Learning from Hafez

Thanks HFB

Good analyis!

In the next to last paragraph of an allegorical journey to heaven, it says, "... as happy as Mohammed was to look upon the Face, the Face was infinitely happier to see Mohammed." To the Sufi heart, the Beloved's reciprocity is not merely mutual but infinitely beyond our own capacity to love...before complete union, that is.

Keep up the great work. 

Goethe

Iraj Khan: Thanks for the loving quote from Goethe adoring his Hafez.

Ari - "Endurance"

Ari: Your notion seems to be that in the "West" we expect love back, and Hafez is some Eastern masochist enjoying the "bi-vafa" in his life. Oh dear - I had to really sit down and try my best to debunk this

We do a lot of things wrong in the "West" - no disrespect. Hafez is certainly not a masochist, awaiting any morcel of love trickling down his way. He craves 2-way connectivity - however, not as something that is an "instant gratification" as we do in the West. Most of his poetry, requires you to go through test, trials and tribulations, before you can reach that holy union

From what I've learned of the man - and much of Eastern philosophy, loving when wanting nothing in return, is the unconditional love that connects you to the larger Beloved, too. The Erfan requires you to go through deeper levels of "love" - and having faith that once you love the creature truly unconditionally, that's when it will return to you

The poem you quoted is actually a brilliant testimony to this mindset and if you go to one of the other Beyts/couplets in it - Hafez tells you that those who are afraid of the difficulty of the process, the reality that they may be rebuked and tormented along the way, then  "Love" is not worthy of them

هر که ترسد ز ملال انده عشقش نه حلال

So, to sum up - it's not that Hafez isn't into reciprocity, his whole Divan is about Connection which embodies reciprocity by definition. Rather, he encourages us to go through the process of having our devotion actually tested - it's depth, authenticity and true devotion needs to be proven - and the process may be enduring. I have to say, most things in my life, I've had to "endure" as a test of my love for it - like even maintaining this Blog

I hope this helped, Ari. If you're being tormented, you're being tested, your commitment, your endurance, your judgement even, as you might be in a bad situation. But you are being helped to achieve a deep union in the process

Hafez is in the eyes of the beholder

اگر هم دنیا به سر آید , ای حافظ آسمانی آرزو دارم که تنها با تو و در کنار تو باشم و چون برادری , هم در شادی و هم در غمت شرکت جویم . همراه تو باده نوشم و چون تو عشق ورزم , زیرا این افتخار زندگی من و مایه حیات من است . ای طبع سخن گوی من , اکنون که از حافظ ملکوتی الهام گرفته ای به نیروی خود نغمه سرایی کن و آهنگی ناگفته پیش آر , زیرا امروز پیرتر و جوانتر از همیشه ای .

                                                                          گوته                                                                             

Good pre-Nowrooz post

Home is on the mind. Home as in family and  home as in identity 

Often wonder about Hafez's take on the beloved. In the West home is also where we receive love. Hafez doesn't seem to expect vafaa. .He appears content just to love

:Example

گرچه از كوى وفا گشت به صد مرحله دور
دور باد آفت دور فلك از جان و تنش

Thanks: 1 - 4

Mohammad Ala: Thank you for your thoughtful words and encouragement. Wish you a Happy NoRouz too! 

Disenchanted: Thanks for your note. Yes, Shamou's voice is warm and you can find him on iTunes under "Shamlu". Do remember Hafez intertwines eshgh-eh zamini with eshgh-eh erfani, hence the broader scope of appeal from across the board!

Iraj Khan: Thanks for the fascinating link. Very handy! Appreciate it.

Faramarz: I do agree Tehran is "cool." His Dad named him - and he jokes about being both Black and called "Tehran" while living in the US! For a kid whose mom is American and only visited Iran twice as a 6 and 8 year old, his Farsi is superb - and he's actually a great Hafez student to boot! 

Thank you and Happy Nowruz.

Afsaneh jan;  Thanks for your time and efforts and more importantly Thanks for Your Courage not to give up even when big mouths attacked you personally.  Iranian.com must do something against personal attacks from bogus members who hide and attack others especially members who use their real names.

Secondly, Happy Nowruz to you and your students.  I was pleasantly surprised by Tehran who I have watched his talks before.  Tehran is a GREAT individual who has not hidden behind a bogus name and is not an opportunistic person like many who will change their positions given better situations and/or countries.

After posting this comment, I will e-mail your video to a friend who wondered where you were when you did not post for almost a month.

Very proud of people who speak Persian whereas many Iranians have brought up their children who cannot speak the mother tongue.  Thank you and Happy Nowruz.

Didn't know "truth" has a handle! :-)

Disenchanted

Can you handle the truth, or do you want me to lie?

Well, still whatever about him I said is true! :-)

•         We may be looking at next Barak Obama (half Iranian version)!    Just imagine Bibi's reaction to that! :-)
•  
•         How come Rudi never gets to interview me?! :-) 

Hey enchanted Disenchanted

Tehran is a cool Iranian-American guy that was posted here as the Iranian of the Day by no other than Saman of Parasit back in 2008.

Here is the clip:

//iranian.com/main/singlepage/2008/man-na...

Wow! Many thanks Iraj!

Disenchanted,

On this website you can find Shamloo reading Hafez's pomes.

Get enchanted here,

//hafez.mastaneh.ir/

Very nice...

years ....

Iraj Khan: Yep, that's one of the classic poems of Hafez you posted - and in fact each cycle of 8 Sundays of Hafez we have here in DC, starts with that very poem, repeated as the start-up poem each time -  as it encapsulate so much of who he is in a single poem. Thanks for posting.

Thanks Hafez for Beginners

سال‌ها دل طلب جام جم از ما می‌کرد

آنچه خود داشت ز بیگانه تمنا می‌کرد

گوهری کز صدف کون و مکان بیرون است

طلب از گمشدگان لب دریا می‌کرد! -

بیدلی در همه احوال خدا با او بود

او نمی‌دیدش و از دور «خدایا!» می‌کرد…

مشکل خویش بر پیر مغان بردم دوش

که او به تایید نظر حل معما می‌کرد.

دیدمش خرم و خندان، قدح باده به دست

و اندر آن آینه صد گونه تماشا می‌کرد.

...

thanks

Omeedvar: Thanks for your thoughtful and true words. I learned from Hafez a long time ago to not fight like with like. If the world is toxic, I need not be, too - and each time some nonsense is said about our culture, I go and prepare another poem... Staying positive, like your nick-name "Omeedvar" is far harder in life. Enjoy.

مرسی‌ افسانه خانم برای این بلاگ جالب

مرسی‌ افسانه خانم برای این بلاگ جالب. این روزها که بیش از پنج میلیون ایرانی‌ در نقاط مختلف دنیا آواره شده اند و بسیاری از آنها احساس غریبی و دلتنگی‌ میکنند، بوجود آوردن برنامه‌های جالبی‌ که اشعار شعرای خوب ایرانی‌ را بازخوانی و مثل شما به قشنگی‌ تفسیر کنند، و بخصوص از طریق اینترنت در دسترس همه ایرانیها و غیر ایرانیها قرار دهند، خدمت بزرگی‌ است که آنها را بهم نزدیک کرده، و ضمنا زبان و ادبیات ایران را زنده نگاه دارند.

you're welcome ...

Albaloo: You're welcome. Would love to hear what touches your heartstrings - and makes you feel connected. With me, it has always been the Duomo in Florence.

Thank you for the inspiring blog.

Thank you for the inspiring blog.