The Persian language and literature treasure has a strong relationship with well-known poets like Rumi and Hafez, Ferdowsi and Sa’adi, and Nezami Ganjavi and Khaghani, among others. Some wonder if Rumi and Hafez are the same or not.
What do you think? Do you know these impressive Persian poets well? Do you know their famous verses distinguishing them from other poets? Please scroll down to know Rumi and Hafez from a new window and be immersed in their mind-blowing poems.
Who Was Hafez?
As you might read in the previous articles, we introduced Hafez thoroughly and covered the main characteristics of his book, Divan. Hafez Shirazi is an eminent Persian poet who owes fame to the mesmerizing Ghazals left behind.
He is the most influential poet of the Persian language, whose poems were translated by European figures. His poetry illustrates three atmospheres: romantic, mystical, and praising. Each verse in his book possesses specific topics, so scholars believe that independence is the main feature of Hafez’s poetry.
The verses of the Quran influenced this honorable poet; indeed, he associated ancient Iranian culture with religion, mysticism, and philosophy to construct his beautiful world. Hafez’s worldview was influenced by Ferdowsi, Rumi, Khayyam, and Sanai, among others.
Hafez’s Divan includes 500 Persian poems and Arabic verses possessing interior and exterior music. The uniqueness of the poetry of Hafez encouraged many scholars to analyze them minutely; however, some aspects of his poetry still need to be clarified.
The masterpiece of Hafez, Divan, consists of multi-meaning words that need to be interpreted by knowledgeable instructors. Thus, if you need a helping hand to discover his poetry, we are here to navigate you through the mystical poems of Hafez.
Who Was Rumi?
Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi, known as Mawlana, nicknamed Rumi, was one of the distinguished Persian poets who lived in the 13th century. This Persian poet took advantage of Farsi, Arabic, Turkish, and Greek languages to compose his poetry.
Rumi’s father was a Sufi; thus, this great Persian poet enjoyed the teachings of Sufism. Hence, when Rumi became an educated 25 years old man, his father’s followers asked him to take his father’s place and teach the mysticism teachings.
Some years later, Rumi traveled to various countries, especially after the Mongols’ attack. The climax of his life was visiting Shams-Tabrizi (a Persian poet), who became the spiritual tutor of Rumi and helped him leave his strict religious teachings to know the world better.
Without a doubt, Shams was a Sun that brought warmth to Rumi’s life. Rumi described his feelings through the following verses:
زاهد بودم ترانه گویم کردی
سر حلقه بزم و باده جویم کردی
سجاده نشین باوقاری بودم
بازیچه کودکان کویم کردی
All in all, Shams influenced Rumi’s soul and body and helped him explore his being. Unfortunately, these poets separated from each other due to the unpleasant condition of their time. The departure of Shams impacted Rumi seriously but after a while he found out that Shams existed in his being and their sould are united.
Rumi poems, 27 thousand verses, are collected in a book called Masnavi and Divan of Shams Tabrizi, that are bestselling in the European and American countries. Masnavi is considered one of the best masterpieces in the world.
Do Rumi and Hafez Share Similar Beliefs in Their Poetry?
These famous Persian mystic poets lived in different centuries; however, they insisted on the presence of God so that all human beings could feel him in their life. Although Rumi and Hafez were Sufi poets, their worldview was criticized by Sufis and Muslims.
In fact, Hafez focused on enjoying life and blamed the pious because he lacked sincerity. Some scholars believe that Hafez is a poet who is engaged with mysticism while Rumi is a mystic poet.
Rumi is superior to Hafez concerning their mystical position and their poetry is the best judge in this regard as Rumi says:
عشق از اول سرکش و خونی بود
تا گریزد آنکه بیرونی بود
Or he declares:
من نیم فرعون کایم سوی نیل
سوی آتش میروم من چون خلیل
While Hafez says:
الا یا ایها الساقی ادرکاسا و ناولها
که عشق آسان نمود اول ولی افتاد مشکل‌ها
In another verse he says:
چو عاشق می‌شدم گفتم که بردم گوهر مقصود
ندانستم که این دریا چه موج خون فشان دارد
On one side, Hafez believes that love is a troublemaking matter, so he complains about it; on the other, Rumi believes in love’s challenges and wild nature to eliminate unreal lovers. The worldview of Rumi and Hafez is not limited to the past eras; in other words, they are not confined to the borders of time and space.
On the other hand, Hafez’s quotes and Rumi’s poems are universal and applicable to all nations and ethnic groups; in other words, they helped us discover the meaning of life. Rumi’s poetry gives hope and awareness to readers, and some believe he stands on the lofty mountain of mystical poetry.
He focuses on music and encourages people to perform a sacred dance named Sama, a journey approaching people to the Beloved. This sacred journey ends with the dancers’ maturity, and they learn to respect and love everyone, irrespective of their language, ethnicity, and gender.
Know Rumi and Hafez Better
As you know better, Rumi and Hafez are two distinguished Sufi poets who took advantage of universal fame. Their poetry was translated into many languages so that poetry lovers enjoyed them.
If you like to get familiar with the beautiful worlds constructed by these mystic poets, you will need somebody to guide you through the mysterious ways of their poetry.
As a result, we at the GetBookOnline team do our best to teach you the basics of the Persian language to help you read the most beautiful aspects of a language which is literature.
Indeed, human beings try to learn a new language to succeed in understanding its poetic offspring, which is poetry and prose. As a result, we are here to introduce Rumi, Hafez, and other Persian poets like Khayyam so that you can read their verses like a native Persian speaker.
Our bookstore provides your access to Hafez’s Divan, which is available in three sets, including:
If you do not know which one is a suitable version, please feel free to contact us.