favourable conditions for the language to defend itself and acquire new qualities, had a direct influence on its rebirth, flexibility and dynamic. From this point of view, the works of Samad Vurgun, especially "Vaqif", played an irreplaceable role in the formation of the modern level of the Azerbaijani language.

Another topical problem arising from public consciousness was the way the relationship between the poet and the ruler were arranged in the drama. Describing Vaqif in the palace of Ibrahim Khan, ruler of Karabakh, and in a meeting with Iranian Shah Aga Muhammad Shah Qajar, who had made devastating raids on Azerbaijan, Samad Vurgun foregrounded the "destiny of the poet" and his role in the fate of the people. In his dialogues with the rulers, the poet is always presented as a stronger and fairer figure. At a time when poets were declared "enemies of the people" and persecuted, the transformation of the man of letters into a popular hero was an example of the "destiny of the poet" which was created by Samad Vurgun and had no precedent. It was the poet Vaqif who declared from the stage the aspiration of the people to truth and justice and their deep patriotism. It is just this popular spirit and the poet who embodies it that vanquish the forces of evil …

From the 1930-1950s, Vaqif served the moral life of Azerbaijan not so much as a poet as a person who wielded real power. The epoch in which this work was created further supports its greatness and historical importance. "Vaqif" appeared on the stage at a time when the ruler had destroyed his fiercest enemy - the poetic word - the biggest victims of the 1937 repressions were poets and writers who were declared "enemies of the people"…

For 70 years, Samad Vurgun's drama "Vaqif" has been a topical piece. Much time has passed, epochs have changed and a new attitude has emerged towards many historical events and figures, but this piece lives and will definitely live on. From time to time, it will be evaluated differently. But the amazingly accurate remark made about "Vaqif" by another prominent representative of Azerbaijani literature, Samad Vurgun's close friend and colleague, Mir Calal Pasayev, will never lose its value: "The masterly pen of the poet revived in some way a number of our historical heroes and made them our national property. It is no accident that mothers name their children Vaqif, Eldar or Gulnar. These are the unbending, brave and selfless popular heroes of Samad Vurgun who fought for their great ideals…

"Oh poet, you are standing before your master.

I know this anyway.

But you did not bow to your master.

No, I did not.

Because conscience bows to no one…

"During the performance of "Vaqif", the audience welcomes Vaqif with rapturous applause, interrupting the actor, after the scene of confrontation between ruler and poet. Why? Because people see themselves in Vaqif, because Vaqif does not speak only for himself, he also expresses the truth that comes from the heart of every person sitting in the hall…