Several years ago, the late Dr. Ahmad Jāvid, a prominent university professor and former head of the University of Kabul, made an interesting point in one of his lectures when he said, “the bedrock of the Persian language is its poetry.”

May we bless our fellow Persian speakers in Afghanistan who have nurtured such a precious treasure (Dr. Jāvid) in their hearts: a scholar who was – and still continues to be – well respected in the Persian speaking world. Today (18th September/27th Shahrivar) is named the National Day of Persian Poetry and Literature, which is also the anniversary of the death of the great Persian poet Shahriār.

When contemporary Iranians converse, they are constantly peppering their speech with poetry. Indeed, you will be hard pushed to find an Iranian who doesn’t season their speech with poetry and proverbs. The honouring of this important day is a great source of pride for all and part of our irreplaceable cultural heritage. Across many different time periods, Persian poetry acted like a great barrier that would stop foes from eroding our culture and acted as one of the most crucial defenses for the endurance of the Persian/Iranian identity. 

It can be said that the reason for the survival of the Persian language is largely thanks to its poetry. The best testament to this claim is Ferdowsi’s Shāhnāme, and following that Sa’adi’s Golestān, without which it is likely that today’s Persian speakers would be speaking a different language altogether. May this National Day of Persian Poetry and Literature be blessed upon all of the Persian speaking world! 

To celebrate this special day, the Persian Language Online team has chosen a few examples of our favourite Persian poems that we hope you will enjoy.

– Written by Shahrokh Pirnia, translated by Sam Styan