Spring in Persian Poem

By: Seyed Mohsen Hosseini Taha

Literature is a full-length mirror in which one can see culture and thought of nations; in other words, human being’s thoughts and special demeanor caused by such thoughts are manifested in the literature. Thus, research and study about literal works of a land is a proper way to fathom out both overt and covert corners of its residents. The literature is not only effective to understand perspectives of various ethics on various phenomena and issues, but also can be used to analyze customs and traditions of those people.

On the other hand, literature can be considered as a media to broadcast human being’s emotions and feelings and if the concept is treated as a whole, then human’s feelings to the nature and its related phenomena can be sorted as a part of the whole.

Persian literature is full of works describing the nature; a number of Persian poems have become a unique sign of the nature by which the audience is provided with a glorious view of the natural       effects.

In the Persian literature, spring could be scrutinized through two approaches: first, poetic            illustrations which are often found in poems composed based on the Khorasani Style and many perpetual and memorable masterpieces have been remained from masters of the style. During the elementary stages of its development, Persian poem mostly involved with the physical and tangible phenomena, thus description of spring is found considerably in the poems written in this period. The second approach was formed when Sufism and Gnosticism were introduced into the Persian literature.

Accordingly, as same as many other words, the meaning and concept of spring were changed by Iranian literates. These poets used spring as a means to change their spirit and feelings.

As Mawlana says:

First he appeared in the class of inorganic things,

Next he passed therefrom into that of plants.

For years he lived as one of the plants,

Remembering naught of his inorganic state so  different;

And when he passed from the vegetative to the   animal state

He had no remembrance of his state as a plant, Except the inclination he felt to the world of plants,

Especially at the time of spring and sweet flowers.

Like the inclination of infants towards their        mothers,

Which know not the cause of their inclination to the breast,

Or the excessive inclination of young disciples

Towards their noble and illustrious teachers.

The disciple’s partial reason comes from that Reason,

The disciple’s shadow is from that bough.

When the shadows in the disciples cease

Undoubtedly spring description always has been one of the most important and oldest objective and subjective concerns of mankind during education. It had affected growth and development of human civilizations. In the same direction, Hafez has a poem which you can find it as follows:

O God, our eyes are blinded!

O Pardon us, our sins are a heavy burden!

Thou art hidden from us, though the heavens are filled

With Thy light, which is brighter than sun and moon!

Thou art hidden, yet revealest our hidden secrets!

Thou art the source that causes our rivers to flow.

Thou art hidden in Thy essence, but seen by Thy bounties.

Thou art like the water, and we like the milestone,

Though art like the wind, and we like the dust;

The wind is unseen, but the dust in seen by all.

Thou art the spring, and we the sweet green garden

Spring is not seen, though its gifts are seen

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