In this episode, we are going to touch upon some of the poems of the Iranian poets on spring. Stay tuned.
Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi is an acclaimed Iranian poet who has composed poems on spring in different parts of his poetries.
Sprinkle water on the way as the beloved is coming,
Give tidings to the garden, the spring scent is coming.
Open the way for the friend, to that full moon,
As his luminous face is radiating generously.
The garden is thriving; the apple of our eyes is coming,
Grief is departing, the moon is coming.
The garden is greeting; the cypress is standing up,
The meadow is going on foot; the blossom is coming on mount.
A great development is taking place as we are hearing the sound of the steps of a traveler who is known to us. It is the sound of the wings of swallows and the sprouting of life in the nature. The traveler is spring. Nowruz has always inspired the Iranian poets to portray their perception of this beautiful season with their words. Some poets, like Manuchehri, Onsori and Rudaki have just described the beauties of spring. Thus their poetry sounds like a colorful painting.
Spring arrived and brought freshness,
And the earth is ornate with the splendor of spring.
As the cloud of early spring rained,
Thousands of tulips sprouted out of the stone.
Some poets like Hafez, Mowlana, Sa’adi and Khayyam have used spring as an excuse to express their thoughts. Spring in the poems of Hafez is a different picture compared with other poets. Hafez’s soul is mixed with the delicacies and beauties of spring. The start of spring and flourishing of the nature is the gushing forth of unknown phenomena inside him.
From the residence of the friend comes the breeze of Nowruz,
Calling this breeze for help, would kindle your heart’s light.
Go to the plain to dust grief from your lap,
Come to the garden to learn lyrics from the nightingale.
For Hafez, spring is intertwined with true and eternal love. Upon the arrival of spring, the scent of beauty is blown in the poetry of Hafez and he remembers God as the Creator and Center of the entire being. He uses similes and metaphor to emphasize the transience of the world.
The flower is welcome as there is nothing better than that,
As there is nothing in your hand except the goblet.
Take the time of happiness and find the pearl,
As the shell won’t yield pearl constantly.
Khayyam in his poems likens the life to spring and recommends us to make the best use of the life as it is transient just like spring.
O cupbearer, the flower and the meadow are very happy,
Enjoy them as they will wither just in a moment.
Get up and pick a flower just to see that,
The flower has fallen on the soil and the meadow is dry.
Sa’adi, the renowned poet, describes Nowruz and spring as a reference to the order ruling the world and the creator of the world. Then, he concludes that these bounties should be appreciated through gratitude toward God.
There is no man who does not love spring,
It is dry wood not a plant that does not sprout on Nowruz.
Mowlana looks at spring in a different way in his poems. He speaks of the spring of soul instead of the spring of nature. Indeed, he considers the spring of soul as the main spirit which inspires the spring of nature.
The spring of souls has arrived, dance oh fresh twig,
As Joseph has stepped in, dance oh Egypt and sugar.
Mowlana’s look at the universe is a spiritual one and spring is no exception for him. He considers spring as a gift from the heavens for the spirit of humans and other creatures. He describes spring as a sign of man’s spiritual journey which will end in communion with the real Beloved.
Spring arrived, spring arrived, and it greets the drunks,
From that messenger of the good, it brings greetings for the drunks.
Come to the eternal flower garden; ascend to the roof, as the cupbearer,
Has brought a message from the Hidden House for the drunks.
The topic of learning from spring and making use of the life was not confined to the classical poets and many of the contemporary poets have also broached on this topic. Parvin Etesami, the noted Iranian poetess of the 20th century, has pointed to the issue several times. She has emphasized the fact that the life is transient as spring. She says:
The pansy withered at dawn and the gardener said,
It has not withered and hidden its face in due time.
It answered that, ‘We were very transient’,
As the flower that flourished soon and withered soon.
Now I am broken and at night I will be dust,
You yourself will trample on me in the garden at dawn.
No comments:
Post a Comment