Maria Sabaye Moghaddam

Security: The Worst Enemy of Mankind*?

2012-02-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

For quite a while now, I have been looking for genius. In anything. And I have failed to find it. What is it with this age? Why can we not create great stories, films, plays, etc.? I don't mean best-sellers, I mean a reflection of our time, this barren age of human creativity. What am I saying? I suppose the proof of the pudding is in the eating. But what about the future generations? How would they know what we thought, how we felt, how we lived?

I was listening to The Current on CBC. There was an interview with a doctor who believed, or liked to believe, we could all live long lives without disease. Prevention is the key, he said. Or something close to that. Don't stress your body because stress leads to inflammation and that potentially leads to cancer. Eat everyday at the same time, don't make your body stress over "when will I be fed?"

The whole world is full of this, this stress over no stress. Imagine a world of absolute calm, what does it mean? Where would it lead us? To a state of absolute vegetation, I think. We have come a long way from apes not by trying not to worry but by marching forward, by taking risks, by losing every now and then. What leads us to creation is a state of uneasiness, unhappiness, a sense of something not being right, something beyond our limited box of individual existence. I remember Tennessee Williams saying that security is the worst enemy of mankind*. Man is meant to struggle... And he struggled and through his sense of uneasiness, he managed to create legends for us to contemplate, to wonder at, to aspire to.

There is nothing wrong with trying to live a healthy life, but there is a sense that if we eat well, exercise, and avoid smoking and ... , we will have a great life. Well, take a look at the lives of people like Tennessee Williams and tell me what they missed? What is more determined than a cat on a hot tin roof? as he put it.

Frost: "The Road Not Taken"

2012-01-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

If I had a dime for every time I heard "The Road not Taken" by Frost recited as an inspirational, motivational poem, I would be very rich indeed. Years ago, someone wrote it for me inside the cover of a book she gave me as a gift. I thought about it for a long time, first happy and flattered, then wondering what she meant.

The poem is simple, easy to read, and beautiful, but I think this is a pessimistic, sad poem not a positive, uplifting one. The reason is his emphasis on both roads worn about the same, implying nothing distinct about one or the other, or lack of choice. How do you benefit in any way from choosing between two things that are basically the same? The other clue for me is the sigh at the end of the poem, if the choice is a glorious one, why saying "it has made all the difference" with a sigh? Unless, it hasn't made any difference as there was no choice to begin with.

I wonder whether the person who wrote the poem for me knew what it meant or whether that was what she meant. I guess I shall be saying this with a sigh, ages and ages hence, that her intention has made all the difference!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The poem is taken from The Northern Anthology of American Literature, seventh edition, vol. D, 2007, p. 1399-1400.

Emily Dickinson (The Loser?)

2012-01-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

It troubled me as once I was
For I once was a child
Concluding how an atom fell
And yet the heavens held
....

Life set me larger problems
Some I shall keep to solve
...

This was my introduction to Emily Dickinson. I was glancing through my chemistry textbook in my second year of undergraduate studies, and I came across this (a version of the poem above, I am reciting what I remember of it). I believe it was love at first sight: I paused and read it, and I have not been able to forget it, well, the jest of it.

She was at the forefront of American poetry (second half of 19th century); some believe she had the most influence on what was to become an American style of poetry.

She had volumes of poems on subjects such as death, love, sex, nature,... How many of her poems do you think got published in her life time? Wrong! Only ten or twelve. Imagine how that stands up to today's standards of "you have to market yourself, give thousands of talks, talk shows, interviews, etc., etc."

She never bothered with any of these; in fact, she deliberately closed the door to the world to devote herself entirely to her art. And it makes me think of this desperate need that broods over this age to get fast, widespread attention, recognition, and sales. Why do you think that is? Here is this woman who devoted her life to her art and set the foundation for a whole new style of poetry in a huge nation, and she didn't care for exposure or getting published, not to mention making money. She did what she thought she should do, what she wanted to do. How do we view her today with our standards? A loser?

Today, we feel this urge to express or broadcast the simplest things we do: take a look at facebook messages: X is reading this, Y is going to such movie, Z is bored, W is having a huge hamburger ... Nothing must be missed, everything has to be recorded, viewed even if by a few strangers. Why?

Much Madness is the divinest Sense -
To a discerning Eye-
....
Assent - and you are sane-
Demure - you're straightway dangerous-
And handled with a Chain-

Sadness over Evils of the World

2012-01-06T17:44:00.000-08:00

"What was that word?"
"Which word?"
"The very long one, I think it has its roots in German. It means sadness over all evils of the world."
"Is that a word?"
"Yes."
"How do you know?"
"I heard it in a spelling competition."
"You watch those?"
"No, I noticed it while flipping through channels. Do you know the word?"
"No. What do you need it for?"
"I am hoping it may dispel this state of silent sadness I feel over evils of the world."

آسیاب های آبی دزفول

2011-12-13T06:20:00.000-08:00

دزفول شکل عربی کلمه دژپل است، کلمه پل نیز از پلی که در زمان شاپور اول ساسانی در دزفول ساخته شده، می آید. این شهر که در استان خوزستان واقع است دارای پیشینه ای چند هزار ساله است و شامل بناها و آثار تاریخی بسیاری از جمله آسیاب های آبی از زمان ساسانیان و مقبره یعقوب لیث (در حوالی دزفول) است.

http://mariasabaye.blogspot.com/2011/06/yaqub-leis.html#!/2011/06/yaqub-leis.html

برای من جالب ترین اثر تاریخی این شهر آسیاب های آبی بود که از نیروی ریزش آب رودخانه دز برای تهیه آرد (1750 سال پیش) استفاده می کرده اند.

گفته شده که دانشگاه جندی شاپور نیز در دزفول بوده، اما اثری از آن به جا نبود.

حمام کرناسیون از بناهای جدیدتر این شهر بود که مدل های شبیه به آن را در موزه مردم شناسی تهران و شیراز و حمامی در اصفهان هم دیده بودم.

Photos Granada/Alhambra in Spain

2011-12-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2422564957931.2130017.1065676271&type=3

Flamenco: Passion Rules

2011-12-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

When in Granada, we went to Sacramento to watch Flamenco performed by gypsies. We walked through cobble stoned steep streets to get to the place. It was quite an experience -up on the mountains in a house/tavern inside of which looked like a cave. Every other Flamenco performance I had seen, including the one in Barcelona, suddenly seemed rather diluted. The intensity of music, singing, and the dance reminded me of something a Spanish Flamenco teacher said in a film, "In all Spain, the big motto on top of Spain is death, the plainness of death. In all old songs of Flamenco, death is just by side. In the bullfight, we are just expecting that, will it happen or will it not?"

It fit fairly well with my personal impression of this particular style of dance, less with the music. I find Flamenco not a tender or subtle dance but one that is very upfront and candid about what it has to say. Most stories associated with Flamenco (Carmen, Salome, etc.) are about passionate love, revenge, and ultimately blood. The music grieves, laments, and reminisces, but the dance mainly spurts action.

Andalucia is believed to be the birthplace of Flamenco with influences from Jewish, Arab, and gypsy cultures. And there, up in the mountain at midnight, watching the sweat beading down the faces of the dancers and musicians and their steady, unyielding gazes, I felt a story coming to life. One that was different from the ones I had seen in films or other performances, this was the story of a people -rejected, bewildered, but not surrendered. That night, I felt closer to Flamenco than I had ever been. Perhaps closer than what I will ever be.

Danzon: Failing to Move

2011-11-28T18:02:00.000-08:00

I recently watched Danzon, choreographed by Pina Bausch in 1995 (I think). She passed away in 2009, and the company (Tanztheatre Wuppertal), under the artistic direction of Mercy, performed it in Ottawa. Contrary to raving reviews, I have to say it was a disappointment. It was supposed to be dance theater, and I couldn't find much dance or theater in it unless I call someone standing on stage uttering words theater and a few sequences of movements dance. The costumes were very much similar to those in Nefes or parts of other works by the company under direction of Bausch.

As for meaning and expression, it was supposed to be the man's journey through twentieth century. I couldn't get a sense of journey or man from this work. It seemed to me more like a mishmash mostly conveying absurdity. It was almost sad to sit there for over an hour feeling nothing.

Two things I enjoyed were the music and the solo by Dominique Mercy. The rest was similar, only more fragmented and uninteresting, to what I had observed in Nefes. Perhaps this is the sad aspect of human's creativity: its limitations. Bausch was certainly imaginative in creating dance theater, and that is a great achievement, a corner stone for others to build upon, but I fail to see that she took her original creation very far. Perhaps, that is her gift to humanity and art, one that others can, and hopefully will, explore and expand by pushing the boundaries and moving others.

عباس یمینی شریف: گیرید ز کودکان نشانم

2011-11-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

به مناسبت روز جهانی کودک (بیست نوامبر)

بيست و هشتم آذر ماه، سالروز درگذشت عباس يميني شريف نويسنده و نغمه سراي كودكان است. در نيم قرن اخير ميليونها تن از كودكان ايراني اشعار و نوشته هاي يميني شريف را در مدرسه و در خانه خوانده اند و با آنها به خواب رفته اند. يميني شريف يكي از پركارترين نويسندگان و شاعران كودكان در جهان بود.

فهرست كتابهاي منتشر شده او شامل 30 كتاب از جمله "آواز فرشتگان"، "نيم قرن در باغ شعر كودكان"، "گربه هاي شيپورزن"، "دو كدخدا"، "بازي با الفبا"، "فري به آسمان ميرود"، "آواي نوگلان"، "در ميان ابرها"، "گلهاي گوناگون"، "آه ايران عزيز"، "داستان خر و خركچي" و "خانه باباعلي" است. كتاب "آواز فرشتگان" اولين كتاب او در سال 1325 به چاپ رسيد و آخرين كتابهايش "جدال در پرتگاه توچال" و "فارسي زبان ايرانيان" در سال 1368 چندي قبل از درگذشت او به چاپ رسيدند.

یميني شريف در اول خرداد ماه 1298 در پامنار ديده به جهان گشود. در پنج سالگي وارد ‌مدرسه شد و تابستانها به مكتب ميرفت. رفتار خشن و محيط نامأنوس اين مراكز تربيت كودكان در ايران آن زمان او را به شدت رنج ميداد. روش تدريس ثقيل در مدارس آن زمان نيز عامل موثري در شكل گيري طرز تفكر وي درباره نياز به دگرگوني در سيستم تدريس و تعليم و تربيت بود. وقتي در سال 1317 به ‌دانشسراي مقدماتي راه يافت، در آنجا به كتابهاي خارجي براي كودكان دست يافت و براي اولين بار در مقابل چشمان خود تصاوير زيبا و موضوعات جالب و ساده ويژه كودكان يافت. از آن پس به تهيه كتابهاي مشابهي براي كودكان ايران همت گمارد و اين امر را با ترجمه يك كتاب انگليسي و سرودن اشعار ويژه كودكان آغاز كرد. اعتقاد وي به نياز به دگرگوني سبك آموزش خواندن و نوشتن در ايران منجر به تاليف كتاب كلاس اول ابتدايي به نام "دارا و آذر" كه سالها در مدارس تدريس ميشد گرديد. او با در نظر گرفتن احتياجات و روحيات بچه ها، در خلال اشعار خود با زباني ساده و آهنگين درسهاي زندگي را به آنان ميآموخت، در شعر زيباي

"ما بچه ها قايقرانيم
پاروزني خوب ميدانيم
چه پسريم چه دختريم
كار كه داريم خوشحالتريم"
او با زباني ساده اهميت كار و مسئوليت و رويگرداني از تبعيض جنسي را خاطرنشان ميكند. در شعر "فرزندان ايران" كه شايد يكي از مشهورترين اشعار وي باشد اهميت مهرورزي به وطن را ميآموزد. "ما گلهاي خندانيم/ فرزندان ايرانيم/ ما سرزمين خود را/ مانند جان ميدانيم. . ."
در سال 1335 اولين شماره مجله كيهان بچه ها، به پيشنهاد او و جعفر بديهي از طرف موسسه كيهان انتشار يافت.

اهميت كار فردي مانند يميني شريف كه زندگي خود را وقف بچه ها كرده بود با نظري كوتاه به وضع تعليم و تربيت كودكان در ايران آن زمان روشنتر ميشود. در راه و رسم ديرين ما پرداختن به تعليم و تربيت و پرورش كودكان آنقدرها مورد توجه نبود. روش مرسوم آن بود كه بچه ها را با تحكم و بدون توجه به روحياتشان مجبور به انجام كار ميكردند. اين مسئله كه كودكان هم انسانند و بايد با آنها رفتار انساني شود هنوز در مراكز تربيتي ما جا نيفتاده بود. اصولا ورود به عرصه ادبيات كودكان در زمان يميني شريف كاري ابلهانه به حساب ميآمد. در زمان وي معمولا كساني كه دانشكده ادبيات را به اتمام ميرساندند كتابي از اديبان بزرگ انتخاب ميكردند و آن را حاشيه نويسي و تفسير ميكردند. استاد ادبيات يميني شريف نيز از وي ميخواست كه رساله دكتراي خود را درباره شاعران قرن هفتم بنويسد در حالي كه يميني شريف اصرار ميكرد كه رساله اش را درباره ادبيات كودكان بنويسد. اينكه كسي كه ميتوانست تفسير و تحقيقي از كتاب بزرگي بنويسد ميخواست ادبيات كودكان را دنبال كند و درباره سوسك و موش و زنبور و ستاره و گل شعر بگويد كاري كاملا خارج از قاعده بود. براي اين كار يميني شريف بهاي سنگيني پرداخت و نهايتا به استاد خود گفت:«من دكترايم را از بچه ها خواهم گرفت...» افرادي مثل يميني شريف راه گشا بودند و براي ديگران سرمشق و نمونه شدند. به دليل وجود افرادي مثل وي، الان ديگر ادبيات كودكان داراي وجهه و محبوبيتي است و پرداختن به آن دلپذير و محترم شمرده ميشود.

زندگي و آثار عباس يميني شريف انعكاس عشق عظيم وي به كودكان و به ايران است. يك سال پيش از درگذشتش كتاب سوادآموزي خود را براي كودكان ايراني مقيم كشورهاي انگليسي زبان نوشت. وقتي در بهار سال 1368 در آمريكا بر وي معلوم شد كه علاجي براي بيماريش وجود ندارد، در پاسخ اصرار دوستان و استفاده بيشتر از امكانات پزشكي خارج گفت:«من فرزند آن آب و خاكم، بايد در كوهپايه هاي البرز و در خاك ري دفن شوم.» و چنين هم شد.

وي در بيست و هشتم آذرماه 1368 چشم از جهان فروبست. در آخرين دوبيتي كه در روزهاي واپسين زندگي براي حك بر روي سنگ مزار خويش سرود گفته است:
«من نغمه سراي كودكانم
شادست ز مهرشان روانم
عباس يميني شريفم
گيريد ز كودكان نشانم»

يادش گرامي، روانش شاد.

نوشته مینو پورمند

Viva Barcelona

2011-11-14T09:26:00.001-08:00

I am now in Barcelona. I am long passed that stage of being an official tourist and acting it too. I visited a few places and that was it. The rest of the time I sit in cafes, stroll aimlessly in the city and observe life. That is the thing about some countries or cultures or just being a visitor: I don't have to participate in life. I walk about with dreaming eyes of wonder and I think, why do people rush so much? Do they know how lovely that terrace with hanging flowers is?

As I go through various neighbourhoods, I am reminded of Tehran, Shiraz, and Bandar Abbas. There are the obvious indicators: palm trees, dates, apartments, and boulevards. Perhaps the most significant one is the sensation of warm weather wrapping itself around me without being intrusive. Weather is no longer my enemy as it has been for years in Canada. Suddenly, an extra parameter with its huge weight is taken of the complicated equation of life. And that makes all the difference. It is most likely one of the reasons why people seem much calmer, much more relaxed than those in Canada or Germany.

Yesterday, I visited Montserrat (the black Madonna), a monastery in a mountainous area. When we arrived, they were singing Gregorian chants, but it was not particularly impressive. Unfortunately, I cannot place the photos to share with you.

Then we went to a village (Mon Sant Benet) where we watched human towers and stick dance performed by two different groups of artists. People got together leaning forward with arms raised toward a single point in the air. This formed the base for the tower. Then a group of four to five people, younger and smaller than those in the first one, climbed and stood on the shoulders of those in the base. Now this became the support for the third 'storey' and so forth. The age and size of those involved were inversely proportional to the height of the tower. Those high up, the tallest we observed was seven a seven-storey-tower, were very young but well-trained and fit children who climbed up others comfortably and slid down without difficulty when the tower was to be deconstructed.

Everyone could participate in the tower: young, old, disabled, tall, short, ... The philosophy was that everyone is essential while no one was indispensable: an inclusive view of humanity.

Stick dancers' part was also very interesting. An old art form that had shown remarkable flexibility in adjusting itself with the times. It used to be exclusive to men, but now both male and female dancers could participate. So far I have seen stick dancing from Iran, India, Lebanon, and Spain. I imagine it must be common in many other places in the world.

In Barcelona and Granada, people were very well-dressed, especially the older generation, who always seemed well-groomed with attention to style and colour in the most graceful way. I didn't come across any tattooed eyebrows, overly lifted faces, or excessive make-up. People seemed to be in harmony with their ages. They didn't try to look young, just good. And that made them adorable to look at.

Walking in Barcelona, I came across narrow alleys lined with shops sometimes bearing Middle Eastern or South Asian names and contents. These seem to be not-so-prosperous neighbourhoods. There were cafes and bars, like everywhere else, but the ambiance was different. Old people sat in cafes drinking coffee, sometimes all alone, other times in company of often another old person. They were well-dressed sitting on benches facing sidewalks -not the street- they sat for hours and watched life passing.

In Park Guell, another one of Gaudi's amazing work, I noticed peddlers selling magnets, bracelets, fans on pieces of fabric spread on the ground. Suddenly, a young man scurried down the stairs (the park is multi-level) and ran toward the first peddler in the row and whispered something in his ear. He leaped up and gathered his goods in a manner of few seconds. The tipping-off wave traveled through the line at the speed of light; they cleared the whole area in a flash.

I had seen similar scenes in Shiraz behind the old municipality. Peddlers selling their goods in constant fear of authorities who descended upon them yelling and cursing any time they pleased. The poor seem to live similar lives all over the world. I wonder how similar the rich's lives are in different countries.

The transit system was quite efficient and cheap; there were over ten lines of subway and a multitude of buses for a city of 3,000,000 population. There were eight universities, four of which were publicly funded. The effects of falling economy were visible. Any time we could talk to people, not many spoke English, there was complaint about loss of jobs, businesses, etc. There was no shortage of exhausted, sleepy faces on the late night train or the desperate young Africans with crumpled sacs of purses for sale in subway stations, but generally people were in fairly good spirit. My friends had complained about the Spanish being bad tempered and rude, but I never had an unpleasant encounter. Despite language barrier, they did their best to communicate and to help.

Food and fruits and vegetables were quite cheap though they hardly went together. If you are into fruits and vegetables, just buy them at a shop because they are rarely served in restaurants. I bought some grapes, eight persimmons, some tomatoes, seven figs, and a few tangerines, guess for how much? For less than two Euros! In Canada, I can barely buy one fig for that much money. Never with that quality of course. So I ate as much figs and persimmons as I could. What they lack in fruits, they compensate with ice cream: if you are into that, Barcelona (and probably the whole of Spain) is the place to go. I tried one with mascarpone and fresh figs (yes, I am obsessed with figs), and it was most amazing. The shopkeeper made it into a rose on a cone; I had to convince myself to destroy the artistry and eat it before it melted.

But there is much more to Barcelona than all of this. And I think that is the spirit in the city; it has to be Gaudi and the general sense of a people who value art and beauty. And the weather treats them gently: the result is a pervading sense of calm and benevolent confidence -a city that has it all thus bears no fear of sharing.

Globalization, Economy, and Democracy

2011-11-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

I was listening to CBC radio when I heard a taxi driver in Montreal that, after seeing the huge price of gas, went home as he didn't see any point of driving his cab. My heart went out to him: here is a man who has a job and willing to work, but he cannot. Where is the government? What do the conservatives plan to do about this? So far, the plan is tax cuts for corporations and job cuts for ordinary people. The argument is that tax cuts for corporations, which are making record profit already, will create jobs.

In an independent analysis and review by Globe and Mail (first week of April), it was shown that the corporations do not put tax cuts into manufacturing or production (that lead to job creation) but put it in their savings. So, we, the average people, already struggling so much to keep our heads out of the water, to hold on to our houses, to our jobs, are working hard to make sure corporations have bigger and bigger savings.

Sunday Edition on CBC had an interview with Mintzberg on April 10; he didn't share the sympathy of the conservatives for the corporate tax cuts either. I have heard the same arguments for as long as I have lived in Canada: if we don't do what the corporations want, they will leave. Well, they 'stayed' (though the jobs flew away to China and ...) and they fell. Not without taking their hefty bonuses of course.

Just recently, in "The Current" on CBC, Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan, spoke about the futility of corporate tax cuts in growth of economy and job creation. She stressed the need for investing in public programs as opposed to grant tax cuts without any ties to corporations. She said that during her time in office, she passed over 90 bills shrinking government and taxes to the point of being lowest in the country. Michigan was the first one to go down in 2008 and is struggling badly today. Something must be wrong with status quo when Warren Buffet comes out in favour of taxing the wealthy.

The same holds in so many other European countries, most of whom are trying to convince other countries to adopt their policies. The Greeks are refusing to be dictated how to live by 'foreigners'. Who makes these decisions? It is shocking: when in history did we have so few that controlled so many in a democracy? What happened to sovereignty of nations? Let's take a step back: who voted for globalization? Could it be the ones pushing for corporate tax cuts and reducing government spending?

Greeks Bearing the Gift of Democracy (for the second time)

2011-10-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

While in Europe, I had a chance to listen to news on many different networks from various countries. I realize I could probably do the same in Canada over the internet, but, to be honest with you, I didn't know about the existence of some of these.

I witnessed something incredible: every leader/state/government in the world, was overly concerned about lack of democracy, unfair economic conditions, absence of civil liberties, and just about any problem people faced in any country but their own. Russia (based on reports from RT) lamented over how horrible people's situation was in tiny republics which had gained independence after the breakdown of Soviet Union. Britain couldn't get over how the cuts affected poor kids in the US; France (and UK) shed tears for people of Libya, the US was concerned about everyone in the globe except those who occupied Wall Street and ...

Observing all these, I came to a conclusion to solve all problems of the world. Since every government/leader seems to be genuinely interested in ills of some other country, we should come to live in a prosperous, free world if only we switched leaders/states on the condition that they direct all their concern, love, and ingenious solutions for seemingly incurable problems to issues in their own country.

Since that is not possible in any forseeable future, mostly because who wants to end up with these leaders other than the minority of people who voted them into power, I decided to focus on something else: how much could get out of the media by switching channels and listening to everything. How much could I help? Quite a bit, as it turned out.

When in Germany, I noticed, it was hard not to, people were rather hostile to the Greek. The media portrayed them as lazy people who want to continue their free ride on German tax payers. And people accepted this wholeheartedly. Some told me the Greek wanted to retire at the age of fifty-five; they feared Greece would bring down the whole Europe.

Now that didn't quite go with the coverage of the protests in Greece: if people can organize so well for months in protest, they have to be at least not so lazy. Then I saw one reporter's work who went to the people in Greece and interviewed a few. One was a young man with a disabled wife; he had just lost his job, as a result, his salary had been cut into a third. Therefore, he could no longer get any help for his wife or afford anything beyond bare necessities of life. He stayed home and looked after his wife and when he was done with daily chores, he played an old guitar. He didn't seem to be dreaming about retirement at any age; he had nightmares about bare survival. The other was a doctor who talked about the horrible situation of patients she visited: people with two or three kids who were desperate for basic needs. Well, that didn't strike me as someone aiming for a free ride either. The austerity measures proposed by Greek government has got the UN worried that basic human rights in Greece would be in danger.

Then came Germany and France's ceaseless meetings to solve this problem. These two countries have benefited immensely from military exports to Greece. EU continued for austerity measures; People went on strike and continued demonstrating in the streets protesting decrees imposed on them by other countries. This brings the question of national sovereignty: how much European countries have to give up in terms of their self-determination rights in order to borrow, spend, and get reprimanded? I saw coverage of journalists attacked and arrested by the police in the birth place of democracy. One of the reporters was saying, "so far I have covered similar incidents in the Middle East or Africa or ... Never did I dream anything like that would happen to me in my homeland."

EU has been trying to impose its will on the Greek, and so far, they (except for the government) have been resisting. EU had to budge, and the new proposal is set for a referendum. I think the Greek situation can set an example in future of democracy in Europe: if democracy is about the will of the people. And I continue to watch; with Europe so engaged in establishing 'democracy' in Libya, Ivory Coast, and so on, someone has to watch out for democracy in Europe. I am glad to be part of the solution.

Gaudi: When God is Man's Client

2011-10-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

When I was in Barcelona, I picked a few places to visit. I thought I had seen enough churches and cathedrals and palaces in Europe; so I set myself ready for fast boredom. But I came across something entirely different from anything I had ever seen. Works of Gaudi, the nineteenth-twentieth century Spanish architect.

There was something about them, all of them, that is very difficult to explain. Sagrada Familia, Guell Park, La Pedrera, and ... shared common elements of waves, curves inspired by nature with incredible details. Some were decorated with broken tiles, some contained wrought ironworks or stained glass, but the ones impressed me most were those with eyes and gaping mouths. Can you imagine terraces with eyes that peer at you? I walked about building and structures that looked back at me: they seemed to be saying something to me. And I think they will continue speaking to generations to come. I never had a sense that Gaudi had passed away some years ago (in the 20s). For me, he seemed very much alive watching with the eyes of his creations.

Guell park was a multi-level park with huge circular benches that curved about -decorated with ceramic, painting, and broken tile. At the entrance, I marveled at the lizard thinking only Gaudi's spell can lead me to stare at such a creature with dreaming eyes of wonder, with utmost fascination.

There is no shortage of massive overgrowth of cement on this planet; we have one in Toronto (CN Tower), but they mostly come with an expiry date. The day something taller comes to exist is the day we forget about the former tallest. These often look alike and generally lack spirit. But as I walked about Sagrada Familia, I couldn't help thinking that there would never be another Sagrada Familia because there would never be another Gaudi.

A catholic who never married and devoted his life to his art, Gaudi began building Sagrada Familia, a monumental cathedral, knowing that he would never be able to finish it. He spent the last forty years of his life on it, when he was asked, "But when will it be complete maestro?", he responded, "My client is in no hurry. God has all the time." Decades after his death, construction of Sagrada Familia is in progress -supported mostly by donations.

Interview with Ebrahim Golestan

2011-10-24T04:50:00.000-07:00

Photo by: Omid Salehi

A pioneer in filmmaking and literature, Ebrahim Golestan has influenced generations of Iranians in various fields of art for more than half a century. Golestan’s feature film, “Secrets of the Treasures at the Ghost Valley” presents an insightful, thought provoking account of dynamics of various social strata of Iranian society at a historical juncture. In an interview with Ebrahim Golestan, I asked about his views and thoughts decades after the creation of his rarely seen masterpiece.

MSM: There are so many contradictory pieces of information about you on the web. Does this bother you in any way? Do you ever try to clarify any of it?

Golestan: It is true that the Internet is uncontrolled and wide open for anybody to put in and say whatever their fancies dictate. The same is true also for anybody who is searching information for various uses. In my own case, there is a lot of wrong information under my name in the multiple sections of the internet. I have not considered it either my job or even necessary to waste time in correcting mistakes and rumours etc., whether made up intentionally or otherwise, by others concerning myself or my work. If there are serious people who would consider with a degree of seriousness my work and what I have done, and find them worth a certain degree of serious attention, then the expectation is that the efforts should be taken by them to find the correct and the true. I should not and would not and do not act as my own publicist and PR man, spending or wasting my time as corrector of mistakes and the denier of lies concerning myself.

MSM: “Secrets of the Treasures at the Ghost Valley” has been described in many ways by many people, how would you describe it?

Golestan: Not as a caricature of time, but a tongue in cheek telling of a story, the story is tragically true. This film is a sad film account and prediction of the sad downfall and dispersal of positive opportunities for a rightful, talented but blind, thoughtless and verbose group of people. I had already left Iran, my country, but I felt the compelling need to go back and say what I had to say. It could not be a funny film or account. Not a caricature of a situation so sadly, badly mismanaged by all concerned. The twisted image was the image of a twisted situation.

MSM: Are you happy with the result? Do you feel you said what you had come back to say?

Golestan: The film was intentionally made for general public's easy access. It was intended to be a kind of pamphlet to illustrate a society in a particular time. I tried to say what I wanted to say through the repartees and whatever is said and exchanged by the characters – Just a position of various outlooks, intents, and hopes. I tried to gather the variety of points of views and let them be heard, let their footprints be left in the lowly, slowly shifting sandy course of the narrative.

I was after producing my own witness statement. And I was aware and careful and in need of precautionary attention towards the adverse conditions and possibilities inside which I lived and wanted to work. This was as far as my side of saying —or showing—was concerned. This was, and always is, one side of the engagement. The other is the side of the receivers, the addressees that are expected to understand—the public, the audience, the viewers and readership.

MSM: Do you think the audience received your message then?

Golestan: When the film was made, a very dear friend of mine who was miraculously clean and honest and, yet, working right at the core of the system of the country, took the initiative of arranging with a cinema owner for the show in their big private hall and invited a crowd that included several ministers, top officers of the Imperial guard and the Police and the Army, and some businessmen. I went along with his decision, and the show took place. The audience laughed and laughed. No one, except the daughter of a retired general, had formed and expressed any hint of having understood, or recognised any semblance between what went on the screen and what in the world of the crowd in the hall. Six years later nearly half a dozen of those who saw the film on that night were on the floor of a different hall, filled full of bullets of the revolutionary firing squad.

MSM: When did you write the novel? Why?

Golestan: The film that was made in 1971/72; it was not adapted from the novel that was to be written in 1973. The novel “Asrar e Ganje Darehye Jenni” was written after the film was made. Fearing the suppression of the film, I had decided to have an alternative record of my thoughts, a memento of my reaction towards the society in which I lived and was witnessing.

At the end of the novel version of “The Treasures…” the Painter looks back at the distant location of the story where bulldozers are busy “clearing” up the site for the new highway, their blades shining and sharp from the distance. And he knows that, closer up, they are dirty and dented; perception of facts, not pessimism.

MSM: How do you wish the future generations to view the film or the novel? What message do you have for them?

Golestan: You need to look at it, or read the novel of it, with the compassion that our present day should urge you to form and to have. It is a representation of the various strata of a society that tore itself apart. It still is, and it still does.

First published in Tirgan Magazine

Good Paella in Barcelona?

2011-10-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

I have been trying all sorts of food in Barcelona, and I have come to two conclusions (more like speculations based on my observations) on views of the Spanish on food:

1. These people have never heard of cholesterol, heart attack, and related subjects

2. These people have heard of all these but try to defy the whole issue of light/healthy eating with an iron will (and a gallon of oil/fat).

It is very interesting that the more I look, the less I find anything grilled. Even roasted vegetables are dipped in oil. There are all sorts of cured meat. I am curious about the vegetarian population here, its existence and the size of it. I am also looking for a good Paella. From what I had in Canada and what I have seen on cooking shows, it should have saffron, and it shouldn't be watery, and ... Everything I have had so far is anything but. I have asked just about anybody but so far one is worse than the other. Or perhaps I prefer the non-authentic version I had in Canada better. Any suggestions?

One thing I have had amazing experience with is coffee. And bread. And olives which must have come directly from heavens. OK that is three, but I cannot help admiring. Food is also quite cheap compared to Canada, and mostly much better quality and taste. If I can get over my fear of heart diseases, I will never stop eating (this is in case my family doctor reads this).

روز جهانی ناشنوایان: یادی از باغچه بان

2011-09-30T07:56:00.001-07:00

یادی از جبار باغچه بان، بنیانگذار آموزش ناشنوایان در ایران

به مناسبت هشتم مهر ماه برابر با سی ام سپتامبر روز جهانی ناشنوایان

جبار باغچه بان نویسنده، آموزگار، بنیانگذار کودکستان و آموزش ناشنوایان در ایران بود. مجموعه آثار وی شامل "زندگی کودکان"، "الفبای باغچه بان"، "اسرار تعلیم و تربیت"، "دستور "تعلیم الفبا"، "روش آموزش کرولال ها"، "درخت مروارید"، "گرگ و چوپان"، "جوجه من" و "بابا برفی" است.

جبار عسگر زاده دراردیبهشت ماه سال 1264 در ایروان به دنیا آمد. آموزش های ابتدایی خود را با روش های قدیمی گذراند. در پانزده سالگی برای کمک به خانواده به دنبال کار به ناچار آموزش را رها کرد و در کنار کار به روزنامه نویسی روی آورد. در سال 1283 ، مجله فکاهی "ملاباشی" را منتشر کرد و در طول سال های بعد با مجلات گوناگون همکاری کرد.

همزمان با جنگ جهانی اول و اوج گیری نزاع خونین بین مسلمانان و ارامنه، در سال 1298 همراه با خانواده به مرند مهاجرت کرد. ابتدا

در مدرسه ی احمدیه و سپس در مدرسه دانش به کار آموزگاری پرداخت. به دلیل تنگدستی خانواده ها و مخالفت های مکتب داران آن زمان، تعداد دانش آموزان کلاس اول او به ده نفر می رسید. رییس منطقه آن زمان تدبیری اندیشید تا پدر و مادرها را به مدرسه فرستادن فرزندانشان تشویق کند. پس اعلامیه ای منتشر کرد که به هر یک از دانش آموزان یک دست لباس مجانی داده خواهد شد و بدین ترتیب تعداد دانش آموزان کلاس اول به هفتاد نفر رسید.

عسگرزاده برای آموزش دانش آموزان خود از روش های نو بهره می گرفت که با روش قدیمی که با خشونت همراه بود، بسیار تفاوت داشت. در کلاسهای درس، او برای اولین بار از تخته سیاه و چرتکه برای آموزش حساب استفاده کرد و برنامه ورزشی و اجرای نمایش برای کودکان تنظیم کرد. در سال 1302 نخستین کودکستان ایران را با نام "باغچه اطفال" در تبریز بنا نهاد. در این کودکستان برنامه های متنوعی از جمله کاردستی، نقاشی، بازی، نمایش و شعر و قصه ترتیب داده شد. در همین سال نیز او نام خانوادگی خود را به باغچه بان تغییر داد. در میان کودکان "باغچه اطفال" چند کودک ناشنوا نیز بودند. با مشاهده حالات آنها، باغچه بان به فکر حل معضل آموزشی این کودکان افتاد. در تعلیم و تربیت ناشنوایان، باغچه بان به روشی دست یافت که امروزه به آن روش ترکیبی می گویند. در این روش به ناشنوا حرف زدن، گفتار خوانی، الفبای دستی و زبان اشاره تواما یاد داده می شود . وقتی فکر خود را در باره آموزش ناشنوایان با دیگران در میان گذاشت، با مخالفتهای بسیار روبرو شد، برخی از مسئولین بر این باور بودند که بهتراست که باغچه بان انرژی و وقت خود را صرف آموزش اطفال شنوا کند و او را از این کار بازداشتند. اما باغچه بان بر تصمیم خود باقی ماند و اعلان ثبت نام کودکان ناشنوا را در مدرسه نصب کرد. این مسئله سر و صدای بسیاری به پا کرد، برخی افراد به او می گفتند که ادعای او در باب آموزش ناشنوایان به ادعای پیامبری نزدیک است. سرانجام چند کودک ناشنوا در کلاس وی نام نویسی کردند و پس از چندی در حضور پدر و مادر و برخی از مقام های آموزش و پرورش آزمون دادند. ادامه مخالفت برخی مسئولین با مدرسه و آموزش ناشنوایان ادامه یافت و به تعطیل موقت مدرسه انجامید، اما پس از آزمون موفقیت آمیز کودکان ناشنوا، ادامه راه برای باغچه بان آسان تر شد. در سال 1312 اولین مدرسه شبانه روزی به منظور تعلیم ناشنوایان در تهران تاسیس شد. در همین سال، او "تلفن گنگ" را اختراع کرد که سمعکی بود که اصوات را از طریق دندان به مرکز شنوایی می رسانید. تلاشهای پیگیر وی سرانجام به برداشتن اولین گام در آموزش رسمی کودکان ناشنوا با تاسیس کلاس تربیت معلم ناشنوایان در سال 1330 منجر شد.

باغچه بان روشی نو در آموزش الفبا ابداع کرد و آثاری نیز در این زمینه نگاشت. "دستور تعلیم الفبا" ی وی امروزه نیز با عنوان "روش باغچه بان" در آموزش خردسالان و بزرگسالان به کار گرفته می شود. از کتاب های دیگر او در زمینه آموزش الفبا، می توان از "الفبای خودآموز" نام برد که برای سالمندان نوشته شده است.

باغچه بان آثار زیادی برای کودکان نوشته و منتشر کرده است که شامل شعر، سرود، چیستان و نمایشنامه اند. او شعر می گفت و شعر را نیز به عنوان ابزار کمک آموزشی به کار می گرفت.

جبار باغچه بان در سال 1345 چشم از جهان فرو بست. یادش گرامی باد.

درون باغ
من مانند علف صحرائی

به وسیله باد و باران

و تابش نور آفتاب آسمان ایران سبز شدم،

و به رنگ و بوی ایرانیت خود افتخار دارم.

قدرت من، فکر من و ایمان من همه ایرانی است

منابع

"باغچه بان"، محمد رضا یوسفی، تهران، مرکز نشر سپهر، 1380.

"چهره های پدرم"، ثمین باغچه بان

"زندگینامه"، جبار باغچه بان
"ناشنوایان و باغچه بان"، مهشید لطیفی نیا،

"به بهانه سالگرد در گذشت جبّار باغچه بان"، علی اصغر کاکو جویباری

Sheikh Bahai Bath in Isfahan

2011-09-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

Photo taken on the roof of Sheikh Bahai Bath in Isfahan

I had heard about Sheikh Bahai Bath in Isfahan since early childhood. The genius of a candle fueling a public bath amazed me. I also learned that some western scientists, trying to discover how it worked, damaged it to the point that it stopped functioning.

In February of 2009, I traveled to Isfahan. I found the city far more interesting than is generally known. A very nice combination of old and new, religious and secular, and a definite spirit of confidence and a strong will to preserve. There were mosques, churches, and a fire temple. Palaces, museums, old public baths and modern cafeterias coexisted peacefully.

On top of my to-see-list was Sheikh Bahai's bath. The cab driver dropped me off at the Bazar and pointed to an alley. I followed the directions and came across an old door with a large lock on it. There was a notice by the government -I cannot remember whether it was municipal or some other level- asking those who had any claim to the property to step forward. I asked about and found out someone in a nearby shop had the key. A very kind old man came and let me in. I couldn't believe what I saw: well, remnants of a fountain and a few stairs amongst rubble and ruin. I kept looking for things I had read about, but the place might have as well been just about anywhere. I went upstairs and took the only photo I could think of. It doesn't say much or perhaps mean much, but I just wanted to have something with me.

I am -unfortunately- used to seeing neglected historical sites and buildings all over Iran. In some places, I have seen people determined to ruin them. I saw young men in Darab throwing stones at carvings on a rock depicting Dariush; I saw men in Dezfool lighting fire to make kabob right by Yaqub Leis tomb, ... Never in Isfahan: this was the only place that seemed to have been left out by people who, otherwise, seemed so proud of their city.

میرزا حسن رشدیه: پدر دبستان در ایران

2011-09-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

میرزا حسن تبریزی معروف به رشدیه بنیان گذار مدرسه های جدید در ایران است. به سبب تلاش های خستگی ناپذیر او در جهت تاسیس مدارس به سبک نو، او را پدر دبستان و دبستانی ها در ایران خوانده اند.

میرزا حسن در چهاردهم تیرماه سال 1230 در تبریز به دنیا آمد. پس از فراگیری علوم مقدماتی در مکتب و تحصیل علوم دینی، از طریق روزنامه های انتشار یافته در خارج از ایران، با مشکلات مدارس آن زمان و لزوم بازنگری در شیوه های قدیم تدریس در ایران آشنا شد. پس برای آموختن علوم جدید و فراگیری شیوه جدید آموزش، به مصر، استانبول و بیروت رفت. در آن جا پس از آشنایی کامل با اسلوب تعلیم و مطالعات فراوان، موفق شد الفبای صوتی در زبان فارسی اختراع کند. در سال 1263، نخستین دبستان ایرانی را به سبک جدید برای مسلمانان ایروان تاسیس کرد و چهار سال بعد، به تبریز بازگشت و اولین دبستان را به سبک نو درآنجا بنیان گذاشت.

در این مدرسه، روش جدیدی اعمال می شد که در برگیرنده زنگ تفریح، خروج به موقع دانش آموزان از کلاس، تشکیل صف و بازگشت منظم به کلاس بود. برخی متحجرین زنگ مدرسه وی را چون ناقوس کلیسا و کسانی را که فرزندانشان را به این مدارس می فرستادند، کافر نامیدند. رشدیه برای آرام کردن اوضاع، از زنگ استفاده نکرد و تا قبل از سال 1305، برای تشکیل صف، به اشاره ناظم مدرسه، دانش آموزی که بیان خوبی داشت، در گوشه ای از راهرو یا محوطه مدرسه بالای صندلی می رفت و با صدای رسای خود این شعر را که سروده رشدیه بود، می خواند:

هر آن کو در پی علم و دانایی است بداند که وقت صف آرایی است

یا برای زنگ تفریح و خروج دانش آموزان از کلاس، این بیت را می خواند:

الا ای غزالان دشت ذکاوت به بیرون روید از برای سیاحت

اهمیت اساسی کار رشدیه در تحولی است که در تعلیم الفبا ایجاد کرد که با استفاده از آن کودکان در مدت کوتاهی با سواد می شدند. روش تعلیم الفبا در مدارس رشدیه از این جهت که به نوشتن متکی نبود، با روش مکتب داران کاملا متفاوت بود. ابتدا به کودکان خواندن می آموخت و هیچ گاه ابتدا اسامی حروف آموخته نمی شد، بلکه صدای آن ها مورد نظر بود. بدین ترتیب کودکان هفت ساله در مدت سه ماه خواندن و نوشتن می آموختند. این نکته هراس بسیاری از مکتب داران را برانگیخت، چرا که در روش تدریس آنان، زمانی بسیار طولانی برای فراگیری الفبا لازم بود. با سواد شدن عده زیادی در مدتی کوتاه، مردم را از ملایان و مکتب داران بی نیاز می کرد. در پی تحریکات اینان، عده ای به مدرسه رشدیه حمله کردند و ویرانی به بار آوردند. رشدیه بار دیگر به تاسیس مدرسه ای دیگر دست زد. اما این بار تکفیر شد و فتوای انهدام مدارس جدید صادر شد. در تخریب یکی از مدارسی که او تاسیس کرده بود، چند دانش آموز کشته شدند. در اثر فشاربسیار، رشدیه بارها فراری شد، اما هیچگاه از پای ننشست و در بسیاری شهرها از جمله تبریز، قفقاز و مشهد دست به تاسیس مدارسی زد که همگی پس از مدتی بسته شدند.

وقتی امین الدوله به سمت والی آذربایجان منصوب شد، از رشدیه حمایت کرد و تاسیس دبستان دیگری در تبریز ممکن شد. پس از مدتی امین الدوله نخست وزیر شد و رشدیه را با خود به تهران برد. رشدیه اولین دبستان را به سبک جدید در تهران نیز تاسیس کرد. با تشکیل و تاسیس مدرسه ی رشدیه، مقدمات تاسیس مدارس دیگری چون ابتداییه، علمیه و افتتاحیه فراهم شد و با تشکیل "انجمن معارف"، راه برای ایجاد مدارس جدید دیگر و پیش رفت شیوه نوین آموزش باز شد.

حسن رشدیه در 29 آذر سال 1323 در قم چشم از جهان فرو بست. یادش گرامی باد.

منابع

"از آن روزی که شعر کار زنگ مدرسه ها را می کرد (زنگ مدرسه ها در قدیم و یادی از میرزا حسن رشدیه"، مجله رشد معلم، شماره 192، تابستان 1384، ص. 44.

"مشروطه ی ایرانی"، ماشاالله آجودانی، تهران، نشر اختران، 1382، ص. 276-259.

"زندگینامه پیر معارف، رشدیه بنیانگذار فرهنگ نوین ایران"، فخرالدین رشدیه، تهران، انتشارات هیرمند، 1370.

"اندیشه های تربیتی حاج میرزا حسن رشدیه"، علی سیّدین، مجله رشد معلم، شماره 136، آبان 1377، ص. 27- 26 .

Inteview with Ida Saki

2011-09-19T08:03:00.001-07:00

When I invited Ida Saki (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBCNCO7NMjA) to perform in Tirgan in 2011, I sent her a couple of links to a few pieces from Ney Nava by Hossein Alizadeh and suggested that she should try to choreograph a dance piece on that. She loved the music and agreed.

Before she came to perform, I had an interview with her over skype. I admit that I was taken aback with how mature she was. I think she was still in her teens; so I expected someone less grounded, less together. I was equally surprised at how modest she was, no false modesty but a genuine, sincere, realistic combination of confidence and awareness that can come about only after one has a secure footing, yet fully aware of how far one has to go. She surprised me in a very pleasant way. I had a great time chatting with her about her views on dance, past and future, and much more. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

MSM: As a child, what did you think you wanted to do when you grew up?

Ida: Well, I was constantly changing my mind. As a kid, I had always wanted to do everything. I went from wanting to be a veterinarian to a doctor to a lawyer to a real estate agent. I wanted to do absolutely everything. And dance was actually one of the last things I even thought about doing. It is very interesting; it just goes to show that there are always opportunities, even where you least expect them, so try everything!

MSM: What/when was your first exposure to dance?

Ida: A couple of my friends had danced at our school’s talent show. And so I went to the closest dance studio to me. I started dancing pretty much just for the social aspect. I just wanted an excuse to spend time with my friends, to have fun; nothing more serious than that. It was lucky that it ended up being one of the best dance studios in the nation.

MSM: So how did it get serious?

Ida: My dance teacher got pregnant when I was in eight grade, so she had called a professional dancer friend from New York City and asked him if he recommended anyone to come down to Dallas to teach her students while she was out having her baby. He recommended a woman named Jessica Hendricks who had been dancing professionally across the world, had done so many tours … had done absolutely everything. She came and talked to me privately and asked me if I would ever consider being a professional dancer. I responded by telling her that I had no interest in being a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader. It showed my lack of knowledge on the art form, and she just went off on me and replied, “Are you kidding me? Why would you think that is a dancer?” She sent me videos of professional dancers and talked to me about the endless possibilities. Doing her choreography was what attracted me to the art form itself. Jess’ work was one of the first that allowed me to express myself in an art form rather than showing off tricks. That was just a completely different world and I was completely entranced by it, I have been absolutely in love with it ever since. It was when she came to Dallas and shared her work with my studio that I decided this was exactly what I was going to do.

MSM: Why do you think Jessica took an interest in you?

Ida: I always had a hunger for learning and would try to implement everything she gave to every student, not just myself individually. Because she knew that I had a lack of knowledge of the art form, she had a huge opportunity to fill me with information and develop me as not only a stronger dancer but as a person. She was the first to teach me that life is not all about dance; one’s personal experiences shape them as people and will create depth within your artwork. She really helped me out; she realized how quickly I caught on to things and took me under her wing. Luckily, I have a natural facility for dance, and so she was able to develop it in ways that other teachers didn’t even have the knowledge to do so.

MSM: When did you start training? Where? Whom with?

Ida: I began my dance training whenever I went to the nearby dance studio, Dance Industry Performing Arts Center. We did competitive training in ballet, jazz, lyrical, but it was nothing near arts. It was mainly about how high you could get your leg up, how many turns, how many tricks you can do. I started that when I was about 12, and I learned plenty about my body, placement, and technique through the competitive training. Jessica came when I was fifteen; I was mature enough at that age to implement what the studio had previously taught me with her work and my expression.

MSM: What has been your best experience in dance?

Ida: There are so many. The thing about dance is, it is constantly changing with your mind frame, with your life, and so it really depends on where you are mentally and physically. It wasn’t until this year that I learned to embrace everything that I was feeling, whether it was exhaustion, sadness, excitement, or anxiety, rather than fighting against them. It makes the movement more fulfilling for myself and becomes even more accessible to the audience. I try to find the best within every performance, making them consistently enjoyable, rather than rating them.

MSM: Your worst experience?

Ida: I am the type of a dancer that if something does go wrong, I just laugh about it. There is absolutely nothing else you could do after something goes wrong on stage. I used to do pointe solos every year, you know, when you are dancing on your toes, and I, every single time I stepped on stage, had the worst slip, and I’d literally fall on stage. Everyone always expected me to come off the stage crying and being miserable, but I was always either laughing about it or really excited. There is something about falling on stage or whatever that goes wrong on stage, it creates such a thrill and the adrenaline pumps and you just have to constantly turn on your brain and think, “What is the next step? What can I possibly do?” Improvisation is one of my favorite things to do. So falling would always add another aspect to my dancing. It always came from a realistic place, and allows the audience to relate to the work even more. I don’t really think there was a terrible experience because it is always exciting. There is always a new aspect to every performance, I cannot even think of a bad experience.

MSM: Otherwise it would be hard to survive I guess?

Ida: Exactly. For sure. The thing about dancing is that if you are not going to push yourself but still enjoy it, then what is the use of doing it because it is such a selfish art form. We don’t get a lot of money or exposure, so it is mainly for the individual to release their emotions and also shape the audience’s mind. You want to be accessible to the audience in a way that you uncover their own emotions. What they didn’t even realize they were feeling.

MSM: Have you ever been to Canada?

Ida: I have been there with my family when I was very young. I don’t remember much about it.

MSM: Tell me about the music? Had you ever danced to Persian music? What is your feeling of the music?

Ida: I’ve never done contemporary dance to Persian music, but I had always wanted to. I never thought I would have the opportunity to perform to it and do it justice. I played the song [Neynava by Hossein Alizadeh] for my Dad and my father just went insane. He was so excited. He is going to try to fly out to Canada to see it. He said this is one of his favourite pieces of music. I think it is absolutely beautiful. I grew up with Persian music constantly playing, so I am listening to it all the time, and it is nice to be able to use it to inspire my own work. I hope to be able to fully embody the music through my movement.

MSM: What are your plans for the future?

Ida: I am in school right now. I am going to a three-year-school right now. I am about to enter my second year. There are so many different opportunities I could and want to pursue. I am not exactly sure what I am going to do, but I plan to dabble on everything I can. I have so many opportunities ahead of me that I don’t know which direction I want to go. Ultimately, I think I want to go overseas and dance in a company. Europe possibly. At the same time, I would love to do music videos, movies, Broadway. and all different things not just the company work.

Celebrity Culture: Return to Paganism?

2011-09-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

I heard the story of Abraham in early childhood; I think it was in the introduction to religion very early on in school. When Abraham crashed the idols, he cried, "How could you worship something you made yourselves?"

Celebrities somehow resemble those idols in that they are always man-made: whether it is a single person or company or a collective behind making a "star" or celebrity, the element of fabrication is strongly present. This is not to discount the effect of certain personal or professional qualities, but there is substantial weight of fandom involved: how many people like/follow you is as strong a factor as how talented, qualified, or productive you are, if not more. Take shows like Canadian or American Idol (note the title) or So you think you can dance, where how well the participant presents his/her art is not sufficient, but he/she has to be popular, in fact, most popular to move up.

Celebrities are man-made and worshiped by men. They are a powerful force in selling consumer products: what they wear, where they vacation, what they eat is emulated (most often with cheaper replicas or substitutes) by many. But what is the appeal? Why do people make idols to worship them?

I think one answer is just that: to worship. In the absence of religion, man needs or wants something to look up to, aspire to. Celebrities, representing good looks and good lives, provide beyond a role model, more like a beacon, for all those who have anything but. The new celebrity culture has been replacing religion, myths, and archetypes for us: if we cannot, or don't want to bother to, reach out to our ancestors or heavens, we can grope for what is available, what seems possible: to put on clothes, accessories, and make-up that such and such has to achieve a moment of sparkle, an image of ourselves resembling the one in the spotlight. We connect to something beyond ourselves when feeling recognized for our hard work to look like them -those up there showered by the lights. Now, what would Abraham have to say about that?

Shush: From Elam to Ghajar

2011-08-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

Shush in Khuzistan is one of the most interesting places in Iran as it spans the history of the region from ancient Elam to contemporary Iran. A great deal has been written about the Zigorat, built around 640 BC. So I will not bore you with what is already out there; I will just say this that I have read that according to some people the word Khuzistan comes from Khuz which relates the land to Cushites. I could not confirm that anywhere else as there were other explanations, but it was interesting to note that the original inhabitants of Khuzistan might have been Africans or people related to Africa. I could not take good pictures as it was pouring the whole time we were there.

There was also the tomb of Danielle, the prophet and the remnants of Apadana Palace founded by Dariush. I had always wanted to see the tomb which was very close to the river bank; I noticed some Jewish people praying in the yard.

The Tomb of Danielle the Prophet in Shush

Apadana was the one that shocked me: I did not know of its existence (though I cannot really say it was actually there, just remnants of columns and statues and a sense of a the layout of the building). It had great resemblance, to my untrained eye, to Takhte Jamshid close to Shiraz.

Ruins of Apadana Palace in Shush (Made by Dariush 465-522 BC)

And right across from Apadana, moving to the Ghajar era, there was an interesting palace built in European style.

Palace from Ghajar Era

Shush is a very beautiful city with kind people and very nice kolucheh with fresh dates inside. I got them hot from the bakery as they came out of a traditional oven. They were wonderful. If you are around, try them!

Meibod

2011-08-29T07:52:00.001-07:00

One of the most interesting places I have visited is Meibod in Yazd Province. The remnants of an old castle, Narin, from the Mede period is astonishing. It reminded me of Arg-e Bam, which I never got to see. There is something about this castle, the colour of soil, that reconnects me with earth. Going around the castle and marveling at its beauty and longevity, I kept remembering Eslami Nodushan's words: on this side of the planet, we have a special connection with earth (soil).

The connection with earth was reinforced for me through the amazing pottery; such beautiful motifs and colors. There were quite a few shops selling them; in some, we could see the artists at work in the back. Later, I saw similar pieces in markets in Shiraz and Tehran for at least ten times the price.

The list of things to see is very long: an old mud-brick refrigerator, old inns, and a pigeon-tower. It was the first time I saw a tower made for pigeons: this was apparently for protection of the birds and production of natural fertilizers. Isn't that remarkable?

Remembering Jack Layton

2011-08-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

It was less than a year ago when I went to an NDP meeting in Ottawa. It was the first time I attended a political meeting of any party. I didn't know what to expect; I found people very organized and friendly.

We all got together in a hall, and everything was going well until Jack Layton entered. It was this explosion of energy and excitement that abruptly filled the air. He began talking, and as time went by, I could see people transforming from 'passive wanting' to 'ready to act to make it happen' mood. He presented his plan which revolved around people, majority of people, those who struggle to make ends meet despite working hard. This was truly amazing. He had hydro bills handed by senior citizens in different cities where he had traveled by bus. People complained about the price of energy; they could not afford it. He talked about various challenges for ordinary Canadians, and how he was going to address them.

I was very impressed: no talk of tax cuts to a minority of Canadians but relief for the majority. And his personality; how he could move people into action. Ready to answer questions. Kind, polite but clear and to the point.

Over the last few weeks, I had been hoping that everything would be alright. That he would triumph again and come back. I wanted him, expected him to overcome this obstacle. Today, I heard that he is no longer with us. I am sad but also hurt; I know that it must have been very hard, too hard to continue, or he would have stayed on. I am hurt that he left us, but I also cannot imagine a more fruitful life. How much he did.

This sad event makes me wonder about the deep connection I have developed with this country, with the politics of Canada. Layton played a great role in this, I miss him, and I will continue to miss him. A man I met once but followed closely, a man I respected and trusted. In my experience, there are few of those around in politics. I am fortunate to have known one. May his soul rest in peace.

جنوب ایران، خوزستان و جنگ

2011-08-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

در سفر گذشته ام به ایران، برای اولین بار به خوزستان رفتم. البته مادرم می گوید که در کودکی رفته ام، اما من هیچ چیز یادم نیست

من به هر منطقه از ایران که سفر می کنم، در بهت می مانم که چه قدر با مناطق دیگر متفاوت است. خوزستان هم از این قاعده مستثنی نبود. برای اولین بار، من هموطنان عرب زبانم را دیدم و به فارسی با آن ها گفتگو کردم. به شلمچه رفتم و با قلبی به سنگینی یک کوه بازگشتم. آن چه در جنوب ایران توجه مرا جلب کرد، به جز تاریخ و فرهنگ که در جایی دیگر به آن خواهم پرداخت، تاثیر جنگ روی مردم این منطقه بود. تاثیر کلمه ضعیفی است، جنگ، با گوشت و خون این مردم آمیخته است و در روح آنان عمیقا خانه کرده است.

من در زمان جنگ در تهران بودم، یعنی آن سال هاییش را که در ایران بودم. مردم به کوه و دشت می زدند تا از بمب در امان باشند. ما هیچ گاه خانه را ترک نکردیم، مادرم معتقد بود که اگر عمر آدمی به سر آمده باشد، هر کجا باشد، می آید. کوه و دشت جلوی اجل را نمی توانند گرفت. علیرغم بمباران ها و خرابی های ناشی از آن، جنگ به گونه ای حالت حاشیه ای داشت اگر چه که تمام ابعاد زندگی ما را تحت تاثیر قرار داده بود. اما در خوزستان، بیش از دو دهه پس از پایان جنگ، این چنین نبود. مردم هنوز طوری از جنگ حرف می زدند که انگار هفته پیش جریان داشته. از راننده ماشین کرایه خواستیم تا ما را به شلمچه ببرد. فکر می کنم آن جا، واقعیت پایان ناپذیری جنگ برایم جا افتاد: هنوز مین ها زیر زمین بودند، تانک ها روی تپه ها، و پیکر جان باختگان در آرامگاهی نزدیک مرز.

من سال هاست که تاثیر جنگ را در روح و روان اروپایی ها می بینم: در داستان ها، فیلم ها، عکس ها. دو جنگ جهانی را می گویم. و همیشه در فکر بوده ام که چرا، چه طور. پس از گفتگو با مردم خوزستان و دیدن شلمچه، با خود می اندیشم که چرا جنگ در ادبیات ما، در سینمای ما، در هنر ما حضور پر رنگی ندارد؟

Inspector Morse: Where did the Heroes Go?

2011-08-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

Queen and I agree on one thing, "One's television is brilliant" as she says in an animated commercial. Oh, that is Queen of England, the head of state in Canada, just to be clear, and she is referring to BBC television.

I learned so much from British television in general about the world. For one thing, I gathered that there must have been at least one billion intelligent people in the eighties on this planet. How do I know? Well, Inspector Morse was watched by one billion people around the world. Think about it. In that day and age (well, in this one too), someone watching a TV series about a well-after-retirement-age inspector, without killer looks or muscular body, who reads books, listens to classical music, and quotes from myths. Now multiply that someone by one billion. No kidding. They could be watching wrestle mania, or Hollywood celebrities, or ... you name it.

Inspector Morse is none of that: the only thing about it is that he is intelligent and sad. He is a detective, well a chief inspector (not that I know the difference) with a conscience, a big brain, and an interest in something beyond himself. He is also arrogant and utterly lonely. And then there is his assistant, Lewis. Not a supermodel either, but an ordinary man of principles with genuine interest in an old-fashioned concept named justice. They are heroic in their convictions and the lengths they willingly go to protect what they believe in. They reminded us of how complicated life can be and how treacherous it can get if you choose to go against the current. They never asked, "is it worth it?" So, I never wondered.

The series belonged to the eighties. So many good things on television did. I do not know of such series or characters on television today. When I think of how millions of us were robbed blind by a few rich and powerful just recently, I can only wish for one thing: an inspector Morse accompanied by Sargent Lewis though they mostly investigated murder not financial crimes.

It feels like childhood again; the only hope seems to be in imaginary characters except that there are no more heroes on television. Where did they go?

Theatre Under the Stars

2011-08-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

I had two amazing experiences this week: outdoor live theatre.

First I saw Antony and Cleopatra by a Company of Fools (http://fools.ca/) . It was wonderful. A simple set, great, wonderful acting, and lots of humor. The actors kept changing roles which they managed and performed very well. The audience was mainly families with their children. Some had spread a blanket on grass and had their supper right there. Some sat on lawn chairs.

Then I saw The Fan by Odyssey Theatre (http://www.odysseytheatre.ca/) : they do a lot work with masks, which I adore. This had an elaborate stage, beautifully detailed costumes, and impressive lighting. This was also in the park, but there was seating on benches arranged on a slope. Odyssey does that a lot in Ottawa; a couple of years ago, they had play readings in the park. That was a great experience as well.

This must be the way theatre is meant to be: open space under the stars (or the sun), ordinary people coming from work and watching a good performance. There was no surprise as I am sure we all knew the story at least in first case, and in the second we could read most of it in the program. We were there to see the performance, the acting, to watch live human beings strive to communicate, to excel.

If you have never watched theatre under the stars, give it a try. You will not regret it.

پاسخی به پرسش حافظ

2011-07-26T05:17:00.000-07:00

یاری اندر کس نمی بینم یاران را چه شد؟

هشت قرن پس از حافظ، سرانجام ما در تورنتو پاسخی برای این پرسش یافتیم. ما گرد هم آمدیم و نشان دادیم که دوستی ها به آخر نیامده . نشان دادیم که ما هستیم دست در دست، واقف به این که با یکدیگر می توانیم شاهکار بیافرینیم.

از پیچ و خم های بسیاری گذشته ایم و به این جا رسیده ایم. در انتهای راه، تاملی می کنیم و همانند مرغان عطار، درمی یابیم که سیمرغ خود ماییم و این انتهای راه نیست، بلکه نقطه ای در مسیر راهی بس طولانی.

با تشکر از همه دست اندرکاران
ماریا صبای مقدم
25 جولای 2011

یادی از دکتر محمد معین

2011-07-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

محمد معین در سال ۱۲۹۳ شمسی دررشت به دنیا آمد. در خردسالی پدر و مادر‌ش را از دست داد و پدربزرگ وی شیخ محمدتقی ‌معین‌العلما که از جمله علمای روحانی رشت بود به‌تربیت وی همت گماشت.

پس از پایان تحصیلات ابتدایی و بخشی از دوره ی متوسطه در رشت به تهران رفت و دوره‌ی دوم متوسطه را در دبیرستان دارالفنون در رشته‌ی ادبی به پایان رسانید.

در طی این سال‌ها استعداد خاصی در ادبیات و عربی از خود نشان داد. پس از اخذ دانشنامه‌ی لیسانس در سال ۱۳۱۴ به سمت دبیر در دبیرستان شاهپور در شهر اهواز شروع به کار کرد و پس از سه ما ه با سمت ریاست دانشسرای عالی شبانه‌روزی اهواز به کار ادامه داد.

در همین ایام به‌وسیله‌ی مکاتبه از آموزشگاه روانشناسی بروکسل در بلژیک روانشناسی عملی و دیگر شعب آن از قبیل خط‌ ‌شناسی و مغز‌شناسی را فرا گرفت.

محیط آرام اهواز فرصت مناسبی برای این دانش‌پژوی جوان بود که به یک سلسله مطالعات ادبی دیگر دست بزند.

او حافظ را برای این کار انتخاب کرد و در مدت ۴ سال یک رساله‌ی تحقیقی جالب درباره‌ی او به رشته‌ی تحریر در آورد.

در همین زمان عده‌ای باستان‌شناس فرانسوی که برای حفاری به شوش می‌رفتند وارد اهواز شدند. آشنایی معین با این گروه مسیر تازه‌ای در پیش پای استاد جوان برای مطالعات و تحقیقات ادبی باز کرد.

او خود در این‌باره می نویسد: یک روز رییس هیات که پیرمردی دانشمند و آشنا به تمدن باستانی ما بود ضمن صحبت گفت: «لهجه‌های محلی ایرانی کم‌کم دارند مغلوب لهجه‌های مرکزی می‌شوند. شاید دیری نپاید که دیگر اثری از این لهجه‌ها باقی نماند و آنوقت ...او حرفش را برید.یک لحظه در چشمانم نگاه کرد و سپس چنین ادامه داد: وظیفه‌ی شما جوانان است که یادگار لهجه‌های محلی را حفظ کنید.»

این توصیه راه معین را روشن کرد او تصمیم گرفت که زندگی خود را وقف ادبیات غنی و سرشار ایران کند و اصطلاحات و لغات، امثال و حکم زبان فارسی را در چهار گوشه‌ی مملکت جمع و تدوین کند.

چند سال بعد که به تهران آمد در دوره‌ی دکترای ادبیات فارسی نام‌نویسی کرد. آشنایی او با زبان پارسی باستان و «اوستا»، اشتیاق وی را در این زمینه افزون کرد وپایان‌نامه‌ی دکترای‌خود را درباره‌ی «مزد‌یستا و تاثیر آن در ادبیات فارسی» نوشت.

محمد معین، اولین کسی بود که در ایران در رشته‌ی ادبیات فارسی دکترا گرفت.

او در طول حیات خود همکاری‌های وسیعی با خاورشناسان در زمینه‌های مختلف داشت.

کتاب «جامع‌الحکمتین» ناصرخسرو برای نخستین بار توسط «هانری کربن»، خاورشناس فرانسوی و دکتر معین تصحیح و به چاپ رسید. از نتایج دیگر این همکاری‌ها انتشار یک سلسله کتب عربی و فارسی به فارسی و فرانسوی بود.

از آثار اومی‌توان از فرهنگ معین،‌ روانشناسی تربیتی، برگزیده‌ی شعر فارسی دوره‌های طاهریان، صفاریان، سامانیان و آل‌بویه و ستاره‌ی ناهید را نام برد.

حافظ شیرین‌سخن به قلم وی شامل ۹ جلد کتاب در مورد حافظ و حاصل بیش از ۱۲ سال بررسی و تحقیقات معین در احوال و آثار حافظ است.

بالغ بر ۲۰۰ مقاله از وی در زمینه‌های ادبیات، تاریخ ادیان ایران، دوره‌ی قبل از اسلام و عهد اسلامی، علوم‌تربیتی، تاریخ ادبیات و آثار باستانی در مجلات مختلف در ایران و کشورهای دیگر به چاپ رسیده است.

دکتر محمد معین، به‌عنوان یک محقق، فردی واقع‌بین و امانت‌دار بود و همیشه جانب اعتدال را رعایت و از غرض‌ورزی دوری می‌کرد. این خصیصه‌ی وی باعث شد که بسیاری از بزرگان ادب ایران همچون علامه‌ي دهخدا و نیما یوشیج ادامه‌ی جمع‌آوری، تدوین و چاپ آثار خود را به دست او سپردند.

نیما یوشیج در وصیت‌نامه‌اش تاکید کرد که به جز معین که نمونه‌ی صحیح علم و دانش است هیچ‌کس حق ندارد به آثار او دست بزند و او را قیم آثار خود معرفی کرد.

علامه‌ی دهخدا نیز در زمره‌ی کسانی بود که در زمان حیات از معین برای تدوین لغت‌نامه‌اش یاری جست و همین‌طور تدوین ادامه‌ی آن را پس از وفات خود به معین سپرد.

دهخدا در وصیتنامه‌اش قید می‌کند زحمتی که برای معین در تدوین لغت‌نامه‌اش به‌جای گذاشته اقلاً معادل نصف تالیف است. معین بخش بزرگی از عمر خود را صرف تدوین ادامه‌ی این لغت‌نامه کرد و در مقدمه‌ی آن بدون ذکرزحمات خود نوشت: «لغت‌نامه‌ی دهخدا محصول مطالعات مداوم و کوشش‌های خستگی‌ناپذیر ۴۵ ساله‌ی استاد دهخدا و گروهی از یاران اوست.»

ضمن انجام تعهد بزرگی که معین در قبال لغت‌نامه‌ی دهخدا داشت شخصاً نیز به دنبال آرزوی دیرینه‌اش که تدوین و چاپ فرهنگ فارسی بود رفت و سرانجام پس از ۲۰ سال کار و کوشش به این آرزو جامه ی عمل پوشید.

در طی تدوین فرهنگ معین رعایت امانت‌داری را به‌حدی رسانید که مثلاً اگر از مستخدم خود لغتی عامیانه می شنید که مفید به نظر می‌رسید آن‌را به نام وی ضبط می کرد و در آثار خود می‌آورد.

اهمیت تدوین لغت‌نامه‌ی دهخدا و فرهنگ معین و امثال آن‌ها زمانی روشن می شود که توجه کنیم که ادبیات اروپایی بخشی از تحول بعد از رنسانس خود را مدیون فرهنگ‌ها و دایرة‌المعارف‌هایی است که در این زبان‌ها بوجود آمد و ادبیات وسیع و دیرپای فارسی تا قبل از دهخدا از داشتن یک فرهنگ واقعی بی‌نصیب بود.

لغت‌نامه ی دهخدا قدمی بزرگ در راه مقابله با این مشکلات بود. اما استفاده از یک لغت‌نامه ی بزرگ برای استفاد‌ه‌های کوچک و روزمره آسان نبود.

لغت‌نامه‌ی دهخدا از نوع دایرة‌المعارف‌های بزرگ است و در زبان فارسی تا قبل از معین فرهنگ کوچکی که با مراجعه به آن بتوانیم به سرعت و به آسانی و از روی یک شیوه‌ی درست معنی یا ریشه‌ یا یکی از ترکیب‌های لغوی واژه‌ای را بیابیم وجود نداشت.

معین در طی ۲۰ سال تلاش و در حالی که توامان به ادامه‌ی تدوین لغت‌نامه‌ی دهخدا مشغول بود تدوین و چاپ فرهنگ معین را در ۶جلد به پایان رسانید.

این فرهنگ شامل لغات ادبی، علمی، هنری، حقوقی، فلسفی، عرفانی و لغات مربوط به پیشه‌های مختلف است و حاوی لغات ایرانی، اوستایی، پارسی باستان،پهلوی، دری‌قدیم و لغات سامی، ترکی، مغولی، یونانی، لاتینی و لغات فصیح و عامیانه و لغات فرهنگستانی است.

در این فرهنگ همچنین از منابع و عناصر زبان فارسی سخن گفته شده است و از زبان‌های ایرانی کهن،ایران میانه و ایران کنونی مثال آورده است. از مزایای دیگر این فرهنگ مصور بودن آن است. هزاران نقش سیاه و سفید و رنگین این فرهنگ را جاندار و گویا کرده است.

در آذرماه ۱۳۴۵ معین دچار سکته‌ی مغزی شد و پس از آن به مدت ۴سال و نیم در حال اغماء در بیمارستان به سر برد. تلاش‌های گوناگون برای نجات وی به نتیجه‌ای نرسید و وی در سیزدهم تیرماه ۱۳۵۰ چشم از جهان فرو بست. یادش گرامی باد.

نوشته بدرالسادات رئوفی

Tirgan and the Golden Age of Iranians in Toronto

2011-07-06T05:48:00.001-07:00

Is there such a thing as a golden age? If there is, are people living in those ages aware of it? These are some of the questions "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen tries to address. For me, I think there is such a thing; even better, I am aware of it while experiencing it.

I feel very lucky. I strongly believe that there is a golden age going on as we speak, and I am living in it. In Toronto, Iranians have created a golden age for quite a while now. There is intellectual, cultural, artistic, political stimulation all around. There are so many events, in addition to commercial ones happening everywhere else, that I doubt if anyone can attend them all in any given week. I mean anyone with a job, some kind of a structured life, and 24 hours a day.

Different styles and subjects cater to different tastes and interest. From food to high art, book club to business associations, you name it. University students are very active, but the great thing is that, the public in general is engaged on various levels in all sorts of endeavors.

For me, Tirgan 2011, is the best example of a community that is aware of its potential and develop it to full extent: over seventy events, engaging artists, writers, audience, business, young, old, ... in one single event. That is where I experience the golden age most: activity, engagement, stimulation, cooperation, and a sense of belonging to something bigger than oneself, a sense of going beyond oneself to leave a legacy for future. We just got the results of our short story contest: 262 writers from four continents participated, and the four final winners happened to be from three continents. Talented Iranians are scattered all over the planet; we try to connect the dots over the globe. A book with fifteen selected short stories is being published as we speak. We are creating a heritage for those to come, and we are aware of it.

I have a feeling, those coming after us will look at Tirgan, thinking, "Gosh, wasn't that something? How could they do it? Did they know...?" Let's make something clear: we do know, and we could not be more pleased about it.

www.tirgan.ca/allevents

یادی از ملک الشعرای بهار

2011-07-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

یادی از ملک الشعرای بهار

اول اردیبهشت ماه، سالروز درگذشت محمد تقی بهار (ملک الشعرای بهار) شاعر، محقق، سیاستمدار و روزنامه نویس ایرانی دوره مشروطیت بود. علاوه بر دیوان اشعار بهار، آثار تحقیقی متعددی چون سبک شناسی (سه جلد)، مجمع التواریخ و القصص و تاریخ سیستان از وی به جا مانده است. قصیده دماوندیه و تصنیف مرغ سحر از جمله آثار وی هستند که به نسلهای پس از او راه یافته اند. بهار همچنین روزنامه و مجلاتی مانند "نوبهار" و "تازه بهار" را منتشر کرد.

محمد تقی بهار در 19 آذر 1265 در مشهد به دنیا آمد. پدرش ملک الشعرای آستان قدس رضوی بود و به واسطه اوضاع نا آرام ایران در آن زمان، تلاش بسیاری کرد که پسرش را از ورود به دنیای شعر و ادب بازدارد. بهار به اجبار پدر سه سال در بازار کار کرد، چرا که پدرش گمان می کرد که در دوران بحرانی پس از مرگ ناصرالدینشاه، دیگر کسی به شعر و ادب اعتنایی نخواهد کرد. بهار از محضر پدر و استادانی چون ادیب نیشابوری و صید علی خان درگزی بهره برد، اما بیشتر دانش وی به خاطر مطالعات و جستجوهای فردی اش بود. پس از مرگ پدر، در آغاز جوانی، بهاربه واسطه استعداد سرشار، با وجود شاعران برجسته دیگر در مشهد، به جانشینی وی منصوب شد.

بهار تقریبا در چهار دوره از تاریخ معاصر ایران زندگی کرد، دوران قبل از مشروطه، دوران مشروطه، دوران رضا شاهی و دوران بعد از رضا شاهی و در نتیجه زندگی بسیار پر تلاطم و شیب و فرازی را سپری کرد. از 17-18 سالگی وارد عرصه سیاست شد و بعدها زندان، تبعید و سوء قصدی ناموفق را نیز تجربه کرد. در صحنه اجتماعی نیز خیلی زود به عنوان روزنامه نویس، شاعر، و بعد به عنوان ادیب، استاد و مدرس وارد شد. پس از کناره گیری از فعالیتهای سیاسی، به تحقیق و تدریس در دانشگاه تهران دانشسرای عالی پرداخت. حاصل تحقیقات او در این دوره آثاری چون تصحیح و حاشیه نویسی کتابهایی چون تاریخ سیستان، تاریخ کبیر بلعمی و جوامع الحکایات عوفی است.

دو ویژگی کلی برای شعر بهار می توان در نظر گرفت: کیفیت شعر و مضامین متنوع و تازه. اگر سیر طبیعی قصیده را در نظر بگیریم، بهار واپسین ترین تجلی یکی از ارجمند ترین صورت های شعر فارسی بشمار می رود، صورتی که از رودکی آغاز و به بهار ختم می شود. . میدان هنرنمایی بهار قصیده پردازی و سبک خراسانی بود، قالبی که با حمله مغول به ایران و رواج سبک عراقی مهجور مانده بود. بهار این ساخت و صورت قدیمی شعر را که بیشتر در خدمت معانی محدودی از هجو و مدح و اخلاق بود، به قلمرو گسترده ای از مسایل اجتماعی، سیاسی و فرهنگی عصر جدید در آورد و تجربه های قدما را در زمینه زبان و موسیقی و تصویر به خدمت اندیشه های عصر خویش در آورد. آثار شاعرانی که در دوره مشروطه و قبل و بعد آن قرار گرفته بودند، غالبا ترجمان شکوه و شکایتهای زمان و درد دل مردم است. شعر بهار نیز از این قاعده خارج نیست، با این تفاوت که بهار به عنوان یک ادیب، با شناسایی قوی از گذشته و ادبیات ایران، با زبانی محکم شعر می گفت. دیگر اینکه بهار در زمینه های متعددی شعر گفته است: وصف طبیعت (گیلان و مازندران)، طنز (ترسم من از جهنم و آتشفشان او)، وطنیات(لزن و نوروز آمد سپس بهمن و اسفند)، مسائل سیاسی روز (جغد جنگ)، احوال خویش در زندان (حبسیه ها)، مرثیه های مذهبی، مرثیه های دوستانه (دعوی چه کنی داعیه داران همه رفتند، در سوگ عارف قزوینی) و ... در سال ،1301 قصیده دماوندیه را در باب سرخوردگی از مشروطه و شکایت از بی همتی مردم که آن را به فراموشی سپرده بودند، سرود:

ای دیو سپید پای در بند ای گنبد گیتی ای دماوند

از سیم به سر یکی کله خود زآهن، به میان یکی کمربند

....

برکن ز بن این بنا که باید از ریشه بنای ظلم برکند

زین بی خردان سفله بستان داد دل مردم خردمند

یکدوره تاریخ معاصر ایران، 40-50 سال، در اشعار بهار از طریق یک نوع بازگردان شکوه ادبی گذشته منعکس شده است و بدین سبب بهار را آخرین شاعر بزرگ شعر کهن فارسی می دانند. بهار سنت گرایی نو اندیش بود، یعنی سنت گرایی که کهنه بودن از او تراوش نمی کرد.

بهار در انتهای عمر پس از ناکامی های سیاسی بسیار و تحت فشار بیماری سل در آسایشگاهی در سویس بستری شد. در این آسایشگاه کوهستانی در لزن، یکی از آخرین قصیده های مهم خود را سرود. در این قصیده بهار از پشت شیشه، بر فراز کوه، طوفان را می نگرد و آن را شبیه تاریخ طوفان ایران می بیند:

....

تاریک شد آفاق، تو گفتی به عمدا یکباره زدند آتش ضد تل چنگ را

گفتی که مگر جهل بپوشید رخ علم یا برد سفه آبروی دانش و فن را

گم شد ز نظر آنهمه زیبایی و آثار وین حال فرا یاد من آورد وطن را

....

و پس از خلاصه یک دوره تاریخ ایران و شرح موضوعات روز، قصیده را با این بیت پایان می دهد:

...

یارب تو نگهبان دل اهل وطن باش کامید بدیشان بود ایران کهن را.

این قصیده تقریبا حکم یک وصیت نامه را دارد که بهار در آن آخرین حرف را زده است. وی سه سال بعد در اول اردیبهشت 1330 در گذشت. روانش شاد باد.

منابع

شعر بهار، محمد رضا شفیعی کدکنی، مجله آینده، شماره 10 و 11، 1363.
به یاد میهن، زندگی و شعر ملک الشعرا بهار، کامیار عابدی
از رودکی تا بهار، محمد علی اسلامی ندوشن
شهر شعر بهار، محمد علی سپانلو

بقلم فرشته تویسرکانی

Disconnect Broods in the Air

2011-06-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to talk to you about "Anonymous Reality", a painting exhibition, by Erik Nieminen. I just cannot figure out what happened between the time I saw it, a couple of weeks ago, and right now. At any rate, it was a collection of fairly large paintings of people in urban landscape. What caught my attention, or what I sensed from almost every single painting, was a sense of disconnect. People seemed to appear in groups of two, three, or more. When I looked closely, they were not together; they were either passing by or happened to be at the same place at the same time. They were not connected at all. That sense of isolation of each component of "the crowd" stayed with me through the exhibition; it felt cold and uneasy.

Last week, I was reminded of that when watching "Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen. People were together, I mean they physically occupied close enough spaces to seem together. A nagging sense of disconnect came over me again; this time in a comic way. Films are different from paintings, but given the choice, I pick the paintings of Nieminen for conveying that sense best. In fact, except for a few postcard pictures of Paris, I could not think of any merit to the film. It was the same old thing Allen says in many of his films, a group of upper middle class Americans who wander aimlessly through life, and if ever stumble over any meaningful, serious question as to why, how, they run into a brick wall with "the sky is the same colour everywhere" written on it. A sense of helplessness, hopelessness except for the completely mindless, brainless who would never know. Those lucky ones, indeed.

جزیره هنگام در خلیج فارس

2011-06-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

یکی از جزایر بسیار دیدنی جنوب ایران، جزیره هنگام است. این جزیره به گفته یکی از ساکنانش 800 نفر جمعیت دارد. من تمام مدت فکر می کردم که زندگی 800 نفر چه گونه است؟ برای کسی که عادت دارد میلیون ها نفر (هر چند مجازی) را دور و بر خودش حس کند، تصور زندگی با 799 نفر دشوار است.

در اولین فرصت به جستجوی دلفین ها رفتیم. متاسفانه به دلیل بی توجهی بعضی قایق بانها، نتوانستیم زیاد بهره ببریم چون بی رویه به دلفین ها نزدیک می شدند و آن ها را فراری می دادند.

ولی سرانجام برای چند لحظه کوتاه در فاصله تعقیب و گریز انسان و دلفین، ما موفق شدیم که چند دلفین ببینیم.

جزیره هنگام همچنین یک بازار دارد که با قسمت اعظم آن با چوب درست شده و سقف و دیوارها با ساقه های با ساقه و پوشال. در غرفه های متفاوت زنان یا به فروش صنایع دستی (که بیشترشان به نظر می رسید از جای دیگری وارد می شدند، چون با همان بسته بندی ها در قشم و مناطق دیگر هم یافت می شدند) یا به پخت و پز مشغولند و از مهمانان با نان و غذای محلی پذیرایی می کنند.

من همیشه تعریف سوراق را شنیده بودم و این بار توانستم برای اولین بار امتحان کنم. سوراق می شود گفت سسی است که با خاک سرخ یا گلک درست می شود به اضافه ماهی و نارنج و شاید چیزهای دیگر. در این چادر قطره های کوچکی روی نان لواش مانند می ریختند و به عنوان نان سوراق دار می فروختند. من یکی را امتحان کردم، ولی به نظرم خیلی متفاوت با نان عادی نیامد. شاید خانم ها حدس می زندند که ممکن است سوراق با ذایقه ما جور نباشد و خیلی کم روی نان ریختند. خانم راهنمای همراه ما که از قشم بود، خیلی با میل نان سوراق دار می خورد ولی فکر نمی کنم که من دوباره بخواهم سوراق بخورم. این بار بایستی معیاوه را امتحان کنم.

نکته دیگری که در این جزیره توجهم را جلب کرد، خاک سیاه و نقره ای در بخش های مختلف آن بود. خیلی زیبا بود. در ساحل راه می رفتیم و من نمی توانستم از خاک چشم بردارم.

تا سفر بعدی خدانگه دار.

قلات: روستایی در استان فارس

2011-06-13T17:19:00.001-07:00

روستای قلات در شمال غربی شهر شیراز به موزه ای طبیعی می ماند، با انبوه درختان سر به فلک کشیده، کوه های بلند با قله های پر از برف، آبشارهای سه گانه و باغ ها ی سرسبز و پرمیوه.

معماری کوهستانی، کوچه های پیچ در پیچ و جویبارهای روان در آن ها، چشم انداز خیره کننده ای در قلات می آفرینند. این روستا که قدمتی بسیار طولانی دارد، دارای بناهای متعدد تاریخی پیش و بعد از اسلام است.
اما جالبترین بنای قلات شاید کلیسای خشتی آن باشد. اطلاع دقیقی از این که این کلیسا چه موقع و به دست چه کسی بنا نهاده شده است، در دست نیست.

برخی از روستاییان می گفتند که مسیحیانی که سابقا در این روستا زندگی می کرده اند، ساکن کلیسا بوده اند. اما از تاریخ یا چون و چرای آمد و شد این مسیحیان، کسی چیزی نمی دانست. برخی نیز می گفتند که کشیشی انگلیسی این کلیسا را ساخته. این کلیسا که در حال حاضر به مخروبه ای می ماند، دارای دو بخش است که یکی برای اجرای مراسم و دیگری مکان زندگی خادمین بوده است. از همه این ها فقط اسکلتی و چند در به جا مانده است.

The Dilemma of the News

2011-06-09T04:39:00.000-07:00

یکی از کشمکش های مداوم من، خواندن و نخواندن اخبار است. از طرفی، بیشتر وقت ها که خبرها را می خوانم، در عمل فلج می شوم. احساس می کنم که انسانیت در گردابی هولناک افتاده و راهی به بیرون ندارد. به همین دلیل هم دست از خواندن بر می دارم. ولی بعد دچار عذاب وجدان می شوم چرا که می دانم که بی خبری و ناآگاهی عواقب وحشتناکی دارد. خلاصه که نیمی از اوقات از اوضاع جهان با خبرم و در حالت شوک به سر می برم و نیمی از اوقات از اخبار به دور و مشغول به کار.
آن وقت ها که عمق وخامت شرایط انسان ها، هر گونه امید و توانایی حرکتی را از من می گیرد، به یاد شعری از میکل آنژ می افتم که در کودکی در کتاب "شور زندگی" از ایروینگ استون خواندم. یادم هست که با خودم فکر می کردم که چه طور ممکن است که یک انسان، آن هم میکل آنژ، تا این اندازه ناامید و بدبین باشد. یکی از عواقب بزرگ شدن این است که پاسخ به بسیاری از "چه طور ممکن است" های کودکی را پیدا می کنیم. نهایتا وقتی فکر می کنم که اگر دوره میکل آنژ این قدر وحشتناک بوده و انسانیت پس از آن دوره هم ادامه داده، حتما در حال حاضر هم راهی هست. امیدوارم.

متاسفانه من به کتاب "شور زندگی" دسترسی ندارم و آن چه از آن شعر در خاطرم باقی مانده، می نویسم. شاید حتی نام و نشان کتاب هم پس از گذشت سال ها در ذهنم مغشوش شده باشد.

چه شیرین است خواب
چه شیرین تر سنگ بودن
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زمانی که دیوانگی و فرومایگی فرمان می راند
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پس آرام سخن بگویید

بیدارم نکنید

میکل آنژ

Hurmuz: The Incredible Island in Southern Iran

2011-06-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

بین چند جزیره ای که من دیده ام، هرمز بیشترین تاثیر را روی من گذاشته. بخشی از این تاثیر به دلیل زیبایی و آرامش خارق العاده جزیره است. بخش دیگر به دلیل آشنایی ای که با تاریخ جزیره از طریق منابع گوناگون داشته ام. و البته بخش دیگر مردم فوق العاده مهربان آن.

پس از بازگشت از جزیره هرمز، همیشه دلم می خواست که آن چه را دیده ام با دیگران در میان بگذارم. امیدوارم شما هم از این تصاویر لذت ببرید، اما حقیقتا هیچ چیز جای یک لحظه حضور در خاک آن جزیره و مشاهده بی واسطه ساحل سرخ رنگ، خاک رنگارنگ و مرغان و آهوان آن را نمی گیرد. اگر عازم ایران هستید، توصیه می کنم که حتما از جزیره هرمز بازدید کنید. مسافرت به جزیره از طریق آب از بندرعباس یا جزایر اطراف آن ممکن است. با قایق های تند رو یا قایق های اتوبوسی حدود 45 دقیقه راه است. فقط متوجه باشید که در جزیره هتل یا رستوران وجود ندارد اگر چه بومیان سفارش غذا قبول می کنند. اگر قصد ماندن بیش از چند ساعت در جزیره را دارید، به فکر غذا باشید

http://jadidonline.com/story/06062011/frnk/iran_hormuz_island

Yaqub Leis: یعقوب لیث

2011-06-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Among all images from my history books in school, a few are fresh in my mind. One is a drawing of Yaqub Leis, the founder of Safarian Dynasty. I still remember the details, a man with bread and onions on a tabelcloth (sofreh) in front of him, and the message to Abbasid Qalif that he would never give up his fight against the Qalif.

I admired him then, and I admire him now. This time, when traveling in Iran, I visited Dizfoul in Khouzestan. To my amazement, I found out that the city held the tomb of Yaqub Leis. I rushed there to pay my respect. And there it was, about ten kilometers from the city. It was a curious feeling, lamenting, longing, admiring.

I couldn't get in; the entrance was locked. A few people had made a fire beside it and prepared to grill something I suppose. I often wonder at the unconscious state of some people around something so great, so overwhelming as the presence of a man who did so much, who could still teach us so much.

My apologies for the poor photo; I just wanted you to remember him.

یادی از علامه قزوینی

2011-05-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

نام قزوینی مترادف است با نقد مدرن و تصحیح متون. قزوینی از اولین نویسندگانی است که تلاش کرد که با شیوه و اسلوب نقد اروپایی ملاحظاتی در نقد ادبیا ت ایران ارائه کند و شیوه و طرز تصحیح متون در دوران معاصر یکی از تاثیرات و نتیجه مستقیم روش و گفته ها و راهنمایی های اوست.

کتابهایی که قزوینی در مدت زندگی خود تصحیح و تحشیه نمود، از مهمترین آثار ادبی زبان فارسی به شما ر می روند. از جمله آثار قزوینی در زمینه تصحیح می توان از چهار مقاله نظامی عروضی، تاریخ جهانگشای عطا ملک جوینی، مرزبان نامه، المعجم فی معاییر اشعار العجم و همچنین تصحیح مقدمه قدیم شاهنامه نام برد. از دیگر آثار او می توان از بیست مقاله در دو جلد، رساله ای در شرح مسعود سعد سلمان، مقدمه بر کتابهای تذکره الشعرا (مرسوم به لباب الالباب) محمد عوفی، تذکره اولیا عطار نیشابوری، مجمل التواریخ، تاریخ بیهقی ، ترجمه لوایح جامی به فرانسه و نیز نقدی بر کتاب "یکی بود، یکی نبود" اثر جمالزاده یاد کرد.

محمد قزوینی در دهم فروردین ماه سال 1256 در تهران متولد شد. پدرش میرزا عبدالوهاب معروف به ملا آقا هم از فضلای عصر خود بود. ملا آقا در تهران در حوزه وزارت انطباعات (انتشارات) کار می کرد و یکی از چهار نفری بود که برای اولین بار در ایران ماموریت یافتند دایره المعارفی مشتمل بر شرح احوال بزرگان اسلام (نامه دانشوران) را تالیف کنند. شیخ محمد (محمد قزوینی) پسر بزرگ او بود که از طفولیت نزد پدر به تحصیل مقدمات مشغول شد. محمد قزوینی در شرح کوتاهی از زندگی خود می نویسد: "صرف و نحو را در خدمت پدرم و مرحوم قنات آبادی و سپس کلام و حکمت قدیم، اصول فقه و نیز اصول فقه خارجه را آموختم. از میان این همه علوم، شوقی شدید به ادبیات عرب گریبانگیر من شد تا اکثر ایام صبح و شباب، در شعب مختلفه این فن بخصوص نحو، صرف گردید". و سپس خود در همین شرح احوال توضیح می دهد که از استادانی چون شیخ فضل الله نوری، شیخ علی نوری، ملا محمد آملی، میرزا حسن آشتیانی، شیخ هادی نجم آبادی و بالاخره سید احمد ادیب پیشاوری کسب فیض کرده است. قزوینی بعدا به مدرسه سن لویی رفت و در آنجا زبان فرانسه را به طور کامل آموخت. میرزا محمد را پس از فوت پدرش در حوزه اداره انطباعات استخدام کردند. او همچنین برای مجله "تربیت" مقالاتی را از جمله های عربی به فارسی ترجمه می کرد. قزوینی در سال 1283 (دو سال قبل از انقلاب مشروطه) به دعوت برادر کوچکش میرزا احمد برای مشاهده کتاب ها و کتابخانه های لندن، برای سفر کوتاهی به اروپا رفت. در ابتدای این سفر، قزوینی با پروفسور ادوارد براون¹ شرق شناس معروف و رییس هیئت امنای اوقاف گیب² آشنا شد و همین آشنایی موجبات کار و تحقیقات 35 ساله محمد قزوینی در اروپا را پی ریزی کرد. قزوینی در شرح احوال خود در باره آشنایی با پروفسور براون اینطور می نویسد:" به توسط ایشان (ادوارد براون) بود که تصحیح و طبع بعضی از کتب از طرف امنای مزبور به عهده این ضعیف محول گردید. در اوایل سنه 1285 امنای مزبور تصحیح و طبع تاریخ جهانگشای جوینی را به من پیشنهاد کردند". برای انجام این کار مهم، قزوینی از لندن به پاریس رفت زیرا در آن شهر چندین نسخه از این کتاب موجود بود. در نتیجه تا پایان سال 1293 او در پاریس مستقر بود و در این مدت با جمعی از خاورشناسان فرانسوی هم آشنا شد. ولی در اواخر سال 1294 که جنگ جهانی اول در گرفت، دولت فرانسه بسیاری از نسخ کتاب های با ارزش و مهم و نیز آثار باستانی موزه ها را به نیت حفظ آنها از خطر جنگ به خارج از پاریس منتقل کرد. از این رو ادامه کارهای ادبی و تاریخی عملا غیر ممکن شد، لذا قزوینی به پیشنهاد حسین قلی نواب وزیر مختار وقت ایران در آلمان و به همراه او راهی برلین شد. اندکی بعد از ورود او به برلین، بکلی ورود و خروج از آلمان غیر ممکن گردید. در نتیجه وی به اجبار چهار سال و نیم در آن شهر زندگی کرد و طی این دوره با شرق شناسان مهم آلمانی و کارهای آنها هم آشنا شد. او بلافاصله پس از رفع موانع در1299 دوباره به پاریس بازگشت تا پیگیر تحقیقات سابق خود یعنی تصحیح تاریخ جهانگشا شود. قزوینی طی اقامتش در پاریس به انتخاب خودش ولی به خواهش تیمورتاش (اولین وزیر دربار ایران در زمان سلطنت رضا شاه) و با بودجه دولت ایران از هجده کتاب بسیار مهم فارسی و عربی در باره ایران که نسخه های اصلی آنها در کتابخانه های مهم اروپایی موجود بود، عکسبرداری کرد و آنها را برای وزارت معارف (علوم) فرستاد. این کتابها شامل مجمل التواریخ و القصص، تاریخ بیهقی، التوسل الی الترسل، عتیقه الکتبه، زین الاخبار تتمه صوان الحکمته، مونس الحرار فی الدقایق الاشعار، حدود العالم سمط العلی للحضره العلیا، زبده التواریخ، مجموعه منشات عهد سلجوقیان و خوارزمشاهیان و اوایل عهد مغول – نوروز نامه... هستند.

در این اوان جنگ دوم جهانی در گرفت و چون زندگی در پاریس برای خارجی ها غیر ممکن بود، در شهریور 1318، قزوینی خانه و کتابهایش را در پاریس جا گذاشت و به اتفاق همسر و دخترش راهی ایران شد. پس از بازگشت به ایران هم در تعقیب کارهای گذشته به تصحیح و تحشیه کتب پرداخت که مهمترین آنها تصحیح و تطبیق دیوان حافظ بود که با کمک قاسم غنی انجام شد. قزوینی ارادت خاصی به حافظ داشت و هر شش ماه یکبار دیوان حافظ را بازخوانی می کرد. کتابی تحت عنوان یادداشتهای دکتر قاسم غنی در حواشی دیوان حافظ منتشر شده که حاصل مذاکرات و هم اندیشی این دو محقق است. پیشنهاد تصحیح دیوان حافظ را مرحوم اسماعیل مرآت در سال 1317 یا 1318 به قزوینی داد. قزوینی این پیشنهاد را با یک شرط پذیرفت که دکتر قاسم غنی صاحب دو کتاب حافظ پژوهانه و دارنده دهها اثر خطی و چاپی در باره حافظ و نیز نسخه های مهم خطی از دیوان او، با او همکاری کند. غنی با دل و جان پذیرفت و این دو از 1318 تا 1320 روی آن کار کردند. این کتاب بعدها مورد نقد دهخدا، انجوی شیرازی، پژمان بختیاری، پرویز خانلری و دیگران قرار گرفت، اما غالب منتقدین از جمله خانلری اذعان دارند که در میان چاپهایی که تا کنون از دیوان حافظ منتشر شده است، بهترین و معتبرین نسخه به تصحیح مرحوم محمد قزوینی و مرحوم دکتر قاسم غنی در سال 1320 فراهم شده و به چاپ رسیده است. اگر چه که این نسخه بی ایراد نیست و پس از قزوینی هم کوششهای بسیار با ارزشی برای تصحیح دیوان حافظ بعمل آمد، ولی همه آنها چیزی از ارج و اعتبار کار قزوینی نمی کاهد.

تحقیقات قزوینی دوره جدیدی را در تاریخ فرهنگ ایران پی نهاد. یکی از پیامدهای فرهنگی انقلاب مشروطه میل به تحقیق و پژوهش در سنت های فرهنگی ایران زمین بود. کاوشگری در میراث تمدن ایرانی به سبک و سیاق و روشهای مدرن به مجموعه عظیمی از آثار، تصحیحات، نظریات و سرانجام دیدگاههای جدید منجر شد. دیدگاههایی که مفاهیم ایران، فرهنگ ایرانی و هویت ایرانی را به ثبت رساندند. تا قبل از افرادی مانند قزوینی شناخت مفاخر و آثارشان را مدیون مستشرقین هستیم و کمتر کسی جسارت و اعتماد به نفس ورود به عرصه منابع فرهنگ ملی و برجسته ساختن آن و بهتر دانستن آن از مشابه های غربی را داشت. کسی که بیش از همه و پیش از همه این تحقیقات و اکتشافات را در میان ایرانیان فارسی زبان منتشر ساخت و آنها را تصحیح و تکمیل نمود، قزوینی است. چهار مشخصه کار قزوینی که روش او در تصحیح و آثار حاصل را از روش و آثار بسیاری از محققین مشرق زمین متمایز می کنند، دانش و اطلاعات، روشها و ابزار پژوهش انتقادی، نظم و کار بی وفقه با اصول و سرشار از پیگیری و استمرار ، عشق به ملت و فرهنگ خویش هستند. طبع تاریخ جهانگشای عطاءالملک جوینی را موقوفه گیب از او خواست که 25 سال تصحیح و تحشیه و انتشار آن سه سال طول کشید. قزوینی به تمایلات شخصی و عقاید و آرا قبلی خود در موضوع مورد مطالعه اش اجازه دخل و تصرف نمی داد و برای به کار گیری متد علمی برای دستیابی به حقیقت روش مشخصی داشت و نظم و ترتیب کامل را رعایت می کرد.

قزوینی معتقد بود که فن تحقیق و تتبع هم خود علم مهمی است و باید متد علمی را آموخت تا از عهده تحقیق بر آمد. و چنانچه خود در ترجمه احوالش نگاشته، بر اثر معاشرت و مناسبات کتبی و شفاهی طولانی مدت با علما و خاورشناسان نامدار در انگلستان، فرانسه و آلمان متد علمی تحقیق را فرا گرفت. دلبستگی زیادی نسبت به آثار علمی و ادبی و هنری ایران و زبان فارسی داشت. علی اکبر سیاسی تعریف می کند که روزی تعجب خود را از اطلاع وسیع قزوینی از وقایع جزایی روزنامه های ایرانی بیان کرد و از او پرسید که چطور محاکمه اصغر قاتل را می خواند. قزوینی در پاسخ گفته بود که زبان زمان ما همین است که مجرمین در مقابل سوالات قضات در محاکمه جواب می گویند و او که با این طبقه از مردم هیچوقت تماسی ندارد، بهترین وسیله برای آگاه بودن از زبان آنها خواندن جریان محاکمات است.

دیگر اثر بسیار مهم قزوینی ایجاد نهضتی است که شاگردان و پیروان او آن را دنبال کردند. در طی فعالیت ادبی دور و دراز خود طریقه تحقیق و تتبع و تالیف و تصنیف را به بسیاری آموخت وشیوه تحقیق محمد قزوینی در نقد متون، برای تعدادی از محققان جوانتر همچون رشید یاسمی، اقبال آشتیانی، سعید نفیسی، احمد بهمنیار و علی اکبر فیاض شد. اقبال آشتیانی، تقی زاده و جمالزاده شاگردان او بودند. به برکت وجود افرادی چون قزوینی، شاگردان و یاران او در طی چند دهه کاری صورت گرفت که در طی چند قرن صورت نگرفته بود. اینان کتابها، آثار و متون را زنده کردند. اگر چه فرایند ورود شیوه های جدید نقد و تصحیح متون به ایران را نمی توان به یک تن نسبت داد، اما قزوینی را به دلیل دقت و وسواسش در کار علمی می توان "سرسلسله مصححان معاصر" نامید.

میرزا محمد قزوینی (علامه قزوینی) روز جمعه ششم خرداد 1328 در تهران در گذشت. یادش گرامی.

به قلم فرشته تویسرکانی

منبع: یادنامه علامه محمد قزوینی به کوشش علی دهباشی

1.اوقاف گیب: خیریه ای ثبت شده در انگلستان در سال 1902. خانواده گیب ثروتشان را به گرامیداشت خاطره پسرشان الیاس جان گیب که در سن 45 سالگی وفات یافت، وقف این خیریه کرده اند. الیاس گیب تمام عمر خود را به تحقیق در باره تاریخ، ادبیات، فلسفه و دین ترکها، پارسیان و اعراب صرف کرده بود. هدف اوقاف گیب، پیشبرد موضوعات فوق الذکر است و هیئت امنای اوقاف گیب درآمد آنرا صرف انتشار و مطالعات آکادمیک در باره تاریخ، ادب و مذهب ترک، پارس و عرب کرده اند.

La La La Human Steps

2011-05-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

I watched a dance performance by La La La Human Steps. Apart from the incredible physical ability of the dancers, I cannot say much about it. Repetitions of movements and poses followed by more repetitions. I sat there marveling at their energy and complexity, but soon I grew tired of it as it kept happening again and again and again with fairly boring video installations in between.

Surely, technical ability is a huge part of dance, but it isn't all. Not to me. If I want sheer physical ability, I watch athletes. They are great. I look for something more in art. I don't look for just great words or sentences in literature, though it is an important part of it, I look for something more. Something beyond technique that connects me to my own humanity and to the others.

I was rather disappointed; so if athletic physical ability and fast pace are what you are looking for, this show is for you. If you are looking for more, look elsewhere.

مد وزیبایی در ایران

2011-05-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

من هر بار به ایران می روم، انگار که از یک اسطوره قدیمی ناگهان به زمان حاضر قدم گذاشته ام. نه به خاطر این که خیلی باشکوه به نظر می آیم بلکه به نظر می رسد که چند هزار سال خواب بوده ام و هیچ خبری از مد و زیبایی و خلاصه هیچ چیز جدیدی نداشته ام.

دو سال پیش که به ایران رفته بودم، راننده یکی از تورهای مسافرتی به من گفت:" خوب خانم اون طرف ها چه خبر؟" من که هیچ گونه اشاره و نشانه ای از این که ساکن ایران نیستم نداده بودم (به نظر خودم)، پرسیدم:" چرا فکر می کنید که من در خارج زندگی می کنم؟" پاسخ او این بود که " دیگر هیچ کس در این جا این طوری لباس نمی پوشد."

من خیلی متعجب شدم و شروع به دقت در لباس دور و بری هام کردم و متوجه شدم که مانتو من حداقل 20 سانت از همه بلند تر است و آستین هایش حداقل 10 سانت و تقریبا دو سایز هم بزرگتر از سایز خودم است و ...

ولی از سر و لباس من که بگذریم (که البته دوست و آشنا و خانواده در طی 20 سال اخیر نگذشته اند و به اشکال گوناگون آه، بالا بردن ابروها، یا تذکر صریح به این که لباس پوشیدن من باعث آبروریزی است اشاره کرده اند) برای من خیلی جالب است که مد و زیبایی چه قدر در ایران تغییر می کند و در عین حال خط کاملا مستقل و مشخصی از جاهای دیگر دارد. مثلا این بار که به ایران رفتم، چند ماه پیش، مدل موی خاصی مد بود که من در هیچ مجله یا گزارش مد در این جا ندیدم. مدل خاصی که شباهتی به مدل های پوش داده (ولی با ارتفاع بسیار بالا) سال های 1960 داشت اما کاملا آن نبود. یا دو سال قبل بیشتر عروس ها آرایش خاصی داشتند که به "آرایش عربی" مشهور بود که باز ترکیبی از ابروی شمشیری و چشم گربه ای و .... بود با اکلیل و سایه فراوان. راستش من فیاقه های ساده عروس ها را بعد از مراسم بیشتر دوست داشتم، منتهی جرات نکردم چیزی بگویم.

دیگر این که رنگ موی بلوند بسیار روشن خیلی مد بود وتعداد خانم های با موی قهوه ای و سیاه انگشت شمار بود. مدل مانتو هم مرتبا تغییر می کند و همه می دانند ولی من هیچ وقت نفهمیدم که این مدها چه گونه می آیند و می روند. این جا خوب مشخص است، چند تا مجله خانم ها یا مجله مد را که ورق بزنیم می فهمیم چه مد است و کسانی هم که مد سال را تعیین می کنند مشخصند. ولی نمی دانم که در ایران سیستم چه گونه است و چه گونه مد تعیین می شود و چه گونه در بین مردم پخش می شود. شما چیزی می دانید؟

مراسم زار در ایران (Zar in Iran)

2011-04-18T16:28:00.001-07:00

Cover Design by Ghazal Razavi
A summer in my childhood, my sister took me to Ramsar Camp. I had very little to exposure to people outside my family and neighbourhood in Tehran, and seeing tall, tanned, young men from Sistan and Baluchistan, young men and women with light colours of hair and skin from Hamedan and ... so many different features was quite an experience.

One day, I ran into something that caught my attention: a performance of Zar by young boys and girls from Bushehr. I had never seen anything like it. I never saw anything like it for years to come. The experience stayed with me until, during my PhD program at University of Toronto, I became friends with a student from Sudan. One day, while she was talking about her homeland, she mentioned Zar. I thought I heard her wrong. Then she explained, and to my astonishment, it seemed very similar to what I had observed many years before in that summer camp.

This encounter set me on a path of exploration and research in southern Iran. The result is a series of articles, essays, multi-media productions (http://jadidonline.com/story/22052009/frnk/zaar_ritual"), and a book that was just published.

Conservative's Plan for Coporate Tax Cuts: How Much More Do We Have to Pay for the Rich?

2011-04-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

Voting: Just Do It.

2011-04-09T12:59:00.001-07:00

It is election time in Canada, and I am preparing to vote. Well, I can hardly call it preparations. Not much goes into it other than checking my notice and show up at the right place at the right time. Not much at all.

It makes me wonder: how much women had to suffer to get us the right to vote? It is hard to believe that at some point they were ridiculed to ask for the right to vote! I saw a report on a small village in Switzerland where women were not allowed to vote (in the 90s). And the elders (male) of the village, when confronted with questions regarding this, responded,"We have been living happily without women voting for hundreds of years. We don't need to change."

But then why do we need to vote? To get our voice heard, first and foremost. It is not the only thing we can do to achieve that, but it is the bare minimum. It is only a few times in our lives, if you compare it with the number of visits to the hair dresser or vacations or ... (yes, even now that the frequency has increased). It is definitely an effort worth making. There is no excuse. You don't like anyone around, make your own party, stand for something, get your voice heard. It is our civic responsibility. Yes, things may not go the way we like, but we have tried, and we can continue trying.

And as a woman, I feel even more strongly about this. Out of respect for all those who have fought to grant me the right to have a say in how political affairs are run. Just think about how much women have struggled to gain the right to vote. How are we treating their efforts? With respect or total neglect? And for all those who fought to get the right to vote for middle class, ordinary citizens (as opposed to aristocrats), religious minorities, etc, etc. I remember an episode of Blackadder where he (an aristocrat, a Lord I think) tells his servant, Baldrick, that he was not eligible to vote.... And then he added, "... virtually no-one is: women, peasants, chimpanzees, lunatics, Lords ..."

Let's embrace our right. Let's vote.

Tirgan 2011: An Event You don't Want to Miss

2011-03-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

What do you feel like in terms of art and culture?
A grand ballet or a solo contemporary dance performed on Persian music?
Perhaps you are more into traditional theater? Then how about a naqqali performance? Or taking your kids to a puppet show where they can also perform?

Come on, make up your mind. But then, you don't have to. A group of about 300 volunteers have been working for over a year to make sure you can have it all on July 21-24, 2011 at Tirgan in Toronto. And the great thing is that, for the most part, you don't have to pay to enjoy a show, try a workshop, or listen to a book reading.

So, visit the website (www.tirgan.ca), make your own personalized schedule from over fifty events, and book your train or flight. Here are a few examples of what you will be missing if you miss Tirgan:

Nima Kiann- http://www.balletspersans.org/
Ida Saki- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhoyX7opH-w
Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam- http://www.shahrokh-nakissa.com/
Abbas Maroufi- http://maroufi.malakut.org/
Shahrnush Parsipour- http://www.shahrnushparsipur.com/
Rastak- http://www.rastak.ir/

I can go on and on, but you should check for yourself:
http://www.tirgan.ca/programs/artists

Women without Men

2011-03-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

I finally got a chance to watch "Women without Men", the first feature film by Shirin Neshat. Visually, the film is stunning. However, content and script are no match for the film's remarkable visual effect.

The film follows the lives of four women, a traditional girl, a prostitute, a middle-aged unhappily married, and one with ambitions of political activism in the backdrop of 1953 Coup. That may be the first problem with the film: there is hardly
any connection (except for Munis's interest in politics) between the main story of the women and the 'backdrop'. At times, it is not clear which is which or whether they are taken from the same film. I admire and applaud Neshat's initiative in bringing up the subject that has influenced contemporary Iran to a great extent, but her film fails to connect the two: the story of the other three women could be happening any other time; the political unrest and oppression do not affect most of them. Why put it there?

The actresses enter and exit the film as symbols; they never step out of the symbolic world. No character building; hardly any motivation for what they do. Acting is often constrained and disconnected. Death is everywhere, but once again, spread about with hardly any connection to anything else.

The film won the Silver Lion Award for best director in Venice Film Festival in 2009. If you are in for an amazing array of spectacular shots, the film is worth watching a few times. Unfortunately, I cannot say that about content/character/plot, which lag far behind the amazing visuals.

Emerging Musicians: SoundClash Music Award

2011-03-17T09:48:00.001-07:00

SoundClash Music Award at the Harbourfront Centre
Music competitions will take place at the Harbourfront Centre Friday evenings throughout July 2011.
Emerging music artists are encouraged to apply and be part of the competition. For information regarding eligibility requirements, please visit Harbourfront Centre website (www.harbourfrontcentre.com) at the end of March under SoundClash Music Award.

نوروز: چراغ دل برافروزیم

2011-03-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

ابر آزاری بر آمد باد نوروزی وزید وجه می می خواهم و مطرب که می گوید رسید

.....

ز کوی یار می آید نسیم باد نوروزی از این باد ار مدد خواهی چراغ دل برافروزی

لطیفه های اهورا و اوستا

2011-03-12T05:22:00.000-08:00

One day, when my nephew, Avesta, was very bored and asked to play games on my mobile, I encouraged him to tell me a few jokes. Avesta started and his brother, Ahoura, joined him. I laughed a lot but was also deeply moved in encountering their world of humour: the themes, subjects, words, ... were all from a child's world. It was fascinating to learn what was circulating among eleven-year-old children; here are a few examples:

یک روز آقا گرگه می ره در خونه ی شنگول و منگول می گه بچه ها در رو باز کنین من مادرتونم. شنگول و منگول می گن: دروغ نگو، ما آیفون تصویری داریم و از پشت در می بینیمت.

2. یک روز آقا گرگه می ره در خونه شنگول و منگول می گه بچه ها درو باز کنین من مادرتونم. خرسه می یاد بیرون می گه بابا این ها ده ساله که از این خونه رفتن.

3. یک روز یک مردی ساعت ضد آب می خره و به دستش می بنده و میره استخر. آب می ره تو ساعتش و خرابش می کنه. مرده می ره مغازه و با عصبانیت به فروشنده می گه: "آقا این ساعت باید ضد آب باشه. ایناها، تو این کاغذی که تو جعبه اش گذاشتید، نوشته." فروشنده می گه:" بله آقا، حق با شماست. من این رو می فهمم، شما می فهمید، ولی آب که سواد نداره بخونه که نره تو ساعت شما.

سفرنامه قشم و بندرعباس به قلم اوستا

2011-03-10T05:58:00.000-08:00

Avesta in Hurmuz

Here is my eleven-year-old nephew's account of his recent trip to southern Iran. The school had asked them to write a report, and he picked the title which I post at the title of the blog. I liked it a lot; so I thought I would share it (unedited, unchanged). I hope you enjoy it.

یکشنبه 24/11/89
ساعت 6:50 دقیقه است و ما از بازرسی عبور کرده و در سالن انتظار منتظر رسیدن هواپیما هستیم. در دیواری که در این جا قرار دارد، عکس های زیادی از مناطق مختلف ایران به چشم می خورد. مدتی بعد ما سوار هواپیما شدیم و به سوی بندرعباس رفتیم.

ساعت 8:30 به بندرعباس رسیدیم. 45 دقیقه طول پرواز بود. در فرودگاه بندرعباس دوست عمه ام منتظر ما بود. با اتومبیل او به سمت هتل هرمز حرکت کردیم. پس از رسیدن به هتل و گرفتن اتاق، برای صرف شام به کافی شاپ هتل رفتیم ولی آنجا یکشنبه ها غذا درست نمی کرد و ما به ناچار به سمت فست فودی به نام پرتقال حرکت کردیم. غذای آنجا سریع حاضر می شد و خوشمزه بود، محیط آنجا نیز زیبا بود.

در راه برگشت هوا سرد بود ولی نگاه به خلیج فارس، مرغ های دریایی و زیبایی های آن، سرما را بی معنی می کرد. نام بازار قدیمی شهر "اوزیها" بود که من آن را "عضیها" خواندم. با تاکسی به هتل برگشتیم و به خوابی عمیق فرو رفتیم. ساعت 7 صبح شود که برای خوردن صبحانه به کافی شاپ رفتیم. میز صبحانه آن قدر بزرگ بود که من نمی دانستم چه بخورم، ولی مطمئن بودم که آبمیوه می خورم!

به اسکله رفتیم و سوار تندرو شدیم تا به سمت قشم حرکت کنیم. وقتی به قشم رسیدیم ما سوار تاکسی شدیم تا کل جزیره را بگردیم. به سمت جنگل های حرا حرکت کردیم و در بین راه برکه ها، روستاها و طبیعت قشم را دیدیم. به جنگل های حرا که رسیدیم پس از خریدن چند چیز به عنوان سوغاتی سوار قایق شدیم تا آنجا را بگردیم. جنگل های حرا در اثر جذر و مد به زیر و روی آب می رفتند. منظره بسیار زیبا بود و در بعضی جاها ریشه های درختان از آب و خاک بیرون آمده بودند. تعدادی پرنده نیز در آنجا دیدیم و دلیل آن ممنوع بودن شکار و پرنده در منطقه بود.

پس از بازدید از جنگل های حرا به سمت پارک دلفین ها حرکت کردیم. به آنجا که رسیدیم؛ سوار قایق شدیم و به سمت پارک دلفین ها رفتیم. قایق تکان های شدیدی می خورد. دلفین ها بسیار زیبا بودند و حتی یکی از آن ها از آب بیرون پرید. قایق های دیگر وحشیانه به دنبال دلفین ها می رفتند؛ این موضوع باعث شد که دلفین ها فرار کنند. در نتیجه ما به سمت جزیره ی هنگام رفتیم. بازار هنگام بسیار زیبا بود؛ به ویژه ساختمان های قدیمی آن! در آنجا سوغاتی های زیادی بود و من تعدادی از آن را خریدم. در آنجا نوعی نان بود که بسیار خوشمزه بود ولی نانی که با سس ماهی (سوراق) درست شده بود طعم چندانی نداشت. ساحل نقره ای که سنگ هایی درخشان و زیبا داشت را دیدیم و به سمت قایق حرکت کردیم. من اصرار داشتم که به مزرعه ی تمساح ها نیز برویم؛ ولی اصرارهای من فایده نداشت.

به قشم بازگشتیم و به سوی دره ستاره حرکت کردیم. در دره ستاره سنگ ها و صخره ها شکل های مختلفی داشتند؛ بعضی ها می گفتند: " این به دلیل برخورد شهاب سنگ است." و گروهی دیگر می گفتند: "این جا به طور طبیعی و با فرسایش خاک درست شد." به آن جا رسیدیم و شکل مختلفی دیدیم؛ مانند: عروس و داماد، مردمی با کلاه، حیوانات و ...

اهورا در راه برگشت گرسنه بود؛ ولی من اصرار داشتم به غار خربس برویم. در راه از روستایی رد شدیم و در آنجا از فروشگاه صنایع دستی بازدید کردیم؛در کنار آن، مغازه سوپر مارکت بود و ما از آن ها در حالی که مشغول خوردن ناهار بودند تعدادی چیپس خریدیم. تازه فهمیدم که خانه و مغازه روستایی ها یکی است. از کنار غار خربس رد شدیم ولی از آنجا بازدید نکردیم و به سمت قلعه ی پرتقالی ها رفتیم. در رستوران دریایی آنجا غذا خوردیم؛ من آن موقع فهمیدم که قشمی ها به قلیه ماهی شان رب گوجه می زنند.

پس از خوردن ناهار از قلعه ی پرتقالی ها بازدید کردیم. آن قلعه بسیار کوچک بود؛ راهنما در باره ی مکان جاهای مختلف مانند: اتاق ها، اسلحه خانه و .... توضیحاتی داد. جایی بود که هیچکس نمی دانست کجاست. وی چند سوال پرسید و من به یکی از آن ها پاسخ دادم و یک صدف خشک شده جایزه گرفتم. بعد از بازدید به بازار شهر رفتیم و من و اهورا برای خواهرمان دو عروسک خرسی خریدیم. عمه ام در باره مراسمی به نام زار تحقیق می کرد. ما با دوست عمه ام که می خواست فیلمی را در باره ی زار به عمه ام نشان دهد، به محل کارش رفتیم؛ و پس از آن به بندر عباس برگشتیم. شب بود وما به بهترین فست فود بندرعباس رفتیم. آن جا محیطی زیبا و غذایی خوشمزه داشت؛ ولی میزهایش کثیف بود. پس از آن به هتل برگشته و خوابیدیم.

فردا صبح هر کس می گفت جایی برویم. آسانسور خراب بود و ما مجبور شدیم با پله به پایین برویم. آن روز صبحانه در رستوران داده می شد و ما پس از خوردن آن به سمت اسکله رفتیم تا از بندرعباس به هرمز برویم و تنها وسیله آن جا اتوبوس دریایی بود. اتوبوس تکان های شدیدی می خورد و ما مدت زیادی صبر کردیم تا پر شود. هرمز جزیره ای زیبا با 8000 نفر جمعیت بود. ما سوار موتور سه چرخه شدیم تا دور جزیره را بگردیم. من برای اولین بارم بود که سوار موتور سه چرخ شده بودم. مگس های زیادی موجب اذیت و آزار ما می شدند.

هرمز کوچک بود و رستوران نداشت ولی بسیار زیبا بود؛ کوه های رنگی، کوه های نمک، خاک های رنگی و .... همه ی کوه ها رنگی داشت و درخت های زیادی دیده می شد. آن جا چنان زیبا بود که قلم از توصیف آن عاجز است. راهنما می گفت: "جلوتر آهو می بینیم.
ما سعی کردیم از همه جا عکس بگیریم. نخست بزرگترین پرچم ایران را دیدیم که با خاک های رنگی درست شده بود. پس از عکس برداری، من با دقت به پرچم نگاه کردم و متوجه شدم که بالای آن رنگ سبز نیست، بلکه رنگی شبیه سبز است.

پس از آن به دره ی رنگین کمان رفتیم. همه ی کوه رنگی بود و گاهی در کنار جاده سنگ و خاک هایی می دیدیم که به رنگ های مختلف مانند: قرمز، ابی، زرد، نیلی، بنفش و ... بود؛ البته مقداری خاک شبیه خاک ساحل نقره ای در آن جا بود و منظره را زیبا تر می کرد. عمه ام با دقت از همه چا عکس می گرفت. راهنما می گفت :" تعداد زیاد مگس ها به دلیل مکان های خشک کردن ماهی ها در این جاست." به دره ی رنگین کمان رسیدیم. از آن جا 72 نوع رنگ استخراج می شد. جلوتر که رفتیم کوه های نمکی را نیز دیدیم. به دلیل باران فراوان در این کوه ها نمک های فراوانی وجود داشت و بعضی جاها سفید شده بودند. جلوتر کوه های رنگی کم شده بودند و جای خود را به کوه های سفید مایل به خاکستری داده بودند. در منطقه ی دیگر ی ایستادیم که دریا خود را زیباتر جلوه می داد و سنگ و صخره هایی که از دل دریا بیرون زده بودند آدم را به سمت خودشان جذب می کردند. جلوتر تعدادی آهو و محل خشک کردن ماهی ها را دیدیم.

مدتی گذشت تا به قلعه ی پرتقالی ها که بسیار بزرگتر از قلعه ی قشم بود رسیدیم. درهای آن جا کوتاه بود و من فکر می کنم این موضوع به دلیل قد کوتاهی پرتقالی ها بود ولی سقف های اتاق های آن جا بسیار بلند بود. به روی دیوارها و بالای یکی از برج ها که از چند برج دیگر سالم تر بود رفتیم. بعد از آن به سمت کلیسای آنان رفتیم. راهنما توضیحاتی در باره کلیسا می داد. وی می گفت:" شاه عباس از این بنا به عنوان آب انبار استفاده می کرده."

پس از بازدید به اسکله برگشتیم و مدتی منتظر ماندیم تا قایق پر شود. شوهر عمه ام پایش لیز خورد و در دریا افتاد ولی قایق را گرفت و چیزیش نشد. مدتی بعد قایقی با سرعت از کنارمان رد شد و مقداری آب روی ما پاشید.

به بندرعباس که رسیدیم غذا خوردیم و پس از آن به هتل برگشتیم. عمه می خواست از بازار ماهی فروش ها بازدید کند ولی دیگران قبول نکردند. پس از رسیدن به هتل همه خوابیدیم. مدتی بعد عمه ام ما را صدا کرد تا به بازار برویم ولی من و اهورا بیدار نشدیم. سرانجام عمه ام و اهورا به بازار رفتند و من به حمام! اهورا و عمه ام که از بازار برگشتند آماده شدیم تا به مهمونی برویم. اهورا در بازار برای خواهرمان یک شلوار بندری خریده بود. من نصف پول شلوار را دادم تا با هم در خرید شلوار شریک شویم.

پس از مهمونی به هتل برگشتیم و خوابیدیم. فردا صبح دوباره آسانسور هتل خراب بود و ما مجبور شدیم با پله پایین بیاییم. پس از خوردن صبحانه با پله بالا رفتیم و با پله چمدان ها را پایین آوردیم. کار سختی بود. در بازرسی فرودگاه سنگ ساحل نقره ای را با مواد مخدر اشتباه گرفتند ولی بالاخره توانستیم رد شویم و با هواپیما تپلف به شیراز برگردیم.

پایان

Az Iran

2011-03-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

Once again, I am all alone with my homeland. The presence of seventy million people does not distract me. I walk in the fields in Hurmuz Island, watch the deers' delicate bodies move around, the lone birds huddle on top of cliffs in the middle of Persian Gulf, the ocean change colour in front of me.

I close my eyes and stretch my arms to embrace it all. I reach across the land on the other side, touch the soil, and feel my finger tips on both arms touch ... I am unbearably happy in my country... "Love is a many splendored thing" indeed ...

Sharing Meals and Enjoying Them

2011-01-21T13:29:00.001-08:00

Do you find it harder and harder to entertain people at your place for a meal? I do. Not just because I am lazy (yes, I am), but because I find it exceedingly difficult to cater to people's different habits and likes and dislikes.

I always ask people what they like/dislike or are allergic to. It is common courtesy, I believe. Recently, I have been thinking about stopping because the lists are growing so long that entertaining people food-wise seems to be a 'mission impossible'. I have had people coming to my place and bringing their own bread even though I buy quite a few varieties of bread when I entertain. I find that a bit insulting: I mean, who has died of eating one type of bread or the other once or twice? No, these are not people with severe allergies; they just have, at some recent point, made up their minds that this is the only bread they are going to eat no matter what.

And worse than that, some people try to impose what they eat on me when we go out. Suddenly, everyone seems to be a food and nutrition expert with a long list of culprits. Last time I went out with a friend of mine, she ordered green tea (without asking me), and when I politely declined saying that I didn't care for the taste, she stared at me in awe for a while. Then she told me how horrible coffee was (just because one non-research article by someone outside an academic institution said so).

You would think everyone knows, or should know, that perils of different foods and chemicals can come out over long term, detailed, controlled studies. Even then any food or drink or ... can have positive and negative effects. A huge part of this perceived knowledge is mostly gained through random sites on internet or self-help books/articles and often is simply misinformation. The reason being they are not part of long term studies by experts, more like opinions or feelings.

Over the last 20 years I have heard about fat, fiber, hydrocarbons, flax, ... as 'number one foes and friends' of humans. And I have observed people going overboard to the point of obsession with what to eat/not to eat. I have also observed the enormous growth of diet products and plans, supplements, cleansers on one side and people in general growing not necessarily healthier or happier. Just more fussy. Well, maybe its time to rethink our likes, dislikes, and habit and decide how much of it is controlled by us and how much of it by others who have a vested interest in our eating one thing and avoiding the other. Perhaps then we can enjoy eating and sharing meals together more.

Bermuda: Kissed by the Heavens

2011-01-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

Walking anywhere in Bermuda is like living the lines of Armstrong's famous song:

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying "How do you do."
Thay really say: "I love you!"

I have seen friendly people before, but Bermudians are by far the kindest, most friendly people I have ever met. So many smiling faces, the kindness in their eyes. I fell in love at a rate of, on the average, ten times a day.

Bermuda's natural beauty is breathtaking. The water is turquoise in all its glory: so many shades. The beaches have a tinge of pink every now and then.

The country is an island, quite small in area (around 54 square km), and with a population of 68,000, it has one of highest densities in the world! The easiest way to get about is to get a bus pass ($12 for one day) and travel about. It is possible to rent a car, but they drive on the other side of the road (British Style); so I didn't dare taking a chance. You can also rent a motorcycle which is a common commuting tool. But then, you can travel the whole country in a day with one bus pass, I mean it.

I visited the naval dockyard, a beautiful place with a great deal of history. There was an amazing mural by Graham Foster on the walls of the staircase at the National Museum. It took about 7000 hours to complete, and it will take a few hours to travel through 500 years of Bermuda's history through the artist's eyes.

St. George is a quaint, charming town with a lot of character. It is the oldest city in Bermuda. Steep alleys, meandering walk ways, beautiful churches, and a charming mayor. He asked us to mention him; so here it is.

Food was very expensive though often very good. At some point, Bermuda let go of agriculture in favour of tourism. Today, almost everything is imported. In St. George, in a very cozy cafe (Mama Angie's), I had Bermuda's traditional breakfast: cod (fish) and potatoes (both boiled), a banana, and a boiled egg. I had the choice of onion-butter sauce or tomato sauce as well. It was very interesting and certainly very healthy especially that I went with tomato sauce. I had never had fish for breakfast before.

Fish cakes were another favourite of the locals. I tried a few, and I liked them. The taste was similar to that of fish cutlets I had had in Bandar Abbas. Another thing that reminded me of Bandar Abbas was the jewelery boxes decorated with sea shells. It was so amazing to see the same thing (exactly the same) in two places so far apart made by two people who did not know of each others' existence.

There was no university, only a college. Those in pursuit of higher education often traveled to Canada, UK, and the US. No universal health care either.

Some thing that caught my attention was lack of any visible racial tensions. Bermuda's population is 60/40 black/white and others. I think Bermuda abolished slavery in 1834.

Bermuda is a very safe country; I heard a few guns have got into the country recently and that upset many people. Another thing I noticed was people's resistance to the idea of having a casino there; despite financial benefits, they were concerned about who they were going to attract to their country.

The crystal caves, near St. George, are a must. At $20 (nearly $20 Canadian) I traveled underground to a world of fantastic natural creations. The sediments grow about one inch per 100 years; so don't waste your time trying to see the shapes change. Our charming guide, Ron, told us that it was believed that water drops falling from the ceiling were kisses from the heavens. For every drop falling on you (by accident), you will have a whole day of good luck. I got a few kisses from the heavens! And the following day, we had sunshine brighter than ever.

The candy-coloured houses, the turquoise water, the pink beaches all must be the result of kisses dropped from the heavens on Bermuda. Given the age of the crystal caves, the people of Bermuda, with their bright beautiful smiles, with their gentle, kind manners must be the results of these heavenly kisses falling from the heavens on this beautiful land.

On the Importance of Being a Writer

2011-01-04T14:26:00.001-08:00

Writers are, in a way, magicians. They create these extraordinary worlds with characters, settings, and events and make us believe in them. We do not know such and such; in fact, the existence of some characters may defy logic, but we believe in them, in what they do, we feel for them, we worry about them, we laugh at and with them, and we share their pains. How come?

It is the art of the writer and his/her craft: to take us into the world of someone else. To make us see the world through the eyes of 'the other' who may be someone we long for or someone who never crosses our minds. Through a writer's writing, we travel to distant lands, we participate in glamorous feasts or horrid wars, we spend a night in a prison cell with the convicts,... We 'do' everything we can not do in our daily lives. We get a chance to see someone closely, to face his/her choices and dilemmas, and think, "what if?"

Thus, the writer enables us to look at ourselves, our own lives, from a fresh perspective. Having experienced the other, passed a judgment or refrained from it, we get a chance to examine our own dilemmas with renewed confidence or with doubt.

Writers reflect their times, and the best ones, extrapolate into the future. They tell us about what we all want to know: what is to come. Only if we read carefully, if we care to learn to understand their language. Writers write to remind, to remember, and to be remembered.

If you like writing, as I am sure many of you do, here is a chance to try to be the next magician whose story will leave us bewitched and bewildered. You will not know if you do not try; so give it a shot:
http://tirgan.ca/programs/short-story-contest
http://tirgan.ca/sites/default/files/Short%20Story%20-%20Persian.pdf

Best of Luck!

Tirgan Short Story Contest

2010-12-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought about number of words you use in your speaking or writing? If you write regularly or speak professionally, the chances are you have. Now, here is a challenge for you: if you had 2500 words to tell a story, what would you write?

Tirgan 2011 invites those with an interest in writing to participate in Tirgan Short Story Contest: you have 2500 words to tell your story in Persian.

Here is another challenge: you have until February 15th, 2011.

Every word counts just as every day counts. So, first visit the website to find out the rules. Then let your imagination run wild, grab a pen or a computer, and do your best to make a name for yourself in Persian literature.

Stories will be judged in two rounds; a selection of those that reach the semi-final stage will be published in a collection. The top three winners will receive cash prizes as well.

For information, please visit:
http://tirgan.ca/programs/short-story-contest

Hatsun Miku: Disappearnce of the Soul

2010-12-10T12:40:00.000-08:00

Recently, I heard about this virtual singer in Japan created by a software, Hatsun Miku. So ever popular. I looked at a clip, and it was what it was, a hologram. Live in concert too. For some reason, it frightened me: thousands of people listening to synthesized sounds and a hologram leaping from one side of stage to another.

There was a whole radio program about this; experts said it was utterly incredible. That I didn't find it incredible may just be owing to my technical ignorance; this may be a revolution in sound/music technology, but I could not find any art in it, more than that, any sense of connection, any soul in it.

I remember a documentary on wine making I saw years ago. There was this very rugged, aloof French wine maker living out in the country in a rustic country house in the middle of his vineyards. He baked his bread in a fireplace type of oven and roasted the meat and set the table. The host of the documentary presented him with a bottle of wine with no label and asked his opinion. He took a sip, paused, and then drank half a glass. He paused again and said, "It is perfect technique. But it has no soul." The reporter later informed the viewers that wine companies in the US had tried super sophisticated techniques for a few years to produce the type of wine that Frenchman produced with rather, comparatively speaking, rudimentary methods in his winery.

The verdict was clear to me. They succeeded in something. Definitely failed in another. To me it was the spirit of the wine maker that persisted in his wine, and that cannot be generated by machines or software. Why is it? Could we ever make that, the one element missing in the imitation wine? The 'thing' that makes up its soul. The one missing in the hologram singing perfect songs. Or is soul something that someone left in us with exclusive copyright?

There is something about a real human, a real tree, ... call it spirit, soul, there is something about being alive that makes a human different from a hologram. And that is not technique or perfection, it is that unique quality that eludes definition or description. I watch great athletes at work, and as a human, I take pride in being part of that humanity that strives for the best. Perhaps there is an element of trying to excel in this synthesized voice/music/singer too, but at the end, I like the painting, the photograph, the one that carries some part of the artist, perhaps his/her soul. And I fear the day when all we hear is machines speaking, singing, dancing, ..., replacing.

Lovely Rita Mac Neil

2010-11-28T11:40:00.000-08:00

Years ago, when I was new to Canada, one day I was watching a concert on television. It was new to me, and I was interested in learning about the music of the new country. The singer was a lady standing in the middle of a group of men who dressed like miners. I was taken by the scene, but it was when she sang the following lyrics that my heart missed a few beats:

And I swear to God, if I ever see the sun,
Or for any length of time,
I can hold in my mind,
I never again will go down underground.

The song was about miners, people whom I had never met, and, to this day, I have never met. In fact, I have never seen a mine. I don't know how it looks like; I might have driven by it somewhere, and I would not have known it. But the song affected me so deeply with the lives of these men who spend a great deal of their lives underground. I cannot imagine how that must feel. To me, it feels unbearable. They must be super humans. The song managed to take me out of my world and situate me in the middle of life of other human beings. Those whose lives had never crossed my mind suddenly were right in front of me telling me about it.

The singer was Rita Mac Neil. I listened to many more of her songs, but this one never left me. Years later, when studying Canadian literature, I became familiar with the work of Alistair Macleod, the great Canadian writer. He wrote about miners and in his amazingly musical, biblical-contemporary language, these strong men of the deep down turned into medieval knights.

Last night, after twenty-something years, I finally listened to Rita Mac Neil live. She was amazing. At the age of 66, she sang beautifully. I also got to know Frank Mills; I didn't know him. He played his Music Box Dancer, a tune influenced by his view of cherry blossoms in Japan, and much more. It was an amazing night.

Here is a clip of the song (a recent performance):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAGs1K5IBaE&feature=related

Big Deal on Madonna Street

2010-11-15T12:46:00.000-08:00

I watched "Big Deal on Madonna Street" recently. I have no idea how long it was; I wasn't keeping time as I was laughing out all the time. It was amazing; an all-star cast, though they mostly weren't stars yet, great writing, and a plot that takes one on a fantastic ride with its twists and turns and surprise ending. what is about humour that is so appealing? It has this softening effect even on worst blows.

The film is about a group of desperate burglars who are trying to use 'scientific' methods to pull off a big job. From the onset, triumph seems utterly dubious, but that isn't really the point. The film sheds light on to life in certain aspects of Italy and how Italians live. At least part of them. An overprotective brother who has locked up her sister in the house to ensure the family honor is preserved. An unemployed photographer, whose wife is in jail for forging passports, is left to care for his baby boy. An incompetent boxer, ...

Their views, their paths, their dreams and aspirations, the cruelty of life, ... all of this, and more, is portrayed in this I don't know how long film, and yet one doesn't come out of it with bitterness but with a sense of reflection, a sense of openness towards lives of others, and a fresh look at oneself. I suppose that is what art is supposed to do. The marvel of humor in all this is that it leaves you with hope and a fresh mind.

Remembrance Day

2010-11-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

It is Remembrance Day in Canada. It coincides with the day the first world war ended. On this day, we pause to remember those who fought and lost their lives in the war.

Every year on this day, I think about all those people whom I never met, whom I will never meet, who gave up their lives to bring peace to people like me. There is so much in Canadian literature and film, and British literature/film for that matter, on war. It has left such an impression on people's psyche that it almost never leaves their pondering. I try to imagine how life must have been during that time. It is probably the same in many other countries, but I don't know their languages, and I cannot access the depth as well as I can in the English speaking world.

On this day, I also remember other aspects of war. As a child, I was fascinated by 'war movies'. They seemed very exciting to me to the point that I had decided to become a fighter pilot; it was just one career option on the long list of choices which included fashion designer, astronaut, ..., you name it. But this one, to this day, bothers me. The films made war look like something exciting, interesting. An almost always super handsome pilot flew higher and lower and dropped bombs which made huge sounds. They never showed where the bombs went, and what they did with people down there. That I learned as a teenager when a war happened in my homeland.

After the Iraqi invasion of Iran, I had a first hand experience of war. Perhaps not exactly first hand as I didn't live in the frontiers. But I did experience the bombing of the cities when at night we turned off the lights, sat in darkness, and waited for the bombs to fall upon us. We never knew how many more days we had left. Homes were ruined, and people had to leave everything behind and seek refuge in other people's homes, schools, or mosques.

And so many children who lost their parents, so many young men who never came back, so many mothers still waiting... This is the reality of war, and yet, it is shocking that it continues so forcefully almost at all times. What do we wish to gain from it? What can we gain from war? I remember an old Scottish song about a young soldier, and I cannot help about a distant relative who never came back from the war:

When I saw you last Sunday, so young and alive
With the wind in your hair, and the stars in your eyes
Now I am standing by your graveside, and ask myself why?
Was it worth it young Willy Mcbride?
....
The hell with tomorrow, we'll live with the shame
Its yesterday, over and over and over again.
(quoted from memory)

Well, on this day, I hope that it will not be over and over again. That we learn and commit ourselves to end this mindless, horrid thing named war.

کار کار انگلیس هاست!

2010-10-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

I missed you. Yes, you, the one reading these lines. I have been out of touch. So many things floating in my mind; yet, I wasn't able to find uninterrupted moments to sit down and piece everything together. Now, I do. And here it is. Well, part of it.

I grew up with this expression, "kaar kaar-i Ingilisast", and it took me many years to grasp what it meant and why it came to exist. It was mainly when I learned about the 1953 Cue and all that Dr. Mosadeq had to bear trying to get Iranians ownership of their own resources! And just at that exact time, when the British Government fought hardest to deprive of her rights to her resources, the prime minister, Churchill won the Nobel Peace Prize! It is a curious world, isn't it?

I hadn't thought about these events in detail until recently when I started reading literature from India. It is amazing: from Tagore to Ghosh, colonialism plays a deep role in everything that happens. It is an inseparable component of the psyche, the identity. The culture has a strong presence too, but that is the expected part in literature of anywhere in the world. Colonialism stands out as the main culprit responsible for many ills and sufferings of a whole nation, of many nations.

I read "Home and the World" by Tagore. I enjoyed reading it; certain aspects of the novel, the decisions to be made, resonated very well with the current state of what we think we should or we need to do or what we have to avoid. In terms of characters, it is quite old-fashioned: fairly strict and homogeneous. The hero is an angel; the anti-hero is the devil himself. And another character in between that goes through transformations. But what interests me more is the backdrop: India under colonization. That is where the symbolism comes in. Was it possible for India to break into pieces without the British Colonization? It is hard to imagine that it would.

I often saw notices regarding conferences, books, and papers on colonization and its effect on various countries, but I never understood the significance or consequences. The more I read, the more I realize how deep the effect is. One of the stories I am reading (The Sea of Poppies) takes place in a village whose people are driven to starvation because they are forced to abandon farming what they need (wheat, rice, etc) so that they can produce what the British need to sell in China: poppy plantations to produce opium for the British to sell (eventually by force) to China! And when China refuses to buy? War.

It is incredible. It is not that I didn't know these at all before. It is putting them together, and especially in the form of literature, where people with flesh and blood and bones suffer, that made all the difference. I guess we always have that, I hope we do: the power of literature to take us into other people's lives and minds, to familiarize us with 'other', to make us more compassionate, more human.

And it also makes me realize what my grandparents said. When I was a child, I thought they were old and just rambled. Now I realize there was some truth rooted in experience in their suspicions. I can see the world through their eyes. And that again, I owe to literature.

میرزا حسن رشدیه: پدر دبستان و دبستانی ها در ایران

2010-10-13T09:13:00.001-07:00

هشتم سپتامبر برابر با هجده شهریور روز جهانی سواد آموزی است. به جاست که در چنین روزی از میرزا حسن رشدیه، پایه گذار دبستان در ایران یادی بکنیم. بدون تلاش های خستگی ناپذیر وی،تجربه دبستان و سبک جدید آموختن برای بسیاری از ما ممکن نبود.
میرزا حسن تبریزی معروف به رشدیه بنیان گذار مدرسه های جدید در ایران است. به سبب تلاش های خستگی ناپذیر او در جهت تاسیس مدارس به سبک نو، او را پدر دبستان و دبستانی ها درایران خوانده اند.

میرزا حسن در چهاردهم تیرماه سال 1230 در تبریز به دنیا آمد. پس از فراگیری علوم مقدماتی در مکتب و تحصیل علوم دینی، از طریق روزنامه های انتشار یافته در خارج از ایران، با مشکلات مدارس آن زمان و لزوم بازنگری در شیوه های قدیم تدریس در ایران آشنا شد. پس برای آموختن علوم جدید و فراگیری شیوه جدید آموزش، به مصر، استانبول و بیروت رفت. در آن جا پس از آشنایی کامل با اسلوب تعلیم و مطالعات فراوان، موفق شد الفبای صوتی در زبان فارسی اختراع کند. در سال 1263، نخستین دبستان ایرانی را به سبک جدید برای مسلمانان ایروان تاسیس کرد و چهار سال بعد، به تبریز بازگشت و اولین دبستان را به سبک نو درآنجا بنیان گذاشت.

در این مدرسه، روش جدیدی اعمال می شد که در برگیرنده زنگ تفریح، خروج به موقع دانش آموزان از کلاس، تشکیل صف و بازگشت منظم به کلاس بود. برخی متحجرین زنگ مدرسه وی را چون ناقوس کلیسا و کسانی را که فرزندانشان را به این مدارس می فرستادند، کافر نامیدند. رشدیه برای آرام کردن اوضاع، از زنگ استفاده نکرد و تا قبل از سال 1305، برای تشکیل صف، به اشاره ناظم مدرسه، دانش آموزی که بیان خوبی داشت، در گوشه ای از راهرو یا محوطه مدرسه بالای صندلی می رفت و با صدای رسای خود این شعر را که سروده رشدیه بود، می خواند:

هر آن کو در پی علم و دانایی است بداند که وقت صف آرایی است

یا برای زنگ تفریح و خروج دانش آموزان از کلاس، این بیت را می خواند:

الا ای غزالان دشت ذکاوت به بیرون روید از برای سیاحت

اهمیت اساسی کار رشدیه در تحولی است که در تعلیم الفبا ایجاد کرد که با استفاده از آن کودکان در مدت کوتاهی با سواد می شدند. روش تعلیم الفبا در مدارس رشدیه از این جهت که به نوشتن متکی نبود، با روش مکتب داران کاملا متفاوت بود. ابتدا به کودکان خواندن می آموخت و هیچ گاه ابتدا اسامی حروف آموخته نمی شد، بلکه صدای آن ها مورد نظر بود. بدین ترتیب کودکان هفت ساله در مدت سه ماه خواندن و نوشتن می آموختند. این نکته هراس بسیاری از مکتب داران را برانگیخت، چرا که در روش تدریس آنان، زمانی بسیار طولانی برای فراگیری الفبا لازم بود. با سواد شدن عده زیادی در مدتی کوتاه، مردم را از ملایان و مکتب داران بی نیاز می کرد. در پی تحریکات اینان، عده ای به مدرسه رشدیه حمله کردند و ویرانی به بار آوردند. رشدیه بار دیگر به تاسیس مدرسه ای دیگر دست زد. اما این بار تکفیر شد و فتوای انهدام مدارس جدید صادر شد. در تخریب یکی از مدارسی که او تاسیس کرده بود، چند دانش آموز کشته شدند. در اثر فشاربسیار، رشدیه بارها فراری شد، اما هیچگاه از پای ننشست و در بسیاری شهرها از جمله تبریز، قفقاز و مشهد دست به تاسیس مدارسی زد که همگی پس از مدتی بسته شدند.

وقتی امین الدوله به سمت والی آذربایجان منصوب شد، از رشدیه حمایت کرد و تاسیس دبستان دیگری در تبریز ممکن شد. پس از مدتی امین الدوله نخست وزیر شد و رشدیه را با خود به تهران برد. رشدیه اولین دبستان را به سبک جدید در تهران نیز تاسیس کرد. با تشکیل و تاسیس مدرسه ی رشدیه، مقدمات تاسیس مدارس دیگری چون ابتداییه، علمیه و افتتاحیه فراهم شد و با تشکیل "انجمن معارف"، راه برای ایجاد مدارس جدید دیگر و پیش رفت شیوه نوین آموزش باز شد.
حسن رشدیه در 29 آذر سال 1323 در قم چشم از جهان فرو بست. وصیت او این بود که "مرا جایی به خاک بسپارید که هر روز شاگردان مدراس از روی قبرم بگذرند و از این بابت روحم شاد شود". یادش گرامی باد.

نیما یوشیج در شعر یاد

یاد بعضی نفرات
روشنم می دارد
اعتصام یوسف
حسن رشدیه
قوتم می بخشد
راه می اندازد
و اجاق کهن سرد سرایم
گرم می آید از گرمی عالی دمشان
یاد بعضی نفرات
رزق روحم شده است
وقت هر دلتنگی
سویشان دارم دست
جراتم می بخشد
روشنم می دارد

منابع
"از آن روزی که شعر کار زنگ مدرسه ها را می کرد (زنگ مدرسه ها در قدیم و یادی از میرزا حسن رشدیه"، مجله رشد معلم، شماره 192، تابستان 1384، ص. 44.
"مشروطه ی ایرانی"، ماشاالله آجودانی، تهران، نشر اختران، 1382، ص. 276-259.
"زندگینامه پیر معارف، رشدیه بنیانگذار فرهنگ نوین ایران"، فخرالدین رشدیه، تهران، انتشارات هیرمند، 1370. (عکس مرحوم رشدیه از این کتاب گرفته شده است).
"اندیشه های تربیتی حاج میرزا حسن رشدیه"، علی سیّدین، مجله رشد معلم، شماره 136، آبان 1377، ص. 27- 26 .

Masoud Sa'd Salman: Birth of Prison Poetry in Persian Literature

2010-10-13T09:12:00.001-07:00

مسعود بن سعد بن سلمان از شعرای نیمه دوم قرن پنجم و آغاز قرن ششم است. از مسعود سعد نزدیک به 16 هزار بیت شعر در قوالب قصیده، رباعی، غزل، قطعه، مسمط ، مثنوی و انواع دیگر به جای مانده است. اما شهرت او از جهت حبسیه ها یا سروده های زندان اوست.
مسعود سعد جایگاه یگانه ای در کل تاریخ ادبی ایران دارد. از این جهت که شعر شاعر در بند یا حبسیات که جریان تازه ای در سیر فرهنگی ایران بود، با مسعود سعد آغاز می شود. او نخستین شاعری است که از نظر سیاسی در بند شده و هجده تا نوزده سال از عمر خویش را در زندان به سر برده است. با آمدن محمود غزنوی و فتوحات و ثروت هنگفتی که از هند به ایران آورد، نوعی ادبیات مدحی نازل یا به نوعی ادبیات تبلیغی در میان شاعران رواج یافته بود. حبس مسعود سعد و اشعاری که در بند سرود، گسلی در ادبیات دوره غزنوی ایجاد کرد و جریان تازه ای در ادبیات ایران آغاز شد. در حبسیات، مسعود سعد به وصف قلعه ها، دیوارها، شب های دراز و داستان عمری که در پشت دیوارهای سنگین و خاموش زندان ها گذشته، می پردازد.
خاندان مسعود سعد از همدان بودند و سعد، پدر مسعود، درزمان سلاطین غزنوی به ماموریتی به هندوستان رفت و بین سال های 438 و 440 شمسی، مسعود در لاهور به دنیا آمد. از اوان جوانی مسعود نزد استادان عربی، تاریخ، منطق، ریاضی و دیگر زمینه ها را فراگرفت.

آغاز کار مسعود سعد مقارن با عصر پادشاهی سلطان ابراهیم غزنوی است. چون این پادشاه فرزند خویش سیف الدوله محمود را به فرمانروایی هند گماشت، مسعود نیز در شمار نزدیکان و در ردیف امرای بزرگ او قرار گرفت. چندی بعد سیف الدوله به فرمان پدر محبوس شد و نزدیکان او نیز از جمله مسعود سعد سلمان به زندان افتادند. مسعود به مدت ده سال در قلعه های "سو"، "دهک" و "نای" زندانی بود که در این مدت حبسیات کم نظیر خود را سرود. سرانجام شاعر به شفاعت یکی از مقربان سلطان از زندان رهایی یافت.

سپس در زمان سلطنت مسعود (508-492) مسعود سعد از طرف وزیر وی ابونصر پارسی به حکومت چا لَندَر از مُضافات لاهور منصوب شد. پس از مدتی ابونصر مغضوب و گرفتار شد و همه یارانش از جمله مسعود سعد نیز در بند شدند. این بار مسعود بین هشت تا نه سال در زندان قلعه "مرنج" به سر برد تا بار دیگر به شفاعت یکی از نزدیکان پادشاه از بند رهایی یافت.

کلمه حبسیه (مفرد حبسیات) در ادبیات فارسی نخستین بار در کتاب چهار مقاله عروضی آمده و بر اشعاری اطلاق شده که مسعود سعد در مدت زندانی بودن سرود. واژه حبسیه منسوب به حبس و زندان است و این نوع شعری و این اصطلاح به اشعاری اطلاق می شود که در زندان سروده شده. اشعاری که در زندان سروده می شوند دارای خصایص متفاوتی از دیگر اشعار هستند و در قوالب و مضامین گوناگون می گنجند. انسان محروم از حرکت در فضای آزاد، از مشاهده گردش شب و روز و فصل ها، در تنهایی و سکوت زندان، به درون خود سفر می کند، پرده های ریا، دروغ و چاپلوسی را می درد و بی هیچ تکلفی، احساسات انسانی خود را در حالت های گوناگون آن به تصویر می کشد.

حبسیه فریاد انسانی ستمدیده است که در زندان ها و سیاهچال ها در زیر شکنجه همجنسان دیوسیرت خود دست و پا می زند و با عفریت سرما و گرسنگی و فقر و آلودگی و تنهایی دست به گریبان است.
در حبس بدین چنین زمستان ترسم که فزون شود جنونم
یا
گوری است سیاهرنگ دهلیزم خوکی است کریه روی دربانم
کلمات و الفاظ در حبسیات مسعود سلمان متین و با وقار و نمودار روحی دردمند و زجر کشیده اند. این متانت کلام باعث می شود که اثری عمیق در خواننده به جا بماند، هر چند که خواننده زندان نرفته وبه درد او گرفتار نشده باشد.
نرسد دست من به چرخ بلند ور نه بگشادمیش بند از بند
قسمتی کرد سخت ناهموار بیش و کم در میان خلق افکند
---
نه مردی که با او سخن توان گفتن نه زیرکی است که چیزی از او شنید توان
---
دو گونه نوا باشدم روز و شب ز آواز زاغ و ز بانگ کلنگ
در اوج غم و اندوه و تلخ ترین لحظه های عمر، یعنی هنگامی که پدر یا فرزند خود را از دست می دهد، در حالی که در کنج تاریک زندان به زنجیر کشیده شده، شاعر چند رباعی سرود:
از سنگم یا ز چیستم جان پدر خود داند کس که کیستم جان پدر
تو مردی و من بزیستم جان پدر بر مرگ تو خون گریستم جان پدر
در رثای فرزند خود (صالح) که از غم پدر جوانمرگ شده:
صالح اگر دل به جای جامه بدرم شاید که همی خون شود از غم جگرم
در دیده من از مرگ تو خون ها دارم بر مرگ تو تا به مرگ خون ها بخورم
اشعار او به مرثیه ای بی پایان می مانند، بر عمری که بیهوده قربانی ترس و هوس خودکامگان و ستمکاران شده.
بزرگوار خدایا چو قرب ده سال است که می بکاهد جان من از غم و تیمار
چنان بلرزم کاندر هوا نلرزد مرغ چنان بپیچم کاندر زمین نپیچد مار
بر مردم زمانه که ارزش علم و فضل را نمی شناسند و به ارباب فضل و اهل ادب لگد می زنند، می تازد:
که بردرند سگان هر که را نگردد سگ لگد زنند خران هر که را نباشد خر
یا
هر کجا تیز فهم دانایی است بنده کند فهم نادانی است
در ادبیات فارسی حبسیاتی از مسعود سعد سلمان، خاقانی، فرخی یزدی و بهار به جای مانده است. اشعار مسعود سعد تجلی درد و رنج وی و "من شخصی" شاعرند. این نکته حبسیات او را با حبسیات شاعران دوره های بعد مانند فرخی یزدی یا بهار که من در آن ها "من اجتماعی" است متفاوت می کند. در اشعار مسعود، وقتی سخن از آزادی به میان آمده، منظور رهایی شاعر از زندان بوده است. سخن از آزادی به مفهوم دموکراسی، با مشروطیت شروع می شود و اشعار شاعرانی مانند فرخی یزدی ترانه های آزادی و برابری و پیکار با استبداد و سیاست های استعماری است که زنجیر اسارت را بر دست و پای هموطنان او بسته اند.

در تاریخ ادبیات فارسی سه حبسیه سرای بزرگ وجود دارند: مسعود سعد، خاقانی و ملک الشعرای بهار که به عقیده بسیاری از میان اینان حبسیات مسعود سعد بر دو دیگر برتری دارد چرا که در حبسیات بهار الفاظ و کلمات محدود به معنای ظاهری و لفظی خویش هستند و در نتیجه استفاده از زبان محاوره در شعر در تاثیر گذاری به اشعار مسعود نمی رسند. از طرفی خاقانی نیز اگر چه در نوآوری و ابداع و ابتکار مضامین از مسعود سعد پیش است، اما فضل فروشی و ابهام گرایی و پیچیده گویی شعرش را در پایگاهی فروتر از معسود قرارداده است.

گفته شده که مسعود سعد به زبان های فارسی، هندی و عربی شعر می سروده، اما اثری از اشعار عربی یا هندی او به جای نمانده است. اشعار فارسی او نیز توسط حکیم سنایی غزنوی گردآوری شده.

مسعود سعد در اواخر عمر، سمت کتابداری دربار غزنوی را به عهده گرفت و در سال 515 خورشیدی چشم از جهان فرو بست.
منابع
1. الزغول، محمد احمد (1382). حبسیات عربی و فارسی با تکیه بر حبسیات ابو فراس حمدانی و مسعود سعد سلمان، نامه پارسی، سال هشتم، شماره اول، ص 140-125.
2. دزفولیان، کاظم (1380). دو شاعر زندانی، آینه پژوهش، شماره 69، ص 25-17.
3. آذرگون، علی (1384). دو شاعر زندانی (بررسی برخی عناصر مشترک حبسیه در شعر مسعود سعد سلمان و خاقانی شروانی، فصلنامه ادبیات فارسی (دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی خوی)، شماره 3، ص 209 -191.
4. اسلامی ندوشن، محمد علی (1383). از رودکی تا بهار، نغمه زندگی، تهران، ص 253-219.
5. دزفولیان، کاظم (1371). عناصر سازنده شعر حبسیه بر اساس اشعار مسعود سعد، شماره 8 و 9، ص 38-56.

Growing Old Gracefully (Really)

2010-10-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

For a big part of my life, I didn't think about growing old. The subject didn't concern me or interest me. Partly, because I never thought it would happen to me. And then, suddenly, totally unexpectedly, it did come to my mind.

I know it seems incredible how one could miss on such subject. But I was so busy dealing with abstract theories and relations that I missed on the most elementary, most obvious facts of life. That is one danger or joy of living in my own head.

As soon as I noticed the subject of growing old, I hated it. I did, really. Strength, vigor, looks, ... all seemed to gradually let go of me. And it didn't matter how hard I tried to cling. I got tired faster than before. I used to travel to three countries by a combination of air, railway, and sea within a week and go to work the following day after my return. I realized now I needed to slow down, plan more, and certainly leave room for pauses and rests. I didn't like that either. I wished I could die young. That way, I would always stayed young.

Just a while ago, I watched a film that changed my whole view. It was "All Passion Spent", an amazing tribute to old age with superb acting. After watching that, I came to terms with growing old. More than that, I grew fond of it. I thought of it as something to look forward to. A time when my life will seem like "a landscape I can pick any point I wish and reflect". That is what the main character in the film said: she now could reflect, could be free of all obligations, possessions, and worries. That she was wise helped of course. I see so many old people who have nothing to do; they look weary, grumpy, and tired or talk nonstop about past experiences or events that no one seems interested in. Probably there are various reasons for this, but I think planning will make a difference. And how one lives one's life at present.

I recommend the film and the reflection. It is well worth the time in a world where we are surrounded by caveats, warnings, and pressures to accomplish the impossible: to prevent ourselves from growing old or to hide it at all costs. Why not accept it and learn to enjoy it? That is what "All Passion Spent" taught me: When can one indulge oneself if not in old age?

Talking About Your Children and The Me Me Me Generation

2010-09-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Talking About Your Children
and
The Me Me Me Generation

September 2010
JP Melville

How do you discuss a distinct lack of power among individuals in a society? How do you discuss the helplessness of those who believe that they have the capacity to choose when they bear children? How do you discuss our extended, perhaps lifelong, juvenile lives?

Take seven days off work. Pull the children from school. Do not spend any money on entertainment. Do not ask the kids what they want to do. Do not purchase any pre-processed foods. Try it. The vaccum of thought, possibility, and imagination will be sheer terror.

Benign tyranny creates unconsciousness. We believe that we are empowered as though we, as individuals, are somehow actualized and present in the world. Belief is not discussed. Belief is expressed, agreed to, and reinforced through routine and peer behaviours. We believe that we are informed, critical thinking, effective citizens. We believe that we are engaged, heard, and responded to through the politics, the economy, and culture of our time.

Just illusion. Me in the world. As though I matter. An illusion equivalent to Plato’s discussion of our lives inside a cave and our observations of our shadows. Our shadows as a chimera of truth.

To be me, to be successful, to have stuff, money in the bank and more, I have given up lateral and horizontal power relationships. I buy, I work, I eat, I sleep through a the corporate world, my job, my boss, my company, a world of vertical integration. I look up for support, not over to my friend or my brother or my wife or my cousin… not even my colleague. So I look down to my children, because I look up. This is not the picture of someone who is in control. It is someone controlled and controlling. Oddly, me, my children, helpless in our sea of control.

In a powerless world, the biological parent has some one thing they can call their own. An unfortunate ownership, because we have no other actual ownership of any other thing in our lives. . When a child comes into our lives we treat them as chattel. We create false premises for special meaning of them in our lives. The children are doted on, focussed on, and deemed unique as a result. All of which, conversely, makes trivial the child’s long term sense of confidence and self in the world. A child doted upon develops no skills to survive for themselves in the world. In this regard, they are not unique. To discover self they need to beat it out in the world, where little if anything is safe, protected, or caring.

Why are our children not putting away laundry, preparing their own lunches, reading classical literature, and managing their own weekends by the age of ten? Because we trivialize them. We maintain a juvenile state. We take from them the pride and power to act, to decide, to own, to suffer, to experience consequence, and to give back joy and love. We take from them what we do not have in our own lives. We take from them the capacity to produce, to manufacture, to own for ourselves, and to redistribute the fruits of our own labour. After all, we do not own what we do not make for ourselves or share among ourselves on our own terms.

This alone is a sad state of affairs for democracy and a just economy.

Which begs the discussion of institutions: family, corporations, and government. With children, our focus is family? One would think so.

Then why the facility with which people separate from marriage or common-law relationships?

In general, individuals do not separate from those matters in life in which they have made a major investment or on which they have critical dependencies. The question which arises is, that if people separate easily from each other, where have they heavily invested and from what will they not easily detach? What is beyond obvious are our attachments to our jobs, pensions, and professional community. We also remain attached to public education institutions. We will divorce, separate from marriage…. but through all the disruption, we keep going to work and we continue to send children to public school institutions. Nope, marriage falls apart but the children are in school next day.

The latter point is an indication of the success of the Prussian school model, in which children are removed from parenting / family environments at the earliest age possible, for the purposes of serving industrial production and the military. Dependences have to be vertically integrated. The model was deeply incorporated into Nazi Germany and likewise adopted by the USA.

As family, we are neutered. We produce for material wealth. We benefit from material wealth. Yes, our kids have stuff. But neither we nor they have self. We take self away from them, because we do not have it ourselves.

Imagine a world where children and ourselves re-become adults – owning the world, not the chattel, in which we live.

JP

Note: This piece came as a response to my post. It is highly engaging and well-thought out; so I decided to post it as a separate piece. MSM

Who is the Poet?

2010-09-25T10:48:00.001-07:00

Let's share our favourite poems! Here is one of mine. I read this verse years ago somewhere. I fell in love with it but never knew who the poet was. Can you help?

سخت می خواهم که در آغوش تنگ آرم ترا هر قدر افشرده ای دل را، بیفشارم ترا

Taste of Ice Cream: Taste of Childhood

2010-09-21T10:56:00.001-07:00

Every web page (Iranian), facebook, ... I visit is full of old songs, old photos, ...
What is it that connects us to the past? Why do we seek that connection? Do we think we lived in better times before? Or are we just growing old and tend to cling to what is no more?

I have always been fascinated by what we strive to find in the past. I am very interested in ancient past, that which hardly anybody can access. Perhaps it is the mystery that draws me.

But like most of you, I am also drawn to things I heard/saw/tasted when I was a child or a teenager. The taste of food or fruits keeps coming up in conversations. I remember ice cream cones by "Paak", I loved the chocolate flavour. I have had many more ice creams since, but they have never tasted anywhere near that. Did you ever have one of those?

The taste of food or cold cuts. I have traveled to and lived in 'cold cut kingdoms', but nothing has ever come close to the Kalbas sandwiches I had as a child/teenager. Was there anything special about them, or was it just the fresh taste buds of a child that made the food so special? I don't know. What do you think?

Buying Local (Can you Afford it?)

2010-09-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

All year long, I look forward to summer because I don't like these harsh winters, and because I get a chance to buy fresh, crisp, reasonably sized, sometimes deformed, local fruit and vegetables. Every summer I end up switching between local and the supermarket. The reason? The price.

Buying local turns out to be quite expensive. At first it seems counter intuitive: the middle man is cut; so produce has to be cheaper. Last week, on my way to an appointment, I notice a produce stand in a parking lot. I got curious and noticed a young man selling organically grown fruits (only melons) and vegetables at a parking lot in 40 degrees temperature.

I bought a few things and chatted with him. I told him that I wanted to support local growers, but I often couldn't afford it. He told me that local food, and in his case organic local produce, is grown on small pieces of land by individual farmers whose work, unlike large business agricultural companies, is not subsidized by the government. The process is very labour intensive and is completely independent.

It seems to me that only rich people can afford local/organic food (I bought a small basket of beans for $5). When I mentioned this to the young farmer who sold his own products, he agreed and added that the government should subsidize food instead of agriculture so that people can have access to good, healthy food. He mentioned that thirty years ago, people spent about %40 of their income on food. Today, they spend around %5. Why should this be the case?

We continued talking, and I learned a lot. I still face the same dilemma when shopping: buying less for more money is always a challenge. But now I understand some of the complications and do try harder to buy better produce and support individual growers.

رابعه نخستین بانوی سخنور در زبان فارسی

2010-09-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

رابعه دختر کعب قزداری از شاعران نامور قرن چهارم هجری و نخستین شاعر زن فارسی زبان است. پدر رابعه در اصل از اعراب و فرمانروای بلخ و قزدار و بست بود. رابعه همزمان آل سامان و رودکی بوده و به دو زبان عربی و فارسی شعر می سروده. از او مجموعه یا دیوانی به جای نمانده، اما از اندک اشعاری که از وی در دست است، می توان تسلط و توانایی و ذوق و لطافت طبع وی را دریافت.

زندگی رابعه و عشق نا فرجامش در الهی نامه عطار و بَکتاش نامه رضا قلی خان هدایت به شعر در آمده است.

رابعه به جوانی به نام بکتاش دل می بازد، برادر رابعه به او بدگمان می شود و دستور می دهد که او را به گرمابه برده و رگ های دست او را بزنند. رابعه انگشت خود را در خون فرو می برده و با خون خود غزل های پر سوز بر دیوار می نوشته.

عشق او باز اندر آوردم به بند کوشش بسیار نامد سودمند
عشق، دریایی کرانه ناپدید کی توان کردن شنا ای هوشمند
...
توسنی کردم ندانستم همی کز کشیدن سخت تر گردد کمند
….

چنین قصه که دارد یاد هرگز چنین کاری کرا افتاد هرگز؟
بدین زاری بدین درد و بدین سوز که هرگز در جهان بودست یک روز؟
بیا گر عاشقی تا درد بینی طریق عاشقان مرد بینی

1. صفا، ذبیح الله (1375). تاریخ ادبیات در ایران، جلد اول، تهران، نشر اندیشه، ص 449-451.

2. خانلری، زهرا (1334). داستان های دل انگیز ادبیات فارسی: بکتاش و رابعه، سخن، دوره ششم، اردیبهشت ماه، ص 220-213.

3. عطار نیشابوری، شیخ فریدالدین (1355). الهی نامه، تهران. ص 356- 374.
4. مهستی، بزرگ بانوی رباعی، کتاب ماه ادبیات وفلسفه، آذر 1382، ص 95- 92.

Boasting: What does it Mean?

2010-08-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

Some years ago, a relative of mine settled in a small north European country. She constantly complained about being lonely all the time, not having anyone to make friends or socialize with. When I asked her how that was possible considering the large number of Iranians who lived there, she said: well, all these Iranians have [supposedly] been either army generals (sartip) or millionaires (millions meant something at that time) or sons and daughters of most important, distinguished people. I am an ordinary person, she said, the only one, it seems, that worked in an office in Iran.

We attended a ceremony last month. We were introduced to someone named x, who immediately asked, are you familiar with the name, x?
No, we said.
You are not? How come? Mr. x was the first person to come to the US and import ... and such and such factory was his and ...

Mr. x was her husband, and she felt she had to line up all his accomplishments/valuables for two perfect strangers. Then came the next question, are you familiar with y?
No, we said.
Oh, y was the greatest family in Gilan, and they did this and ... Mr. Y was my father and ...

Another line up of names and mention of wealth and ...

What is it with us? Is it a side effect of dislocation/relocation and losing one's place or assumed rightful place in society/community that makes us to go to such lengths to establish our place or rather feel some sense of superiority over others? Why are we clinging to these names and degrees and former social positions?

I studied and worked in academia where I was constantly surrounded by highly educated people for a long time. But nowhere have I heard so many repetitions and uses of the title, Dr., followed by a list of accomplishments than in parties/weddings/funerals in Iranian community.

Being in academic environment, I know about degrees, positions, etc. It is rather sad when sometimes people try to make a point of telling me their sons/daughters/nephews are professors (ustad) at some university when I know as a graduate student in science, they are most likely TAs which is different from being a professor or an instructor. It could just be the lack of familiarity with the educational system, but constantly showering others with their relatives' titles and degrees has to be rooted somewhere else. But where?

Is it the changing social system that has left some out thus feeling the need to establish a position for themselves? Is the sudden loss of wealth/status behind the urge to draw attention to what/who one once was? Or is it the jump in social status through education/new wealth that makes some people wanting to share the news? Perhaps all of these. Why can we not communicate as people trying to find common points of interest? Why can we not come forward with what we know/read/enjoy/watch to share with others rather than with titles and degrees that will, for the most part, make no difference in the relationship?

Vis o Ramin: An Ancient Persian Love Story

2010-08-23T04:41:00.000-07:00

There is Persian Literature, there is love, and then there is Vis, who stands out amongst all women in Persian literature. Vis is the main character in a love story from two thousand years ago, “Vis o Ramin”. All characters in the story come to life only in her presence. Here is a woman who ignores wealth, name, and position and makes an eternal commitment to love and all that comes with it: shame, betrayal, longing, pain, desire… Her name and her story travel from one end of the empire to the other:
“The rivers murmur my story…”, she says.

She is threatened, beaten, and imprisoned. And if that is not enough, her husband sets up a trap to burn her alive in public. She bears it all and more.
Vis is the eternal lover; one who finds love and takes an oath to nothing else. Wealth, virtue, name and all that lose color in the face of love.

This, perhaps, is not acceptable for a woman when regarded by those who feel they are in a position of moral authority. Nezami, who supposedly used “Vis o Ramin” as a model to write “Khosrow va Shirin”, calls Vis infamous, Zakani discourages women from reading “Vis o Ramin”, and later Dastgerdi wages a war against the book by calling it “the enemy of Iranian honor and morality”.

These views were not shared by ordinary people who lived at Gurgani's time. They loved the story and regarded it highly. Gurgani himself stated at the beginning of his book that story was loved by people in Iran. There is also a Japanese document from 800 years ago where an Iranian traveler writes two verses of “Vis o Ramin” for a Japanese monk who was traveling from China as a keepsake. This evidence indicates that the story must have been very popular among Iranians to knew it by heart and recited it for others in a distant land.

“Vis o Ramin” is an ancient Persian love story from 2000 years ago. The story is believed to belong to the Parthian period and is written in poetry by Fakhraddin Gurgani about 1000 years ago. Gurgani is a pioneer in writing love stories in poetry and his style was largely emulated by later poets such as Nezami. “Vis o Ramin” is one of the most influential ancient love stories. The story is about a love affair between two young lovers who sacrifice name, family, social obligations and everything else to be with each other. It was loved and admired by people long after it was written.

The story reveals a great deal about a period in Iranian history about which very little is known. The traditions and customs of those times do not necessarily match those of our times. The story talks about marriage of sister and brother –common amongst the ruling class at the time. This is something that is loathed for some centuries, but the story talks about a different time, different people, and different traditions from ours.

There are also the subject and the main character of the book that create a stir. The story is about an earthly love, one that is all about desire. This is very different from the notion of love that became popular in later centuries. The love that has a connection to the heavens and almighty was not known in ancient Iran. In all ancient Iranian love stories, love is very much the love based on the attraction of two people of opposite sex.

There are also the strong hints of Zoroastrianism which some people later interpreted as “worshiping fire”.

All of these factors could have played a role in why the story has become less and less known over time and has been left out of educational curriculum despite its literary merits, historical value, and beauty.

There is also Vis, a woman who takes conventions and traditions for nothing when she enters the realm of love. She is a married woman in a sense. She is forced into a marriage with her father’s killer who is an impotent man. For a woman who refuses to be anything but passive (unlike Leili in Leili va Majnoon) or to trade love for becoming the queen (Shirin in Khosrow va Shirin) and who risks everything for an anything-but-a-virtuous man (young, beautiful, and vivacious Ramin), there is a price to pay.

In this sense, Vis is unique. She dares to fall in love with her husband’s brother for no other motive than love. She does not expect anything from Ramin other than loyalty. She is the Queen of the empire, she has the key to the King’s treasury, she has everyone under her order, and she ignores it all to be with Ramin. When the King, angry and frustrated by her insistence on her love for Ramin, expels her from the palace, she surrenders the treasury keys and leaves immediately and happily.

And that is why Vis occupies a unique place in Persian literature. There is simply no one like her; no commitment like hers, and no suffering like hers. Her story has a happy ending, one that is different from most Iranian stories in the Islamic era where the fate of the lovers is often a sad one.

There have been many attempts to provide summarized prose versions of many old love stories including “Leili va Majnoon”. For about a thousand years since Gurgani narrated the story in Persian poetry, there have been few attempts to provide a summarized prose version of the story in Persian.

Some researchers have examined the story from the point of view of folklore, history, literature, and provided the plot. A great deal of Gurgani’s book is on description of the lovers’ inner conflicts, doubts, longing, desire, and joy and celebrations; these are missing in summarized plots presented so far.

I was concerned that the story will soon be forgotten as committing to reading 400 pages of poetry may be daunting for many. I converted the book to prose and summarized it to make it more accessible to all. The book, published by Naghmah-yi Zendegi in Tehran, starts with an introduction to the author’s motivation and an account of the importance of the book and Gurgani’s work. The story is a direct conversion from poetry to prose in a summary form. It provides a brief introduction to this literary masterpiece for many people who may not enjoy poetry or may simply not have the necessary skills to read poetry, yet who may still enjoy a beautiful love story.

Talking about your Children

2010-08-17T04:59:00.000-07:00

I ran into an old colleague in a conference a while ago. I said, hi, how are you? And that was the last time I said anything while staying beside him. He told me that since so many years ago, he graduated, got a job, got married and had a child. Then he told me how smart his daughter was and how she said things that were far beyond her age. How amazing she was because she called a donkey dadoo or something like that, how ..., how..., how...

He talked with no deviation from the subject of his daughter for probably twenty minutes or more though it felt like a few life times to me. When another colleague of mine showed up, I said good-bye and practically leaped out.

I happened to visit some friends for lunch at their residence. During the two years I had not seen them, the couple had a baby. Just before the meal was finished, the husband got up and put a tape of his wife's childbirth for us to watch. I couldn't believe it, and I objected. He said that it was natural! Well, my idea of something natural after lunch was dessert and his was watching his wife going through labour. I had no problem with his idea as long as he didn't impose it on us. Then he apologized and said that he just wanted us to see 'this scene' because all children's eyes are closed at birth while his baby's were wide open! They couldn't have been more open than mine at this moment, I thought.

And I don't want to start on people telling you about their children's washroom habits and ... It is not fair to any of us who have heard these before. Or the number of times my mail has crashed because someone has sent 35 photos (which seem to me identical photos) of their babies... It put me at an uncomfortable position as I didn't want to hurt their feelings by saying, 'well, do you think you can send me one or two at reasonably spaced times when I can at least detect a change?' until I reached a practical (or cowardly) decision: I removed the emails without opening them.

Do people realize how boring it can be for other people to listen to all details of their childrens' activities? Do they not know that we have eyes, ears, and some sense of distinction and can spot genius and all other extraordinary traits they ascribe to their own children on our own?

Yes, I can imagine if one's main preoccupation in life is one's own child (and nobody else's in many cases around me), one would want to share that fascination, love, or whatever it is. I don't have children; so frankly I don't know. And I don't want to know. I have stopped asking some people about their children because they take the question of 'how is x?' as 'I would like to listen to every single thing about x for the rest of my life'.

And having people with children around is not much fun for many of us who do not have children. I was once at a get together with a couple staring at their newborn baby the whole time. I wondered whether they had not seen her before or ...

Something has changed. Why? Well, I was a child once, and I was with parents and children and aunts and ... while growing up. I don't recall my parents or my aunts or uncles ever killing someone by singing their own children's praises. We had one neighbour who kept saying her daughter was very beautiful, and everyone thought something was wrong with her. Her daughter was beautiful, but fishing for compliments and drawing attention to one's child was not considered a good habit.

Is it a characteristic of this age of "me, me, me" and especially, "look at me, look at me, look at me" that is behind people's over fascination and urge to show off their kids? Is this a way of drawing attention to themselves? Or is it just pure self absorption and lack of awareness towards others?

I know I will lose more friends with this post, but it is alright. Someone has to tell those with children to slow down (I know asking to stop may be too much), cut down, economize on how much you talk about your children and let the other side breath, think, and say/ask something about them. Your child is unique and special, but to the objective viewer or innocent friend or acquaintance, they are like the other billions of children who are unique and especial in their own way.

So don't take offense, just take, at least short breaks, from focusing and talking about your children and try other subjects once in a while. I promise, it will strengthen friendships and you don't have to wonder why such and such never calls you after you had your child.

And whatever you do, please don't run to your friends and ask whether this is true. The chances are they will deny everything because they don't want to hurt your feelings. We talk, those of us who share these views/feelings, and we discuss how to tell you. There are exceptions to this post like any other thing in life, but I am yet to meet an exception in real life who doesn't mind listening to her/his friend talking about his/her kid hours in a row. Have you?

Why Do We Interrupt Others?

2010-08-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

I was dismayed by what happened today on a program on CBC: two women discussed (?) the issue of a 'white' editor being employed by Essence magazine. For the most part, both ladies spoke at the same time refusing to relent for a second. They didn't seem to have any interest in what the other person had to say, and they didn't seem to think the audience had a say in this either. I couldn't believe two professionals who couldn't tolerate a different view for more than a few seconds. And on public radio too!

I keep coming across this in society too. People keep interrupting each other. I can imagine, at some points, it can save time. This is when, for example, someone wants you to do five chores and he/she starts reiterating them. Now, if you have done one to four, it would make sense to make a polite interruption with a warning to say that one to four is done, and only five needs to be discussed.

I also know some people tend to start from point zero when you ask a question. I once asked an agriculture engineer a simple question about sunflowers. He started with the history of plant kingdom describing all categories ... I never got the answer to my question, and I don't know why: did what he said got lost somewhere in the history, or did I doze off when he reached evergreens. Interrupting these people probably would not make a difference I guess.

I often find that people seem to take no interest in what the other person has to say. Shouldn't we give the other person a chance? Could we not conceive that we can learn from others? Why don't we let them talk or finish what they have to say? Or is it just that we are forgetting to share ideas (share as in give and take not just give, give, give) and believing that there is a lot the other person may have to teach to us if we only give him/her a chance? Or do we think that our views and ideas are simply more important and/or interesting than those of others?

I do a lot of organizational work and thus attend many meetings. I once attended an art summit where we were divided into groups to discuss issues. We picked a moderator who clearly stated that the discussion was not to be dominated by one person (after the first person started to talk for 10 minutes) and that no one could interrupt anyone else (after she was interrupted by two other people). Needless to say, the moderator was crowned as the bad guy, but the discussion went very civil and very productive.

We have tried that in many meetings within the Iranian community, and I am very pleased that it often works very well. They are times when people get offended when they are reminded that they should wait for their turn to speak, there are times when people interrupt, but overall they work. It is interesting that when the same people attend a different meeting when there is no moderator or taking turns (specified at the beginning), they keep dominating the conversation and interrupting. The lesson? No matter how well intentioned we are, we need rules to keep in line. That must have been what occurred to humans at some point in history that we have capacity to be just about anything, and that is exactly why we need rules we all agree on and stick to.

I wonder whether there are such rules on CBC for panelists, or it is the host that decides it is best to leave it up to panelists to be as considerate as possible. The latter was close to what happened today; the host left the ladies to waste chunks of time before he moved on to the next question. And guess what? Sometimes they interrupted him too!

Do you have time? Most likely, Yes.

2010-07-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I am growing allergic to people constantly telling me that they are so busy, that they don't have any time. Well, time for what? What is it that we don't have time for?

I watched a friend making a tray of about 200 tiny baqlavas for her lunch party at 10:30 pm (the night before) telling me she didn't know where time went.

For a few months, I was rehearsing with a group of students, newly arrived from Iran, for a dance performance. Most of them, well, almost all, arrived late on a regular basis. They excused themselves by saying that they were so busy, that they had no time, ... I noticed their hair colour changes happened sometimes on a weekly basis; their nail polish even more frequently. Changing one's colour of hair or polish takes time, doesn't it?

People say they have no time.
I ask them: what do you do?
They say: work.
Well, that is eight hours a day, at most 10, if you commute long distances. You still have 14 hours in your day and the weekends.

I know working eight hours a day in many places in the world (not all) can be a draining experience especially if one doesn't like what one does. But let's face it, eight hours a day is eight hours a day.

With some exceptions (people who have huge families or have to work a few jobs to make ends meet or those taking care of the elderly ...) most of us have time. It is the question of how we spend our time. I for one push myself sometimes too far. I work, write, perform, teach, learn, read, ... I do a lot of things I don't have to. But I don't use them as excuses to show up late or not do anything. I have watched people over time, and I have come to the conclusion that everyone has a reasonable amount of time (exceptions are those with extra responsibilities); it is how everyone chooses to use his/her time.

I work with people who do not respond to emails regarding work (volunteer or otherwise) with the excuse that they are so busy. Then, I notice they put entries on just about any Youtube excerpts, share photos of their friends' pets, or ... on facebook on a daily, sometimes hourly basis (believe me).

I suppose we all want to do more, and consciously or subconsciously, we prioritize what we want/like to do. With so many possibilities, perhaps we need to select more carefully and prioritize realistically. And with so many public domains, and the temptation of reaching out fast to everyone (including those we accidentally invited to facebook, dailyblog, linkden, etc), we may want to be careful with the types of excuses we offer to people for not working, not arriving on time, not phoning, not...

Someone recently got into trouble for taking time off work (sick leave) and drinking and partying (instead of resting). How did they know? She shared her photos of drinking in a bar and partying on facebook. I didn't follow the case, but we all know there is not much privacy left in this world. So, better to be careful with 'innocent white' lies, best to prioritize carefully and not lie at all.

Planning for "No Plan Times"

2010-07-19T04:58:00.000-07:00

I went away for a week. I had to do some work (four meetings), but it wasn't a work trip. I didn't pack my laptop (I am not sure why), and when I arrived at my destination, I didn't make any effort to find out how I can access internet or a computer to log on to something/somewhere.

My work and personal meetings were planned ahead of time. I had quite a bit of unplanned time on my hands. At first, I wasn't sure how that would go: Would I die of boredom? Would I go into depression because I had nothing to do?... I mean we are talking about hours and hours of no planning, no work, no appointment, no email, ...

At the risk of stating the obvious, I didn't die of boredom or of anything else for that matter. I had the best time of my life. I haven't felt so refreshed, so relaxed, so rejuvenated in a very long time. What happened? Nothing really.

Everyday, I woke up and wondered what to do. Sometimes I turned on the TV and watched something, whatever. Sometimes I went to the exercise room to stretch and sit quietly. Sometimes I rushed to the coffee shop in the hotel, grabbed a coffee, and read the morning paper. And then I tried to remember the last time I read the morning paper in the morning: I am not sure whether my memory failed me or that time just didn't exist.

Then I went out and walked aimlessly about for hours (which explains pins and needles in my heels) interrupted by a cup of coffee or juice or a sandwich. One day, I had the whole morning and afternoon free. At first, I was overwhelmed by the number of things I wanted to do and tried to plan them all. Then I dropped all planning and just drove around, walked about, and sat here and there for a rest.

I am not exaggerating when I say that this was the best time of my life. Honestly. And yet, in a way, I didn't do anything. What did I see that I can tell you about? Well, nothing worthy of a photo on facebook, no monuments, no fancy places, ... All I remember is the pulps in a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice... if you are interested in that sort of thing.

Now that I am back, I keep thinking what was so good about this trip. Why can I not get over it?

I think it is being present in all the things I did. I experienced everything with full presence. I didn't do anything that I hadn't done before, but it was the way these simple things were done. Of course, I stretch at home either on my own or in a class. Either way, I keep thinking when it ends or look for a clock to see the time or wonder why the instructor does not move to the next pose or ... And in the class, this is all happening when the instructor keeps saying: close your mind, focus, ... (granted, I am focused but on when I can move on to the next thing, be it the next pose, or my next task, or on what excuse I can find to run out of class to get to the next thing, ...).

This trip made me review and reconsider quite a lot in my life: I take on many projects and engage in many activities and try to do my best in all. But (at least) one thing I neglect to do, is to be fully present in the moment. This particular passing moment that will never repeat itself. I am in too much of a hurry to jump to the next one. As if this moment is created only as a means of moving to the next one which, in turn, is a just a transition to the next...

So, what is the next moment? Just another moment that I may be half-experiencing if I continue living and working in anticipation of the next one. I think you see where I am going with this.

I cannot/will not try to change who I am. I look at the world with eyes of wonder, I find so many fascinating things, and I throw myself at them as far as I can. And I love that. But I guess I can think of economizing a bit on the number of things I do to find leisure time, I mean unplanned time for doing nothing, for wandering aimlessly, for getting bored. Now that I seem to have mastered 'the art of multitasking', I am thinking that perhaps it is not much of an art and more of a bad habit.

I hope that idle moments keep flying to me, but if they don't, I have decided to lure them into my overly planned/busy life. I want to make sure I have time for unplanned times and for doing nothing: to discover what the moment has to offer and what I have to offer to a particular moment. Wish me luck!

Parents and Children: Living at "Homes" outside Homes

2010-07-06T17:36:00.001-07:00

I was listening to The Debaters on CBC. One of the contestants, commenting on the advantages of staying home to look after his children, said it was worth all the trouble as he knew that his son would put him in a nice 'home' when he is old.

why is it such a hard thing? Still in Canada, parents speak of spending their old age in a 'home' in a disgruntled way. I remember one of our relatives caring for his old mother in Iran: the mother was incapacitated and the family didn't have proper means of caring for her at home. But of course, no one would think/hear of placing the elderly mother in a nursing home. I knew of another family who went to emotional and financial ruins after years of caring for their father who suffered from one severe problem after the other. He passed away after twenty-five years of non-stop bed-rest, and the family, frustrated and exhausted, fell apart.

Living in a nursing home or senior residence does not have to equate with being abandoned. Though, in practice, it unfortunately often is. The elderly have some degree of independence, programs, and activities. And there is nothing to prevent them or their relatives from visiting them as often as they wish. Is caring for the elderly a feasible option for many people with jobs and children? A strong family and social network as well as adequate financial resources can be very helpful in managing care for the elderly, but how many people have these?

But of course, there is the other issue of caring for children. As far as I can see, many parents send their children to 'homes' at very young ages. I often wonder how parents can let go of babies in nurseries and day cares. I know quite a few, who, after giving birth, ship their children overseas to grandparents to care for them. The reason? They want to study, to work to make lots of money, or they just don't have the time for the baby. They have their own lives, careers, and the babies are an obstacle to their living life exactly the way they want. I sometimes wonder whether these children would recognize their parents if they saw them on the street?

I am not talking about destitute people who send their children somewhere to save them from starvation or foul future owing to lack of opportunities. These are educated professionals who earn a great deal of money who cannot find time for the children they bring into this world.

I have an acquaintance who always tells me that they have so much money they don't know what to do with. And then he tells me that his wife leaves for three days in a row to travel to another city to take a contract to make more money. They have three houses, two cars, savings, bonds, ... Their children, by their own admission, were raised in nurseries and day cares. And now that they are teenagers, the parents don't understand why their children seem like strangers to them.

I am not sure that the children who are brought up in nurseries or in other countries without their parents are the same ones who put their parents in nursing homes. But I do see a trend: parents leave their children behind and later on children leave them behind. Will we ever have time for anyone else? Our children or our parents?

ویس و رامین: شاهکار ادبی فراموش شده

2010-06-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

طرح: غزل رضوی
ناشر: نغمه زندگی، تهران
بسیاری از ما ایرانیان از کودکی با داستانهای "لیلی و مجنون"، "یوسف و زلیخا" و حتی "رومئو ژولیت" آشنا بوده ایم، اما با برخی از داستانهای ایرانی الاصل آشنایی نداشته و نداریم. برای مثال، من به طور کاملا تصادفی با منظومه "ویس و رامین" آشنا شدم و متوجه شدم که داستانی از ایران باستان است. پس از خواندن منظومه، شروع به کنکاش کردم ومتوجه شدم که این داستان حقیقتا از نظر غالب مردم دور مانده و بسیاری افراد حتی اسم آن را هم نشنیده اند.

ممکن است این مسئله خیلی عجیب یا غیرعادی به نظر نیاید، چرا که سرنوشت بسیاری از آثار قدیمی ما فراموشی است. اما نکته ای که در باره "ویس و رامین" توجه مرا به خود جلب کرد و مصمم شدم که داستان را بشناسانم، این بود که کم نام شدن این منظومه تا اندازه ای عمدی بود. به نظر می رسید که از هزار سال پیش تا کنون تلاشهایی در بدنام و نهایتا کم نام کردن منظومه صورت گرفته که در دوران حاضر به حذف این اثر با ارزش ادبی از برنامه کلاسهای ادبیات انجامیده و این سرگذشت کمتر منظومه ای در ادبیات فارسی است. با توجه به این که خواندن نزدیک به 400 صفحه شعر در دوران حاضر برای هر کسی ممکن نیست، تصمیم گرفتم که این منظومه را به نثر برگردانم و خلاصه ای از آن را در قالب کتابی کوچک عرضه کنم. به امید آن که مورد قبول واقع شود.

نوشته زیر برای آشنایی خوانندگان با این منظومه و داستان و اهمیت آن است. من معرفی را با توضیح کوتاهی در باره داستان، اهمیت ادبی و تاریخی آن آغاز می کنم و سپس به بررسی مختصرپاره ای از دلایل کم نام شدن و نتایج آن می پردازم.

"ویس و رامین" از معدود داستانهای عاشقانه ایرانی به جا مانده از زمان پیش از اسلام در ایران است. این داستان توسط فخرالدین اسعد گرگانی درحدود سال حدود 1000 سال پیش به نظم درآمده. محققین این داستان را متعلق به زمان اشکانیان یا پارتها یعنی حدود 2000 سال پیش می دانند. اهمیت داستان هم به لحاظ استقامت و کیفیت داستان و شیوایی زبان آن و هم به عنوان یکی از تنها آثار بجا مانده از دوران اشکانی که دریچه ای به شناخت آداب و احوال مردم آن دوره می گشاید، است.

گرگانی پیشقدم غا لب شعرای ما در قصه سرایی به نظم بوده و موضوع و نحوه سرودن شعر، توصیفا ت و ... در " ویس و رامین" مورد تقلید بسیاری شاعران دوره های بعد قرار گرفته است. مثلا گفته شده که نظامی "خسرو و شیرین" را به تقلید یا با سر مشق از "ویس و رامین" سروده. دلیل این ادعا وزن یکسان شعر در دو منظومه که تا قبل از "ویس و رامین" چندان مرسوم نبود، شباهتهای بسیار بین اتفاقات دو داستان، توصیفات و اشعار بین دو منظومه است و از آنجایی که گرگانی "ویس و رامین" را حدود صد و سی سال قبل از "خسرو و شیرین" نظامی سروده، طبعا او نمیتوانسته از نظامی تقلید کند.

روانی و سادگی و بکاربردن واژه های مستعمل و ساده زبان، یکی از جالب ترین ویژگیهای منظومه "ویس و رامین" است. این شیوه طبیعی و دلپذیر بعدها مورد توجه واقع شد و سعدی آن را به سرحد کمال و زیبایی رسانید. چیره دستی در وصف، سادگی وپیراستگی و طبیعی بودن شعر، تاثیر گذاری داستان را به نهایت می رساند.

گرگانی از اکثر علوم متداول در آن عصر از جمله نجوم بهره داشته و در گفتاری که در توصیف شب پرداخته، اصطلاحهای علمی نجوم را با دقت تمام برمی شمارد و هر یک از صورتهای فلکی را در جای خویش ذکر می کند و خصوصیات هر یک را چنانکه در علم نجوم آن عصر رایج بوده است بازمی گوید. این نیز یکی از مواردی است که بعدها مورد تقلید شاعران دیگر نیز قرار گرفت.

استفاده گرگانی از موضوعات مختلف مربوط به فرهنگ مردم از جمله ضرب المثلها، جانوران افسانه ای، قصرها و بناهای عجیب و سحر آمیز، اعتقاد به جادو و طلسم و ... اطلاعات گرانبهایی از عادات و رسوم و معتقدات مردم آن زمان به دست می دهد. ممکن است که همه اینها از نسخه اصلی داستان گرفته نشده باشد، ولی قدر مسلم در زمان گرگانی هنوز این اعتقادات زنده بوده است.

گرگانی همچنین داستان را با روالی منطقی پیش می برد و تمرکز خط اصلی داستان را با آوردن داستان در داستان، شیوه ای که بکرات در آثار جامی یا "کلیله و دمنه" بکار رفته، تحت تاثیر قرار نمی دهد. داستان پایان خوش بینانه ای دارد که با کامیابی و آرامش و بدون قتل و خونریزی ختم می شود و با داستان های دوران پس از اسلام که معمولا عشقها با ناکامی و جدایی خاتمه می یابند، متفاوت است.

در خلال داستان روابط و قراردادهای اخلاقی و اجتماعی و سیاسی خاص آن دوران بر ما آشکار می شود. قلمرو فرمانروایی، شکل حکومت، حضور کمرنگ مذهب در حکومت، اسامی افراد و مکانها، ... باعث شده که محققین این داستان را متعلق به دوره اشکانی یا پارتها بدانند.

داستان در ایران شمالی از مرو تا همدان که قلمرو فرمانروایی پارتها بوده، اتفاق می افتد. اینکه هر یک از شهرها یا کشورها شاهی داشته و همه اینها زیر نفوذ شاهنشاه بوده اند، به حکومتی شبیه به حکومت ملوک الطوایفی و غیر مرکزی اشاره می کند. این نوع حکومت در زمان اشکانیان در ایران برقرار بوده و پس از آن در زمان ساسانی حکومت کاملا متمرکز بوده.

اشاره به اماکنی مانند آتشکده برزین مهر آتش ملی اشکانیان است که ایزودور خاراکسی از آن نام می برد و به ایالت استوئنه مربوط است، نیز اشکانی بودن داستان را تایید می کند. سکوت داستان در باره فارس (سرزمین و مهد ساسانیان و هخامنشیان) نیز نشانه دیگری از منشا داستان به دست می دهد، چرا که چنین غفلتی در زمان ساسانیان (جانشینان اشکانیان) باور کردنی نیست، پس داستان نمی توانسته مربوط به ساسانیان باشد. اسامی افراد نیزبه زمان قبل از سلسله ساسانیان بر می گردد. اشاره به مذهب در این داستان نادر است. از وقایع مهم داستان، ازدواج ویس و ویرو است که بدون حضور یک روحانی و مهر او صورت می گیرد. از آنجا که این ازدواج در طبقه حاکم صورت می گرفته، قابل قبول بودن آن علیرغم حضور یک روحانی، می بایست بایستی قبل از تشکیل یک طبقه قدرتمند و متمرکز روحانی، یعنی قبل از ساسانیان، باشد.

اتفاقات و روابطی که در طول داستان نمایان می شوند، متعلق به دورانی بس دور و بیانگرعرف و رسوم دوهزار سال پیش هستند و ممکن است که با اخلاق، عرف و حتی قانون این زمان ناسازگار باشند. مثلا ازدواج خواهر و برادرکه در زمان اشکانیان به لحاظ گوناگون از جمله اهمیت خویشی و خون پذیرفته شده بوده که در این دوران قابل قبول نیست. ماهیت داستان که قهرمانان آن در پی عشق، نام و نسب و قراردادهای اجتماعی و اخلاقی را نادیده می گیرند نیز خشم و سرزنش بسیاری را در طی هزارسال که از زمان به نظم در آوردن داستان می گذرد، برانگیخته. آنان که این داستان را پرداخته اند، از سرشت انسان که آمیزه ای از بد و خوب است، بخوبی آگاه بوده اند و کوششی در پنهان کردن جنبه بد او نکرده اند. گرگانی نیز شاعری صریح و بی پرواست و تکلف و صنعت نه در لفظ و نه در معنی برای او ارجی ندارد. او به صراحت بیان می کند که عشق واقعی فراتر از دین و اخلاق و محق اتحاد جسمانی در خارج از چهارچوب ازدواج است.

چندین قرن از زمان سرودن "ویس و رامین" می گذرد تا همدردی گرگانی با دو عاشق جوان، در ادبیات غرب توسط کسانی مانند دی اچ لارنس در "معشوق بانو چاترلی" و کیت شوپن در "طوفان" تکرار شود. منظومه نیز بیش از سایر منظومه ها مانند "خسرو و شیرین" به "آتش پرستی" و "گبری" تمایل دارد که این موضوع هم نمی تواند مورد پسند افراد متعصب و ظاهر بین باشد. این عوامل دست به دست هم داده و باعث شده که داستان در طول زمان کم نام تر و کم نام تر شود.

اما این اثر مربوط به دورانی دیگر و تمدنی دیگر است و طبعا نمی تواند با موازین اخلاقی و دینی قرنها بعد منطبق باشد. در زمان گرگانی، مردم عادی این داستان را بسیار دوست می داشته اند. وقتی خواجه عمید در باره "ویس و رامین" می پرسد، گرگانی پاسخ می دهد که "ویس و رامین" حکایتی مملو از عجایب بیشماربوده که مهان و بزرگان از آن پند می آموخته اند و مردم عادی نیز آن را بسیار دوست می داشته اند. به نظر نمی رسد که در آن زمان کسی، چه صاحبان قدرت و کلام و چه مردم عادی، مسئله ای از نظر اخلاقی با این داستان داشته و مسایل اخلاقی و تعارضات از حدود یک قرن پس از سروده شدن منظومه آغاز می شود.

لازم به توضیح است که کسانی چون عوفی و رازی منظومه را ستوده اند و شرق شناسان بسیاری از جمله مینورسکی، موریسون، واردرپ، ... منظومه را موضوع مطالعه و بررسی و ترجمه و نقد قرار داده اند و هیچیک از آنان انتقاد اخلاقی بر آن ندارد.

"ویس و رامین" تنها داستان زمان گذشته ما نیست که از آن کم اطلاع یا کاملا بی خبریم، اما تنها داستان زمان ایران باستان است که به نظر می رسد که خود بخود به دست فراموشی سپرده نشده. علیرغم زیبایی داستان و ارزش ادبی و تاریخی، این منظومه به واسطه معیار غیر منصفانه غیر اخلاقی بودن از برنامه درسی دانشگاه ها بیرون مانده. باید در نظر داشت که سنجش و نقد هر اثر ادبی باید در چهارچوب زمان آن اثر انجام شود. از طرفی ادبیات و اخلاق در ایران، قرنها بر روی دو خط موازی حرکت کرده اند و ما اگر محتوای آثار ادبی را با موازین اخلاقی و فکری زمان خود بسنجیم، باید بر بسیاری از آثار بزرگ ادبی، از لحاظ اخلاقی خط بطلان بکشیم. به واسطه قضاوتهای عده ای، اکنون مردم عادی این قصه را نمی دانند و طبعیتا در باره آن نمی توانند قضاوتی بکنند. هراس من از این است که داستان و منظومه کاملا به فراموشی سپرده شوند و ما از خواندن یکی دیگر از آثار زیبا و با ارزش ادبی خود برای همیشه محروم شویم.

منابع
1. جام جهان بین، محمد علی اسلامی ندوشن، چاپ گلشن، تهران، 1374، ص. 197 -248.
2. ویس و رامین، داستانی بر اساس منظومه ویس و رامین، ماریا صبای مقدم، نغمه زندگی، تهران.
3. ویس و رامین، به اهتمام مجتبی مینوی، کتابخانه و مطبعه بروخیم، تهران، 1314.
4. ویس و رامین، داستان عاشقانه پارتی، ولادیمیر مینورسکی، پژوهشنامه موسسه مطالعات آفریقا و شرق، جلد 11، شماره 4، دانشگاه لندن، ص. 763-741 ، 1946.

Sherlock Holmes and Comedy: Can they be more British?

2010-06-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

I have been watching Sherlock Holmes again. I have lost counts of how many times I have seen them from the oldest black and white ones to more recent ones. I am looking at them now as if for the first time. You see, the first times I watched them, I was absorbed in the mystery. Now I know most of the stories; so I can enjoy the films.

Sherlock Holmes is said to be the greatest detective who never lived as he is a fictional character. It is also said that he is one of the three major western characters of twentieth century; the other two are Churchill and Hitler. The irony is that the third, Holmes, didn't exist!

After waiting for two years, I got the first volume of the series made by Granada. The ones with Jeremy Brett. Isn't he the most amazing actor? He can smile with his eyes, with his laugh lines, and in a fraction of a second. You see it, now you don't. It seems to me that every single facial feature of his can act independently and in unison with the rest of his face. His physicality, his agility is overwhelming, especially considering he could not have been so young when he acted in the series.

But there is more to the series, aside from Brett's perfect masculine beauty. I learned so much by watching this series about England, about life and people there. The class system, and the difference between 'lower' and 'upper' is astounding. It is interesting that they always have the heat on at their homes, rich or poor! How cold could it have been then? I mean compared to -37 here? I guess it is the problem of inefficient heating, insulation, and fuel that kept their places so cold.

Then there is their logical way of thinking and planning. They used maps; this is in nineteenth century. I think about most of my friends/relatives/acquaintances in the 21st century who do not know how to use a map and have no intention of ever learning. Believe me, I have friends who set out to go to one city and ended up at another! I know that because they called me to ask what went wrong! And these are educated people of the 21st century.

There is more. I remember one episode when Holmes told Watson to advertise something in x, y, z, q, w, and all the rest of the papers! I had a hard time believing that: so many papers then. It does say something, doesn't it?

And then there is murder itself; there is some meaning in it in the sense that there is a motive: greed, jealousy, ... So much different from many movies nowadays when murder seems to be done for no apparent reason or no tangible reason: someone sets out to kill, to mutilate, and sometimes to eat others! This may be reflective of our times when sheer madness takes over individual and his interactions, or in this case actions.

I love Marple and Poirot too. I wonder what is it with the British and murder/mystery genre? Why are they so good at it? So inclined to it? I don't see much of that anywhere else in Europe. Is it their isolation on an island that makes them brood/imagine/look at life through a dark prism so much? It cannot be that there is more murder and mystery happens there, can it?

They are also good with comedy. I love British humor: it is often witty, intelligent, and deep. They don't seem to have any reservations about criticizing themselves and ridiculing their social/economic/moral system and values. I find it quite the opposite of American comedy which is, more often than not, vulgar and grotesque. Last time I went to see an American comedy, I walked out of the theater after ten minutes. It was all overly direct, graphic references to sex at its most primal and grotesque level.

Being good with comedy and with mystery/murder: what does that tell us about the British? Poignancy is definitely one common feature: they wonder at life, human nature, draw attention to it, and ridicule it all at the same time. And Sherlock Holmes is definitely broody, supernaturally intelligent, eccentric, and logical with a dark, isolated, lonely side to him.

"All my life has been a long effort in escaping common places of existence." says it all, doesn't it?
(Doyle in Sherlock Holmes)

ویس و هزار سال تنهایی

2010-06-07T17:27:00.001-07:00

طرح: غزل رضوی

ویس در ادبیات ایران تنهاست. هیچ زنی در ادبیات فارسی به صراحت ویس از خواسته خود سخن نگفته، که جوان است و می خواهد جوانی کند. که حاضر نیست که جوانیش را به پای مردی پیر و فرتوت و خودکام، حتی اگر شاه مملکت هم باشد، بریزد. نه تاج و تخت می خواهد، نه زر و زیور و نه در قید نام و ننگ است. در تمامی ادبیات ایران، هیچ زنی به اندازه ویس از "زن بودن" خود اگاه نیست. و البته بهای این آگاهی را نیز می پردازد. هیچ زنی در ادبیات فارسی به اندازه ویس مورد طعن و لعن و بدگویی قرار نگرفته. طی هزار سال، از نظامی و اوحدی تا وحید دستگردی هر یک به گونه ای به ویس و داستان او می تازند، ویس را بدنام و منظومه "ویس و رامین" را دشمن ناموس و اخلاق ایران می خوانند. چرا؟

ویس شخصیت اصلی یا پررنگ ترین شخصیت داستان عاشقانه "ویس و رامین" است که داستانی متعلق به دو هزار سال پیش در ایران است. این داستان توسط فخرالدین اسعد گرگانی هزار سال پیش به نظم در آمد. چکیده داستان بدین قرار است: پادشاهی پیر و خودکام و هوسران به نام موبد، دختری نابوده را طلب می کند. این دختر (ویس) به دنیا می آید و پدرش در جنگ به دست موبد کشته می شود. موبد ویس را فرا می خواند، وقتی ویس جواب رد می دهد، او را با زور از شهر و دیار و خانواده دور می کند و بر خلاف میل ویس، او را به عقد خود در می آورد. ویس نمی تواند بپذیرد که موبد به او نزدیک شود و دایه پیرش را متقاعد می کند که راه دستیابی موبد به او را تا زمانی که او سوگوار است، با طلسمی ببندد. دایه خواست ویس را برآورده می کند، اما دست بر قضا، طلسم را آب می برد و موبد تا به ابد بر ویس بسته می ماند. در این میان، برادر کوچک موبد (رامین)، به ویس دل می بازد و می کوشد که به او دست یابد. ویس مقاومت می کند، اما رامین پافشاری می کند و به کمک دایه پیر به هر راهی متوسل می شود که چاره جویی کند. غربت، تنهایی، درد و رنج و وسوسه های دایه و رامین، ویس را به تسلیم وا می دارند و به دیدار رامین رضایت می دهد و عاشق او می شود.

از این زمان ویس به فرمان عشق و جوانی گردن می نهد و هر آنچه ممکن است در راه این دو می نهد. ویس عرف را و ملاحظات اخلاقی و اجتماعی و حتی سیاسی را پس می زند و از عشق و جوانی دفاع می کند. به صراحت به موبد و به خانواده خود می گوید که روی رامین را به هر دو جهان بر می گزیند، که جوان است و می خواهد جوانی کند. خواسته اش ساده ترین، ابتدایی ترین و طبیعی ترین خواسته هاست. زمان و مکان دارد، نه در پی پیوستن به وجودی بزرگتر است و نه در پی تاج عصمت و تقوایی که جامعه و اخلاق بر سر وی نهند. می خواهد زندگی کند و برای زندگی، قانونی جز طبیعت و عشق نمی شناسد. از رامین هم جز با او نشستن و خوردن و عشق ورزیدن و شاد بودن چیزی نمی خواهد. بهایی برای عشق و تن و نام و ننگ خود جز وفاداری رامین نمی شناسد. زندان و بند و تازیانه و ملامت و سرزنش هیچیک او را از پیمودن راهی که در پیش گرفته باز نمی دارند.

حضور ویس در داستان و در منظومه ای که گرگانی سروده، بسیار پررنگ است. بخش زیادی از کتاب به افکار و احساسات، کشمکشهای درونی، خواسته ها و درد و رنج ویس می پردازد. شخصیت رامین و دیگران در پرتو حضور ویس جان می گیرند و خود می نمایند. ویس به صراحت از خواسته خود سخن می گوید. در خلال بازگویی خواب مشتاقانه خود در باره محبوبش، از خواهش و اشتیاق خود می گوید. در روی برادرش که معایب رامین را بر او بر می شمارد، می ایستد و می گوید که اختیار از او روی گردانیده و اگر در بندش کنند یا بسوزانندش، برایش مهم نیست که نامش از برای عشق رامین جاودانه خواهد شد. وقتی رامین او را ترک می کند و یاری دیگر می گزیند، ده نامه به او می نویسد و بر خواهش خود پافشاری می کند. می گوید که برخلاف پند دیگران، نه در پی یاری دیگر است و نه از عشق به رامین دست بر می دارد. بارها از اشتیاق خود به او، از روزهای خوش عشق ورزیشان، از عهد و پیمانشان می گوید و از اینکه راهی جز بودن با رامین برای خود نمی بیند. بخش قابل ملاحظه ای از منظومه به این ده نامه اختصاص دارد که در آن ویس از تمام زوایا ی درد و رنج و خواسته و خواهش خود با رامین سخن می گوید. درد دوری، به دنبال گمگشته ای بودن، انتظار بی اندازه، به ظریفترین اشکال از زبان ویس توصیف شده اند. ویس اندوه خود را در دوری از رامین به اندوه مادر فرزند گم کرده، به غریب دلتنگ، تشبیه می کند و بارها او را به خود باز می خواند تا سرانجام رامین را به خود باز می گرداند.

شخصیتهای داستان همه و همه برخلاف هنجارهای اخلاقی و اجتماعی و ... رفتار می کنند، برخی چون موبد می خواهند با طبیعت بجنگند و در پیری با زور جوانی کنند. برخی مانند ویس و رامین با عرف و قوانین اجتماع می جنگند تا به جوانی و عشق مجال نفس کشیدن دهند. اما هیچیک مانند ویس سرزنش نمی شوند.

رابطه مردی با زن برادرش البته در هنجارها، اخلاق، عرف و گهگاه در قانون دوران ها و اجتماعات مختلف نمی گنجد و می توان انتظار داشت که داستانی که بر حول این رابطه می گردد، مورد طعن و لعن باشد. اما چند نکته را در این زمینه نباید از نظر دور داشت. اول اینکه، ویس علیرغم در ظاهر شوهر داشتن، در عمل بی شوهر است چرا که موبد مردی ناتوان است. نکته دوم اینکه، این ازدواج ظاهری، یا در زبان امروز روی کاغذ، بر خلاف میل ویس صورت گرفته. او به صراحت به موبد می گوید که مرگ را به نزدیکی با وی ترجیح می دهد و موبد بی تفاوت پاسخ می دهد که بهتر است که به قضا که ویس را از برای موبد به دنیا آورده، تن در دهد. نکته سوم اینکه ویس مانند رامین، مانند دایه، مانند شهرو ، مانند موبد به کارهایی دست می زند که بر خلاف اخلاق آن زمان (دو هزار سال پیش) و این زمان است و زمانه بعد از او قضاوت سختی در باره او می کند، اما او تنها کسی است که اینگونه مورد سرزنش قرار می گیرد. این شخصیتها همگی بر خلاف عرف و اخلاق رفتار می کنند. طی هزارسال کسی موبد یا رامین را سرزنش نمی کند، اما ویس به دفعات بدنام و ... نامیده می شود. گناه دختری را که برخلاف میلش به عقد قاتل پدرش که مردی فرتوت و ناتوان نیز هست در آمده، با چه مقیاسی باید سنجید؟

ویس اما، بی اعتنا به نام و ننگ، با آگاهی تمام و کمال از "زن" بودن خود، به گونه ای بی همتا در ادبیات فارسی زندگی می کند. اگر چه رنج می کشد، تازیانه می خورد، به بند کشیده می شود، اما عشق می ورزد، کام می گیرد و شادی می کند. هیچ زنی در ادبیات فارسی به اندازه ویس بر خواهش خود پافشاری نکرده، به این اندازه ناز نکشیده، پایداری و وفاداری نکرده، و به قولی "به گناه اینقدر جلوه نبخشیده". شاید به همین علت نیز هست که کمتر زنی در ادبیات فارسی به اندازه ویس و کمتر داستان و منظومه ای به اندازه "ویس و رامین" مورد حمله و انتقاد قرار گرفته است.
منابع
1. محمد علی اسلامی ندوشن، آواها و ایماها، انتشارات طوس، تهران.
2. جام جهان بین، محمد علی اسلامی ندوشن، چاپ گلشن، تهران.
3. "ویس و رامین"، ماریا صبای مقدم، نغمه زندگی، تهران.

Sa'di: Loving the Universe

2010-05-31T07:55:00.001-07:00

به جهان خرم از آنم که همه خرم از اوست عاشقم بر همه عالم که همه عالم از اوست

Sa'di

Some years ago, when I visited Sa'di's tomb in Shiraz, I noticed this verse (part of a longer poem) on one of the walls. I was deeply moved by it, and I couldn't figure out why. It has stayed in my memory all these years.

Last month, I was watching a movie about a very successful, unhappy business woman who decided to leave the world behind and live in a convent. There she had to give up many things she was used to including power, money, recognition, alcohol, cigarettes, etc. But she found that the most difficult thing was 'to love everyone the same'. It was a huge hurdle, but at the end she achieved it, and with that, she gained peace and contentment.

There was a nun there that made her life miserable, and she disliked her. Toward the end of the movie, she ended up nursing the same nun who had made all sorts of problems for her. And she did it with love. The ill woman didn't believe her love and demanded her to stop pretending. The answer was that the love she felt was true.

I was very moved by this movie. Is it possible to love everyone? The answer in the movie was yes, if we consider the alternative, that is all the resentment, violence, and bitterness around us. Where does all this hate in the world come from? What is it that we hate so much? I read the blogs and go through comments; sometimes I am overwhelmed by so much spite in some of them. It is almost as if some people are ready to hate, to attack, to be in rage with others who happened to think/choose in a different way. Can we change our views/ways?

Sa'di said it over 800 years ago: his fate in God leads his fate in all that God has created. At least that is one interpretation. Or is it Love itself that makes him content with the whole universe?

I know I am far from loving everyone. I don't know if I ever be there, but I do try not to hate or dislike others. Especially those who do not share my views, disagree with me, or even hurt me. That does not change anything regarding my personal and social responsibilities: I agree and disagree with many decisions, actions, policies, etc. but I try to carry on doing what I believe in, without hating those who choose to do other than what I want or believe in. At this point, it is just constant trying, but who knows? Perhaps I will be there some day!

Living longer or living better? That is the question.

2010-05-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

I visited a "home" as we call it in Canada. That is a place where many senior citizens are taken care of. There were people who walked about without having any idea where they were or what they were doing. Many people were incapable of controlling the wheelchairs they were confined to. A combination of mental and physical deterioration made most people in the place look and act like ghosts. It was one of the most depressing scenes I had witnessed in my life.

I recall a similar visit some years ago in Karaj to a nursing home. The exact same situation prevailed. I came out not knowing what I felt for a while. It was a very disturbing experience.

On both occasions, my heart went out to these people whom I kept imagining as young and active. I kept thinking what can be done for them? How can I help? Some of these cases were simple cases of aging to the point of deterioration.

I remember reading a paper by a world class scientist, an expert on Alzheimer, who believed that a major factor in Alzheimer occurrence was the simple yet underestimated fact of aging. Our internal control systems age and miss a few checks regardless of how well we eat or exercise or look. It is a fact of life. Just like the fact that we have to die at some point.

What puzzles me is many people around me who try so hard to live longer; in fact, they make a goal and aim for living a hundred years and beyond. And I wonder, why?

No, I am not depressed or unhappy. In fact, I am quite content despite usual ups and downs that, I assume, happen to all human beings. And I take great delight in the sun, the colours of fall, the laughter of my nieces and nephews, winning $10 in Lotto (my biggest winning yet), a good meal, a beautiful outfit, a nice walk, ... But then, I am happy with having them as long as I have them, be it one or many more years.

When I think about being a hundred years old, I imagine most people around me, if not all, will be gone. What does the world mean without those I love? And then I think that, at 100, I may be lying on a bed, wired in 10 different places and not even notice it. The same way those I saw at nursing homes were. Neither possibility seems remotely attractive to me.

Then there are minor things: as a child I thought food/fruits tasted very good. But my parents told me that I hadn't tasted the tomatoes and the vegetables and whatever that they had 20 years before. And my grandmother said everything tasted like cardboard compared to her childhood. Now, I try to imagine how things would taste so many years from now. I stop imagining after a few seconds; I don't want to know.

I want to enjoy life regardless of how long I live. If it is one more week or 10 more years, it really doesn't matter to me as long as I live it the way I want. And my way is not to keep focusing for ways to extend that week or 10 years, whichever the case may be. I guess what I am trying to say is that quality of life is far more important to me than its length.

So, I wish anyone who wants to live long a very long life with a caveat: watch what you are asking for. You may just get it. Of course, living longer and living better may not necessarily be mutually exclusive, but in practice they often are. For myself, I am happy to live a good, fulfilling life which may not necessarily be a long one. In the meantime, I wish I could do something for those people to make their lives easier and happier. Any suggestions?

یادی از ذبیح الله صفا

2010-05-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

بیستم اردیبهشت ماه سال روز تولد ذبیح الله صفا پژوهشگر و مورخ ادبی برجسته ایرانی است. از صفا نزدیک به پنجاه اثر به فارسی و فرانسه از جمله "تاریخ ادبیات در ایران"، "حماسه سرایی در ایران"، "اسرارالتوحید"، "دیوان جَبَلی"، "داراب نامه بیغمی" و "داراب نامه طرطوسی" و "ورقه و گلشاه" در زمینه های تصحیح و پژوهش در فرهنگ و ادب ایران پیش و پس از اسلام به جای مانده که برخی از آنان به زبان های دیگر نیز ترجمه شده.

ذبیح الله صفا در سال 1290 خورشیدی در شهمیرزاد به دنیا آمد. تحصیلات ابتدایی را در بابل و آموزش متوسطه را در سال 1312 در تهران به پایان رساند. در سال 1315 در دو رشته فلسفه و ادبیات از دانشسرای عالی و دانشکده ادبیات دانشگاه تهران لیسانس گرفت و به عنوان دبیر ادبیات فارسی در دبیرستان های تهران مشغول به کار شد. پس از دریافت درجه دکتری در زبان و ادبیات فارسی در سال 1321 به سمت دانشیار منصوب شد. صفا پس از محمد معین، دومین دکتر ادبیات در تهران بود. در سال 1327 رسما به عنوان استاد شناخته شد و بعدها به بالاترین پایه استادی در دانشگاه و سپس رتبه استادی ممتاز دانشگاه تهران رسید.

صفا از پاییز سال 1312 نویسنده و مترجم ادبی مجله مهر بود و سال ها در سمت هایی چون سردبیری در کنار درس و بحث دانشگاهی به کار مطبوعاتی پرداخت. وی در سال 1320 مجله سخن را تاسیس کرد و سال بعد امتیاز سخن را به پرویز ناتل خانلری واگذار کرد. او از دوران جوانی شعر نیز می گفت و اولین شعر خود را زمانی که دانش آموز کلاس دوم دبیرستان بود، به روزنامه سپرد و از همان زمان اشعار او در مطبوعات چاپ می شد. در سال 1355 نیز مجموعه شعر خود را منتشر کرد.

آثار صفا را می توان به ترجمه متون ادبی و تاریخی، پژوهش در فرهنگ و ادب ایران پیش و پس از اسلام و تصحیح و شرح متون فارسی تقسیم کرد.

مهمترین اثر او مجموعه "تاریخ ادبیات در ایران و در قلمرو زبان فارسی"، جامع ترین و کامل ترین تاریخ ادب فارسی سرزمین های تمدن ایرانی است، اولین بار در سال 1332 منتشر شد و پس از آن در نیم قرن اخیر پیاپی تجدید چاپ شد. این مجموعه حاصل پنجاه سال تحقیقات صفا است که در پنج جلد و هشت کتاب در نزدیک به 6000 صفحه با بهره گیری از منابع گوناگون و نسخه های خطی کتاب خانه های مختلف جهان منتشر شد. زمانی که صفا به نگارش این اثر پرداخت، بیشتر کتاب های تاریخ ادبیات ایران را شرق شناسان تدوین و تالیف کرده بودند و محتوای تذکره ها نیز از طرفی محدود و از طرفی دیگر فاقد دقت علمی و تاریخی و جنبه انتقادی بود. صفا همان اندازه که ادب و فرهنگ ایران و فارسی را می شناخت، نسبت به لحظه ها و دقایق تاریخی ایران هم آگاه بود و اثر او در تاریخ ادبیات از جامع نگری سنجیده ای برخوردار است. در آغاز هر دوره تاریخی – ادبی، صفا به ترسیم دورنمای اوضاع و احوال آن دوره و تاثیر عوامل مختلف اجتماعی، سیاسی و دینی می پردازد و پس از این که خواننده را با موقعیت زمانی مورد نظر آشنا کرد، ادبیات آن دوره را بررسی می کند و سپس شاعران و نویسندگان را معرفی و نمونه ای از آثارشان را ذکر می کند. شیوه بررسی آثار ادبی و زندگی بزرگان ادب و فرهنگ ایران در تاریخ ادبیات او، شیوه ای تاریخی است. این اثر ماخذ اصلی دانشجویان زبان و ادب فارسی است.

"حماسه سرایی در ایران" کتابی است که صفا بر اساس رساله دکترای خود نوشت و پس از بیش از نیم قرن که از انتشار آن می گذرد، هنوز ماخذی معتبر و با ارزش در شاهنامه شناسی و اسطوره پژوهی است. در این کتاب، نویسنده به بررسی تاریخ حماسه در ایران از قدیم ترین عهد تاریخی تا قرن چهاردهم هجری و تحقیق در کیفیت تکوین و تدوین روایات ملی و نظم آن ها و بحث در بنیاد داستان های ملی و معرفی منظومه های حماسی و انواع آن می پردازد.

در کتاب "تاریخ علوم عقلی در تمدن اسلامی" صفا به بررسی تاریخ علوم عقلی تا اواسط قرن پنجم می پردازد. این کتاب یکی از بهترین مراجعی است که سرچشمه ها و سرآغاز معارضه ی فلسفه و دین و ناسازگاری اندیشه فلسفی و اندیشه و اعتقادات دینی را روشن می کند. نکته در خور توجه این است که صفا این کتاب را در بیست سالگی نوشت.

در سال های 1330، سازمان فرهنگی و علمی و تربیتی ملل متحد، یونسکو، بر آن شد که در جهت شناسایی فرهنگ ملتها به یکدیگر، کتابی که عمیقا نمایشگر زندگی معنوی و ذوقی ایرانیان در طی تاریخ باشد، به زبان فارسی نشر و سپس به زبان های دیگر ترجمه شود. برای این کار سازمان یونسکو از ذبیح الله صفا خواست تا آثاری برگزیده از شعر پارسی را برای نشر در مجموعه ای انتخاب کند. صفا پس از چند سال تلاش دورنمایی از سرگذشت شعر در ایران را در کتاب "گنج سخن" عرضه کرد که در سال 1339 منتشر شد. در این کتاب صفا در آغاز به شعر پارسی قبل از اسلام می پردازد و پس از تجزیه و تحلیل تاریخی شعر ایرانی، مطالعه شعر در پهنه جغرافیایی ایران، انواع شعر و نقد تعاریف گوناگون آن را دنبال می کند.

گام بزرگ صفا در ثبت و ضبط مستند و انتقادی تاریخ ادبی ایران است. بدین ترتیب، صفا ایران دیروز را با ایران امروز پیوند زد و در زمره کسانی بود که میراث عظیم فرهنگ ایرانی را زنده کرد. همچنین در زمانی که ایران در اشغال روس و انگلیس بود، صفا با طرح مطالب سیاسی و اجتماعی و مقالات انتقادی در مجلات گوناگون به دفاع از استقلال و آزادی و منافع ملی ایران پرداخت.

ذبیح الله صفا در اردیبهشت ماه 1378 در آلمان چشم از جهان فرو بست. یادش گرامی باد.

منابع
1. ذوالفقاری، حسن (1379). "دکتر ذبیح الله صفا"، آموزش زبان و ادب فارسی، شماره 55،
2. عابدی، کامیار (1376). "بدرود با پژوهنده ای استاد"، جهان کتاب، س چهارم، ش نهم و دهم، ص 27-26.
3. ترابی، سید محمد (1370). "با شاخه گل شعر، در گلستان عمر شاعر"، چیستا، شماره 80، ص 1190-1205.
4. "سالشمار استاد ذبیح الله صفا"، مجله ایران شناسی، سال سوم، بهار 1370، شماره 9، ص 10-13.
5. مسکوب، شاهرخ (1377). "یاد رفتگان: استاد ذبیح الله صفا"، ایران نامه، سال هفدهم، شماره 65، ص 163-164.
6. فرزانه پور، غلامرضا (1340). "چند کتاب از دکتر صفا"، مجله یغما، شماره 155، ص 136-142