"Farhad and Shirin" (Azerbaijani: Fərhad və Şirin) is the third play of the Azerbaijani poet Samad Vurgun, written in 1941.[1][2] The play is based on the poem of the classic of poetry Nizami Ganjavi "Khosrov and Shirin".[3] This play was considered one of the best examples of Nizamis poetic embodiment traditions in the Soviet literature.[4]
| Farhad and Shirin Azerbaijani: Fərhad və Şirin | |
|---|---|
 Scene from the premiere production of the play | |
| Written by | Samad Vurgun |
| Date premiered | 1941 |
| Original language | Azerbaijani |
| Genre | Drama[1] |
Analysis of the work
editSamad Vurgun comprehensively studied the work of Nizami Ganjavi and embodied the theme of his poem in his play. According to the art critic Habib Babayev, if in Nizami's writing Shirin's is consistent and constant in her actions, she fell in love with Khosrov and is faithful to her love to the end, then in Vurgun's work, Shirin loves not only Khosrov, but also Farhad. She kills herself over the corpse of Farhad, who became a victim of a false news about the death of his beloved.[5]
Unlike Nizami's poem, which shows the ennobling power of Khosrov's love for Shirin, Samad Vurgun has Khosrov's passion for Shirin - unkind and predatory. Unlike Nizami, Vurgun, as Babayev notes, Farhad and Khosrov are not rivals, they are enemies. In contrast to the traditions of the classical literature of the East, in which a woman was portrayed only as an object of love, in the play of Samad Vurgun, Shirin is shown more active, strong-willed and independent. The Soviet literary critic Arshaluis Arsharuni considers this interpretation of the image to be historically justified. According to him, “in the age of Nizami, in the era of the Eastern Renaissance, a woman really had independence”.[5]
Samad Vurgun introduced into the play a number of new characters who are not in Nizami's poem. Among them is Azer-baba, Farhad's father, a spokesman of folk wisdom.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Guliyev 1986, p. 90.
- ^ Savalan Farajov (November 5, 2021). "Məhəbbətə ucaldılan böyük abidə – "Xosrov və Şirin" poeması" (in Azerbaijani). medeniyyet.az. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Aygun Baghirli (May 10, 2020). "Səməd Vurğunun nəzəri-estetik ideallarında Nizami Gəncəvi" (in Azerbaijani). science.gov.az. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Aliyev 1985, p. 192.
- ^ a b c Babayev 1981, p. 162.
Literature
edit- Aliyev, Gazanfar (1985). Темы и сюжеты Низами в литературах народов Востока. Baku: Наука. p. 338.
- Guliyev, Jahid (1986). Навсегда в сыновья тебе дан: страницы жизни и творчества Самеда Вургуна. Baku: Azernashr. p. 203.
- Babayev, Habib (1981). Самед Вургун: Очерк творчества. Moscow: Советский писатель. p. 271.