Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

TheSemioticHorizonsofDawn

inthePoetryof √Æfiæ

FranklinLewis

ForHisangerisbutforamoment,

Hisfavorisforlife;

Weepingmayendureforanight,

Butjoycomesinthemorning.

–Psalm30:5(NewKingJamesVersion)

Estagt,eswirftauf’sMeerdenStreifdieSonne;

AufflatterndsuchtderjungeGreifdieSonne;

Auchdulick’aufundsingeMorgenhymnen,

AlsallerWesenBildbegreif’dieSonne...

–AugustvonPlaten,from‘GhaselenX’^1

Auréveil,sidoucelalumière–etcebleu–Lemot‘Pur’ouvremeslèvres.

Le jour qui jamais encore ne fut, les pensées, le tout en germe considéré sans

obstacles–leToutquis’ébauchedansl’oretquenullechoseparticulièrenecorrompt

encore.

LeToutestcommencement.Engermeleplushautdegréuniversel...

–PaulValéry(1913)^2

Thepresentstudyconsidersaquestionofcomparativeliterature,thatofaparticu-
larliterarytoposofdawn,the‘Alba’,and,beyondthat,thewiderhorizonsofthe
mythopoesisofdawnanditsassociatedlocusamoenusintheghazaltradition,with
particularreferencetoitsdevelopmentinthepoemsofḤāfiẓofShīrāz.Speakingof
mythictime,thekernelofthisessaywasactuallywrittenmorethantwodecades
ago,in1986,andthenburiedawayinadrawer.^3 Afewyearslater,myelderdaugh-
ter,Sahar,wasborn.Sincesheisnowatthedawnofherowncollegecareer,andthe
hourofpartingfromherchildhoodhomeapproaches,itseemedanopportune
momenttoresurrectthischapterasamementoofallthehappydaysshehas
brightenedourhousehold.