A Bibliography of Persian Poetry in English Translation

Abstract

Looked upon at the first sight, language is a reflection of one’s people culture and civilization. But with a deeper insight, not only is it a means by which people, through discourses attempt to interact, understand and eventually come to sympathy with each other; it is the universe in which people begin to contemplate. In other words, our thinking takes place in the realm of our language. If that be the case, without it, the very act of thinking seems to be, at least, improbable. The Persian language, if not counted as the only characteristic of the Iranian people, most surely is regarded among the most important ones; since, through Persian, Iranian national, cultural and religious aspects are interwoven in a unique manner. In other words, different aspects of Iranian culture are either mirrored through the Persian language, or to state it more precisely, Persian is the universe of such entities. With these in mind, many non-natives, as well as native speakers of the Persian language, have tried to render this immense and precious bulk of literature into European languages, to make them accessible for those interested in the perennial wisdom of Persian World. May thus then this bibliography be considered as a gateway to the Mundus Imaginalis of the Persian poetry.