Statements in Meeting with a Group of Poets

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

First of all, I congratulate you and hope that your hearts are joyful, your talents flourish, and your efforts, God willing, will be rewarded and blessed. I am glad that, thanks be to God, this gathering has continued for many consecutive years and, God willing, will continue in the future.

May the community of the faithful not be severed from one another.

This series will not be severed until the Day of Judgment.

This is both a prayer and, God willing, a sign of a reality.

I would like to mention two or three brief points. One point is about the poetry of our country today. Of course, with a broader perspective, one can discuss contemporary Persian poetry in various countries, but we will set that aside for another occasion; for now, in our country, today's poetry is progressive. Today, especially when I look at the poetry of our youth—who have recited poetry tonight, along with some of our esteemed friends from the revolutionary poetry movement—I felt a tangible sense of progress; that is, we have truly advanced in poetry.

There is a point here that I should mention. I find two similarities between today's poetry in our country and the Persian poetry of a very important and prominent two-hundred-year period, namely the period of the flourishing and blossoming of the Indian style, which prevailed and expanded from the mid-tenth century to the mid-twelfth century. I should first mention that this two-hundred-year period is unparalleled in some respects throughout the history of our poetry. It is not that we want to overlook the value of the poets of the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries or the ghazal poets of the seventh and eighth centuries; no, their worth and greatness are preserved in their own place; however, this two-hundred-year period is among the most brilliant segments of Persian poetry history.

One characteristic of this two-hundred-year period is the quantity of poets. When you look at these two centuries, you see that in Iran, India, Afghanistan, and Transoxiana—an area that, unfortunately, is now divided between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which was the Persian-speaking region of Bukhara and Samarkand and other Tajik areas—the number of poets is astonishing. In this period, there are thousands of poets whose heads are worth their bodies; we cannot just say they write poetry; no, they are poets. Now, not all may be outstanding, but they are poets. Of course, among these thousands of poets I mentioned, one could say that one can find a hundred good poets from that period; and among these hundred good poets, one might find ten first-rate poets like Saeb, like Kalim, like Mohammadjan Qudsi, like Naziri Nishabouri. The situation of that two-hundred-year period in terms of poetic quantity is like this.

One similarity today with that period is this quantity. The number of poets today in our country has no precedent in any period—now, that period which we ourselves experienced and were connected with poets, and also what we have heard from the past—does not have a precedent. Today, the number of our poets in the country, in terms of quantity, is similar to that two-hundred-year period. Of course, this is thanks to the Revolution. The Revolution brought knowledge, art, and everything into the heart of the people, into the fabric of society; thus, a surge occurred. Today, we have many poets in the country; from elementary school students to high school students, to young adults, to middle-aged and elderly individuals. That is, if one were to calculate, the number of poets today is very high. Of course, this is related to the last thirty years; if, God willing, this trend continues—meaning if we proceed in this manner and poetry is encouraged and good poets can train younger poets—certainly, the quantity of our poets will surpass that period.

The second similarity between this period and that two-hundred-year period is innovation in themes. In no other period has there been such a precedent for so many new themes and fresh ideas to emerge in poetry; when a new theme arises, a new composition follows. That is, the need for a theme to have words leads the poet to utilize their talent and artistry to create compositions. Of course, at the beginning, there may be some awkwardness, but gradually the language matures, becomes refined and solid, and gains depth.

Tonight, in this gathering where poetry was recited—poetry of the youth, poetry of women, poetry of men—I see that the words are mature and refined; the expressions are strong and solid, just as one desires to observe in poetry. The themes are abundant, God willing. Truly, when one looks at the divan of Saeb, or the divans of great theme-makers like Bidel and others, one might say that they have left nothing behind; everything that comes to mind, they have expressed in the form of poetry; however, one later realizes that this is not the case. As Saeb says:

"One can speak of the beloved's curls for a lifetime; Do not be concerned that no themes remain."

Now, he said a lifetime, but one can speak of the beloved's curls for an eternity. Today, one observes so many new themes in these words that are truly worthy of attention and contemplation; it is very good. In my opinion, this is the second similarity that today's poetry has with the poetry of that two-hundred-year period.

Of course, we are still waiting for the arrival of poets like Saeb, Mohammadjan Qudsi, and Naziri. I do not want to exaggerate. It is not that we say that because we compare our era with that period, we have Saeb today, or Kalim, or Naziri, or Taleb Amoli, or Mohammad Qoli Salim Tehrani; no, honestly, our poets still have work to do to reach the high and unparalleled level of the poets I mentioned and many others who are abundant.

Well, I would like to take this opportunity to say one more point to our good young poets—who, thanks be to God, are all poets, innovators, theme-makers, and possess the courage to express themselves. The poems I heard tonight were mostly very good; however, know that "very good" does not mean "completely good." "Very good" may be one-tenth of "completely good"; the other nine-tenths are in front of you; that is, do not stop. The problem with all those who show blossoming in a certain path is that they think this is the end of the road. Suppose someone sings beautifully; we say, "Bravo, it was excellent!" We praise them. If they think that they cannot sing better than this, they will certainly stop, and immediately after stopping, they will fall and decline. They must know that they can sing even better. This is the case in all fields. In all the endeavors we have seen, it is the same. The feeling of having arrived at a destination is fatigue-inducing and stagnation-inducing. You have not yet arrived at your destination. You have made great progress, you are very good; however, as we mentioned, sometimes "very good" means one-tenth of "completely good"; you must find that other nine-tenths; strive, work, exert effort, and move forward.

Another point I want to convey to the dear poets who are here and to other poets who are part of the collection and movement of revolutionary poetry is that the poet of our time, with the characteristics that this time has, needs a deep religious understanding. Today, whether you want it or not, whether you know it or not, whether you acknowledge it or not, you have become a model and example for many nations. This Islamic awakening that you observe, whether we speak of it or not, whether we acknowledge it or not, whether others acknowledge it or not, is influenced by the great movement of the Iranian nation. This great revolution, this monumental transformation that has toppled the tyrannical traditions and the system of domination, has turned the Iranian nation into a model. If you want to act according to the requirements of being a model and an example, you must deepen your religious and Islamic understanding; and this has existed in the past of our poetry. Look at our prominent poets—now I do not say all—most of them are like this; from Ferdowsi to Molavi, Saadi, Hafez, and Jami. Ferdowsi is the wise Abolqasem Ferdowsi. A storyteller, if merely a storyteller and epic poet, is not called a wise man. This "wise" title was not given by us; thinkers and intellectuals throughout time have named him wise. The Shahnameh of Ferdowsi is full of wisdom. He was a person endowed with pure religious knowledge. All of them were wise; their entire works are full of wisdom. If Hafez did not take pride in being a guardian of the Quran, he would not have adopted the pen name "Hafez." He is among the guardians of the Quran; "I recite the Quran by heart with fourteen recitations." Now, our reciters, even with different recitations, usually cannot recite more than two or three versions; but he could recite the Quran with fourteen recitations, which is very significant. This familiarity with the Quran is evident in Hafez's ghazals for those who understand it. Saadi is clear; Molavi is evident; Jami and Saeb are the same. When you look at Saeb's divan, you see a deep religious understanding in it. When one reaches Bidel, one observes a terrifying depth of complex religious knowledge in his poetry. These are our greats; these are the leaders of poetry; in fact, we must say that these are the prophets of Persian poetry. They were endowed with knowledge. Endow yourselves with knowledge. Of course, the way to do this is through familiarity with the Quran, intimacy with the Quran, intimacy with Nahj al-Balagha, and intimacy with Sahifa Sajjadiyya. Many of the doubts and concerns that one has in certain matters turn into clarity and brightness through studying these texts; one understands, knows the path, knows the work, and knows the goal.

For example, studying the book "Spiritual Discourses" by Martyr Motahhari is appropriate for this time of Ramadan. Or paying attention to divine laws. The other day, in a discussion, I quoted the late Haj Mirza Javad Agha Maleki Tabrizi, who said that the spirituality gained from fasting, the blossoming and elevation that fasting brings to the human soul, is of great value. Well, incidentally, a poet is someone who deals with spiritual emotions and perceptions and spiritual understandings. This is the characteristic of a poet; the requirement of a poet's delicacy is this, and they can easily grasp these teachings. Therefore, elevate your religious understanding. Of course, we have mentioned; religious understanding in its technical and scientific form, not in a whimsical and improvised manner. Sometimes, some people speak about religion, but in reality, they weave tales! They do not rely on any document, evidence, scholarly perspective, or scholarly research; this is of little use.

Another point I want to make is that revolutionary poetry has an identity; it is, in fact, the custodian and direct presenter of the discourse of the Islamic Revolution; this must be preserved; it should not be overshadowed by some emotions that arise from the poet's distress regarding a particular issue or matter. After all, there are always irregularities; the sensitive spirit of the poet also experiences distress, and this distress naturally affects poetry; however, the main discourse of the Revolution, the original identity of the Revolution, should not be overshadowed by this distress. You must speak for the Revolution; you must strive and work for the discourse of the Revolution. Your nation has accomplished a great task. I said this last year—I think I said it in this very session—that the issue is not just about martyrdom—of course, martyrdom in the way of God and sacrificing oneself for the cause of God is the pinnacle of human honor—there are so many extensive religious teachings, so many rich and fruitful teachings of the Revolution that can be utilized and reflected. Today, this is a duty upon poets. Sometimes, one sees that in some poems and verses, this distress affects the main issue; at that point, one becomes aligned and in harmony with those who oppose the very discourse. Poets who were either affiliated with the centers of power and the corrupt Pahlavi court or were part of leftist movements, these individuals have been at odds with the Revolution from the beginning; their unwillingness to show goodwill towards the Revolution has led to the beautiful and abundant surges of creativity emerging from this side of the Revolution. The fact that so many good and prominent poets have emerged from within the Revolution may partly stem from their opposition. Well, now, that current which opposes the very Revolution, the original discourse of the Revolution, the original movement of the freedom-seeking Iranian nation, and the religiously-oriented Islamic Revolution, if one does not carefully preserve the identity and original discourse of the Revolution, their language will become similar to theirs. I have no objection to protest poetry; if one sees a disorderly situation, well, it is reflected in poetry; this is not a problem; however, you must be careful that your protest is against a disorder, while your belief remains in the original discourse of the Islamic Revolution. But there is one who protests against that very original discourse; be careful that your language does not become one with theirs. It is necessary for our dear young poets to maintain this vigilance. There are people who are far from the original foundations of the Revolution, the system, freedom-seeking, independence, and anti-global arrogance; do not become enamored with their praise and the circles related to them. As much as you can, strengthen and deepen your connections among yourselves.

O companions, do not sever the bond of your community.

In confusion, there is confusion; do not sever from one another.

And peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.