Iranian poetry gives a voice to the hushed.
By Alma Bahman
The United States’ relationship with Iran centers on politics and nuclear weapons. But one Chicago group is trying to change that by showcasing the Middle Eastern country’s art across the city. Many great poets hail from 13th and 14th century Persia and their poems are deeply engrained in Iranian culture.
Dimly lit, the deep red walls and antique chandeliers cast a warm glow on the Persian rugs and floral furniture. The basement of the Chopin Theatre is perfect for a bazm, a traditional gathering held for people to read and discuss poetry. At this one-night event, the Pasfarda Art and Culture Exchange wanted to show Americans how heavily the written word influences Iranian daily life.
Amir Sheibany courted his wife, Joanna, with Rumi’s love poems. To him and to Iranians in general, these 800-year-old poems transcend time.
“It’s as if it was written [yesterday],” he said.
Beyond igniting love, poetry was and still is a powerful form of social commentary for Iranians, especially since expressing political criticism is taboo. In the decades before the Iranian Revolution in 1979, people filled venues as big as football stadiums to listen to poetry recitations. Because the government censored the poets, a few lines of rhyme held a lot of meaning.
Associate professor of Persian at the University of Chicago, Frank Lewis, said. “The audience pays very close attention to what the poet is saying so the fact that a poet is speaking publicly and the audience knows you can’t say certain things and you wanna see how they’re speaking truth to power without crossing the red lines necessarily makes it a very attractive… it’s a political speech.”
The Iranian government still limits artistic expression today. Though more people now criticize government through pop music, film and blogging, classical poetry still has its place in 2012.
“The traditional and very old poetry is still part of cultural expression for young people in a way that you wouldn’t expect it to be in America,” Lewis said.
No one made any diplomatic breakthroughs, but Pasfarda’s event showed that Iranians anchor their identity in poetry of the past. It’s an integral part of who they are. Mateo Farzaneh, history professor at Northeastern Illinois University, sums up what poetry means to Iranians at any time.
“We do live by the standards set, and the expectations set by the greatest poets of the past and the medieval ages,” Farzaneh said.
Pasfarda’s next event on May 30 focuses on cinema’s cultural impact, discussing Oscar award-winning ‘A Separation.’ Visit pasfarda.org for more details on this and future events.
