Usmon Nosir: “Yurak” and “Nil va Rim”

Usmon Nosir was born on 13 November 1912 in the Chuqurko‘cha quarter of Namangan. His father died in his infancy; at four he found a father’s love in the household of Nosirhoji, the family moved to Kokand, he studied at a boarding school, then at the Uzbekistan university in Samarkand. He became known already at the end of the 1920s, and in the 1930s he became a poet whose works were eagerly awaited. He wrote from age 18 to 24 and in that time created five poetry collections (“Quyosh bilan suhbat”, “Safarbar satrlar”, “Traktorobod”, “Yurak”, “Mehrim”), two narrative poems (“Norbo‘ta”, “Naxshon”) and four plays. He translated Pushkin, Lermontov, Heine, Goethe and Byron into Uzbek. His work has two stages: in 1927–1932 his poems had the tone of slogans and calls, afterwards philosophical thought, deep feeling and simple expression prevail. He mentored young poets. He was called “the Uzbek Lermontov”. Usmon Nosir was unjustly arrested and sent into distant exile, and he died there on 23 March 1944, aged only 31. In the poem “Yurak” (1933, Samarkand) the poet addresses his heart: the heart is the source of his inspiration and joy, and his feelings are so strong that words cannot keep up with them. The poet gives the heart freedom but sets one firm condition: if the homeland is not pleased with it, the poet is ready to give up even his life. So even inspiration is subject to responsibility before the homeland.