A New Trend Emerged in Recent Times

ISLAM IN WESTERN LITERATURE and relied on translations, particularly those by the English Orientalist and jurist Sir William Jones. Jones, known for his mastery of numerous European and Asiatic languages, had created a French metrical translation of the works of Hafiz in 1772. Before that, he had introduced Hafiz to the English literary world by publishing “A Persian Song.” Since then, more up-to-date and comprehensive translations of the works of Hafiz have been produced. Jones also translated the seven pre-Islamic Arabic odes and selected pieces from Sanskrit and later Indian literature. His major works, “Poems, Consisting chiefly of Translations from the Asiatick Languages” (1772) and “Poesos Asiaticae Commentarioum”, were instrumental in fostering a deeper understanding. In 1784, Jones established the Bengal Asiatic Society, of which he served as president until he died in Calcutta ten years later. Centuries before the flourishing of Sadi and Hafiz, there was Firdawsi (940-1020), whose magnificent epic remained relatively unknown in Europe until the nineteenth century. Firdawsi dedicated approximately thirty years of his life to crafting the Shah-Namah (Book of Kings), a monumental work of world literature consisting of 60,000 couplets. The Shah-Namah narrates and exalts the historical and legendary exploits of Iranian kings and heroes, from Adam to the Arab conquests. This account served as a wellspring of inspiration for subsequent Persian poets and nationalists, and in the nineteenth century, it was translated into English, German, French, and Italian, thus gaining wider recognition.