Iran's History Versified by Iranian Poet
September 15, 1999 - 0:0
TEHRAN -- An Iranian poet has versified Iran's history from the downfall of Sassanid Dynasty to the Constitutional Revolution in a style employed by the renowned poet Ferdowsi. Rahim Moeeni Kermanshahi, 75, started doing so five years ago, and has so far composed over 70,000 verses. The collection of Iran's history in verse from the downfall of Sassanid Dynasty to Constitutional Revolution, titled Masterpiece, will be published in 10 volumes, and the first two volumes will be in stock in the near future.
The TEHRAN TIMES conducted an interview with this Iranian poet. The following is the text of the interview. Q. What motivated you to undertake such a great task? A. I have always been interested in history since I was a teenager. I believe that as long as a nation does not fully understand its history, it has no foundation for development.
The basis of man's intellectual development is history. Unfortunately, historical studies in Iran are only conducted in schools and universities, which I think should be further encouraged. Q. To what extent have you inspired by Ferdowsi? A. I think entering the domain of Ferdowsi needs courage. I had a lot of problems in my way which did not confront Ferdowsi in his time.
Shahnameh is of mythical and heroic nature. Therefore, Ferdowsi could easily change the names of the characters. But I could not change the history. In particular, I could not mythicize the history. I made a solemn promise to God not to go beyond the bounds of truthfulness. Q. Apparently you have planned to versify the history up to the Constitutional Revolution. Why don't you want to continue with the history following that era? A. Because I believe an event becomes part of the history when at least one hundred years pass since its occurrence.
Even today, the events of the Constitutional Revolution are not described in an impartial manner. I believe the Constitutional Revolution has not become part of history yet. Q. To what extent does poetry reflect the social and political conditions of the time? A. Poetry is the only art which reveals its true nature. If a poem is impressive, then it can be called poetry.
Intelligence is the first asset of a poet, and poetry is the outcome of such intelligence. In our country, poetry is not treated as a technology to be imported from the West. Even in our villages, the rural people who are mostly illiterate know poetry. Iran is the land of poetry. But in this country, the most difficult task of an intellectual is to compose poems.
Q. As far as I know, you have also some experiences in painting. Are you still engaged in this art? A. Unfortunately, or fortunately, poetry replaced painting. The energy should be concentrated on one art to make it strong. Poetry was in my blood and nature. What I learned first at school was poetry. I was engaged in farming in my youth.
I was very interested in farms and prairies. At dawn, I waited for the sunrise, and the sunset made me gloomy. You can see signs of painting in all my lyric poems. Imagery is obvious in my poems and even in the history that I am writing in verse.
The TEHRAN TIMES conducted an interview with this Iranian poet. The following is the text of the interview. Q. What motivated you to undertake such a great task? A. I have always been interested in history since I was a teenager. I believe that as long as a nation does not fully understand its history, it has no foundation for development.
The basis of man's intellectual development is history. Unfortunately, historical studies in Iran are only conducted in schools and universities, which I think should be further encouraged. Q. To what extent have you inspired by Ferdowsi? A. I think entering the domain of Ferdowsi needs courage. I had a lot of problems in my way which did not confront Ferdowsi in his time.
Shahnameh is of mythical and heroic nature. Therefore, Ferdowsi could easily change the names of the characters. But I could not change the history. In particular, I could not mythicize the history. I made a solemn promise to God not to go beyond the bounds of truthfulness. Q. Apparently you have planned to versify the history up to the Constitutional Revolution. Why don't you want to continue with the history following that era? A. Because I believe an event becomes part of the history when at least one hundred years pass since its occurrence.
Even today, the events of the Constitutional Revolution are not described in an impartial manner. I believe the Constitutional Revolution has not become part of history yet. Q. To what extent does poetry reflect the social and political conditions of the time? A. Poetry is the only art which reveals its true nature. If a poem is impressive, then it can be called poetry.
Intelligence is the first asset of a poet, and poetry is the outcome of such intelligence. In our country, poetry is not treated as a technology to be imported from the West. Even in our villages, the rural people who are mostly illiterate know poetry. Iran is the land of poetry. But in this country, the most difficult task of an intellectual is to compose poems.
Q. As far as I know, you have also some experiences in painting. Are you still engaged in this art? A. Unfortunately, or fortunately, poetry replaced painting. The energy should be concentrated on one art to make it strong. Poetry was in my blood and nature. What I learned first at school was poetry. I was engaged in farming in my youth.
I was very interested in farms and prairies. At dawn, I waited for the sunrise, and the sunset made me gloomy. You can see signs of painting in all my lyric poems. Imagery is obvious in my poems and even in the history that I am writing in verse.