Each year on September 18, Iranians commemorate Seyed Mohammad-Hossein Behjat Tabrizi, better known by his pen name Shahriar, one of the most celebrated poets of modern Iran. The day is officially marked as the National Day of Persian Poetry and Literature.
Born on January 2, 1906, near the city of Tabriz in East Azarbaijan Province, Shahriar discovered his love for poetry at an early age, publishing his first verses while still a high school student in Tabriz.
He began writing under his birth name, Behjat, but later adopted Shahriar as his literary identity. His debut collection, Divan-e Shahriar, was released in Tehran in 1931 and quickly drew praise from renowned scholars and poets for its elegance and creative imagery.
Although Shahriar explored a variety of poetic forms—lyrics, quatrains, couplets, odes, and elegies—he is particularly admired for his ghazals, deeply influenced by the style of the classical Persian master Hafez. His very first published collection in 1929 included prefaces by prominent literary figures such as Mohammad Taqi Bahar, Saeid Nafisi, and Pejman Bakhtiari, underscoring his early recognition in Iran’s literary circles.
Shahriar’s most iconic work, Heydar Babaya Salam, written in Azari, is regarded as one of the finest modern poems in Azari literature. The poem, named after the mountain where Shahriar spent his childhood, reflects nostalgic memories of village life and has since been translated into more than thirty languages and adapted into theatrical performances.
A key reason for the enduring popularity of his poetry is his use of colloquial and everyday language, which made his works resonate widely with the general public.
Shahriar’s Romantic Voice
While Shahriar is often remembered for his spiritual and mystical verses, he also wrote some of the most heartfelt love poems of modern Persian literature. One of his most famous ghazals begins with the line:
“Amadi janam be ghorbanat, vali hala chera”
(You came, my life for you—but why now, when it is too late?)
In this ghazal, the poet speaks directly to a beloved whose long-awaited arrival comes only after years of separation. His words mix passion with sorrow, offering his life in devotion yet lamenting the cruelty of untimely love.
You came—I’d give my life for you, but why now?
Faithless one, why now, when I have already fallen, powerless?
You are like the healing potion that arrived only after Sohrab’s death.
Cruel-hearted one, this should have been sooner—why now?
My life does not have the luxury of your “today and tomorrow.”
I am but a guest for one brief day—why wait until tomorrow?
Beloved, I gave my youth away to your charms;
Now go, show off to the young—why play coy with me still?
Ah! With lives so short, so uncertain,
Why all this neglect for one so madly in love as I?
Even Farhad’s passion would bow its head in questioning;
O sweet lips, why answer me with bitterness and disdain?
O night of separation, through which my eyes never found a moment’s sleep—
Why do you keep rocking my drowsy fate into a cruel lullaby?
The heavens scatter lovers’ gatherings into disarray;
I wonder why, then, this whole world itself does not fall apart.
In the autumn of separation, O nightingale with grieving nature,
Silence is the sign of loyalty—why cry out in turmoil?
O Shahriar, you would never have set out without your beloved;
This journey is like the road to Judgment Day—why go alone?
The poem reflects Shahriar’s ability to weave intimacy with timeless themes of longing and regret. Its conversational tone and emotional clarity made it one of his most widely recited works, showing another dimension of his artistry beyond spirituality and national identity.
MNA