Poets' Corner
Prepared by
Iraj Bashiri
Of the various areas of Persian culture, Persian literature was affected considerably more than any other by the interactions among the fledgeling Iranian middle class, the royal house, and the representatives of progressive Western cultures. The latter part of the cultural history of the Qajars (1779-1925) is suffused with examples of such early encounters, ecounters that eventually came to roost, in the 1960's and 1970's of the present century, at the thresholds of both the Iranian culture and the Western cultures involved.
Although both Persian prose and Persian poetry were affected, the impact on the latter was more pronounced and, consequently, more controversial. Rising from among the masses, innovators like Ali Akbar Dihkhuda, Nima Yushij, and Forugh Farrukhzad introduced, developed, and presented a totlly new vista for appreciation of Persian poetry. Motivated by the new social, political, and economic situation in Iran, they set out to better the lives of the uneducated and the exploited by composing poignant pieces to which the general public could relate and in which they could see the causes of the country's afflictions and stagnation. Their arrival on the literary scene, of course, was a breath of fresh air considering that both the court poets and the Sufi masters that had preceded them had placed personal satisfaction and spiritual gratification ahead of the welfare of the multitude.
The poetry of Yushij and Farrukhzad, however, was not meant to be a replacement for traditional Persian poetry. That tradition, in fact, continued to grow with the masterly contributions of Malak al-Shu'ara Bahar, Parvin 'E'tesami, and many others. And it continues to grow as Iran's revolutioary generation examines the mood of its time and expresses its appreciation of the events that swept the Shah and his administration from power.
Obviously, the emergence of "new poetry," was not without its own difficulties. It created a heated controversy the conclusion of which is yet to come. The critics simply cannot decide which, the traditional or the new poetry, is better. And they are not yet ready to accept that Tavallali's poetry can be appreciated for what it is just as much as Shamlu's verses are appreciated for what they are. After all, the milieu that directed Manuchehri or the one that educated Rumi are in no way comparable to the revolutionary fervor that compelled Sultan-pour and Golsurkhi to serve as the mouthpieces of their times. Yet as poets, both groups, the traditional as well as the "new," have reached their audiences and have contributed to the enhancement of Iran's singular cultural heritage.
List of Poets
Attar, Farid al-Din
Sobir, Bozor
Daqiqi, Muhammad ibn Ahmad
Dihlavi, Amir Khusrau
Khanlari, Parviz Natel
Farrukhi Sistani
Forugh Farrukhzad
Garmarudi, Sayyid Ali Musavi
Golsurkhi
Hafiz, Shams al-Din Muhammad
Khayyam, Umar
Manuchehri Damghani
Moshiri, Fereydun
Naderpur, Nader
Nima Yushij
Nizami, Jamal al-Din Ilyas
E'tesami, Parvin
The Pilgrimmage by Nasir-i Khusrau
translated by A. J. Arberry
Qanoat, Mu'min
Rahi Mo'ayeri
Rudaki, Abu Abd Allah
Rumi, Jalal al-Din
Rustam and Suhrab
Sa'di, Muslih al-Din
Saless, Mehdi Akhavan
Firdowsi and Mahmud of Ghazna
Sepand, Masoud
Shamlu, Ahmad
Soltanpur, Sa'id
Ahmad Reza Ahmadi
Tavallali, Fereydun
Unsuri Balkhi
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