PERSIAN LITERATURE

Poetry is above and beyond Iran’s most prevalent and adored form of literature. The nation’s love affair with verse revolves primarily around five Persian poets from the medieval era. These wordsmiths - Hafez, Rumi, Saadi, Khayyam and Ferdowsi are celebrated, quoted and revered in Iran like rockstars. They were indeed much like the John Lennon of their times, with writings that espouse transcendent themes of mindfulness, compassion, joy, sorrow and above all, love. Little wonder they’ve also been lauded by thinkers, writers and artists worldwide over the ages, including modern day ‘western’ musicians and celebrities.

Hafez

Khajeh Shams-ed-DinMohammed, or Hafez as he’s better known, is perhaps the most revered and popular of the Persian poets. His body of work is considered by many Iranians as the pinnacle of Persian literature. You’ll likely find Hafez’s poetry in every home in Iran, where people commit his lines to memory, music, and art and refer to his lyrical wisdom for guidance in times of doubt. His tomb, (pictured above) located in the city of his birth Shiraz, draws huge crowds. It’s common to experience a festive atmosphere at his resting, with many devoted visitors taking time to reflect upon, recite or sing his beautiful verses - which, incidentally, revolve largely around themes of wine (supposedly as a metaphor for the experience of mindfulness or God) and love.

RUMI

Jalal ad-Din Mohammad Balkhi, better known as Maulana or Rumi, is another of the hugely popular Persian poets, whose writings centered around the theme of devine love. The timeless wisdom and influence of this 13th century Sufi mystic poet - whose work has been translated into numerous languages- has transcended the Persian speaking world. He remains, for example, one of the best selling poets in the United States!

Saadi

Another world famous and enduring Persian poet to come out of the 13th century was Saadi Shirazi. Saadi, as he is more commonly known, was/is renowned for the depth and quality of his writings and its social and moral implications. Persian scholars widely regard him as one of the most accomplished poets of the classical literary tradition. His most famous works included the Bustan (The Orchard) and the Golestan (Rose Garden). The latter, includes the aphorism by which Saadi is perhaps best known in the west, Bani Adam, which beautifully champions our common humanity. As such, Bani Adam features on the walls of the United Nations Security Council chamber and has been cited in speeches by world leaders such as Barak Obama and Neslon Mandela. And of course, it also featured in our very first blog post!

OMAR KHAYYAM

Omar Khayyam was a 10th century Persian mathamatician, astronomer, philospher and poet. His epic classical poem The Rubaiyat, translated in the 19th century by Edward FitzGerald, is arguably the best selling work by an Iranian on the international stage. Mindfulness and love are once again themes that lace Khayyam’s poetry.

FERDOWSI

Hakim Abulqasim Ferdowsi was the first and foremost of the great Persian poets and perhaps the least well known in the western world. He lived and worked in 10th century Iran and developed the ‘quatrain’ style of epic poetry. Ferdowsi is best known for the worlds longest poem the Shahnameh (Book of Kings), which took an astonishing 33 years to complete. This epic poem is widely regarded as the saviour of the Persian language and culture - written after the 7th century Arab muslim invasion of Persia, when Persia’s language was under threat from Arabic. The Shahnameh chronicles many details of Persian history and culture which many believe would otherwise have been lost. As such, Ferdowsi is lauded as a champion and saviour of not only the Persian language, but also Iranian identity.

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