![\"\"](\"http:\/\/peykmagazine.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/nadepour-title-image.jpg\")
<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nBy Matin Khalilian<\/b><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/peykmagazine.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Matin_Khalilian_Headshot.jpg\")
<\/b>Nader Naderpour (1929-2000) is an unforgettable name in modern Persian literature. After graduating with a Bachelor of the Arts in French Literature at Sorbonne University, he returned to Iran. Naderpour utilized his knowledge of French literature to establish novel themes and motifs in his poetry, thereby making significant contributions to the development of modern Persian literature. After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Naderpour immigrated to the United States and took residence in Los Angeles, where he remained until his demise.<\/p>\n
Some literary figures, including Yadollah Royaee, have labeled Naderpour a romantic poet, most likely due to some romantic elements in his poetry, such as emphasis on individuality and human emotions. However, using the words Romantic<\/i> and Romanticism<\/i> to describe Naderpour and his poetry isn\u2019t entirely accurate. Not only does it overlook the modern ideas that permeate Naderpour’s poetry, but it also ignores the unique qualities of Romanticism, a movement which arose in Western art circles more than a century prior to Naderpour\u2019s period of activity as a result of a specific set of historical and social conditions present in Europe at the end of the eighteenth century. Unfortunately, this moniker, which held negative connotations by that time due to denigration of Victorian and Modern critics, exposed Naderpour to an onslaught of frank and widespread criticism from his contemporaries, especially traditionalists and left-wing poets. For instance, Forough Farrokhzad delivered this pointed criticism: “Naderpour’s poetry is completely devoid of content. He is a skilled illustrator, but the pictures he creates have nothing to say.” (Talaye Publications, Introduction to Diwan of Forough Farrokhzad’s Poems<\/i>)<\/p>\n
The inspiration Naderpour drew from French literature did not prevent him from demonstrating originality while simultaneously building upon the thousand-year heritage of Persian literature. Even in the few poems that he translated from French to Persian, he strove to create adaptations that could stand independently without the need to be placed alongside the original poem. For example, the poem Bagh<\/i> (in English, Garden<\/i>), which is an adaptation of a Jacques Pr\u00e9vert poem of the same name (in French, Jardin<\/i>), is considered to be one of the most memorable Persian-language poems from the 1950s.<\/p>\n
The poem Bot Tarash <\/i>(in English, The Idol Maker<\/i>) is a prime example of Naderpour\u2019s fusion between traditional Persian poetical form and Western literary ideas. Although the poem is clearly inspired by the Greek myth Pygmalion<\/i>, Naderpour lends it a personal touch, expressed in predominantly oriental language, and written in a classical form of Persian poetry. The result is an independent artistic work, readily distinguishable from verbatim translations of the Pygmalion legend and other works inspired by the same. Naderpour intertwines romantic and psychological themes, incorporating ideas from Freud and other Western theorists, to create a sinister, but relatable love song which transcends the constraints of a specific language or culture.<\/p>\n
The Idol Maker<\/b><\/p>\n
I am the old sculptor and with the chisel of thought<\/p>\n
One night I crafted you from poetry\u2019s marble block<\/p>\n
To bestow your eyes with luster, I set them with gems<\/p>\n
From the thousand jet-black eyes of which I\u2019ve taken stock<\/p>\n
Upon your form and the pristine aura it exudes<\/p>\n
I poured the moon\u2019s sparkling wine to wash its surface clean<\/p>\n
In order to protect you from the evil eye\u2019s glare<\/p>\n
I stole you away, kept you from jealous eyes unseen<\/p>\n
To endow your shape with all the more radiant charm<\/p>\n
I outstretched my supplicating hands both near and far<\/p>\n
I took a gentle curve from each lady\u2019s silhouette<\/p>\n
I stole a graceful move from each dancer\u2019s repertoire<\/p>\n
But you, as an idol, pay your maker no regard<\/p>\n
You cast me down upon the ground, prostrate at your feet<\/p>\n
Drunk on the wine of pride with no sympathy for me<\/p>\n
It seems you have scorned your creator in your conceit<\/p>\n
Beware! For behind the veil of this needy fa\u00e7ade<\/p>\n
This idol maker\u2019s closed eyes hide his capricious fits<\/p>\n
One night, when the wrath of my love has driven me mad<\/p>\n
The shadows may witness that I have smashed you to bits<\/p>\n
Nader Naderpour<\/p>\n
Co-Translation by Matin Khalilian and Keith Thomas<\/i><\/p>\n
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Matin Khalilian is an aspiring poet and literature major at the University of Isfahan. He enjoys gathering inspiration from diverse cultures to enrich his own poetry. Through his translations, he strives to introduce international readers to lesser-known masterpieces of Persian literature and render modern English-language classics in his native Farsi. His noteworthy work can be read in Perspectives and Peyk Magazine, but anyone who doesn’t mind a bit of\u00a0archaism and some bad puns can reach out to him personally at matinekhalilian@gmail.com.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nader Naderpour By Matin Khalilian Nader Naderpour (1929-2000) is an unforgettable name in modern Persian literature. After graduating with a Bachelor of the Arts in French Literature at Sorbonne University, he returned to Iran. Naderpour utilized his knowledge of French literature to establish novel themes and motifs in his poetry, thereby making significant contributions to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"two_page_speed":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,73,84],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-culture","category-social-and-culture"],"yoast_head":"\n