Examining the evolution of the content of the poetry of waiting in the contemporary century

Mahdavi poetry and the thought of expectation have always been among the themes of Persian poets. In the poem of expectation, the poets have addressed the subject of Mahdism based on their belief in the savior of the end of time and considering the governments of their time. Obviously, there are differences in their themes and interpretations in different periods, and the change and transformation of themes in this type of religious poetry, especially in the last century, is remarkable. In this research, while examining the content of the poetry of waiting in the three periods of the first Pahlavi, the second Pahlavi and the Islamic Revolution, the influential factors in the content changes of this important branch of religious poetry have also been discussed.

This research was done by content analysis method and using the library method in collecting information.

In the first Pahlavi period, poets based on the style and trend of the past, expressed their desire for the promised meeting and also on the basis of traditions, and did not promote any specific goal or direction. In the second Pahlavi period, due to more political and social freedoms and the expansion of religious poetry as well as political and social disturbances, poets connected the theme of waiting with the issues of the day and created a kind of hope for the future. In the poetry of waiting for the revolution, which is the last period examined in this research, we are faced with the emergence of new approaches in this type of poetry, and the poet, by linking waiting with political and social issues of society, addresses the orientation and mentions the duties of those waiting.

The desire for changes in the poetry of expectation has reached its peak since the 1940s, simultaneously with the emergence of the discourse of resistance and struggle, as well as the spread of new religious ideas, at the beginning and after the Islamic Revolution.