تاریخ ادبیات (Feb 2013)
The position of the tradition of oral narration and minstrelsy in ancient Iranian literature and its fate in the poetry of the Islamic period
Abstract
Before Islam, Iran's literature depended more on oral narratives than writings in the field of religious and literary traditions; To the extent that even oral transmission is considered a virtue. In the meantime, the accompaniment of poems with music by minstrels organized one of the most important pillars of literary traditions in ancient Iran. In post-Islamic Iran, although the writing of works (which began in the Sassanid era) and the desire for prosodic poetry formed the foundation of Dari Persian literature, the continuity of ancient traditions is still important. This continuity and connection between the two periods can be seen in Rudaki's poetry and some other Khorasani style poets. The poems of some poets of this era can be divided into two parts: prosodic poems and melodious poems, the second type is the intermediate between Pahlavi musical compositions and Persian prosaic poetry, and the social status of poet-musicians in the court is similar to the great courtiers of the ancient era, such as Barbad, has it. Of course, with the predominance of the importance of prosodic poetry and the diminution of the social status of minstrels, musical poetry gradually lost its former status. Based on the available textual and historical evidence, this essay deals with the place of tradition of oral narration and minstrelsy in ancient Iranian literature and its fate in Islamic era literature.
