Poetry

The tomb of the poet Hafez (14th century), in Shiraz. Photograph: ©Patrick Ringgenberg.

Poetry was central in pre-Islamic Iran, but, essentially oral, it has only reached us through rare texts, such as the gathas in the Avesta, a major sacred text of the Zoroastrians. Having become a land of Islam in the 7th century, Iran will become a paradise of poetry, which will be written, but above all sung and transmitted from heart to heart. Always alive, it is, for Iranians, the universal language which beautifies the world, reveals the essence of the soul, erases social distinctions, enlivens cultural memory every day.

In the Islamized East, where the Arabic language imposes itself in all areas (religious, political, administrative, scientific), the Persian language and culture owe its revival to poets: Rudaki (c. 880-c. 941), considered the first great Persian poet, and especially Ferdowsi (c. 940-1019/25), born and died in Tus, not far from present-day Mashhad. In his epic Book of Kings (Shahnameh), Ferdowsi recounts in nearly 50,000 couplets the succession of kings and heroes, mythical or historical, from the creation of the world to the Arab conquest. In verses of dense majesty, he revived Persian by giving it lasting strength. Even more: he gave meaning to History, brought the past back to the present and contributed, in his own way, to Iranianizing Islam, by nourishing the collective consciousness of an Iran of glory and immemorial wisdom.

The grave of the poet Ferdowsi, Tus (Mashhad), 1934. Photograph: ©Patrick Ringgenberg.

Painting on book (illustration by Khosrow and Shirin of Nezami), Shiraz, 15th century. Photograph: ©Patrick Ringgenberg.

A few decades later, two poets, Naser-e Khosrow (1004-v. 1072) and Sana’i (died around 1130), would initiate a new path of poetry: mysticism. Until the end of the 15th century, which marks the end of a so-called classical literary cycle, poets succeeded one another, illustrating themselves in different genres: epic, mystical poem, courtly poem. From the 11th century to the present day, mystical poetry remains, for Iranians, their most intimate voice, their consciousness of being: all the great classical poets will be linked, to varying degrees, to such a spiritual orientation, and this It is thanks to the centuries-old diffusion of their works, in all social strata, that Iranians today willingly tend towards a spirituality (Shia) imbued with Sufism and mysticism (‘erfan). The great poetic works, mainly the epic of Ferdowsi and the versified novels of Nezami, also inspired the creation of splendid illustrated manuscripts, mainly between the end of the 13th century and the 17th century, nourishing a sophisticated and contemplative aesthetic, saturated with symbolism .

Nezami (1141-1209) is known for five versified novels, brought together under the title of Khamseh, conceived as initiatory mirrors, full of hermetic and astrological symbols: a mystical text (Makhzan ol-asrar), love stories (Khosrow o Shirin, Leyli o Majnun and Haft peykar, his masterpiece), an Eskandar-nameh, recounting the legendary and wise gesture of Alexander the Great. To Omar Khayyam (c. 1048-c. 1132), astronomer and mathematician, quatrains (rubai’yat) are attributed, oscillating between carpe diem, agnosticism, stoicism and Sufism. Died in Neyshabur during the Mongol invasion which ravaged the entire Orient, ‘Attar (c. 1145/46-1221) is famous for his mystical mathnawi (like the Canticle of the Birds), which recount the spiritual journey of the soul towards God. Rumi or Mowlana (1207-1273), at the origin of the brotherhood of Mevlevis or “Whirling Dervishes”, is the author of the Mathnawi, a river of tales nicknamed the “Persian Koran”, and thousands of poems dedicated to his master Shams of Tabriz. A great traveler, Sa’di (c. 1210-c. 1291 or 1292) returned to Shiraz, his hometown, towards the end of his life, and wrote two books there (the Bustan and the Golestan) and a divan. In a language that flows naturally, he served a sociable Sufism and a spiritual moralism, destining the classicism of the language as evidence of wisdom. In this same city of Shiraz, known to be a high place of Sufism, Hafez (c. 1315/17 or 1325-c. 1390) was an unsurpassed master of the ghazal or lyrical love poem. A miraculous synthesis of mystical ideas, poetic genius and a transcendent sense of language, his couch definitively united the depth of substance with perfection of form. Hafez remains the most popular poet among Iranians, his poetic collection even being used as a source of oracles (fal). Sufi master, brilliant at the Timurid court of Herat, Jami (1414-1492) is the last great classical poet, author of poems, versified novels and metaphysical treatises.

Any trip to Iran – and just passing through Shiraz – will bring you into contact with Persian poetry, but we also like to map out itineraries specially dedicated to Iranian poets, accompanied by literature specialists.

The mausoleum of ‘Attar in Neyshabur. Photograph: ©Patrick Ringgenberg.