The Divān Of Hafez
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''The Divān'' of Hafez () is a collection of poems written by the
Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
poet Hafez. Most of these poems are in Persian, but there are some macaronic language poems (in Persian and
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
) and a completely Arabic
ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...
. The most important part of this ''Divān'' is the
ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...
s. Poems in other forms such as qetʿe, qasida,
mathnawi Mathnawi ( ), also spelled masnavi, mesnevi or masnawi, is a kind of poem written in rhyming couplets, or more specifically "a poem based on independent, internally rhyming lines". Most mathnawi poems follow a Meter (poetry), meter of eleven, or o ...
and
rubaʿi A ''rubāʿī'' (, from Arabic language, Arabic ; plural: ) or ''chahārgāna(e)'' () is a poem or a verse of a poem in Persian poetry (or its derivative in English and other languages) in the form of a quatrain, consisting of four lines (four ...
are as well included in the ''Divān''. There is no evidence that Hafez's lost poems might have constituted the majority of his poetic output, and in addition, Hafez was very famous during his lifetime. Therefore he cannot have been a prolific poet. The number of ghazals that are generally accepted is less than 500: 495 ghazals in Ghazvini and Ghani edition, 486 ghazals in Natel-Khanlari's second edition and 484 ghazals in the Sayeh edition.


Overview

''The Divān'' of Hafez was probably compiled for the first time after his death by Mohammad Golandam. However, some unconfirmed reports indicate that Hafez published his ''Divān'' in 1368 (770 AH), meaning it was edited more than twenty years before his death, but no such version exists. There are several famous manuscripts in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
,
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and other places that belong to the second and third quarters of the 15th century, from thirty to sixty years after the poet's death, and the most authoritative of them are less than 500 ghazals. Subsequent versions contain 600 ghazals and more. Parviz Natel-Khanlari's second edition of the manuscript contains 486 ghazals. Derived manuscripts, sometimes describing Persian, Turkish, or
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
, continued over the next four centuries. In Hafez's poem, 23
rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...
s and 10 prosody metres are used. Until 1988, translation of ''Divān'' or part of it into Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Arabic, English in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, ''Divān'' and its excerpts, and arranging lyrics for singing in English, French, German, Russian,
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
, Bulgarian, Czech, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Italian,
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Swedish, Spanish and Turkish are obtained during these years. According to Yarshater, no other Iranian poet has been more analyzed and interpreted. No Persian poet can find such a combination of fertile imagination, literary expression, the right choice of silk words and expressions. He had a profound effect on the next group of lyricists. According to experts and cataloguers, during the four hundred years of compiling ''the Divān'' in the last decade of the 14th century until its publication in
Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
in 1791 AD (1206 AH), this book has been written and copied more than any other literary work. The number of manuscripts of ''The Divān'' of Hafez is about 1700, which is scattered not only in Iran, but also in the geographical region of the Persian language and among all social classes and even rulers. In terms of the size of its Persian-speaking audiences, it has surpassed all the great works of Persian literature. What has been published from Hafez's poems includes incomplete, complete, non-critical and critical collections,
lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...
, calligraphy, Facsimile and
typography Typography is the art and technique of Typesetting, arranging type to make written language legibility, legible, readability, readable and beauty, appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, Point (typogra ...
. At least 300 printed copies of ''the Divān'' have been cited since 1988, and more have been published since then. Hafez's influence on the lives of Iranians can be seen in the continuation of the popularity of his poems from previous generations to the present day and the use of these poems in everyday conversations. This immortality and popularity has caused a unique reflection in the culture and art of Persian speakers and has been reflected in the works of many calligraphers, painters, carpet weavers and artists.


Translations

An early translation of the Divan was published in 1891 in
Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
by Henry Wilberforce Clarke. Dick Davis has written an essay on the challenges he faced in trying to translate the Divan.


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * {{Authority control 14th-century Persian books Poems in Persian 14th-century Arabic-language books