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A function of poetry and a view of the 7th valley in the tale of the seh-morgh

Poetry must have many important functions. If it is good it is sure to create a presence about it that can influence us in powerful ways. In this post I have discussed an important function: how poetry can be a guide to us.

Rudaki was an Iranian poet born in the year 858, in Khorasan, Iran. His many contributions to Persian poetry, nearly 1,300,000 verses, and to Iranian culture have rightly won him the title of the father of Persian Poetry.

One of his most popular verses is:
Booyeh Jooyeh Moulian ayed hamay
Yad ae yaar ae mehrban ayed hamay


Translated:
"I smell the scent of the River of Moliyan and memories of a kind friend pervade my senses"

In this stanza I find a resonance I would describe as ‘elegant’ [in form], ‘subtle’ [in essence] and 'far reaching' [in its depth].

I imagine the stanza holds within it a presence of the poet. And thus I feel that in relating to the stanza one is able to find a worthy goal which is to seek within our self such a presence.

But what would it be to have such a presence?

Having a presence such as this to me means having the ability to stretch oneself and one’s comfort zone to the most diverse surroundings and still maintain balance. It’s an art of stretch and balance for which one must be able to detach, to know what needs knowing, have experienced love and thus have the power to welcome the darkest realities and deal with them at face value.

To do all this with the comfort and ease of a child.

Thus the fluency with which a stanza walks us through a complex maze [of some aspect of our life] should be [the fluency] with which we can wish into creation a solution to a problem.

Thus it would mean an ability to breeze through this life and every challenge with the elegance with which a poet writes their poetry. And with an agility such as this anything becomes possible!


NOTES
1. Read this post.
2. A post about the 7 valleys.
3. This post has been inspired in part by a post on Marzieh’s blog.

Comments

  1. "having the ability to stretch oneself and one’s comfort zone to the most diverse surroundings and still maintain balance. It’s an art of stretch and balance for which one must be able to detach, to know what needs knowing"

    Your prose is poetry and there is much here to which I want to return again and again. Thanx so much to you and Marzieh for bringing this poet and understanding of connections to our lives to light.

    On reflection, I also am much closer to your understanding of the composed person than I was at first.

    Much unexpected food for thought and life.

    ReplyDelete

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