Behnevis

Hafez was more political than all you mentioned together

I believe AO also wants poetry

to be concerned with more issues than social issues and love. If a poem can mention science and importance of discovery, I think that would make AO happy. I believe AO does have some good points and we may have issues with some of the words he uses, or I personally think he is overdoing it. But I think he has raised a valid concern and there is merit in some of his arguments.

We are all ignorant!

An anonymous saying is "We are all ignorant except along different lines." True knowledge is only achieved by searching the validity of everything we hear or read.That is intellectual discourse. Dear A.O. the proof of innuendos about your judging the work of great men of our culture for you and for Literary Critic is in your original comments. I could quote your writings, but for the sake of brevity I do not. 

I appreciate your second set of comments that indicate you have already learned something in this intellecual discourse. All your four comments show your toning down of your assault on our culture and I am sure that deep in your heart you, too, are interested to lean new things as we all do to reduce our ignorance.

I constantly read about how our culture supports the idea of Velayat Faghih and yet few or none are willing to admit that the notion of having a Pope or various Evangelicals are essentially the same. 

I hope you extend your search into the lives of the great men you started to assault and find out for yourself how each of them in a unique way did more in their days to illuminate the world when there was no Western civilization. I am referring to the period in 13th and 16th C.E. when Europe was so tightly in the grip of Church that scientific discoveries even finding cure for diseases were banned because their V.F. had told them that this was only the domain of God. In fact when Crusaders found out that they were told lies many of them deserted the church and migrated to the Eastern countries much like we do in our modern world. It was then that the politicians paranoid about this danger devised colonialism starting from British East India that still continues to operate. How long this will last is anyone's guess. One thing for sure is that in our dynamic world and rapid spread of dissatisfaction some positive change is quite possible.

Mr. Ghiassi Afjei. Thanks for your comments, but there is no need to discuss it further here.

Thanks everyone

Dr. Ali A. Parsa

khodee 

....

Reading AO's blog and many comments, I came to the conclusion that he is not criticizing Hafez and Sadi and Ferdowsi...etc, for their abilities in poetry or literature, but he is somehow disappointed in them,  for they didn't take part in Politics. In that other blog, that lady "Disenchanted" has drastically distracted the normal trend of the thread. Indeed, she intentionally included some English mistakes in her comments, while I know she speaks English much better than French....

Anyway, I believe the only problem with AO's blog was in the way that he has presented his idea (calling our beloved poets, stupids). He wanted to say that he was expecting from Hafez and other poets, to be activley involved in the Political activities (like Golsorkhi, Shamloo, Sayeh, Kasraee, Hila Sedighi, Haloo....etc. etc)

The answer to AO's question was not : You don't understand Hafez, you don't understand literature....etc

We must only pay attention to the gaps between that era's social trend and today's. I mean, in that century, it was not yet normal for the writers and poets to be actively involved into Politics, at least not in our country. Literature was limited to the Irfan, and Irfan is void of any interests, including the Politics and patriotism.

My two cents, of course :)

Ewwwwaaawww

I don't take pride in something I have no direct influence on, nor do I feel ashamed of something I didn't do.

As a matter of fact, Hafez, Sa'adi and Ferdosi bore me to death, but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate and understand the literary merits.

What I did find particulary stupid in that blog is the job description highlighted in bold in the quote: 

"Our pinnacles of wisdom and knowledge, Hafez and Saadi, suffered from a severe lack of curiosity and desire for exploration.  Both
of these guys lived in Shiraz, a mere 70 kilometers, 43.5 miles away
from the most important Persian / Iranian archeological site,
Persepolis.  Yet, none of these fountains of wisdom appears to have EVER asked what these ruins were about!  I
know, it’s hard to imagine, but none of these giants of Persian culture
had the minimal level of curiosity to even ask what these “things”
were.  They had a derive to take a mental journey to
discover “irfan,” but were both apparently so intellectually lazy that
they did not want to spend their energy in trying to figure out who they
were, where they came from, or whether or not  those great ruins had anything to do with them."

The question AO did not answer

Unfotunately AO's blog on Hafez/Saadi has stopped receiving comments otherwise I would have posted this comment there. However, I am glad that Mr Parsa has raised the issue again. I asked Mr AO if he is confident that his understanding of Haefz (and Hafez in particular) is correct. In other words is his take on Hafez the same as those of the leading experts and their work on the man and his philosophy  or has he reached his conclusions independently? I am just curious to know :

At least be accurate

1) My blog was not about "all poets, writers and philosophers."  It was about a greater issue in our culture where two sepcific poets were used as examples.  Not for the quality of their poetry but for ancillary matters.  Understand first (or at least read first), attack next.  Or at least donlt start your blogs with misrepresentations.  Kind of makes the rest of your blog look bad.

2)  Another problem with our culture: the inability to discuss issues without hysteria and overraction;

3) I am not an "intellectual discource?!!!"  Do you mean my blog was not a vehicle for intellectual discourse?!!

4) Nothing wrong with praising Hafez, Saadi or other poets' poetic or literary ability.  But they are not beyond criticism.  Our culture of person worship must end.  That's why we have imams and velayat faghihs.    

5) Wish you the best of luck plugging your book.  Really hope you sell a few copies.  If you do though, you should throw me a couple of bucks for advertising it at my expense.  You may also want to check with JJ and use IC's advertising program and throw him a few dollars.  No freebees!

Dear Mr. Parsa

You write very well, Ghiassi Afjei 

Correction

Apologies for referring to my letter to IC titled Literary Tranquilizers. This was a Letter rather than a Blog and submitted on March 30, 2009.

khodee