West-östlicher Diwan
Encyclopedia
West-östlicher Diwan or West-östlicher Divan or West-Eastern Divan is a diwan
, or collection of lyrical poems by the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
. The work was inspired by the Persian poet Hafez
.
The West-Eastern Divan was written between 1814 and 1819, the year when it was first published. An expanded version was printed in 1827. It is part of Goethe's late work and the last great cycle of poetry he worked on.
The West-Eastern Divan consists of twelve books:
The work can be seen as a symbol for a stimulating exchange and mixture between Orient and Occident while the expression west- eastern does not only refer to German- Middle-eastern, but also Latin-Persian, Christian-Muslim stimulus. The twelve books consist of poetry of all different kinds: parables, historical allusions, pieces of invective, politically or religiously inclined poetry mirroring the attempt to bring together Orient and Occident.
For a better understanding Goethe added Notes and Queries, commenting on historical figures and events, terms and places.
Diwan (poetry)
-Etymology:The English usage of the phrase Diwan Poetry comes from the Arabic word diwan , which is loaned from Persian means designated a list or register. The Persian word derived from the Persian dibir meaning writer or scribe...
, or collection of lyrical poems by the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
. The work was inspired by the Persian poet Hafez
Hafez
Khwāja Shamsu d-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī , known by his pen name Hāfez , was a Persian lyric poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian poetry are to be found in the homes of most Iranians, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day...
.
The West-Eastern Divan was written between 1814 and 1819, the year when it was first published. An expanded version was printed in 1827. It is part of Goethe's late work and the last great cycle of poetry he worked on.
The West-Eastern Divan consists of twelve books:
- Book of the Singer (Moganni Nameh)
- Book of Hafiz (Hafis Nameh)
- Book of Love (Uschk Nameh)
- Book of Reflection (Tefkir Nameh)
- Book of Ill Humour (Rendsch Nameh)
- Book of Maxims (Hikmet Nameh)
- Book of Timur (Timur Nameh)
- Book of Zuleika (Suleika Nameh)
- Book of the Cupbearer (Saki Nameh)
- Book of Parables (Mathal Nameh)
- Book of the Parsees (Parsi Nameh)
- Book of Paradise (Chuld Nameh)
The work can be seen as a symbol for a stimulating exchange and mixture between Orient and Occident while the expression west- eastern does not only refer to German- Middle-eastern, but also Latin-Persian, Christian-Muslim stimulus. The twelve books consist of poetry of all different kinds: parables, historical allusions, pieces of invective, politically or religiously inclined poetry mirroring the attempt to bring together Orient and Occident.
For a better understanding Goethe added Notes and Queries, commenting on historical figures and events, terms and places.
External links
- The West-Ostlicher Divan Blog
- Title page and contempory cover of the first edition
- Encyclopedia Iranica, "GOETHE,JOHANN WOLFGANG von" by Hamid Tafazoli
- West-östlicher Divan from Projekt Gutenberg-DEProjekt Gutenberg-DEProjekt Gutenberg-DE is a collection of German language literary texts, distributed via the web and on CD-ROM. It is run by a small publishing company called Hille Partner, run by Gunter Hille, and its web presence is hosted by the weekly magazine Der Spiegel....
- West- östlicher Divan text website
- text of English version website