Poet Robert Bly on The Great Persian Poets ; Hafez and Rumi ; Interviewed by Bill Moyers 

Persian poetry is the best poetry in history

im Persian , and i can say Farsi is one of strongest language for making poem

My beautiful country needs to be respected!🇮🇷❤

The video shows not only Hafez's tomb, the one which has the blue ceramic's with white writing on it is Sa'di's tomb. I've been on both, it is amazing at night a lot of young people chilling around the poet's graves, singing their poems, having a good time. Persian culture is very deep, rich and spiritual.

Cannot believe how many ignorant people are commenting here. Rumi and Hafiz are both SUFI poets---all their poems are centered in the Sufi philosophy and mystical viewpoint. For those that say they should not be referred to by their spiritual path--- It is like saying Mathew, Mark, Luke and John are Israeli writers, not Christian... Perhaps if the people commenting here BOTHERED to read up on the Sufi tradition, they would know that the term SUFI POET is the correct term for both men---every poem they write celebrates their mystical vision of love, harmony, beauty and unity.

I'm Iranian,,I can sit and read the rumi poets fore thosends years,,l sower to romis god!!!😇

What a great soul Bly is. I love how passionate he reads those poems and I find his gesticulation very funny 😂

He is close to my heart. Joy of LIFE I see in his poems.

I so love this...... a great poet is also a philosopher and a lover of the world and its people, and also one prepared to stand up and say when things are wrong and yet carry on when it doesn't seem to make any difference, but it does, it does - and even though they may "steal sugar" they really only do it through love in the first place..... love of sharing beauty, thought, love itself..... joy, and I am so grateful for what is shared of his own work and of all the other poets work he also shares, and the difference it has made to my life, which was following that dance anyway, but the shared joy always enriches everything.

Great to hear Bly. How souls can connect to souls!

Wonderful! There are so much still to learn and enjoy! Thank you!

what a treat to hear about our Hafez from these scholars. with love from Iran

Arrived in Orland I n 1968. protested against war, saw Mr.Bly once, loved his message. love Hafez and Rumi. It is the message that lasts not the medium.

For Those Arguing About The Origin of Rumi Here: With due respect, the history of Afghanistan as a state began in 1747 with its establishment by Ahmad Shah Durrani. Prior to that, Afghanistan was part of Iran; that is the reason that they speak Persian or “Parsi / Farsi”. Plus, if you refer to Rumi’s Lamenting poems regarding the Mongols attacking his land Iran, then you will stop arguing on this topic. In any case, it is great that many like to own a piece of Rumi; this is a reflection of his amazing achievement and influence. Rumi’s love, spiritual beauty and enlightenment is shared not only by all Persian language speaking brothers and sisters in neighboring countries, but by the whole planet: HE BELONGS TO HUMANITY IN GENERAL.

Such a great guy! He gets it very well

Islamic poetry has something useful to contribute to our soul. This link explains how Rumi’s poetry helps us achieve the goal. Thanks to you.

What an inspiring watch. Feel nourished.

Amazingly enlightening.

The purity and tenderness of a love between two old men... Beautiful.

A couple of my favorite men. Super conversation.

Thanks your Robert Bly for sweet water to a thirsty soul!

thanks for sharing

HAFEZ + WALT WHITMAN: At 3:40 - Lovely description of Bly going to the Persian mystic's tomb, with children around the tomb. Bly wonders why little children don't go to the tomb of Walt Whitman. Q: What do you think it would mean if we went to the graves of our poets? "You would bring the poets into the heart; instead of having them in your head in graduate school. And that's what you do with children. YOu bring children in and they get associated with their heart, when they're very small, and then they can feel it all their lives!" Some of the loveliest sentences I've heard in a long, long time. You feel poetry, you don't study it. Takes a poet to understand that.

Poets delight in poetry - Light delights in Light... Genius awakens Genius. Edward FitzGerald translator and adapter of The Ruba'iya't of Omar Khayya'm commented "Hafez and Khayya'm ring like true metal". How true. Our thanks to Robert Bly. Charles Mugleston Omar Khayyam Theatre Company

Rumi was born in Balkh, Afghanistan, September 30, 1207. His family emigrated to Konya, Turkey, fleeing the threat of invading Mongol armies, sometime between 1215 and 1220. Rumi means "from Roman Anatolia." (Coleman Barks). He wrote in Persian. Both poets are generally described by westerners as from the Islamic tradition, although Sufis by definition are not card-carrying members of orthodoxy. Extensive learning & wisdom is necessary for open, accepting hearts & minds - poetic messages are universal.

I run from the deep, even though I need it so. Wonderful video.

He's such a lovely and wise man

one of the essential part of sufism ( included Rumi, attar ,hafez ,sadi ...) is that they don't have a religion - they love all prophets but don't believed in religions because they believe always in any time there is a man like Moses, christ or mohammad so they just belive in him / her that now is here and alive - I love this poet all the persian love this man

that last Row poem found me several months ago. ❤

Lovely man.

arrived in US in 1968. It was the war time. We resisted and talked about piece. I saw Mr. Bly once, loved his message. it is the same today. peace, hate war and killing. Love him more for his understanding of Hafez and Rumi. The message is love and lovers.

From my novel Shards Of Divinities Shifting Paradigms Ever since I was a child I always felt like a citizen of a different realm. I have sown the seeds of that realm in my childhood, but I can only know the fruits of the reaping once I cross over, Into that other realm. I was born in the shadow of an old paradigm, But I always could see the light. I was born seeing a new paradigm, As others have before me. But in our own time we are at best tolerated, And at worst despised. This has always been the case, And will continue to be so until the end of time. Yet the end of time will give birth to a new beginning, The navel of Creation is a loop in Eternity. The leaf is the mother of the tree.. When I stepped out of the shadow, My new-found realization caused me to become intoxicated. It was with a sudden intellectual and spiritual freedom that need not serve any institution, That bows to no tradition, And is unencumbered with the artificial constraints of a paradigm constructed by man, And which serves only man and not the divine. I realized I could heartily drink from this overflowing cup of Truth without following the customs and etiquette of a society steeped in the stinking garbage heap of idolatry. It is a heap composed of the rotting bodies of a pantheon of ideologies I once cherished as the fundamental, indivisible principle of Creation, But which I now realized could not possibly be at the root of the magnificent beauty and unity of this edifice. This epiphany was an unexpected visitor, And when it came knocking on my door I greeted it, As a lover I had only ever known in the recesses of my soul, And who now appeared before me as flesh and blood. This epiphany was a rose bush whose seed I planted long ago, and which now burst the earth after a long and arduous winter in the unknowing, white-eyed womb of Creation. And when I reached for its tempting yet thorny flower I felt a piercing pain shooting through my soul, And I came face to face with the awe-full ONE, The great El-Shaddai, The principle of Creation, The great veiled One, The Truth overflowing my cup. Deep in my soul an unspeaking voice woke from an eternal slumber, And I at once came to know that land for which I had always felt a kinship, That realm of which I am a citizen, Until the end of time.

Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī (Persian: خواجه شمس‌‌الدین محمد حافظ شیرازی‎‎), known by his pen name Hafez (حافظ Ḥāfeẓ 'the memorizer; the (safe) keeper'; 1315-1390), was a Persian poet who "lauded the joys of love and wine but also targeted religious hypocrisy."[1] His collected works are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature and are to be found in the homes of most people in Iran, who learn his poems by heart and still use them as proverbs and sayings. His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-14th century Persian writing more than any other author.[2][3]

Rather shocked by the comment ISLAMIC POET!! nothing against Islam but had never heard a poet related to a religion!!!!!

Fabulous

I am just discovering Rumi, I heard Hafiz years ago but I'd forgotten about him

If you enjoy Persian poetry, you may be interested in my book that's due to be published this year (probably in October, perhaps a little sooner). Here are some sample poems (found on Wordpress): 1. Amsterdam Park 2. Meditation 3. Shattered Mirror 4. It Used to Matter 5. My Wife 6. Everywhere 7. Human Consciousness 8. The More and Emptiness 9. I Dreamt Once... 10. The Whole Artwork 11. Lucid Streams of Deference 12. The Young Man 13. More Beautiful Differences 14. Rain 15. Red Cottage Days 16. Lovely Sun 17. The Proof 18. Purify Purify 19. You Sit, Face Averted 20. You're Lying There Still Asleep 21. Poem For a Friend 22. Poem For the World 23. Picture of Me 24. Come and Tell Me, Death 25. Companion of Christmas Trees 26. Pain 27. Blossoming From the Ground of Your Truth 28. Billowing Rain on a Sunday 29. I Have Been Moved

Lovely *************

Thank you the Soul named Robert Bly. Rumi: The Edge of the Roof " I don't like it here, I want to go back. According to the old Knowers If you're absent from the one you love Even for one second that ruins the whole thing! There must be someone... just to find One sign of the other world in this town Would be enough. You know the great Chinese Simurgh bird Got caught in this net... And what can I do? I'm only a wren. My desire-body, don't come Strolling over this way. Sit where you are, that's a good place. When you want dessert, you choose something rich. In wine, you look for what is clear and firm. What is the rest? The rest is mirages, And blurry pictures, and milk mixed with water. The rest is self hatred, and mocking other people, and bombing. So just be quiet and sit down. The reason is: you are drunk, And this is the edge of the roof." from, The Soul Is Here For Its Own Joy, Sacred Poems From Many Cultures, edited by Robert Bly

Wow!

Mr. Moyer, I am very disappointed that you call Rumi and Hafez as 'Islamic poets'. Would you call Shakespear and Chaucer as Christian poet? No, they are called English poets. Rumi and Hafez were Persian poets, their religion was secondary in their poems.

This is what we lack in 2023. Where did we lose ourselves?

Rumi and Hafez are Iranian/ as westerns called persian poet who was escaping mongol and Turk warmongers and seeking peace.

HAFEZ AND RUMI ARE PERSIAN AND THEY BELONG TO EVERY ONE ON THIS WORLD , BUTT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MOSLEM AND THEIR BOOKS ARE IN FARSI . IT IS LIKE THIS FOR EXAMPLE

Brilliant, although very little (in time, not in love...) about Rumi and Hafiz...

does anyone know what book he is reading from? Is it published?

Impressive! Clear political stand, so rare!

The persian poems explaining the world arround them with a cultural and faithful language, which is because of their birthplace and their persian lifestyle, thoughts and culture, you cant call them muslim poems, although they even talked about Islam in their poems, they talked about holy spirits in their poems. You always see a similar culture in all of persian poetry which has not match anywhere else.

This guy is a wise sage much like Obi won or Yoda, and let us not forget Qui Gon Jin.

"Just tell Bush to sit down and be quiet" . ha! So glad to find Robert Bly again!

Most of Rumi's English translations are distorted and subjectively exclude Islamic teaching, ethics from Rumi's works. But Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi was a religious teacher in his time. Two third of Rumi’s poem is about -Quranic stories , Muhamed and islamic ethics . Rumi said- ''As long as I live, I am the slave of the Quran I am the ground of chosen Mohammed’s way... Whoever carries a word of me apart from this I am complainant of him and I am complainant of those words too.''

🙏❤

"It is the immediate influence of the Holy Spirit that causes words such as these (lines from the poet Hafiz) to stream from the tongue of poets, the significance of which they themselves are oftentimes unable to apprehend." - The Bab, The Dawnbreakers, Baha'i Faith

A Bill Moyer Interview with Grace Lee Boggs and Robert Bly. "Poet Robert Bly on The Great Persian Poets ; Hafez and Rumi ; Interviewed by Bill Moyers" "Uploaded on 11 Oct 2011 "Rumi and Hafez have been the guiding light, Rumi especially, of American poetry for the last five or ten years. But also it seems to me that if we're ...criticizing the Muslim world so much, we should be able to give thanks for the genius that is there...So, this is Persian poetry-14th century. "The foods turned out by the factors of time and space are not all that great. Bring some wine because good things of this world are not all that great." Robert Bly, American poet" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e9by9LB-tqY.html

To those saying he was a persian poet and not an islamic one... he was both. He was a Sufi saint who referred to the Qur'an about as much as you'd expect a christian writer to incorporate Christian allegory and themes in their works. The translations you've read have been secularized with a lot of the Islamic references removed since most Americans would not understand or respond effectively to his prose otherwise. You'd have to read it in the original persian in order to see this. newyorker(dot)com/books/page-turner/the-erasure-of-islam-from-the-poetry-of-rumi

For you Who faithing about Mulana Rumi Who is not Persian, , just read his poem all are made in the beautiful persians Language nothing else, no arabic no turkish not one single Word in turkish or arabic, just read his poem you find ut he is a pure Persian PAYANDE IRAN ZAMIN SARZAMINE ARYA

Mr. Moyer, I am very disappointed that you call Rumi and Hafez as 'Islamic poets'. Would you call Shakespear and Chaucer as Christian poet? No, they are called English poets. Rumi and Hafez were Persian poets, their religion was secondary in their poems. I am repeating the comment below and thank you for this comment i don't understand why west media scared of using persian word for our poets or scientist. persian people they kept their culture and language for thousands of years but unfortunately west media for hundreds of years trying to introduce our scientist and poets to the world as a "Islamic". They need to educate their people truthfully,thanks to social media to give this opportunity to people to find out the truth.

People in the comments section enraged by rumi and hafez being called “Islamic poets”, obviously never read rumi, hafez, Kabir etc. They frequently cite the Quran and Prophet Muhammad. It’s amusing to see how people jump to comment on something they know little about and is so irrelevant. Bly makes such beautiful points and quotes things that ought to inspire reflection for the soul. It sad to see people so filled with hate. They badly need to open a book or two of Rumi! ☺️ 📚

"Wherever I am, let me be, the sky is mine," by Sohrab Sepehri. So ya'll shut up. It doesn't matter what you'r fighting over...

rumi isn't turkey, he just died in turkey , he's a persian poet who born in balkh "Afghanistan" and grow up in great persian country include "Afghanistan, iraq, some parts of turkey, Pakistan, some part of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan" so he's a persian poet who can't say is from turkey or iran or Afghanistan. he was only persian.

you guys leave all the great things said here and focus on the " islamic poet " part. Enjoy and rejoice that people love and praise our poetry

I want someone to look at me the way Bill Moyers looks at Bly at around the 8:40 mark

Interesting, "the greedy soul."

درود بر پدربزرگهای دوستداشتنی دوستدار ایران زمین.

i like the notion of going to the third world meaning to the land of Beloved as Baha'u'llah refers to.

All this on the question of calling Rumi an "Islamic poet" is frustrating and distracting from a good upload. First of all, no, nobody is going to call Shakespeare or Chaucer "Christian" poets, but they'll call Julian of Norwich or George Herbert that. You can also call Milton a Christian poet, though someone might want to specify that he's also a Protestant and a republican-we can check to see if the label fits, then afterward talk about the significance of its application. Here I think the issue with the label is that the Iranians in the house want a shout-out for a bit of national pride. In the thick cloud of ignorance these days people could automatically assume Islam = Arab. We don't want that so SHOUT OUT: Rumi and Hafez are Persians. But the flip side of the issue is that there are also a lot of people who want to deny that Islam has deep spiritual/humanist/mystical dimensions, and we definitely don't want that either, because it's idiotic.

I'm an Iranian and not a Muslim but hafiz rumi ... where persian and Muslims and to say Islam had no influence on there work is just not true there work was mix of Persian and Islamic culture, but Muslims must admit how much influence Persians had on Islam they took so much from persia since, literature, architectur...

But some writing must be shared. not for seeking praise but because writing and not sharing is like baking a cake and not sharing it

All these poets (Rumi and Hafiz) were adherent Muslim and very practicing one. Nowadays most persian want to Isolate themselve from Islam and create there own separate identity, But know this we muslims were one and for me my persian bretheren are equally muslim and Islamic like an Arab or a Indian. Don't be divided and don't divide sufism from Islam.

Rumi was a great poet from afghanistan

there is so much about rumi everywhere but his teacher hafez not so much.

Today’s poetry is all about rhyming words and not the philosophy and wisdom

"Is not that great" is the essence of the game.

I think they are wrong for putting omar khayyam and hafiz s poetries in islamic catagory. Im persian and grew up with their poetry. Islamic beliefs have not any place in their works so please dont present them as islamic poetry to western people

hafez and roomi are not Islamic , they are Iranian ( persian ) poets.

they were persian poets Not Islamic poets..

knowledge is everywhere and in everything including maggots bacteria fungi as well as in faeces; we human beings we are too arrogant -the Primal Sin.We need to learn how to Respect ourselves and others.sound so cliché but that is because it is everywhere so visible so enveloping we don't feel the atmospheric pressure but it is so everywhere water everywhere but not a drop....

Hafiz learnt all Quran in 6year old that's why people called him hafez. His name is not hafiz same as rumi he travel near to rum and he called rumi his name is molana jalaldin balkhy

Why can I only find old white men talking about hafiz

Not 72 years, is 43 years

Iranian culture and civilization = Poets + Writers From the Arabic Ghor-on came out = Poetry + Writing Iranian Culture - The Arabic Ghor-on = -0-

Shams tabrizi rumi s teacher

Those who hate Islam and studying Rumi,hafez,iqbal,gazali...(r.a)....do not understand anything.

Hafez is a straight up Mithraist

I have read some of the comments and could tell how many of you just heard the name Rumi. fIRST OF ALL, HE IS NOT IRANIAN. Now let's talk about his poetry being Persian, Farsi which meant at the time of him being alive, he came from Balkh which nowadays its one of the cities in Afghanistan. His written poetry is Pure Farsi; what Afghanistanis Dari/Farsi language literature is based. But he himself, in one of his poetry says 'Nor am I Balkhi nor from Rome, I am from Earth" So stop claiming a genius into one country that British has aligned the border for.

Some of Bly's poems are crap. If you labeled his poetry as having been written by "Dave Smith" or some other unknown poet, you'd think they suck. Similarly, if you listed some of Dave Smith's poems as having been written by Bly, you'd fall in love with them. READ THE WORK on its own merits.

My apologies, correction good sir, Persia has a great literature not Muslims! Everyone that you mentioned and a lot more were all Persians and their religion was Muslim because of invasion of Arabs forcing their religion by killing thousands of thousands of people, before that, Persians were Zarathustrian.

I would call Rumi and Hafiz Persian poets NOT Islamic

U cannot capture the lyrical nature of farsi poetry in english. Hafez is song.

Where is the song? Where is the music and the composition of the grace of sounds? This is half-baked. Read Blake aloud - and then read this American pap. Sorry, but read Blake aloud - or Shakespeare - or Eliot if you dare… Sorry, but this doesn’t cut it as GREAT poetry. … This isn’t Rumi!

Rumi is the greatest poet in Farsi followed by Firdousi, Rumi has no equal in Farsi, the way Mir Taqi Mir has no equal in Urdu poetry.

What about Emily Dickinson?

Robert Blys work suck how and why is he being compared to the greatest and true poets of all time Hafez and Rumi? Btw Rumi is afghan born in Balkh

To those saying Rumi was not Islamic, this is what Rumi himsef said: "My soul in my skin is such a slave to the Quran; I am dirt on the road of God’s d istinguished Prophet Muhammad. Whoever attributes other words besides these to me, I will complain before the words and the carrier of them." -Mevlana Rumi The message of Islamic Mysticist was universal and they adressed everyone irrespective of religion.

Good thing people don't listen to Bly's whining against the liberation of people from one of the greatest tyrants of the 20th Century. He should stick to translating the true greats, like Rumi and Hafiz.

“ Islamic Poets “ !!!! What does it exactly mean? Is Islam a language? A culture? A what??? Islam is a religion, it does not have anything to do with these poets ; they are Persian poets ... poets from a culture that is fundamentally and basically different, very different than Islam ...

As a Persian born and bred, I hereby let you all know that Hafez had fundamental problems with bigot muslim authorities of his time. So, please avoid calling these jewels of ours as Islamic geniuses: it is more than an insult for us to consider our geniuses to belong to Islam, a religion out of which darkness and ignorance come

در حقیقت مثنوی معنوی هست قرآن در زبان پهلوی

That is not true.Who are those Persian scholars?

People like him and others make great injustice to Persian literature. By the fact he called them Islamic shows that he has not much knowledge about the poets. I wish they would first try to learn the language, so they would have better understanding of the literature. So sad that these guys are the professors of such a historical and old literature.