The Influence of the Ghazals of Hafez on Goethe's East- West Divan

Goethe’s East–West Divan, which was initially composed under the influence of Hammer’s translation of the ghazals of Hafez, was later on influenced by other Persian and Eastern poets and writers, especially Sadi, whose short and long poems have appeared in this German literary masterpiece. While there is a constant mention of Hafez in Goethe’s Divan, Sadi’s name is only mentioned explicitly a few times, which explains why most studies on the Persian influences on this work are dedicated to Hafez rather than to Sadi. Moreover, no distinction has been made between these two poets and the extent of their influence on Goethe. As a matter of fact, the introduction of Hafez into German poetry was not a simple process. According to Goethe, the language of Hafez and his style of poetry made it very difficult for the German readers to understand him, while this was not the case with Sadi. Goethe resorted to irony, which is the characteristic of his poetry during this period, to solve this problem. Researchers have not examined this issue either. More important is the relationship between the irony of Goethe with that of Hafez. Whatever Hafez borrowed from other sources, especially from mystical texts, he passed through the medium of his subtle irony which would have otherwise been, misunderstood contextually. Goethe sharply recognized this fact. In a poem about Hafez’s mysticism, he talks about "pure wine" which is usually considered to be divine and mystical. Goethe has the same meaning in mind when he refers to "pure wine" which is genuine and free from any impurity. Again, one can trace the irony of Hafez in Goethe’s poetry. The reflection of this kind of mysticism in Goethe’s work becomes more earthly and materialistic and thus his irony is clear and straightforward, while Hafez’s irony is hidden and implicit.