Study of Creativity in Iran Contemporary Poetry, Case Study: FaryadShiri (Winner of Iran Poetry Prize 2002) Academic research paper on "Languages and literature"

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 89 (2013) 387 - 390

2nd Cyprus International Conference on Educational Research, (CY-ICER 2013)

Study of creativity in Iran Contemporary Poetry, Case study: FaryadShiri (winner of Iran poetry prize 2002)

Ehteram Sadat Tavakoli a *, Ali Akbar Abedian Kasgarib, Hossein Ghasempour Moghaddamc

aM A Studentin teaching persian to non-Persian,Payam Nour University of Tehran,Iran bM A Studentin teaching persian to non-Persian,Payam Nour University of Tehran,Iran cAssociate Professor,Payam Nour University of Tehran,Iran

Abstract

In this Study we are going to have a short glance at contemporary poetry of Iran and then defend this poetry according to creative writing elements and survey the existence of creativity in sample collected works ultimately and surf the circumstances who lead to manifestation of creativity in Persian language. This study will draw attention to examination of data collected from contemporary Persian poets and poetry and sustainably will light up the way to find the disciplines of Persian creative poetry. The case study of this research is Faryad Shiri's poetry as the representative of Iran contemporary poetry who won Iran poetry prize on 2002.

© 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Selection and/orpeer-reviewunderresponsibility ofProf.Dr.Huseyin Uzunboylu,Near EastUniversity, FacultyofEducation,Cyprus Keywords: Creative writing, Persian contemporary Poetry, Prose poetry, Faryad Shiri, culture, voice;

1. Introduction

Poetry has a long history, dating back to the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh. From the mid-20th century, poetry has sometimes been more generally regarded as a fundamental creative act employing language. The use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony and other stylistic elements of poetic diction often leaves a poem open to multiple interpretations. Similarly, metaphor, simile and metonymy (Strachan 2000) create a resonance between otherwise disparate images—a layering of meanings, forming connections previously not perceived. Kindred forms of resonance may exist, between individual verses, in their patterns of rhyme or rhythm. Some poetry types are specific to particular cultures and genres and respond to characteristics of the language in which the poet writes. Readers accustomed to identifying poetry with Dante, Goethe, Mickiewicz and Rumi may think of it as written in lines based on rhyme and regular meter; however, there are traditions, such as Biblical poetry, that use other means to create rhythm and euphony. Much modern poetry reflects a critique of poetic tradition, (Eliot 1999) playing with and testing, among other things, the principle of euphony itself, sometimes altogether forgoing rhyme or set rhythm. (Longenbach 1997)

* Corresponding author: EhteramsadatTavakoli. Tel.: +98-912-601-6773. E-mail address: Sadat_tavakoli@yahoo.com

1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu, Near East University, Faculty of Education, Cyprus doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.864

and (Schmidt, 1999)... In today's increasingly globalized world, poets often adapt forms, styles and techniques from diverse cultures and languages.

Creative writing is a new subject here and is stated to anything where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and emotions rather than to simply convey information. Creative writing can technically be considered any writing of original composition. In this sense, creative writing is a more contemporary and process-oriented name for what has been traditionally called literature, including the variety of its genres., Mary Lee Marksberry in her work Foundations of Creativity references Paul Witty and Lou LaBrant's Teaching the People's Language to define creative writing. Marksberry notes: Witty and LaBrant... [say creative writing] is a composition of any type of writing at any time primarily in the service of such needs as:

1. The need for keeping records of significant experience,

2. The need for sharing experience with an interested group, and

3. The need for free individual expression, which contributes, to mental and physical health

We can also name the elements of creative writing as:

Character, Point of View, Plot, Setting, Dialogue (fiction), Style (fiction), Theme, and Motif

2. Experimental procedure

As the first step this study needs sufficient English translation of contemporary Persian poetry to provide enough understanding of it and in such case selecting Faryad Shiri's poetry can pave the way easily because a selection of his work is collected and translated to English as well as Bulgarian and Spanish. When we consider poetry as an art, then we cannot have a restricted rule to terminate it. As many artists believe, art is the common language of the whole world and the instrument for manifesting art of poetry is language and language is the central core of poetry.

Many translators believe that poetry is not to be translated and it should be rewritten it should be recreated and finally the translated poem is in far distance with the original one. According to Jackson (2003), literary translation is a translational species in itself, but it differs in many important respects from the kind of translation practiced in a language class. So, contrary to some critics' argument that poetry "loses" in translation or poetry is "untranslatable", there are others with the opposite standpoint that it can be preserved, illustrated and illuminated if a good job is done, because poetry is in large part found again and re-painted by the translator. Of course, many of the original poetical touches of color cannot be transposed and "they must be arranged; yet these new arrangements may be even more luminous than the originalit's the matter of art then it can be done by efforts and being a poet will bring new opportunities for translator to do the best job . . ." Thus a good translation discovers the "dynamics" of poetry, if not necessarily its "mechanics" (Kopp, 1998). As Newmark (1988) believes, literary translation is "...the most testing type of translation... " It can further be claimed that translation of poetry is the acid test showing the challenging nature of the task as Dastjerdi (2004) believes. Shafi'ee Kadkani (2001) believes that "good poetry, ranging from the most modern to the most traditional types, is one which would sediment totally or partially in the memory of serious readers of poetry..." (p.23). This 'sedimentary' aspect of poetry among Persian speakers can be traced in their appreciation of their great poets such as Ferdowsi, Rumi, Sa'di, and Hafiz.

But the modern poetry of Iran needs a debate of its own. Considering new subjects such as creative writing and adding more social values to poetry then as Ann Curthoys and John Docker say: Literary qualities and literary forms and genres are not something decorative or merely added to an account or analysis, but help what explain what historian in the present takes to be meaning of past events and occurrences.

3. Results and discussions

Contemporary poetry of Iran needs more efforts of the translators and poets to be introduced to world audiences. Meanwhile, Faryad Shiri (b. 1969), Persian Poet and writer whose works has the chance to be translated and presented in English and some other languages has his own way of creating new images and senses in poetry. Poetry for him is a deep breath from bottom of his heart and undoubtedly he has his own signature in his works, an

invisible chain which leads the enthusiastic readers to the expressions of new experiences. He can easily walk through the whole world by his poetry and touch the sensible feelings of being human and introduce himself: Poets are the shadows of the birds Seeking on the earth

Birds are the poets' dreams Free in the sky

And you are the air between the earth and the sky Breathe from you Poets and the birds

He has a hidden plot in the line of this poetry and by ordering the images and graceful motifs of his work he creates a novel feeling, which sounds, unique and creative. He is award-winning poet and his poetry sounds interesting to non-Persian audiences too. His mother tongue is Kurdish which has a profound effect on his believes and point of views. He belongs to a generation of Iran poets called seventies decade a generation of poets who were leading after all modern styles of Persian poetry such as Nima Yushij, white lyrics, Espace metalize and so on.

Narrative

I am happening again in the continuation of a narrative

There is war war

There is war in my head

In my narrative is war

These days when I think by all means

War is offended

Doubt is sitting in my heart

My believes are taken to war

There is war war

War has gathered us together to become dispersed War causes us to reach together to keep our distance Halabche yet unconscious Has fallen over the bed close to me

Kabul has dressed his broken hand with plaster cast in the corridor And ...

Yesterday a whore from Jerusalem sent a letter to me

All its lines smelled like anthrax

After that I fear from opening letters

I fear if this narrative with my shirt

Come martyr from war with a plaque

He came back like a brief will:

Let all the rights I gave you be left

I wish poetry for you, for poetry myself

Nothing for myself, I will you to poetry

Let it Amen let Amen be left Amen

Now let me put my head over the living

Till the regret of sitting beside a cradle

Till mother till I die.

Here we face a story with touchable characters and there is a clever setting between the elements of the work, the need for keeping records of significant experience is simply sensed, the need for sharing experience with society is sensed, the need for free individual expression is also sensed and all the elements of creativity are taken to consideration. And we face creativity in another work as well:

Moon is my witness

That night four men were standing

On my long shadow

And shook my empty pockets in the stream of the street

Searching for what I deposited to the moon

Stars are my witness

I even didn't take a glance to the sky

When I was back home

My mother welcomed me with the moon in a bowl

He can easily inspire geography with designing target places in mind of audience:

Bistoon Is a sleeping lady framed in my dream

When I want to wake her up

She is a mountain of grief over my shoulders

And nature simplifies in his works:

Butterflies live short

With a love they carry from early cocoon

Claws don't understand sparrows

They wear black whole their life

With a regret of dying like a butterfly

4. Conclusion

There are many challenges about this poetry, but as far as we get near to these lines, then the deep feeling inside his works pave the way and we can pass through different theories to reach the taste of artistic attitude of the poet toward the world. Faryad draws as many lines as possible toward us, he goes through meaning, values, society, nature, mythical believes and he reflects the history of Iran and he looks at world through his poetry by his creative attitude and we can touch creativity in his poetry.

References

Dastjerdi, H. (2004)Translation Journal, Volume 8, No. 4

Eliot, TS (1999). "The Function of Criticism". Selected Essays. Faber & Faber. pp. 13-34. ISBN 978-0-15-180387-3. Jackson, R (2003). From Translation to Imitation. Retrieved March 12.2003 from the Worldwide Web:

http://www.utc.edu/~engldept/pm/ontransl.htm Kopp, M (1998). Poetry in Translation. Retrieved March 12.2003 from the Worldwide Web:

http://www.geocities.com/paris/bistro/2207/apoetrytr.htm Longenbach, J. (1997). Modern Poetry After Modernism. Oxford University Press. pp. 9, 103. ISBN 0-19-510178-2. Marksberry, Mary Lee. Foundation of Creativity. Harper's Series on Teaching. (New York ; London: Harper & Row, 1963), 39 Newmark, P. (1988). A Textbook of Translation. New York: Prentice Hall.

Schmidt, M.l, ed. (1999). The Harvill Book of Twentieth-Century Poetry in English. Harvill Press. pp. xxvii-xxxiii. ISBN 1-86046-735-0.

Shafi'ii Kadkani, M. R. (2001). The Music of Poetry. Tehran: Aagaah Press.

Strachan, John R; Terry, Richard, G (2000). Poetry: an introduction. Edinburgh University