Rakhshandeh E’tesami, known as Parvin E’tesami (1907-1941, Tabriz) was a 20th-century Iranian poetess and a prominent Iranian lexicographer. Parvin was around seven or eight years old when her poetic talent was revealed. Through her father’s encouragement, she versified some literary pieces which were translated from western sources by her father. In 1921-22, some of her earliest known poems were published in a Persian magazine named ‘Bahar’ (lit. spring).

The first edition of her Divan (book of poetry) comprised 156 poems and was published in 1935. The famous poet and scholar Mohammad Taqi Bahar (given the honorific title of “King of Poets” wrote an introduction to her work.

In her short life, she managed to achieve great fame among Iranians. Parvin’s poetry follows the classical Persian tradition, its form, and its substance. She remained unaffected by or perhaps ignored the modernistic trends in Persian poetry. Parvin wrote about men and women of different social backgrounds, an array of animals, birds, flowers, trees, cosmic and natural elements, objects of daily life, abstract concepts, all of which personified and symbolized her wealth of ideas. Through these figures, she reflected upon the abuses of society and loose moral behaviors. Likewise, in the debates, she eloquently expressed her basic thoughts about life and death, social justice, ethics, education, and the importance of knowledge.

In our era, Parvin is the only poetess whose poetry is pedagogic. She is the only poetess among her contemporaries who limited her literary activities to pedagogic literature. The number of her lyrics like “The Journey of a Tear” is very few and they were written in pedagogic style. All her poetry is filled with teachings on various social grounds. Her “Safar-e Ashk” (Journey of a tear) is considered the finest lyrics ever written in Persian.

Compiled by: Morteza Afradian

No. 328