Dr. Farshad A. Araghi on Tagore and Hafez
NDatta
This communication from Dr. Farshad A. Araghi <ara...@ACC.FAU.EDU> is
being posted with his permission. Dr. Araghi grew up in Iran and is
currently an Associate Professor of Sociology at Florida Atlantic
University. Hafez and Tagore are his favorite poets. Prof. Araghi freely
admits, "I have a bias: I love both Hafez and Tagore. "
Prof. Araghi's mother tongue is Persian. He has read Hafez in the original
since his childhood. Prof. Araghi first became familiar with Tagore's
poetry as a high school student in Iran. Since then he has learnt Bengali
to be able to read Tagore in the original.
Here, he writes, quite convincingly, that there is nothing un-Islamic in
Tagore's message and creative works. A Muslim can enjoy Tagore as much as
he can enjoy Hafez.
**********************************************************
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Dr. Farshad Araghi on Tagore and Hafez
_______________________________________
Ke na har koo varaghi khand, ma'ani danest!
Literacy is not synonymous with wisdom!
--Hafez
Thanks for asking my opinion about Moin Ansari's assertion that
Tagore's Geetanjali is a plagiarism of Hafez.
I claim no expertise on either Hafez or Tagore, though as a
sociologist I am interested in the social origins of literature and
literary movements. And I have a bias: I love both Hafez and
Tagore.
I have been reading Hafez since I was a teenager. Literary
significance aside, Hafez's lyrics and ghazals are important to me
for their profound humanism, delightful imagery, and their unique
blending of the erotic and the spiritual. I see in Hafez a
celebration of beauty and this-worldly spirituality at a time when
fundamentalism and fanaticism suffocated the expression of love and
the search for beauty and truth. Hafez singles out a particular
group of fanatics, the "Zaheds" (or the zealot with a claim to
piety) and ardently exposes their hypocrisy, close-mindedness,
and narcissism, while deriding their insincere devoutness
and sermonizing behavior. This he inherited from Omar Khayyam, who
said a century before Hafez:
"Sheikhi be zan faheshe gofta: masti,
Har dam be daam degari paa basti!!
Gofta; sheikha, har anche gooee hastam,
Ayaa to chenanke myonemayee heist?!"
"A clergyman once told a prostitute: you are drunken!
You sleep with one man, and then with another!
She replied: Oh dear mullah, I am what you say I am,
But are YOU really what you appear to be?!"
--Omar Khayyam, 12th century.
But in contrast to Khayyam's pessimism ("the universe is
indifferent,") Hafez's optimism ("the universe is friendly,") leads
him to identify spirituality/God with the act of loving, and the
Tavern as the place of worship. But the Zaheds are the obstacles:
"Baashad ey del ke dare meikadeha bogshayand
Gereh az khare foroo basteye maa bogshayand
Agar az bahre dele Zahed khod bin bastand
Del ghavi dar ke az bahre khoda bogshayand!"
Oh, my heart, let's hope that the taverns will be opened,
And we will be out of this impasse!
If the taverns were closed to satisfy the selfish Zaheds
Don't despair! they will be opened for the sake of God!
Hafez never tires of ridiculing the Zaheds--the self-proclaimed
defenders of piety--and their "wisdom." If their's is wisdom,
Hafez says, "Eshgh karist ke moghoof hedayat bashad!" ("Loving is
a practice that forbids taking advice!")
This brings me to Tagore. I first became familiar with Tagore's
poetry in high school. After that first exposure, I always wanted
to read Tagore in Bengali, for I knew how much of Hafez I would
have lost to translation, had I not been able to read him in
Persian. To me, poetry is the song of the soul. In poetry, the
sounds play a major role in arousing a sense of beauty. The
message can always be translated, but not always in the most
beautiful way. This becomes very clear in the case of music, for
there is no way to "translate" music; one must learn to listen to
music in the original "language" (i.e., to learn the language).
Tagore's poetry is especially musical, so I always wished to be
able to experience the immediate and unmediated impact of Tagore's
words, the way they sounded, and the feelings that these sounds
would inspire in me. Only recently I have had a chance to begin
learning Bengali. I still have a lot to learn (ami nobo o ashte
chatro!) but even a little familiarity with this adorable language
and its phonetic system leads one to a much deeper appreciation of
Tagore. As you listen to his soul's songs, your soul is touched by
his songs. The experience is enrapturing.
The songs of Tagore's soul communicate the irrepressible need of
the suffering humanity for truth, love, balance and beauty; As with
Hafez, Tagore articulates the dire necessity for transcending the
oppressive reality and the misery that this reality imposes on
human beings. Thus he keeps reminding one that the soul is more
than the body. In this there is not only a profound message of
hope-- which is why the poetry of Tagore and Hafez are
antidepressants!--but there is also a poetic condemnation of that
woeful reality which degrades the body: the argument for
transcending the body becomes an indictment of the conditions that
demean and dishonor the body (precisely because the body is the
container of something universally sacred, the human soul). At the
same time, this allows Tagore to de-objectify humanity, and show
our interconnectedness amidst diversity of physical forms existing
in different times and places. Which is precisely why Tagore's
poetry, again as with that of Hafez, is timeless and placeless.
It is obvious that a person with the so-called "two-nation theory"
cannot possibly appreciate Tagore (or Hafez). Indeed, to
understand Tagore and Hafez, one needs to approach them with a "no
-nation theory!" In terms of the inner meaning of their poetry,
the songs of their soul, Hafez is as much Bengali as Tagore is
Persian. The soul has no country of origin, no denomination, no
race, and no gender. Nor does its songs.
Incidentally, it is the "no-nation theory" which explains why Hafez -
-in the one poem of his quoted by Ansari-- would so readily barter
two great cities of the empire for the mole on the corner of his
lover's lips!
Be khaale Hindu yash, bakhsham Samarghand o Bokharar ra!
I would barter Samarghand and Bokhara for that mole (of Indian
origin) on the corner of my lover's lips.
Hafez is known to have influenced Goethe and Emerson. It is quite
likely that Tagore was also touched by the yearning for universal
love in Hafez's poetry. Interestingly, Hafez himself thought this
would be possible, some six hundred years in advance:
"Teye makan bebin o zaman dar soluke sher
Kin tefle yekshabe rahe yeksale miravad!!"
Shekkar shekan shavand hame tutian Hind
Zin ghande parsi ke be Bangale miravad!!"
"See how my songs, made in one night
defies the limits of space and time!!"
The birds of distant India would sing sweet songs
When they taste Persian sugar [poetry], in Bengal!!"
--Hafez
Tagore visited Hafez's shrine in Shiraz, Iran, and in Journey to
Persia tells of his well-reception by the people of Shiraz. What
can explain the respect and love that Tagore received from Hafez-
lovers of Shiraz some 70 years ago and the kind of treatment that
he gets from Moin Ansari today?
"Aasheghan ghadre aasheghan danand!"
"Only Lovers appreciate Lovers!"
-Hafez
No one who is familiar with Ibsen and who has also read Tagore's
"Letter from a Wife," or "the Broken Nest" can miss the parallel
between Tagore's depiction of oppression of women and that
portrayed by Ibsen in his "A Doll's House." These works share a
theme (as well as many differences). But to call Tagore's stories
a copycat of Ibsen's novel would be imbecile. The same holds for
the comparable aspects of Tagore and Hafez.
"Chon nadidan haghighat rahe affsaane zadand!"
"When they could not see the truth, they fantasized!
--Hafez
Tagore was a highly original and creative writer. He wrote more
than 5000 poems and songs, tens of volumes of essays and stories,
50 plays, and many novels--drawing inspiration from many sources
(including the Western experience). His genius is not only
expressed in the volume of his work, but also in his innovative
approach to drama and pioneering work in music that blended the
classical tradition and folk musical heritage. To call Tagore a
copycat one must close ones eyes to his enormous contribution to
world literature.
"Vassfe rokhsaare khorshid ze khofaash maporss!"
"Don't ask the description of the sun's countenance from a
bat!!"
--Hafez
It is difficult to understand why anyone would (or how one could)
call Tagore a thief. Ajob Khabor! Shakol abol-tabol. (Ironically,
it is this "Zahed mentality" that Hafez vigorously critiques in his
poetry). My strong suspicion is nationalism and fanaticism which
blind the eye and close the mind.
"Boro be kaar khod ey Vaez, een che faryaad ast?!"
"Oh clergyman, go mind your own business--what nonsense you
utter!?
--Hafez
"Bhagoban, tumi juge juge doot pathhayechho bare bare
Dayahin samsare
Tara bole gelo kshama koro sobe
Bole gelo bhalobasho, antar hote bidweshbish nasho"
--Tagore
I was amused to discover that Moin Ansari himself has plagiarized
from the Grolier's Electronic Encyclopedia! Five lines of his
posting describing the life of Hafez (starting with the words
"Mohammed shamsoddin Hafez 1325-1390," to the line ending with
"Emerson" are copied word for word from the Grolier's Electronic
Encyclopedia. No reference is given. (In Grolier's Encyclopedia,
search under "Hafez"). What can you say? Je hon jemni, jagat dekhen
temni!!
Both Hafez and Tagore wrote in appreciation of the beautiful in its
myriad manifestations and in celebration of the global spirit.
If human spirit is global, parochialism slaughters the soul; and if
poetry is the song of the soul, the soulless is bound to live
without poetry. Emptiness, as Tagore suggests, is the price of
tribalism.
"Boshia acchho keno apon-mone,
Swartho nimogono ki karone?
Chari dike dekho chahi hridaya prosari
Kshudro, dukhho sab tuchchho mani
Prem bharia laho shunyo Jibone."
--Tagore
P.S.-- A personal request: does anyone know if there are cassette
tapes for learning Bengali? I have been looking in vain. My
pronunciation is horrible!
*********In article <19970428175...@ladder01.news.aol.com> dated
04/28/97, Moin Ansari wrote:
NDatta wrote:
> >It is absurd
> >of Moin Ansari to try to interpret Tagore in terms of two-nation theory
> >or one-nation theory. Moin Ansari might want to read the Hibbert
lectures
> >that Tagore delivered at Oxford on 'the idea of the humanity of our
God,
> >or the divinity of Man the Eternal.' It will be a good start for him.
MOST Pakistanis DO NOT CARE for Tagore. I am one of them...thanks but no
thanks.
Once again THANK YOU for your advice...I'd rather read Keats for pleasure
and re-read Macbeth for fun. If I were interested in Tagorish poetry I
would read the ORIGINAL Diwan e Hafiz, and not mess with plagerized
versions of Hafiz's poetry.
*************In article <moinaE9...@netcom.com>, dated 04/29/97,
Moin Ansari wrote:
This diatribe is of course NONSENSE. Most Pakistanis are not NOT
interested in Tagore. Another posting in this newsgroup declares that he
copied Diwan e Hafiz aalmost verbatum..
Pakistanis DO NOT hold Tagore in high regard....some Muslims do...I DON'T
and your insistnace that I also respect Tagore's literature smells of
the same sort of Nazisim and ONE NATION THEORYE CENTRALISM that we
rejected in 1947.
WE do NOT want to read or admire Tagore, no matter HOW great he is. We on
the other hand want to read Iqbal and Hafiz and Ibn e Sina and Ghazalli
: nda...@aol.com wrote:
: > In article <moinaE8...@netcom.com>,
: > > mo...@netcom.com (Moin Ansari) wrote:
: > : nda...@aol.com wrote:
: > : Moin Ansari writes often on the two-nation theory. While expounding
on
: > : his pet theory,
It is the pet theory of a 100 million Muslims give or take a few..
:> he had approvingly quoted an un-named patriotic
: > Pakistani : as, "Your literature consists of Tagore and others, ours
of
: > the later : stages of Iqbal." This was obviously said in ignorance. No
: > one with even : a nodding acquaintance with the breath-taking depth
and
: > breadth of : Tagorean literature could have dismissed it as nothing
more
: > than Hindu : literature. Judging by the jeering tone of Moin Ansari's
: > reply, he seems : to have taken my criticism rather badly.
: >
Badly or not, the point made by the Pakistani is ABSOLUTELY VALID..there
are no fan clubs of Tagore in Pakistan. Iqbal is revered and read all
over the country!
: > : Tagore has earned a special niche in the history of literature for
the
: > : universality of his message. Much of his writing is secular in
content.
Dante and Keats also are read around the world, but as a nation we don't
care for them as much, because IQBAL galvanized out nation, and Keats
didn't. We can all enjoy Wordsworth's Daffodils, but this is not a
discussion of DESCRIPTIVE POETRY
: > > THOSE are the very reasons, we prefer IQBAL to Tagore in
Pakistan...I
: > > cannot speak for Bengalis, or Thais, or the French or the Chinese,
but
: > > almost no one is Pakistan is impressed with Tagore...and his Bande
: > > Mahtram type of philosophy
: >
: > Now, what exactly is the "Bande Mahtram " type of philosophy? And why
: > does Moin Ansari believe that Tagore was a Bande Mahtram (sic)
: > philospher? He shouldn't rush to judgement about an author he hasn't
: > read. You have to read an author before you can claim that you are not
: > impressed with him.
I don't have to READ Neitszche to say that I am not interested in him.
: > : But even when he wrote of his communion with God in his songs and
: > essays, : his feelings, sentiments and even the wording had appealed
to
: > readers : regardless of their religion. Tagore's God is not a Hindu or
a
: > Muslim or : a Christian. He is the God of all of mankind and of the
: > Universe. No one : who has read Tagore can possibly dismiss his work
as
: > Hindu literature.
AND you can sing Tagore ALL day long on YOUR side of the border wheile we
sing IQBAL
: > > SInce many of his poeoms espouse the ONT, we reject him in Pakistan
: >
: > What, on earth, made Moin Ansari conclude that Tagore's poems espouse
the
: > ONT (which presumably is an acronym for one-nation theory and Moin
: > Ansari's description for those who opposed the partition of 1947 in
the
: > subcontinent)? Tagore died years before the partition. Tagore was a
: > novelist, essayist, short story writer, poet, playwright, painter,
: > educationist, song-writer and musician. But he was not a politician.
He
: > thought in a much higher plane than the one in which mankind must be
: > divided by religion or race. His message was for everybody.
WHile we accept the supposed universitality of his message, it was
jingoistic parochail nationalism that he "preached" in JAN GHAN MAN ADHI
NAYAK, and also in SONAR BANGLA. The Indina Natioanl ANthem is used by
many ONE NATION THEORY proponents as their song.
: > Moin Ansari, while expounding on the two-nation theory, dismissed
: > Tagore's work as Hindu literature and not worthy of a Muslim nation. I
: > have pointed out that Tagore is read in the original by more Muslims
than
: > Hindus. Tagore was too great a poet to reduce God to the level of a
: > Little League Coach who exhorts his own team at the expense of other
: > teams. Tagore's God was not a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian. He was
: > the God of all of mankind and of the universe. Tagore, himself, had
: > stated, "My religion is a poet's religion...Its touch comes to me
through
: > the same unseen and trackless channel as does the inspiration of my
: > songs."
Tagore was as Hindu as Patel, Nehru and Gandhi, all of whom opposed
Pakistan
: > Moin Ansari's rejection of Tagore is based on ignorance. Obviously he
is
: > not familiar with Tagore's work. Moin Ansari rejects Tagore as his
: > political duty on behalf of the two-nation theory. But he is not
: > acquainted with Tagore's philosophy. Tagore was wary of ultra
: > -nationalism long before the rise of Hitler and Mussolini. It is
absurd
: > of Moin Ansari to try to interpret Tagore in terms of two-nation
theory
: > or one-nation theory. Moin Ansari might want to read the Hibbert
lectures
: > that Tagore delivered at Oxford on 'the idea of the humanity of our
God,
: > or the divinity of Man the Eternal.' It will be a good start for him.
I woudl rather read Ibn e Sina if I wnat to read a a REAL UNIVERSAL
message. How can one sing BANDA MAHTARAM from one side of the mouth and
preach ONE NATION from the other and then claim universal message
: > > : Moin Ansari should not forget that a majority of the 200 million
Bengalis
: > > : are Muslims. Therefore it stands to reason that Tagore is read in
the
: > > : original by more Muslims than Hindus. This is not surprising in
view of
: > > : the fact that Tagore's spirituality transcends sectarian
divisions. Moin
: > > : Ansari cannot be credible if he must brand Tagore's work as "Your
: > > : literature." If Tagore's writings were alien to Muslims then
Bangladesh
: > > : wouldn't have chosen a Tagore song as her national anthem.
BD chose Tagore because of HIS PAROCHIAL Message apropos SONAR BANGLA
: > > Like I said, I DO NOT CLAIM TO SPEAK FOR PAKISTANIS, and DO NOT want
: > > to...the TNT was espoused and supported by MOST Bengalis of the time
**************In article <moinaE9...@netcom.com> on 04/29/97,
Moin Ansari wrote:
>Interesting stuff...thanks
Public (pub...@public.com) wrote:
: An0m...@hotmail.com wrote:
: > Mohammed Shamsoddin Hafiz 1325-1390, spent virtually all of his life
in
: > the city of Shiraz. and yet his influence was ever of global. Hafez
means
: > one who has memorized the entire Qur'an. his lyrics, ghazals, are
noted
: > for their beauty and bring to fruition the erotic, mystical, and
Bacchic
: > themes that had long pervaded Persian poetry. widely acclaimed in his
own
: > day, he greatly influenced subsequent Persian poets, and left his mark
on
: > such important Western writers as Goethe and Emerson. and more
: > importantly (for us at least) Rabindranath Tagore.
: > Tagore's Gytanjoli (sp?) was mostly a copy-cat of Dewan-e Hafiz
which
: > won him a noble prize. It was so controversial that Rabindranath
himself
: > had to face that question many a times before his death, and tho' he
: > often tried to deny, truth finally caught on with him. Amongst many
that
: > can be cited here, there's a great book available from WB under the
title
: > 'Shopto Shindhu Dosh Digonto' where it stripped Rabi guru of his
vanity
: > and showed word for word as he stole from Hafiz. Quite brutally if you
: > ask me. It'll be quite sometime before we'll acknowledge that in our
text
: > books i presume. People like to silly worship people. And no one
touches
: > the icons.
: > Tho' i'll admit any day, Rabindranath was a great poet himself, gotta
: > admire someone who tries such experimentations of motion in 'Balaka'
: > etc... but those who worship him should know, heart breaking as it
: > maybe, he's really not all that. read more and learn a person better
must
: > you still worship another silly mortal.
: > anyways.. here's one of my most favourite Hafiz-i kissas...
: > i don't remember at its entirity.. but here's what i do..
: > Hafiz was for many years the appointed poet in the great court of
Timur
: > the terrible. Taimurlong claimed himself to be a Mongol of the past,
and
: > he was quite ruthless trying to prove his significance. He really is
not
: > someone famous for his compassion in history i suppose. So, anyways,
once
: > Timur was told that Hafiz wrote this verse that is somewhat
: > questionable.. and therefore Timur should decide for himself what to
: > think of it. The poem follows as thus: (i'm typing from memory here
and
: > have forgotten parts of it, would appreciate if anyone here can mend
: > this one for me. Eng. translation's mine btw.)
: > Priyar mohon kopol tol-e
: > Ekti kalo til-er tor-e
: > Bikiy-e dee-i ____
: > Samarkand ar ei Bukhara.
: > For just the simplest dark mole
: > Upon my love's elegant cheek
: > Oh I can just silly cast away
: > All the lands of Samarkand and Bukhara.
: > Timur got really upset with the verse. It took him many months and
lives
: > to conquer Samarkand and Bukhara and it was totally incomprehensible
to
: > him, as how could a silly poet dares to even suggest of tossing them
all
: > away for just a silly mole whether or not that be upon a lady of great
: > charm and what not. Timur found it to be rather insulting and was
angry
: > He turned to his court poet and demanded an explanation right away.
: > Well aware of the imminent danger of losing his head soon, Hafiz
smiled
: > and offered simply just one line for his defense...
: > And that's why and no small wonder, Hafiz has nothing to claim for
: > himself in this world anymore.' (he's ever the diwana.)
: > Timur loved him so much that moment, that he gave Hafiz much of
Jaigirs,
: > but more importantly, for the rest of his life, he allowed Hafiz to
speak
: > his mind whenever and uncompromised. Hafiz was the only person who
could
: > criticize Timur in his face and still could get away.
*************In article <moinaE9...@netcom.com> dated 05/02/97,
Melhulan wrote:
>>Mariam or An0m...@hotmail.com can you please post the Hafiz poems
>>that were translated into `Gitanjali', published in 1910 by Tagore.
>>This is well documented in 'Shopto Shindhu Dosh Digonto'. Does anyone
>>have an Elglish translation and name?Full name of WB?
Moin Ansari wrote:
>Interesting stuff...thanks
>Public (pub...@public.com) wrote:
>: > themes that had long pervaded Persian poetry. widely acclaimed in
>: > his own day, he greatly influenced subsequent Persian poets, and
>: > left his
>: > mark on such important Western writers as Goethe and Emerson. and
>: > more importantly (for us at least) Rabindranath Tagore.
>: > Tagore's Gytanjoli (sp?) was mostly a copy-cat of Dewan-e Hafiz
which
>: > won him a noble prize. It was so controversial that Rabindranath
>: > himself
>: > had to face that question many a times before his death, and tho'
>: > he
>: > often tried to deny, truth finally caught on with him. Amongst >:
>: > many that
>: > can be cited here, there's a great book available from WB under >:
>: > the title
>: > 'Shopto Shindhu Dosh Digonto' where it stripped Rabi guru of his
>: > vanity
>: > and showed word for word as he stole from Hafiz. Quite brutally if
>: > you
>: > ask me. It'll be quite sometime before we'll acknowledge that in
>: > our text
>: > books i presume. People like to silly worship people. And no one
>: > touches
>: > the icons.
>: > Tho' i'll admit any day, Rabindranath was a great poet himself,
>: > gotta
>: > admire someone who tries such experimentations of motion in >: >
'Balaka'
>: > etc... but those who worship him should know, heart breaking as
>: > it
>: > maybe, he's really not all that. read more and learn a person >: >
>: > better must
>: > you still worship another silly mortal.
>
>: > anyways.. here's one of my most favourite Hafiz-i kissas...
>: > i don't remember at its entirity.. but here's what i do..