TEHRAN-Rudaki was not the first Persian-speaking poet; nevertheless, as he demonstrated the power of Persian as a poetic language after 2 centuries of Arabic supremacy, he is thought about the founder of New Persian poetry, Nizamuddin Zahedi, Tajikistans ambassador to Iran said at the Literary Heritage of Rudaki session, which was held at the National Library of Iran in Tehran on Sunday.The session was organized by the Association for Iranian Studies and the Institute for Iran-Eurasia Studies (IRAS), IRNA reported.During the Tahirid and Saffarid periods, there were poets composing poetry in Persian.
Before Rudaki, in the world of the Caliphate, of which Iran belonged, the language of literature and culture was Arabic.
What Rudaki did paved the method for poets in later centuries as they followed his course, Zahedi added.The Tajik ambassador included that one of Rudakis identifying features was his proficiency of numerous poetic types, including qasida, qita, ghazal, mathnawi, and rubai.
He skillfully utilized various meters and literary embellishments.
Talking about the revival of Persian identity during the Islamic period, Zahedi stated: In the first and 2nd centuries A.H., Middle Iranian languages such as Pahlavi, Khwarezmian, Sogdian, and Bactrian gradually lost their speakers and faded into history.
Throughout this time, Iranian scholars and scribes of the 2nd and third centuries, more than 40 people, became masters of Arabic prose and poetry.
In their writings, they integrated Iranian pre-Islamic customs and customs, guaranteeing their continuity through the Arabic language.Another group of Iranians, led by Abdullah ibn al-Muqaffa, directly equated ancient Iranian literature into Arabic prose.
Furthermore, some Iranian poets rendered classical Iranian literary works into Arabic verse, he continued.Thus, the 2nd and third centuries A.H.
can be considered as the period of the Iranian intellectual uprising in the Arabic language.
Nevertheless, the 2nd stage of the Persian revival started during the Samanid period in the fourth century A.H., to which Rudaki belonged.
Throughout this period, Persian literature revived Persian identity through the nationwide language of IraniansPersian and Tajik, Zahedi stressed.
Speaking at the session, Mahmoud Jafari-Dehghi, president of the Association for Iranian Studies, highlighted Rudakis contributions to Persian poetry, including the creation of the rubai (quatrain), his attention to impressives and misconceptions, and the evolution of the Khorasani style.Another speaker at the occasion was Asghar Dadbeh, a teacher of approach and mystical literature.
The splendid chain of Iranian culture continued after the Arab intrusion and was not broken.
Even in the first and 2nd centuries, texts were written in Pahlavi.
For that reason, Rudaki, who flourished in the 3rd century, had access to the knowledge of the 2 preceding centuries, he said.Discussing the effects of Rudakis efforts to restore Persian culture and literature, Dadbeh kept in mind: The reactionary faction affiliated with Baghdad maltreated Rudaki for his patriotism and Iranian nationalism, to the extent that he lost his eyesight.Other speakers at the conference included Mehdi Sanaei, president of the IRAS Institute; Ali Ashraf Mojtahed Shabestari, Irans first ambassador to Tajikistan; and Shah Mansur Shah-Mirza, a Tajik researcher and poet.
Rudaki (858-940/41) was a poet, singer, and musician who is regarded as the first major poet to compose in New Persian.
A court poet under the Samanids, he apparently composed more than 180,000 verses, yet just a little part of his work has actually endured, most notably parts of his versification of the Kalila wa-Dimna, a collection of Indian fables.In Iran, Rudaki is acknowledged as the creator of New Persian poetry and in Tajikistan as the dad of Tajik literature.Photo: Tajikistans ambassador to Iran Nizamuddin Zahedi speaks at the Literary Heritage of Rudaki session in Tehran on February 2, 2025.
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