Iranian Hafez inspirer of the national poet of Bangladesh, Nazrul; Farsi literature confab in Dhaka

Pars Today- Literary conference titled, "Hafez Inspirer of Kazi Nazrul" (national poet of Bangladesh) was held in Dhaka to commemorate the world-renowned Iranian poet, Hafez Shirazi.

Kazi Nazrul, known as Nazrul Islam, was among the national poets of Bangladesh who has translated at least 30 poems of Hafez' divan and; in most of his poems, he was inspired with the lyrics of this Iranian famous poet.

According to Pars Today, quoting from Shabestan news agency, the literary event was held by Iran's cultural mission in Bangladesh with the collaboration of the Nazrul Poetry-Recitation Association and professors of Dhaka University.

Iran's cultural attaché, Seyyed Reza Mir Mohammadi, said during the session that Bangladesh, as part of the Indian Subcontinent, has been impacted by the Farsi poetry and literature and great figures like Hafez.

The Iranian cultural attaché in Dhaka considered the poems translated by Nazrul Islam as a clear example of this literary bond and love.

Bengali poet and editor-in-chief of daily Ittefaq, Al-Mujahidi, also said during the ceremony, "The Bengali literature and great poets of Bangladesh, pioneered by Kazi Nazrul Islam, who is the national poet of our country, were impacted by the great figures of Farsi literature particularly Hafez and were fascinated with their poems."

According to al-Mujahidi, Farsi and Bengali are the two ancient languages of the Eastern world and enjoy high capacity for production of lasting literary works.

Abdul Sabur Khan, professor of Farsi language and literature of Dhaka University, also, stressed that Nazrul's familiarity with the poetry and lyrics of Hafez had happened long before his gaining fame and emergence as a great poet.

The spread of Islam and migration of literary figures to the Indian Subcontinent and usage of the capacities of the Farsi language and literature have created a common culture and literature in Bangladesh on the axis of Farsi language.

Lasting works of Farsi poetry and literature, due to their richness, are considered as global heritage and the great figures of the Iranian poetry and literature, such as Hafez, Saadi, Ferdowsi, Khayyam and so on, are global notables who have impacted poetry and literature in different regions of the world.

However, the poems of Hafez are on top of the Farsi poetry pyramid due to the content and format, and they convey themes and concepts of the past generations and also the Islamic teachings.

Key phrases: Iran and Bangladesh, Conference of Hafez Inspirer of Kazi Nazrul, Poetry-Recitation Association, Farsi poetry and literature, Indian Subcontinent

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