Statements in Meeting with Poets during the Blessed Month of Ramadan

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all the brothers and sisters; both those who recited poetry, from which I truly benefited and enjoyed, and those who did not recite but increased our enthusiasm for their poetry. Mr. Dr. Haddad suggests that this session be held twice a year. I told him that it still would not suffice. I also thank Mr. Baqeri for managing this session so well, as well as the dear brothers who arranged these preliminaries some time ago; they invited, selected, and determined everything, which was all achieved through the grace and effort of these dear ones: Mr. Ghazveh, Mr. Momeni, and the other brothers.

There is no doubt that poetry is a national treasure. If someone doubts this, they are questioning one of the most obvious matters. Poetry is a treasure for every country; it is a great and fruitful wealth. First, this wealth must be created; secondly, it must be increased day by day so that it does not suffer loss or decrease. Thirdly, it must be utilized for the needs of the country in a better and superior manner. I cannot claim to know exactly what the factors are that have led to the growth and expansion of poetry in our country—an expansion that is very evident today compared to the past. There is no doubt that one of the most important factors is the open space for expression in various intellectual, scientific, and mental arenas, which is a gift of the Revolution to us, undoubtedly. We witnessed the pre-Revolution era, we knew the poets of that time, and we interacted with many of them. The best among them never had the opportunity to present themselves and their poetry in a public setting. A poet like the late Amiri Firuzkuhi, who truly stood at the pinnacle of ghazal in his time, could only be observed in a private session with four or five friends in the corner of his isolation, reading his ghazal. Or in the realm of modern poetry, the late Akhavan, who was undoubtedly the best Nimaic poet of his time and, in my opinion, stronger and more proficient than all his contemporaries, lived in a corner; no one knew about him, no one recognized him, except for a few elites; he was in solitude and isolation. This was the state of poetry's presentation. Naturally, when the great poets live in such isolation and seclusion, the youth do not grow much; this is an inevitable consequence.

Of course, the issue of quality is another matter. I am currently discussing quantity and expansion. The issue of quality is another discussion; a real and scientific assessment must be conducted to see how we can elevate quality. Of course, the quality of poetry in that era, relative to that period, was very good among those who were present. For example, in ghazal, figures like Amiri, like Rahy, or the late Shahriyar, and perhaps in other forms, there were other great individuals—this is not the place for interpretation in this session. I also have thoughts on these matters in my mind, but we do not want to delve into them now. However, in terms of expansion, the open field for expression, allowing individuals to present themselves, which itself is a significant encouragement, did not exist at that time. The Revolution opened this field; not only in the realm of poetry and literature but also in various sciences, research, and different managements; large-scale managements, such as the management of the battlefield and the Sacred Defense, which came about inevitably and became a test for everyone. Thanks be to God, poetry has greatly expanded.

Moreover, the poetry I heard tonight and the poetry I heard from the youth in this same session last year has changed significantly, has advanced greatly, has improved, and has been refined. In addition to the fact that one observes good themes in the poems. Poetry has indeed progressed in this country. Therefore, we have this national treasure today; however, you must increase it. Its increase is the responsibility of both the responsible institutions and the poets themselves and those who have talent. That is, you brothers and sisters who possess this talent must feel a sense of responsibility; because this is a blessing that has been given to you, and you must express gratitude for this blessing. The gratitude is to not waste it; do not let it disappear; preserve it, increase it, and make this spring more abundant. Then the third part and the third discussion arises: where to utilize this wealth.

I believe that poetry, although it cannot be confined or limited like other forms of art, is something we fully understand and accept. Discipline, in the sense of what is discussed in the ordinary affairs of life, cannot be applied in the realm of art in this way. Neither is it expected, nor is it necessary at all. I believe that if such discipline were to be imposed in the way it is applied in various life matters, art would be compromised. Therefore, that kind of discipline is not what I mean—but ultimately, the poet has a responsibility; those who can create the conditions for the poet's inclination towards the needs of the country also have a responsibility. Today, our people need things that can be addressed and fulfilled through the language of art, including the language of poetry. Today, many ethical values are needed in our country that should manifest as national ethics. We have not forgotten that we lived for centuries under the boot of despotism. Our best kings throughout history, whom we may take pride in, were among the most oppressive and cruel-hearted people of their time and rulers of their eras. Nader Shah, in terms of heroism and as a national hero, is a legend; however, for his own people, at the time he lived, he was a terrifying demon. Shah Abbas is the same. We take pride in them because they accomplished great deeds. But you see how they treated the people of the country. The good ones—those who were supposedly good and had relative piety—how did they act, and those who were not pious, how did they act?

We lived like this for centuries, and certain traits have developed within us; these traits must be reformed and made Islamic. We need purity, we need unity, we need the spirit of brotherhood, we need every individual in our society to feel secure towards their neighbors in their homes, in their workplaces, in the streets, and to feel safe; they should not feel insecure. These conditions are not currently available. We need the power of innovation, the courage of innovation as a national trait. We need risk-taking for great endeavors as a national trait. These are not currently among our national characteristics. There may be individuals who possess a high degree of these traits, and we are willing to kiss their hands, but that is not enough. These must manifest as national traits. Compassion towards one another, hope for the future, instilling hope in others; these are characteristics that, if present in a nation, that nation will traverse the path of evolution well. We need these. How are these secured? These are not commands; they are not even advice. They can be conveyed through the language of art; in such a way that it fills the atmosphere. Therefore, one of our current needs is ethical poetry.

Ethical poetry may be of the highest quality. Look at the history of our literature. Saadi is at the pinnacle of ethical poetry and poetry of advice and counsel. Ferdowsi is the same, Nizami is the same, Sana'i is the same, Nasir Khusraw is the same; many of our great poets are like this. Then Jami is the same. And in recent times, during the Indian style, Vaez Qazvini is the same. Vaez Qazvini was a preacher; he used to go to the pulpit and preach, and his poetry is at the pinnacle of art; in the Indian style, it is very good, rich in meaning and strong. And Saeb himself. If you look at Saeb's tens of thousands of poems, if you only collect his advisory and ethical ghazals, it would form a thick divan.

Now you all recite poetry on religious issues, which is referred to as—according to the gentlemen—ritual poetry. This ritual poetry is solely concerned with matters related to the Imams (peace be upon them) and the Prophet's family, which is very good; that is, it is a very good center; it is a center of emotion. One of the characteristics of Shia is that alongside the strong rational and logical aspect of our beliefs—none of the Islamic sects have the robustness of Shia theological beliefs, whether in primary or secondary principles—it is dedicated to the emotional aspect; the overflowing emotions, love; these are precisely what you young people have in your poetry, which truly brings joy when one sees them. This ritual poetry is good. Constructing models and showing real life examples from the Imams (peace be upon them) or from the infallible figures instead of the artificial, counterfeit, and fake models that today are presented to all nations—not just our nation—such as certain actors, certain worthless individuals as models, men and women are introduced; mannequins and dancers—this is good, and I have no doubt that the work you do regarding the Imams and invocations and expressions of love and mourning is good, which, thank God, is present in abundance—but it is not enough.

A significant part of our ritual poetry can also address mystical and spiritual issues. And this is also a vast ocean. Look at the poetry of Molavi. If someone does not have access to the Divan-e Shams due to its specific language and state, which many of us do not have access to, and if someone considers it somewhat distant, then there is the Masnavi, the Masnavi; which he himself says: and it is the principles of the principles of the principles of religion. Truly, I believe this too. Once, the late Mr. Motahhari asked me about my opinion regarding the Masnavi, and I said the same. I said, in my opinion, the Masnavi is what he himself said: and it is the principles... . He said, that is completely correct; I also believe the same. Of course, regarding Hafez, we had some differences of opinion. Or recently, this Bidel. That vast divan, the deep ocean that Bidel possesses, and how much mysticism is in these concepts of monotheism and mysticism—Mr. Kazemi has done a good job on the selected ghazals of Bidel, which I have browsed through some of it. Of course, he has selected perhaps not even one-tenth of Bidel's ghazals; however, it is a good work—after all, Bidel's poetry, which is one of the complex and powerful artistic works in the Indian style, demonstrates his skill—now, the reader may not enjoy it much due to these artistic complexities; however, it is truly artistic and shows the poetic strength of this non-Iranian man, who apparently does not have Persian as his mother tongue—was Bidel's mother tongue Persian? Did they speak Persian in Delhi? ... Yes, well, you will answer these later—but well, he speaks Persian well—an ocean of mysticism. Well, this space is currently vacant in the poetry of our youth. These are not imitative things; that is, if one wants to imitate the expressions of Hafez or the expressions of Molavi or the expressions of Bidel exactly, to say the same concepts with the same imitative words, without having reached their depth, the poetry will not have flavor, will not bring pleasure, and will not be beneficial. One must understand something, mature it in the mind, and then express it with the artistic language and God-given talent that you have, thanks be to God. Therefore, this is also an important aspect of poetry that is necessary.

In the realm of political and revolutionary issues, I believe much work needs to be done; we have unfinished tasks. Now, the issue of martyrdom and martyrdom is never-ending and will truly never end, and thanks be to God, it continues. We see good poems every time we sit with the brothers and sisters, and thank God, we see that they have been composed, and in other places where I read, I see them; however, the issues of the Revolution are not limited to the issue of martyrdom. We have so many lofty concepts of the Revolution. The Revolution has brought a new discourse to the world; it is no joke. Now, there is a commotion and a dust storm of enemy propaganda against the Revolution; there is no expectation beyond this; however, the truth of the matter is: the Revolution has brought a new discourse, and it has shown that it is immortal. Whatever they did to eliminate it, they could not. It has developed day by day, gained more influence day by day, and challenged the great powers, neutralizing their pressures. Today, you see which nations in the world, which countries, which governments exist that can stand firmly against the aggressive and greedy slogans and objectives of global arrogance, except for the Iranian nation? No other nation exists, no other government exists. This is thanks to this very message. The strength that this system has built due to this new message cannot be underestimated; this is a very important matter. This message must be conveyed. This message is the message of justice; this message is the message of spirituality; this message is the message of honoring the true meaning of humanity, not the American honoring that is full of lies and deceit. These are very important messages; they must be conveyed correctly, and as I said, none of these can be copied or parroted; that is, they must be understood, processed in the mind, and articulated. This immense wealth of poetry, which is a national treasure and a lasting wealth, must be utilized in these paths. Of course, I never advise any poet not to write romantic poetry. It is also clear that it cannot be avoided. Ultimately, every poet naturally has a certain inclination. However, I can recommend that they be cautious not to indulge excessively in this area, not to completely fill the mental space of poetry; it should not stray from the Iranian-Islamic veil of modesty and shyness, and it should not lead to the promotion of naked poetry as has always been desired. Romantic poetry should also be written; we are neither so rigid that we do not like it, nor are we so frozen that we do not understand; we understand, and we also enjoy it, but that should not be the sole consumption of this national treasure. This wealth is very magnificent. However, it has been like this in the past, and many people acted in this way, which now takes time to interpret.

I wish that as much as we spoke, two or three of the friends would recite poetry, and we could benefit more from their poetry. In any case, I once again thank all of you and honor the memory of the late Ghaisar Aminpour, who truly left us mourning with his passing. Truly, in the true sense of the word, after the late Hosseini, we were comforted by Aminpour, who unfortunately has gone; now we must appreciate you all so that, God forbid, you do not leave us alone.

A young reporter said to the old French writer who was brought to him on a wheelchair—it is famous—that, God willing, we will see you in this session next year. That is, for example, you are old; do not die! He looked at him and said: Yes, you are still very young! In any case, God willing, may you always be young, and may we see you in this session.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.