Reviewing the issue of Mithraism in the Translation of Hafez by Robert Bly and Leonard Lewisohn

Numerous translations of Hafez’s poetry have been presented over the last few centuries. Since every translator first as a reader, has his or her own reading of Hafez’s poetry, the translations are varied in terms of the translators’ interpretation of Hafez’s poetry. Leonard Lewisohn and Robert Bly are among the latest translators who have translated Hafiz poetry into English. The esteemed American poet and author Robert Bly who worked with the great Islamic scholar Leonard Lewisohn, produced a translation named The Angels Knocking on the Tavern Door which encompasses the translation of thirty poems of Hafiz. The translation rendered by Bly and Lewisohn highlights the mystical aspect of Hafez’s poetry and they present Hafez as a mystic poet. Therefore, the other possible interpretations of Hafez’s poetry are overlooked through the process of translation by Bly and Lewisohn. There are several words and expression referring to Mithraism’s beliefs and traditions in Hafez’s poetry which are interpreted by Lewisohn and Bly from a mystical angle. The paper argues that by ignoring the roots of Mithraism in Hafez’s poetry they have presented a mystical reading of Hafez’s poetry. The authors have attempted to locate the verses containing references to Mithraism and then they are compared to their translations by Lewisohn and Bly. Then, it is demonstrated how those references are misinterpreted by the translators and how the translators’ misinterpretation results in some ambiguities and inconsistencies.

کلیدواژه ها:

Hafez ، Mithraism ، Leonard Lewisohn ، Robert Bly ، Translation Studies.