University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi (Hafez) is a major Persian poet of the 14th century, and among the most revered classical poets. His poetry is regarded as the most sublime of Persian literature, having influenced various forms of art including traditional and modern music, painting, and calligraphy. His words are profound expressions of divine inspiration, mystical love and faith, while at the same time exposing religious hypocrisy and political tyranny. Hafez’s use of double-meanings and direct simplicity, combined with an image of drunkenness adds a layer of ambiguity to the barriers between mystical and worldly feelings. He masterfully juxtaposes metaphysical sensations and sensual love. Having been inspired by Hafez’s poetry and life philosophy, Goethe produced his own West-östlicher Diwan, which introduced Europe to the wealth of Iranian culture and poetry. Hafez is revered by rich and poor, and by the elite and the common, and his collection of poetry, Divan, is considered sacred by millions throughout the Persian speaking world.