Drunk on Persian Poetry – An Appetizer

In the great epic poem The Aenied, by the great Roman literary genius Publius Vergilius Maro known to us as Virgil, the hero of the tale Aeneas of Troy encounters his father Anchises in the depths of the Underworld during one scene of the story.

Anchises reminds his son Aeneas and the Roman reader of the poem that there is a certain art or ability reserved specifically for the Roman people.

“Roman, remember by your strength to rule
Earth’s peoples—for your arts are to be these:
To pacify, to impose the rule of law,
To spare the conquered, battle down the proud.” (6.1151-1154)

In other words, to be a Roman means to excel in the realms of rulership and warfare.  For in truth, it is the destiny of the Roman to be ruler over all peoples.

However, Anchises also points out to his son that there are other peoples throughout the world who have been gifted with talents that go well beyond the average Roman’s knowledge and ability.   The most notable example would be the Greeks and their vast philosophical learning.

If I were to agree with Anchises’ statement that certain national groups are somehow endowed with the capacity for talent in certain fields, whether by circumstance, chance, or fate – I would have to say that in the realm of Poetry, the Persian may be kings of us all.

I’ll unpack that idea at a later date – but for now.. perhaps a taste from one of the great masters, Hafez, in translation?

Beauty of you hair puts the fragrant violet to shame:

your delicious smile: no rose bud hopes to gain!

O scented rose, will you set on fire our nightingale?

Who sings your praise all night – the lover’s prayer!

Weary of the company of angels, yet

I bear the chaos of the world for your sake.

What a treasure of love! Poor and proud,

your beggar nicks the crown of kings!

The garments of virtue and the cup of wine are incompatible,

yet all my plans leader to satisfy you!

The passion of the wine of your love stops my breath short;

may this fevered head become the dust of your road.

 

On Brexit, or the Contraction of Political Communities?

It has been a rather long time since i’ve bothered to put up a blog post, mostly due to a sharp increase in work offline.

But in a few short days a vote of some historical import is about to occur.

For many people across the Earth, it will simply be a Thursday – like any other Thursday that has come and gone in the history of man.   Undoubtedly there will be love, laughter, death, and tears as the world keeps spinning onward.

But for a small, if sturdy, island nation and its neighbors, June 23rd is a true test of a rather bruised and battered dream.

Since the end of the Cold War, much of the modern world had been sold an idea of the world “coming together.”   How this would happen was validated in many ways.  Off the top of my head…

1. The Internet will Unite the World.
2. Its the Dawn of the New American Century.
3. And of course, European Integration as a first step toward something bigger.

 

Taking a quick look in the current time period, I can’t help but notice how the trajectory has gone in the reverse direction.

1. Brexit.
2. Scottish Independence.
3. Catalan Independence in Spain.
4. East Timor leaving Indonesia.
5. The Virtual Break-up of Iraq along Tribal/Sectarian lines.

 

The above is a mix bag of course – but whether its the effects of a civil war, the desire of a free polity to leave a greater union, or undoing the inheritance of colonialism one thing is clear – people aren’t so keen on forming greater political unions of any sort.

Where once we dreamed of some sort of “End of History” style unification, people now seem to operate on the adage that “smaller is better.”   That, when all is said and done about the virtues of cross-cultural or international experiences, a desire still exists in many people to have some patch of this Earth where we can be around others “like-us.”

And so the pendulum swings toward favoring smaller social communities…….

…for now.