Modern Iranian Poetry

Classical Iranian poetry is known and appreciated in the West. Scholars like FitzGerald Brown Arberry and Nickelson have presented the poetry of Ferdowsi Khayyam Rumi and Hafiz with relative success in English. Why not Modern Iranian Poetry? Is that because our modern poems lack the appeal of the classical Persian verse? Or because e previous translations of Iranian new poetry have been inadequate? Whatever the reason the fact remains that contemporary Iranian poetry is alive and well today in Iran and numerous poetry selections collections and anthologies are published and sold out each year and works of analysis and criticism of new poetry are in great demand.Modern Iranian poetry originates with Nima Yushij who broke the stale conventional forms and meters introduced variable rhythms and music and expanded poetic idiom and diction thus creating new modes of lyrical expression along with a fresh poetic vision.After him some poets gradually moved toward free verse and tonal language. It seems our new poetry is moving increasingly away from rhetorical devices and closer to colloquial idiom and a lyrical sensibility fused with social historical and philosophical awareness.My choices for this book are mostly lyrics as this mode has the highest degree of universality. Hence Wordsworths definition of lyrical poetry as the spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions recollected in tranquility. My hope is that books such as this may build a bridge of cultural communication and understanding between the two cultures helping the cause of dialogue among civilizations.