The Poems of Hafez

"Yes. Hafez is my favourite poet. I grew up reading his poetry and trying to understand what it meant. My parents are also huge fans so it has an important place in my life. The way people might feel about the Bible, Torah or Koran, or any spiritual book, is how I feel about his poetry. I would put the volume of his poetry on the table during a traditional celebration. It covers so many different aspects of human life, personality and the after-life. What he really emphasises, and this is my favourite point, is that it doesn’t matter if you are religious, whether you cover yourself with Islamic hijab, or you are in the highest ranks of religious education, what really matters is whether you are a good person. He shows the hypocrisy of people in the top positions who claim to be the best Muslim, the best Christian, the best politician, or the best of people, and yet they don’t really behave how they should. He believes that it doesn’t matter if you are a drunk or if you simply have the façade right, what matters is what goes on inside your head and your heart. Being a good person is more important than being obviously religious. Yes. There is also a lot of poetry about love, wine and seizing the day. You know how some people refer to a glossy magazine to check their daily horoscope? Many Iranians refer to his volume of poetry when they have a problem or frustration, or if they have fallen in love, or if they want to know whether they will pass a test or get a job interview. They open the book on a random page and they read the poetry, and in most cases they find a verse that is relevant. I am not being superstitious, I am just saying that the beauty of the poetry is such that you can interpret it in a very helpful way to your own problems -even in such modern times, hundreds of years later. These days some people believe more in Hafez than they do in the Koran. Yes – many, many times. I used to be a tour operator and I explained the stories to groups of foreign tourists. There is an old man there whose job is to do a bit of fortune telling and read the poems. It’s pretty sweet. Lovers also gather at the shrine around midnight to make wishes that they will be able to get married. Or if there has been a fight or a break-up a person might go to wish that they will get back together. This is the superstitious side of it, but what I am trying to say is that the influence of Hafez in peoples’ minds is really huge. During the winter equinox there is a ceremony when families get together to eat special things for dinner, like pomegranates, nuts and watermelon. Then after midnight they take turns reading the poetry through the longest part of the night. They sit until dawn, reading and discussing their fortunes. It’s something that brings people together. It’s beautiful."