Selected Poems of Persia

沈一鸣 / 张鸿年 / Zhao Zhenjiang / 蒋郎朗Writers Publishing House · ChinaApr 2026

Rating 4.3
Word count
95K words
Chapters
89
ISBN
9787521217780

Tags

Literature Slow ReadingEclectic ReadingExotic CultureCultural ChangeCross-Cultural View

Summary

Persian Poetry Anthology is one volume in the Classic Poetry Library of Countries Along the Belt and Road (Series One). The book was compiled and expanded from the research and translation achievements of the Persian language program at Peking University. It includes nearly one hundred representative works by eighteen poets since the ninth century, all translated from modern Persian. "Persian literature has produced many famous poets and ceaselessly brought forth fine works. The Persian-Arab Islamic cultural system" is one of the world's four major cultural systems and one of the few civilizations that have developed continuously from ancient times to the present with global influence. Its highly developed poetic and literary creation is precisely an important sign of this civilization's strong vitality.

Editor's review

Compiled from the research and translation expertise of Peking University's Persian program, this anthology presents nearly one hundred representative poems by eighteen poets from the ninth century onward, all translated directly from Modern Persian—a rarity among comparable collections. Rather than treating Persian poetry as exotic decoration, the editors situate it within the civilizational context of the "Persian-Arab Islamic cultural system," showing how poetic creation bears witness to this civilization's enduring vitality. The selections span a broad chronological range and feature a well-defined roster of poets, making the volume suitable both for reading straight through to gain an overall impression and for opening at any poet for close reading. For readers seeking an introduction to the classic poetry of countries along the Belt and Road, this anthology offers a reliable entry point; for poetry lovers, it opens a window onto another lyric tradition—condensed in language yet rich in resonance, best savored through slow reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Begin with the table of contents to grasp the chronological order of the eighteen poets, then start with whichever poet interests you—there is no need to read cover to cover.
  2. Read only three to five poems at a time, leaving room for reflection; Persian poetry's imagery and tone reward repeated savoring.
  3. When encountering unfamiliar images or allusions, consult the introductory notes and poet backgrounds rather than rushing to fully grasp everything at once.
  4. For book clubs, group selections by theme—love, faith, nature—to facilitate comparative discussion.

About the publisher

Writers Publishing House China · Founded in 1953

Writers Publishing House is a Chinese publisher focused mainly on literary publishing. Its output covers classical literature, foreign literature, folk literature and Eastern philosophy, with some extension into popular reading such as social fiction and parenting books. Its catalogue contains more than 900 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber and its edited editions, Shakespeare's Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and foreign literary classics such as The Brothers Karamazov and Lost Illusions. In terms of authors, it includes classical writers such as Cao Xueqin and Gao E, foreign masters such as William Shakespeare, Dostoevsky and Balzac, and translations by translators such as Zhu Shenghao, Geng Jizhi and Fu Lei. Overall, its publishing profile balances Chinese and foreign literary classics, emphasizes quality translations, and serves both academic and general readers; publicly available information on its specific publishing plans is limited.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 总序
  3. 前言
  4. 鲁达基
  5. 暮年
  6. 人间寿命有短长
  7. 劝说君王返回布哈拉
  8. 知识
  9. 面对壁龛又有何益
  10. 离愁
  11. 塔吉基
  12. 四宗
  13. 两种宝贝
  14. 菲尔多西
  15. 关于搜集《列王纪》的材料
  16. 论《列王纪》
  17. 暴君佐哈克与铁匠卡维
  18. 鲁斯塔姆与苏赫拉布的故事
  19. 夏沃什的故事
  20. 昂萨里
  21. 颂诗
  22. 头上青丝剪何妨
  23. 乌鸦与鹰
  24. 法罗西
  25. 悼念玛赫穆德国王
  26. 自荐诗（节选）
  27. 玛努切赫里
  28. 烛
  29. 葡萄女儿
  30. 纳赛尔·霍斯鲁
  31. 书
  32. 知识之果
  33. 南瓜
  34. 鹰
  35. 致诗人
  36. 霍拉桑啊
  37. 欧玛尔·海亚姆
  38. 四行诗选
  39. 哈冈尼
  40. 麦达因的殿堂
  41. 贪欲
  42. 内扎米
  43. 霍斯鲁和西琳（节选一）——爱的颂歌
  44. 霍斯鲁与西琳（节选二）
  45. 蕾莉与马杰农（节选）
  46. 故事
  47. 安瓦里
  48. 乞丐
  49. 聪明人
  50. 心情坦然
  51. 四行诗一首
  52. 萨纳伊
  53. 拒婚
  54. 故事
  55. 钟情
  56. 阿塔尔
  57. 鹦鹉
  58. 亚历山大的手
  59. 蚊子与梧桐
  60. 石磨
  61. 莫拉维
  62. 笛赋
  63. 哈里发对话蕾莉的深意
  64. 文法学家与船工
  65. 伽兹温人文身的故事
  66. 聋子探望生病的邻居
  67. 督察叫醒一烂醉如泥者想送他去监狱
  68. 四个人因对葡萄的叫法不同而产生争执
  69. 名叫欧麦尔者在卡尚城买面包
  70. 法学家与乐善好施的布哈拉总督
  71. 萨迪
  72. 果园（节选）
  73. 故事选（六篇）
  74. 谦虚
  75. 亚当子孙皆兄弟
  76. 抒情诗两首
  77. 哈珠·克尔曼尼
  78. 逆旅
  79. 教子
  80. 欧贝德·扎康尼
  81. 酒歌
  82. 我们是一群流浪汉
  83. 哈菲兹
  84. 抒情诗七首
  85. 贾米
  86. 优素福与佐列哈（节选）
  87. 春园（各章节选）
  88. 编后记
  89. 总跋

FAQ

Are these poems translated directly from the original language? All poems in this volume are translated from Modern Persian, and the selection is grounded in the research and translation achievements of Peking University's Persian program. The translations are professionally substantiated, and readers can rely on this volume as a trustworthy introduction to Persian poetry.
Can readers without a background in Persian culture still engage with this book? Yes. The anthology focuses on representative poems with condensed language and relatively clear threads of emotion and philosophical thought. Readers need not have prior knowledge of Persian history; following the lines to feel the imagery and tone is enough. For deeper understanding, consult the brief notes on poets and civilizational context included in the book.
Is this book suitable as an introductory poetry anthology? It is suitable as one of several introductory anthologies to foreign poetry, but expectations should be adjusted. It covers eighteen poets from the ninth century onward across a broad time span and is not a popular reader organized by theme. It is advisable to start with poets who interest you and gradually build an overall impression of the Persian poetic tradition.
What distinguishes this from other foreign poetry anthologies? Its distinguishing feature is that the selection draws on Persian-language scholarship, with all poems translated from Modern Persian, and is framed within the "Classic Poetry of Belt and Road Countries" series. It emphasizes Persian poetry as an expression of civilizational vitality, offering readers both the poems themselves and a broader civilizational perspective.

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About the author

沈一鸣 Author

Shen Yiming: public information about this author is currently limited. The only known fact is a single work, Selected Persian Poems, classified under literature. Judging from this surviving work, the author's focus appears to be the translation and compilation of Persian poetry, and the work is clearly one of literary translation and anthology-making. The title Selected Persian Poems indicates that the author turns to the Persian poetic tradition and presents part of that tradition in anthology form, offering Chinese readers an accessible text for approaching Persian poetry. Because reliable information on biography, nationality, and identity is lacking, it is not possible to describe the author's educational background, professional experience, or scholarly lineage, nor is it appropriate to make excessive inferences about translation strategies or stylistic features. The available material confirms only the basic connection between the author and this one work; further details await additional public information.

张鸿年 Author

Zhang Hongnian's publicly available biographical information is limited. What can be confirmed is that he focused on the translation and study of Persian literature and left Chinese readers two works: Selections of Persian Poetry and a study of the Shahnameh included in a literary monograph series. The former introduces the essence of Persian poetry to Chinese readers, allowing the cadence and imagery of poets such as Rudaki, Khayyam, and Hafez to reappear in Chinese; the latter discusses Ferdowsi's epic Shahnameh from literary and historical perspectives, helping readers understand the structure, characters, and intellectual threads of this Persian national epic. One is a selection of translations and the other an analytical study; they complement each other, showing the author's dual attention to close reading of texts and contextual explanation, and offering useful introductory reading for the study of Persian literature in China.

Zhao Zhenjiang Author · Chinese · 1940

Zhao Zhenjiang (born 1940), a native of Shunyi, Beijing, is a professor and doctoral supervisor of Spanish at Peking University. He formerly served as dean of the Department of Western Languages and Literatures and president of the Chinese Association for Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Literature Studies. He has long been engaged in the translation and study of Spanish-language literature. The library holds 42 of his works, spanning foreign literature, popular science and classic works. His representative translations include The War of the End of the World, The Distant Garden: Selected Poems of Jiménez, Blood Wedding: Selected Plays of García Lorca, Selected Persian Poems and Song of Life and Hope. He is also the author of A Study of Twentieth-Century Spanish Poetry and has translated Dream of the Red Chamber into Spanish. His work covers poetry, drama and scholarly research, and he has received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Translation Culture from the Translators Association of China.

蒋郎朗 Author

Jiang Langlang is an author about whom little public information is currently available; his work as a writer and compiler centers mainly on the translation and introduction of foreign poetry. Three of his titles are held in the collection: Selected Persian Poems, Selected Poems of Mongolia, and Selected Poems of Kyrgyzstan (Volume Two). All fall under literature and classic works, indicating a sustained engagement with Asian poetry, particularly that of West and Central Asia. Judging from these anthologies, Jiang focuses on poetic classics from different linguistic traditions and tends to present representative selections from each region, offering Chinese readers accessible texts through which to understand the poetic lineages of Persia, Mongolia, and Kyrgyzstan. No details about his life, education, or institutional affiliation are recorded in the available materials, so no speculation is made here; on the basis of the known works alone, his efforts help broaden Chinese-language readers' knowledge of the literature of neighboring regions and those along the Silk Road.