Hafez: Poet of Wisdom, Kindness, and Free Thought

A scholarly session marking the 30th Hafez Commemoration Day, attended by university professors, researchers, writers, and enthusiasts of Hafez Shirazi's poetry and thought, was held under the theme 'Hafez in Artistic and Literary Creations.'

According to the reporter of Iran's Ambassador Arjan (Ambassador Arjan) in Shiraz, scientific meetings of the 30th Hafez International Day were held on Monday, October 20, 1405, in the Cinema Farhang Hall of the National Library and Fars Document Center. This event was formed with the purpose of examining the connection of Hafez's poetry with various fields of art and literature and analyzing the capacities of his thought and words in artistic and literary creations. Saeed Hossampour, the academic secretary of Hafez Yadrouz and the head of the Faculty of Literature and Humanities of Shiraz University, presented a report on the process of holding Yadrouz and the scientific activities of this center in this meeting.

Referring to the works received at the secretariat of the 30th Hafez Yadrouz, he said: This year, 30 scientific articles and works were received at the secretariat of this event, and eight of them were selected to speak at this scientific meeting.

According to the scientific secretary of Yadrouz Hafez, eight Hafez scholars from the provinces of Khorasan Razavi, Gilan, Tehran and Fars shared their latest scientific and specialized analyzes and findings about the literary and artistic works of Hafez's thought and pen in this gathering.

Emphasizing the irreplaceable position of Hafez's poetry in the culture and art of Iran and the world, Hossampour added: Hafez's poetry is not just a collection of words, but a magnificent architecture of thought, meaning and aesthetics that has penetrated the boundaries of language and has become a generative source for the creation of original artistic and literary works.

The academic secretary of Yadrouz Hafez continued: Hafez's speech over the centuries has been the source of many of the most original artistic creations; From the lasting effects of calligraphy, painting and gilding to authentic Iranian music and contemporary literature of Iran and the world, the presence and influence of his poetry can be clearly seen.

This professor of Persian language and literature at Shiraz University, stating that the 30th Hafez International Day, focusing on this topic, aims to analyze the deep and multifaceted connection of Hafez's poetry with various fields of art and literature, and stated: This event is an opportunity to present a new reading of Hafez's overt and hidden presence in the sphere of art and literature, and examine the question of how his thought and words, after the passage of more than seven centuries, continue to inspire creation, interpretation, and innovation in various fields of art and literature.

Emphasis on supporting Hafez research and introducing Hafez to the young generation

He continued: In its three decades of activity, the Hafez Center has tried to provide a wider familiarity with the thought and poetry of Hafez by expanding scientific researches, holding specialized meetings and using modern tools.

Hosampour, referring to the 30th year of activity of the Center for Hafezology, emphasized the necessity of supporting scientific and cultural activities in the field of Hafez studies and expanding new ways of introducing this great poet to the young generation.

Hossampour expressed his gratitude to the professors, researchers, mnemonists and enthusiasts who have been with the mnemonics center in the past years, and said: the achievements of this collection are the result of the group effort and empathy of its members, and without the cooperation and coordination of this group, it would not have been possible to carry out many scientific and cultural activities.

Referring to the three-decade activities of the Center for Hafez Studies, he said: Over the past years, this center has tried to give direction to Hafez research activities and provide new fields for studying and understanding Hafez's poetry and thought by selecting central and diverse topics.

The secretary of the scientific meeting "Yad Rooz Hafez" called the publication of "Hafezni" magazine as one of the continuous activities of the center and added: "Several issues of this magazine have been prepared and published in the past years, but in order to increase the number and quality of scientific and research articles, it is necessary to strengthen the scientific position of this magazine and give it more support."

Hosampour also pointed to the holding of specialized meetings and said: The Center for Preservation has held 12 specialized meetings in the last three years, six of which were domestic and the other six were international. These programs have been held with the aim of expanding scientific communication between Iranian researchers and researchers and those interested in Persian language and literature in other countries.

He considered the holding of memorization courses as one of the key activities of the Center for Hafezology and said: These courses are held seasonally and about 500 to 600 people participate in each course. A topic that shows the high capacity of Hafez's poetry to communicate with different audiences in society.

According to Hossampour, even during the period when the holding of memorization classes faced problems, the center, in cooperation with Shiraz University, tried not to stop these programs and to continue the communication of those interested with memorization sessions.

He added: The continuation of these courses shows that the interest in Hafez's poetry is not limited to academic and specialized environments, and a large part of the society still wants a deeper understanding of this literary heritage.

He pointed to the activities carried out in the field of animation and representation of Hafez's thought and poetry and considered the publication of a work in this field as an example of the center's effort to take advantage of the artistic capacities in introducing Hafez.

The secretary of the scientific meeting "Memorial of Hafez" also pointed to the research on the reflection of Hafez's character in Arabic literature and stated: The study of Arabic novels about Hafez has provided a basis for the expansion of comparative studies. In this regard, with the research guidance of the Arabic language and literature students of Shiraz University, theses have been formed in this field and the results of some of these researches have been presented in international programs and conferences, including a program in Tunisia.

He emphasized that the identification of less researched fields and the targeted guidance of researches can help to expand new horizons in preservation research.

The secretary of the scientific conference "Remembrance of Hafez Day" further listed the support of Hafez magazine, strengthening of specialized and international meetings, continuation of Hafez reading courses and support of cultural productions that suit the needs of the new generation among the necessities of this field.

He pointed out: In the years of its activity, the Hafez Center has tried to introduce different audiences to Hafez through scientific researches, specialized meetings, training courses, written works and new tools. The continuation and expansion of these activities requires more serious attention from the responsible institutions and support for the existing scientific and cultural capacities.

In the end, Hossampour expressed his gratitude to the colleagues of the Hafez Center and the support of professors, researchers and enthusiasts, and expressed hope that in the 30th year of the activity of this center, the field of expansion of Hafez studies and more effective introduction of Hafez's thought and poetry to the future generations will be provided.

Alireza Qayamati, a member of the faculty of Farhangian University of Mashhad, in his speech entitled "Hafiz, the head of the free-thinking circle; Hafez's Compassionate Worldview" emphasizing the place of thought and wisdom in Hafez's poetry, considered him one of the most thoughtful and wise poets in the world and stated: Hafez is a poet of wisdom, compassion and free-thinking before he is a poet of love and mysticism.

According to him, what gives Hafez respect and credibility in the eyes of the world is his freedom, free-spiritedness, freedom from prejudices and superstitions and, most precious of all, turning to human virtues, avoiding pride and self-righteousness, and avoiding harming others.

Pointing to Hafez's intellectual independence, Qayamati added: Hafez is not prejudiced in his beliefs and does not consider himself to be the absolute right. He is far from any kind of absolutism and cannot accept what the society and those around him have accepted as his stable thought. He himself thinks about the foundation of existence, the creator and his existence, and he achieves certainty from the path of this thought.

He stated that Hafez's poetry is not a reflection of one voice, one thought, and one specific belief, but rather a herald of various thoughts and beliefs and a perfect example of polyphony. As he sings: "The war of seventy-two nations is an excuse for everyone/ because they did not see the truth, they told a myth."

Referring to the place of love in Hafez's worldview, this researcher said: In the eyes of Khawaja Rendan, love is the eternal secret of existence and is superior to any disbelief and faith, and its privacy is beyond the borders and walls that humans have built for themselves. Hafez is a true defender of freedom of belief and thought.

Qiamati also emphasized that Hafez has nothing to do with virtues and superstitions, and the spirit of Iranian teachings and Khosravani's wisdom can be clearly seen in his thought. Instead of old beliefs and fixed ideas, Hafez replaces thought and thinking and passes all seen and heard through the filter of reason to get rid of prejudice and strictness. Therefore, it stands firm against hypocrites and dogmatists.

"Private memorization"; A mirror text to reproduce meaning

Alireza Mahmoudi Hamidi, author and researcher, in his speech entitled "Private memorization; Hafez's reflection in contemporary Persian fiction writing", addressed the mirroring feature of Hafez's poetry and its capacity to form multiple readings.

Stating that Hafez has achieved one of the greatest dreams of any speaker, he said: Hafez created a text in which everyone can see a picture of himself. A text in which meaning is present and transcends the final and fixed meaning, and a new meaning is reflected from it in each period, according to the needs of the time.

Mahmoudi Hamedi, referring to the mirror-like feature of literature in the thought of thinkers from Ain al-Qadat Hamdani to Stendhal and Ernest Hemingway, said: Although this feature of literature has been talked about, few people have been able to realize it in practice like Hafez and keep this capacity alive for centuries. The deep attachment of Persian speakers to Hafez and various readings of his poetry has created a great capital for the reproduction of meaning and the formation of a multifaceted relationship between Iranian culture and Hafez's sonnets.

He continued, referring to the contemporary theorists' view of this literary quality, and explained: Yuri Lutman sees this feature as an explosion in the text that occurs due to the density of meaning. Roland Barthes, in the theory of "zero degree of writing", presents it as a language utopia in which the text becomes transparent, and Paul Ricoeur and other theorists also emphasize the hermeneutics of the text and reader-oriented reading.

According to this researcher, all these characteristics are evident in Hafez's speech and the relationship of Persian speakers with his poetry. A capacity that can be called "private reading of Hafez". However, contemporary Persian literature has rarely been able to take advantage of this possibility in a practical way.

In the end, Hamedi considered the novel "Private Recitation" to be the result of a fifteen-year effort to take advantage of this unique capacity in the contemporary world and in the form of a modern novel; An attempt to recreate the Iranian experience of memorizing in a private way.

One of the important parts of this year's meeting was the presence of Mohammad Reza Shafiei Kodkani.

Fars - The 30th anniversary of Hafez's academic meeting was held with the presence of a group of university professors, researchers, writers and those interested in Hafez Shirazi's poetry and thought, focusing on "Hafez in artistic and literary creations".

Fars- Hafez's tomb was held on the anniversary of the commemoration of this famous lyric poet.

The meeting of "Top Dissertations" will be held with the presence of Maryam Hashemi Moghadam, with the topic of examining old Iranian customs, traditions and vocabulary in Bakhtiari culture and dialect.

Khuzestan- The book "Mozban Khan Sukund", a historical account of the participation of the Sukund family in some political movements at the end of the Qajar period until the years of the Pahlavi period, has been published by Gholam Ali Izadi, a writer from Khuzestan.