 | Persiana is a 32 year old married woman from Shiraz, Iran. |
- Press TV
 Dec 26, 2007 6:11am  (1 review) literature http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=362...- Mowlavi's (Rumi) masterpiece to come to life online
"Tue, 25 Dec 2007
Turkish and English translations of Mathnavi, Mowlavi's immortal masterpiece in world literature, are to be published online for the public.
On the occasion of the 800th birth anniversary of the great Persian poet, Jalaleddin Mowlavi, some 3,300 verses of his world-famous masterpiece, known as the Nobel Mathnavi (Mathnavi Sharif), have been translated from Persian into Turkish and English and are due to be published online.
Introducing the Persian mystic poet and his works to the non-Persian speaking world is the main objective of the online project.
The translated verses are scheduled to be published online in the second week of the new Christian year."
- Press TV
- Dec 26, 2007 5:17am
 (1 review) crafts, history, arts, ancient-history, civilization http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=337... - Iranians nonpareil creators of metal works
- http://www.erasmuspc.com/documenten/citypoems/minneapolis/minneapolis_citypoem_1...
- Dec 25, 2007 11:16pm (113 reviews) poetry, sufism, love, divine http://www.erasmuspc.com/documenten/city...
- Hafez for all cognitive levels :)
It's often said that the mystical poems of Hafez involve levels of thoughts and understanding. As one [cognitively and spiritually] matures s/he may comprehend and appreciate the profound and ecstatic nature of the writings to a greater degree. That applies to the translators (and their translations) also.
"Recent research into Hafiz's romantic lyricism by Iranian scholars has revealed that in addition to his masterful use of poetic devices and his expertise in rhetoric and imagery, his verse is also deeply steeped in the philosophy and symbolism of the Persian Sufi love mysticism" (source)
"[..] the moment his verses are understood you will always find an interpretation of most of them that could appeal to the humblest as well as the highest of intelligences."(source)
Update: I found out that this modern-mural was done on neighborhood walls as part of a community project. Here's a slideshow of them painting more segments *smiles* These are from translations of Daniel Ladinsky. I've noticed that Iranian bloggers are not quite happy with some of his claims, such as that Hafez has spoken to him in dream.. They think he's only interested in selling his book titled "The Gift", and that he should have done a better job of translating. But then, as I see it, poems of Hafez are interpretable (understandable) but not necessarily literally translatable into a poetic English, which is unpoetic language (1. Compared to Persian, English poetry doesn't rhyme. Thus, it's not as suitable for lyrics. 2. In Persian it's possible to embed layers of meanings in a single word/sentence. What we read of Rumi and Hafez in English are only a layer of the meaning per translated work.) So, the best they could do is to emulate Edward Fitzgerald's nonliteral translation of Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat, which only captures the spirit of the original work.
- Iranian Christians Celebrate Christmas
- Dec 25, 2007 8:13pm (1 review) christianity, christmas, iran http://www.payvand.com/news/07/dec/1239....
- Iranian Christians Celebrate Christmas
Message and pictures on the page.
P.S. Images and details of historic churches/ cathedrals and Christianity in Iran can be found in my archives.
- Iran - “Bayasanghori Shâhnâmeh”
- Dec 25, 2007 4:52am (1 review) culture, literature, arts, heritage http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-UR...
- "Bayasanghori Shâhnâmeh" (Prince Bayasanghor's Book of the Kings)
The meeting of Ardeshir with Golnar,
the Bayasanghori Shahnameh (1430 AD),
Imperial Library of Golestan Palace, Tehran
From the page (UNESCO website) :
Documentary heritage concerning Iran and recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World International Register (in 2007).
The Shâhnâmeh (Book of Kings) is one of the classics of the Persian-speaking world and is on a par with the `Iliad' and the `Aeniad' of the Greco-Romano cultural communities. An important feature of this work is that although during the period of its creation, Arabic was the main language of science and literature, it was written Persian and therefore helped to revive and maintain this important world language. The Shâhnâmeh has also become an important text throughout Central Asia, India and the former Ottoman Empire. It has been copied countless times and three of these copies could be said to have universal value: the "Demotte Shâhnâmeh" made in the early 1300s for the Il-Khanid patron, Giyath al-Din ; the 16th Century "Houghton Shâhnâmeh" ; and the "Bayasanghori Shâhnâmeh", which was made in 1430 for Prince Bayasanghor (1399-1433), the grandson of the legendary Central Asian leader Timur (1336-1405). Only the "Bayasanghori Shâhnâmeh" has survived and is kept under lock and key in the Imperial Library of the Golestan Palace in Tehran. The [Bayasanghori] Shâhnâmeh represents the quintessence of aesthetic and literary values of the elite rulers of the Timurid Renaissance who dominated Central and Western Asia in the 15th Century.
The richly illuminated double frontispiece of
the Bayasanghori Shahnameh (1430),
Imperial Library of Golestan Palace, Tehran
To view larger images, go to this UNESCO page and click on the images.
P.S. "Memory of the World Register" list, initiated in 2007, can be viewed here.
- Untitled Document
- Dec 23, 2007 10:12pm (2 reviews) poetry, women, video, story http://www.jadidmedia.com/images/stories...
- Narrator of Shahnameh ("The Book of Kings") of Ferdowsi
This is a Flash clip (for fast connections this clip) about Fatemeh Habibizad the first female narrator of Shahnameh, and the ancient art of narration in Iran. The art of reciting the epic poems, was traditionally a male domain. Fatemeh's nickname is Gordafarid; a heroine in Shahnameh. Fatemeh shows that a woman could do it too, just as the Gordafarid showed men how to fight.
I am also posting this link to show the masterful poetic language in Shahnameh by Ferdowsi (935-1020 AD), that even non-Farsi speakers could get a glimpse of the unique epic poetry.
Meanwhile, if you do watch it I ask you to also read this brief introduction to the clip.
"To the Iranians, Shahnameh is the history of their country's glorious past, preserved for all time in sonorous and majestic verse." She explains "Shahnameh is the story of 10 thousand years of Iranian civilization." One of the lines that she recites is the story of Gordafarid riding her horse forward, and the opposing army exclaim in awe "What's the name of this lioness?!"
Ferdwosi's masterpiece, the Shahnameh, written in 30 (35?) years, is widely translated into other languages.
- Arash: An Adaptation & The Soul and The Witness
- Dec 23, 2007 8:38am (1 review) poetry, story, legend http://soulwitness.wordpress.com/2007/10...
- Ârash Kamangir ("Ârash the Archer") - "O ye all, I am but telling you all about Iran and her brave son Arash."
An excellent translation and adaptation, of one of the legendary stories and poems of Shahnameh by Ferdowsi (935-1020 AD).
"Arash rose to the perilous peak of Damavand, on the stones of Alborz, he sat contemplating his actions, for he was a human at the end. He meditated and prayed for divine strength. Stripped naked, he took the slender arrow from his quiver, eyes lined up with final destiny, shoulders brave and high with hopes of his people, chest filled with pride, he took a breath, a long one. The arrow will be his soul, the bow will be his people's hopes. His body will be the final answer of his people. The string was drawn and the feathers of the arrow glistened in the golden sun, bow arched, his soul one with his arrow, his eyes looking for the last of the Persian land.
Damavand
Legends say, the arrow flew the entire morning from Damavand. The horsemen could not keep with the arrow guided by Arash's soul. The arrow flew away. Legends say, the air itself parted to let the great soul of Persia guide his arrow."[Read more ...]
A nonhistoric statue of Arash; a character in
Shahnameh, who was legendary for shooting a swift
arrow to determine the boundaries of the ancient kingdoms
of Iran and Turan 7 or 6 thousand years ago. He was also
known as 'Arash-e Kamangir'--the best archer in the Iranian army.
"I am Arash
A freedom loving warrior
An archer of reputation
Fire burns from the feathers of my Arrow
And the wind obeys my orders
I am the son of toil
And I carry the hopes of my people
On my shoulders..."
Wikipedia explains the history that might have given rise to this legend.
P.S. The statue is a tribute to the casualties and heroic deeds of Boroujerd citizens during the imposed war of 1980s.
- The Modern Magazine for Persian Weddings, Cuisine, Culture & Community
- Dec 23, 2007 7:45am (3 reviews) poetry http://www.persianmirror.com/Article_det...
- Poem by Niloofar Nafici, an Iranian poetess residing in the United States.
A Journey
"I am the arrow from the bow that Arash released
I have flown from the deepest south to the farthest east
I felt the winds that wrapped the pillars of Perspolis
And as I soared I wondered how man could ever manifest such beauty as this
Seeing all the glory and mystery rooted in this land
I let the sun absorb into me and felt it carry me across like a mothers hand
I watched its light reflect on the green hillsides
Like emeralds buried in time
As my journey went further
Darkness became my next encounter
Feeling like I could not go on
I felt once again the rays of the Sun
Lighting my way out of fear
And showing me how much more there was for me here
It lit my way
And what I had to do all the more clear
The same way it led Omar Khayyam into the stars
And led Koroush* on his journey from Pars
Looking ahead I saw the snow caps of the Alborz Mountains
I still flew through its complicated terrain
Appreciated all the more from this never ending journey how much there was to gain
My history and future continue with me
On this heart felt bow & arrow journey
The destination is written in my blood
I will only reach it with my good deeds aligned with the beauty of my good thoughts
For any other way I will be led astray
And taken away from what is home to my soul and where I wish to lay
I am the arrow from the bow that Arash released
I have flown from the deepest south to the farthest east..."
* Koroush = Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire in 500 BC.
- UK court reinstates Irans claim to art - Yahoo! News
- Dec 21, 2007 11:21am (1 review) law http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071221/ap_o...
- Court reinstates Iran's claim to artifacts
Update: the article is no longer on the Yahoo server. The same article is on the ABC News.
(Ok, this is great! Would have been as fair had they overturned the recent ruling that caused the 500 BC Persepolis guard, which I have already stumbled, to be sold.)
From the page:
Fri Dec 21
LONDON - Iran won an important court ruling Friday in its bid to force an international art dealer in London to return 18 ancient artifacts that allegedly were stolen from the country's tombs.
Iran says the 18 jars, bowls and cups, which date from 3,000 B.C., come from sites in the Halil Rud valley, south of Jiroft town in the Kerman province of southeast Iran.
[...]
"This case is so important for Iran because they believe objects of this quality, being the best ones in the tombs, should be back in Iran," he said, adding that a ruling against Iran would have "a huge impact on the black market trade in antiquities."
[...]
High Court Justice Gray, ruling on two preliminary issues, dismissed the case, saying Iran had not proved ownership of the artifacts and that Iranian law was unenforceable in the English courts.
However, on Friday the Court of Appeal overturned that decision and reinstated Iran's claim.
One of its three judges, Lord Chief Justice Nicholas Phillips, said that under the provisions of Iranian law, and in particular the Legal Bill of 1979 -- which prevents unauthorized excavations and diggings of relics more than 100 years old -- Iran could show that it had obtained title to the objects, and that the English courts should recognize and enforce that title. [...]
EXCELLENT ! This should set a precedent.
UPDATE - Judicial details:
Claim to recover national heritage can go ahead
- Fars News Agency :: ÔÈ íáÏÇ
- Dec 21, 2007 10:46am (1 review) culture, iran http://www.farsnews.com/imgrep.php?nn=86...
- Yalda Night (Winter Solstice)
It's Yalda once again! I have comprehensive posts/ info about this ancient tradition, and its influence on other cultures, in my archives.
Creative arrangements for Yalda Night
Here is an album dedicated to Yalda: Happy Yalda Night
Occasionally I come across baseless claims that celebrations of Winter Solstice, Yalda, and Christmas have their origins in Yule of Norway, or Christmas Tree was first used in Germany :) The same lineage of historians who have for centuries distorted facts with regard to Iranian cultural achievements, civilization and its influence worldwide are at work, but the trend is not in their favor.
I'm glad their false claims are being overturned with scholarly presentation, of what has been well known among truthful historians, such as Mithra, savior of the old world, and The Iranian origins of Christmas. Yet, it's a wonder how some of the researchers and historians of the most affluent countries and museums, such as those of Louvre that hold much evidence, keep silent with regard to the real origins. It's a continuation of the case of Herodotus' - the so-called father of western history - twisted accounts.
I have highest of regards for all the customary/ holy occasions and celebrations as they have come to be and for all great historic and religious figures. But that doesn't mean one should accept historical accounts at face value.
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