The divan of Hafez

Hello! On this page, I'm going to attempt to try to analyze Hafez' sonnets and try to see what insights I can gleam about Iranian culture 500 years ago (when these poems were written), Iranian culture now within Iran, Orientalist translation/collection, and Iranian culture within the diaspora. 

Who is Hafez?

Hafez (or Hafiz) was a Persian poet who lived in Shiraz, Iran from 1315 AD-1390 AD. According to Encyclopedia Iranica, Hafez "is one of the greatest poets of Persia with perhaps a more profound effect on Persian life and culture in general than any other, not excepting such great figures as Ferdowsi, Saʿdi, and Rumi." 

His real name was Ghaja Shams-al-Din Mohammad Shirazi or Shams-al-Din Mohammad for short. His penname, "Hafez",  means "memory" or "recollection" and refers to how he had memorized the entire Koran. This knowledge is (reflected) in his poems which contain "frequent echoes and reverberations of Koranic phrases and allusions". As for his education/literary knowledge, like other historical figures such as Shakespeare, not much is known. I am unsure of the state of schooling in 12th century Iran but Encyclopedia Iranica mentions that Hafez would've "studied the traditional curriculum of the time, [which were the] Koranic sciences and Arabic". 

Historical Context

The Mongols invaded Baghdad, which was the capital of Persia at the time (I think), in 1258 AD. The Timurid Empire, or Tamerlane, would not come into power until around 1370 AD (wikipedia source). Therefore, the period in which Hafez lived was characterized by a lot of political instability with many different tribes/factions/dynasties constantly viying for power. Interestingly, it was also "an era of great cultural and literary achievements, producing masterpieces in different disciplines,". It seems like many of these local dynasties valued, and even partook in, the arts. They were not only patrons of various artists of the time, but also their critics. (I wonder if this is how back the culture of art/valuing art goes in Iran, like my mom's prof comments, or my great-aunts comments) 

The Cultural Legacy of Hafez 

As written earlier, not much is actually known about the real-life figure of Hafez as not many contemporary accounts of him exist, however, Encyclopedia Iranica seems to suggest that to try to pin down the real-life Hafez through his poems is to miss the anthropological point of these poems entirely. It seems like theres a long, deep and rich tradition of these poems not only being passed down from one generation through the next (by means of oral and/or literary methods), but also being re-interpreted and responded to by the next generation. The last 2 sentences of Encyclopedia Britannica's article put it beautifully when it states "What we have is a collection of poems which, in spite of variations and later reshaping, have exerted such power and universal appeal on a whole culture that each generation has had to adjust itself to them and read them afresh. It is in the rich, long, and varied history of these succeeding responses to this timeless masterpiece that the true biography of the Divān,if not of its maker, may be found." 

Therefore, in keeping up with this long tradition, I am going to read these poems and give my own thoughts and interpretations of them from an (attempted) anthropological scope. It is critical that I do this now as, just as in the time of Hafez, I am currently living through a time when Iran seems to be once again, undergoing political instability and constant changing of power. During the last century alone, Iran has had 3 "dynasties", with one being revolutioned? against as this passage is being written. 

So this is going to be an interesting linguistic-anthropological exercise. 

My friend, who grew up in Tehran, Iran and immigrated fairly recently, has a copy of Hafez that his cousin bought from a store in Mashad (a religious city in Iran). He was also taught about Hafez in school. Looking at his copy, I wonder how the current Islamic regime has influenced not only what gets published but why and how, and if they're taught in schools and why. 

I have a copy of Hafez as well. My family has lived in Shiraz, where Hafez originates, ever since we could remember and this text is important to them. (I don't remember where we got it. I have to ask my mom). My copy is called "The Divan of Hafez, English-Persian, collection & translation: Ismaeiel Salami." 

Sources