Persian Literature Lecture Notes PDF

**PERSIAN LITERATURE** **Reporters:** Andres, Tricia Jane Tabaco, Jade Anne **[Brief Background of Persia]** - - - - - **[Introduction to Persian Literature]** - - - - **[Literary Periods]** **Classical Period (10th - 16th Century)** **Classical Persian poetry and prose...

**PERSIAN LITERATURE** **Reporters:** Andres, Tricia Jane Tabaco, Jade Anne **[Brief Background of Persia]** - - - - - **[Introduction to Persian Literature]** - - - - **[Literary Periods]** **Classical Period (10th - 16th Century)** **Classical Persian poetry and prose** flourished. Poetry became the **dominant form of literary expression**. Influences from increased contact with Europe led to the incorporation of new themes and styles into Persian poetry and prose, reflecting a blend of traditional Persian and Western ideas. Despite these new influences, traditional literary forms such as **ghazals, epic poetry**, and **classical prose** continued to flourish. **Early Modern Period (19th Century)** **Lithography** became the **dominant printing method**, enabling the **replication of intricate calligraphic styles in printed texts**. **Contemporary Period (19th Century - Present)** Persian literature evolved to include genres in prose such as short stories, novels, satire, and humor. Persian writers introduced new themes related to nationalism and national identity. Free verse poetry also found an audience among the new literary elites. Prose became an important literary form and flourished in the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries. **[CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSIAN LITERATURE:]** - Persian literature comprises oral compositions and written texts. - Poetry is considered as the highest form or artistic expression. - One of the world's oldest literatures. (Cuneiform- one of the oldest forms of writing. Zoroastrian- Sacred texts of Zoroastrianism which is one of the oldest religions in the world. This includes hymns, prayers, and philosophical texts.) **[Persian Literature]** **Classical Persian** **Poetry** - refers to the poetic tradition that emerged in the Persian-speaking world, particularly in Iran, from around the 9th to the 14th centuries. This period is often regarded as the golden age of Persian literature, and it produced some of the most revered poets in literary history. Classical Persian poetry is known for its lyrical beauty, philosophical depth, and use of traditional forms and meters. The poems often explore themes such as love, nature, and the human condition. They are characterized by elaborate metaphors, symbolic imagery, and a musical quality that comes from the precise use of rhythm and rhyme. **[Types of Classical Poetry]** 1\. **Ghazal:** Ghazals often deal with topics of spiritual and romantic love and may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation from the beloved and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. [*Ghazal*](https://www.britannica.com/topic/ghazal)s are much shorter poems, usually no more than 7 to 10 couplets. They are known to have existed as a type of oral poetry accompanied by music long before the earliest written records in which they first appear. The *ghazal* developed into one of Persian literature's most important poetic forms **Ghazal by Mirza Ghalib** **दिल-ए-नादान तुझे हुआ क्या है?\ आख़िर इस दर्द की दवा क्या है?** *Dil-e-nadaan tujhe hua kya hai?\ Aakhir is dard ki dawa kya hai?* **हम को मालूम है जन्नत की हकीकत लेकिन\ दिल के खुश रखने को 'ग़ालिब' ये ख्याल अच्छा है।** *Hum ko maaloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin\ Dil ke khush rakhne ko 'Ghalib' ye khayaal achha hai.* English Translation: **O naïve heart, what has happened to you?**\ **After all, what is the remedy for this pain?** **We know the reality of paradise, but**\ **To keep the heart content, Ghalib, this notion is pleasing.** 2\. **Masnavi:** A narrative poem written in rhyming couplets, often used to tell epic stories or convey moral and mystical teachings. The Masnavi is a poetic collection of stories derived from the Quran and everyday tales. Stories are told to illustrate a point and each moral is discussed in detail. **Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,**\ **There is a field. I\'ll meet you there.\"** **\"When the soul lies down in that grass,**\ **The world is too full to talk about ideas, language, even the phrase each other---just the wind of my breath passing over your face.** -Persian poet **Jalaluddin Rumi** 3\. **Qasida:** An ode or panegyric, often written in praise of a patron, a ruler, or a divine being. The qaṣīda is an ancient Arabic word and form of poetry, often translated as **ode**. It typically consists of a long poem dedicated to a single subject, often written in praise, elegy, or satire. **Ode to the Riches of the World** **In the heart of the garden, the nightingales sing,**\ **And the flowers of the meadow spread their wings.**\ **How can I not remember the time of youth,**\ **When every dawn was a golden wing?** \- Persian poet **Rudaki** 4\. **Rubaiyat:** A quatrain, often exploring philosophical themes in a succinct and pithy manner. The most famous example is the \"Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.\" **Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam:** **\"A jug of wine, a loaf of bread---and thou\ Beside me singing in the wilderness---\ Oh, wilderness were paradise enow!** **[Famous Poets of Classical Persian Poetry Include]:** **Rumi (Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi) -** A 13th-century mystic and poet whose works emphasize spiritual love and unity with the divine. **Hafez (Khwaja Shams-ud-Din Muhammad Hafez) -** A 14th-century poet known for his ghazals that explore themes of love, wine, and the metaphysical. **Saadi (Abu-Muhammad Muslih al-Din bin Abdallah Shirazi) -** A 13th-century poet known for his wisdom literature, particularly \"Gulistan\" (The Rose Garden) and \"Bustan\" (The Orchard). **Ferdowsi (Abul-Qasem Ferdowsi Tusi) -** A 10th-century poet best known for his epic, the \"Shahnameh\" (The Book of Kings), which chronicles the history of Persian kings. Classical Persian poetry has had a profound influence on Persian culture and beyond, inspiring poets and writers across the Middle East, South Asia, and the wider world. [C**lassical Persian Prose** ]- Like its poetic counterpart, is a significant part of Persian literary heritage. It encompasses a wide range of genres, including history, philosophy, ethics, and religion. Unlike poetry, which is more structured with strict rhyme and meter, classical Persian prose is generally more straightforward in its language. **[Characteristics of Classical Persian Prose]** - - - **[Notable Works and Authors in Classical Persian Prose:]** **Saadi (Saadi Shirazi) \"Gulistan\" (The Rose Garden) -** One of the most famous prose works in Persian literature, \"Gulistan\" is a collection of stories that illustrate moral lessons. The book is divided into 8 chapters and delves into various themes such as kings\' morality, dervishes\' behavior, the benefits of contentment, the power of silence, love and youthfulness, the challenges of old age, the impact of education, and the rules for leading a fulfilling life. **Nizami Ganjavi \"Haft Paykar\" (Seven Beauties) -** While Nizami is more renowned for his poetry, his prose introduction in this work is considered a masterful example of classical Persian prose. It is collection of five epic poems which includes stories of romance, heroism, and moral lessons, that is highly regarded in Persian literary tradition. **Ferdowsi "Shahnameh" (in prose adaptations) -** While Ferdowsi's original work is a poem, various prose adaptations have been created, presenting the epic history of Persia in narrative form. **[INFLUENCE OF PERSIAN LITERATURE:]** *Persian Literature is the jewel in the crown of the Persian culture.* - - - - **The Boy Who Became a Bulbul** Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God. There was a man who had a small son and daughter, and he had taken another wife, so the children had a stepmother. One day the father and son were starting out to collect thorn-bushes for firewood, for the father was a thorn-cutter. As they were going off the stepmother said: \"You two ought to lay a wager to-day and agree that whichever of you collects the more firewood should cut off the other one\'s head.\" The father and son agreed to do this. They went out and gathered their firewood, and it happened that the boy collected more than his father. As they were going to tie up the two bundles the lad said: \"Daddy, do you know, I\'m awfully thirsty.\" \"Well, then,\" said the father, \"run off to the stream and have a drink.\" No sooner had he gone off to drink than the father took some of the thorn-bushes off the boy\'s bundle and added them to his own. Then they tied up their loads, and the father said: \"Come, let\'s weigh our bundles and see who has gathered more firewood, you or I.\" When they weighed the loads the father\'s was now the heavier, so the boy lay down, and the father cut his head off. He carried the child\'s head home and gave it to his wife and said: \"Come and cook this,\" and she put the head on the fire to boil. At mid-day the little sister came back from the mulla and said to her stepmother: \"I\'m very hungry.\" \"Well, go and lift the lid of the pot and take some of the soup from the meat that\'s boiling there, and come and eat it with your bread.\" The little girl lifted the lid and recognized the top-knot of her brother\'s hair that was spinning round and round. She shut down the lid quickly and ran off crying to her teacher, and told her the whole story. \"On no account,\" said the mulla, must you allow any of that soup to cross your lips. When the others have eaten it all up, you must gather your brother\'s bones all carefully together and wash them in rose-water, and bury them in a corner of the garden. Then plant a reed to mark the place where you have buried them. Every Friday Eve you must then go to the little grave and repeat a sura of the Qur\'an, and sprinkle a little rose-water over the spot.\" The girl did just as she was bid, till the seventh Friday Eve had come. On the seventh Thursday she saw a bulbul peep out of the hollow of the reed and perch on it, and the bird began to sing: I am a bulbul, who lost my way, Through mountains and valleys I wandered astray. An evil father foiled me; A wicked woman boiled me; My sorrowing sister my bones she found, In rose-water she washed them round, And buried them in the garden ground. For seven weeks she has come to pray Beside my grave each seventh day, And sprinkled rose-water where I lay, Till up out of the watered earth A bulbul at last I have come to birth. And with that \"whirr \" and away he flew. He flew to the shop of the needle-maker and sat on the ground and sang: "I am a bulbul, who lost my way, Through mountains and valleys I wandered astray. An evil father foiled me; A wicked woman boiled me; My sorrowing sister my bones she found, In rose-water she washed them round, And buried them in the garden ground. For seven weeks she has come to pray Beside my grave each seventh day, And sprinkled rose-water where I lay, Till up out of the watered earth A bulbul at last I have come to birth." The needle-maker said: \"Look here, please sing that again.\" \"All right,\" said the bird, \"just shut your eyes and I\'ll sing it again.\" As soon as the man had shut his eyes the bulbul seized a paper of needles and \"whirr\" away he flew. Then he came and perched on the foot of his stepmother\'s spinning-wheel and began to sing as before: "I am a bulbul, who lost my way, Through mountains and valleys I wandered astray. An evil father foiled me; A wicked woman boiled me; My sorrowing sister my bones she found, In rose-water she washed them round, And buried them in the garden ground. For seven weeks she has come to pray Beside my grave each seventh day, And sprinkled rose-water where I lay, Till up out of the watered earth A bulbul at last I have come to birth." When he had finished his song, the stepmother said: \"Look here, please sing that again.\" \"All right, open your mouth and shut your eyes and I\'ll sing it again.\" But no sooner had she opened her mouth and shut her eyes than \"whish\" like lightning he clapped the paper of needles down into her throat, and \"whirr\" away he flew. Then he flew to the sugar-stick-maker\'s shop, and sat on the floor and sang the same song. When he had got to the end of it the sweet-maker said: \"Look here, please sing that again.\" \"All right, shut your eyes and I\'ll sing it again.\" As soon as the man had shut his eyes the bird seized a big stick of sugar-candy and \"whirr\" away he flew. Then he came and perched on the foot of his sister\'s spinning-wheel and began to sing: "I am a bulbul, who lost my way, Through mountains and valleys I wandered astray. An evil father foiled me; A wicked woman boiled me; My sorrowing sister my bones she found, In rose-water she washed them round, And buried them in the garden ground. For seven weeks she has come to pray Beside my grave each seventh day, And sprinkled rose-water where I lay, Till up out of the watered earth A bulbul at last I have come to birth." When he had finished she said: \"Look here, sing that all over again, please.\" \"All right,\" said he, \"open your mouth and shut your eyes, and I\'ll sing it again.\" She did so, and \"whizz\" he popped the stick of sugar-candy into her mouth, and \"whirr\" away he flew. And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.