A 13th Century Persian Poem Lives On

How beautiful to see that timeless poetry and literary classics preserve their relevance across generations. How awe-inspiring that they transcend all nationalities, religions, ethnicity and apply to our life today. How extraordinary that such wisdom usually comes to us from the sages who have suffered greatly in their life. How fortunate for us that such forethought and wisdom was not all lost at the hands of humanity and survives still today.

I am convinced that the age at which we are introduced to the literature of our culture in school is never mature enough for us to either grasp or appreciate its depth and beauty. For that reason alone, a revisit can often take us by surprise. We see new layers that were hidden to our young innocent vision of the world and we are left awe-struck at discovering the quiet truths, the subtle messages, the timeless beauty of a classic. Yet there is an inexplicable quality to remembering our exposure to a favorite novel or a beloved poem at that young tender age.

Here in our second audio podcast, I explore these thoughts as I reflect on my most favorite poem as a child, one we had to memorize by a brilliant 13th century Persian poet, Sa’adi.

Second Podcast at Prolific Living:
Translation and the Reading (in Farsi) of a Poem by Sa’adi

Podcast Length: 7 min 30sec.
If you are on a mobile device, click here to listen.

The original photos are from Farsi Calligraphy, with thanks to the author of the post for their use. The graphic design is by Prolific Living.