About 3 weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the annual Persian Poetry being held in Farzaneh Hall with Ms. Alavi. It was held on Friday from 6-8pm in the David Boren Lounge and it was a time for the students in Persian language classes to share some poems they found interesting and then translate them for us and explain their deeper meaning. I sadly arrived a bit later than most people so I only really caught the back half of the event. One of the poems I remember (which I later found)was by the poet Gibran Kahlil. It goes “Between what is said and not meant/ And what is meant and not said/ Most of love is lost.” I remembered this poem for twp very important reasons: because it was quite short but it also packed a lot of meaning into just the few words it had. It helps demonstrate how people in the Middle East view love and it is entertaining to western audiences as well.Since we can relate to it and discuss it, we are more inclined to read it which can make us want to delve deeper into the world of Arabian poetry. Something I did not get the chance to ask the presenter of the poem was how she had come across it? Had it been recommended to her or did she go looking for something like it? I don’t suppose it really matters as it is clear that she enjoyed reciting it to us in Persian and it helps expand her love of that culture.
Something Tasteful I Hope