In the first session of "Lectures on Attar"Majd Al-din Keivani said: evidences show that the West familiarized with Attar randomly and through translation of a poem attributed to Attar, called: “Pand-Nameh” (The Book of Counsels) or "Nasihat-nameh” .In Europe, it was indeed “Pandnameh” which introduced Attar.

IBNA: In the first session of “Lectures on Attar" held at the Cultural Center of the Book City, on Wednesday evening (July 6), Dr. Ibrahim Dinani GH. ” and Dr. Majd Al-din Keivani delivered separate lectures about "The position of Attar in the mysticism and thought of Iran “and “The time and how of the West familiarity with Attar “respectively. At this meeting also Alireza Vakilimanesh performed a vocal piece entitled: "Praise" along with the pleasant melody of Balaban played by Sadegh Cheraghi.

After Sanaei, Attar-e Neishabouri is the poet who deserves special attention and is indeed one of the first poets who versified mysticism vastlyin his poems. He is also of the most prolific one among Iranian old poets and authors.

Dr. Majd Al-din Keivani continued: There is a field of study adjacent to the Persian Literature History which concerns with the time and how of introducing Persian poets and authors to the other cultures and the evaluation quality of these characters’ intellectual and literary resources in other languages as well. This introduction usually occurs in two  forms: First through the authors’ biographies in the “Literature History” books, and second, through translating their works into other languages.

Keivani continued: What have been mentioned in the “Literature History” books is based on the perception of such books’ authors from Persian language speakers. These perceptions are based on those translations of some Persian literary works which are, in the conventional sense, different from translation at all. However, reviewing the books written by Westerns about Persian writers and poets, several questions are induced.

For example: Which Persian literary figures have so far been introduced to other nations through translation of their works? Whether it was introduced randomly or based on some criteria? What were the date and the motivation behind the poetry translation? How are the qualities of these translations, and to what extent the translators involved were honest narrator? Whether the picture they have presented from Persian writers and poets are comparable with the original works? 

Europeans’ first familiarity with Attar
He added: evidences show that the West familiarized with attar randomly and through translation of a poem attributed to Attar, called: "Pand-Nameh" (The Book of Counsels) or "Nasihat-Nameh”. The poem begins with this beit: “Limitless Praise the clean God / The God who endowed a handful of soil with faith." Saeid Nafisi is undoubtedly sure that “Pand-Nameh " is of the original works of Attar.

This University professor reminded: Hermann Ethe (German orientalist) without any assessment about the authenticity of "Pand-Nameh", categorizes it amongst attar’s works and even reiterates that in comparison with “Manteq Al-Tair”, this poem is more popular; although its language is by no means comparable to that of “Manteq Al-Tair”. In the introduction a printed edition of "Pand Nameh" published in 2002, F. Iqbal writes that "Pand Nameh" is of the famous Masnavis of Attar and no doubt, is created by him, but the Professor Shafiei-Kadkani absolutely rejects this claim. He doesn’t attribute this book to Attar at all.

He added: in the second half of the eighteenth century, "Von Stuimer» translated parts of this work into Latin and published it in 1775 in Vienna. In other European countries it was indeed “Pand-Nameh “which introduced Attar to Europeans. In 1819 a Christian cleric, called "Hindley" published an edition of "Pand-Nameh" in London. He emphasized on the poem's practical value in helping the colonial administrators to discover Muslims’ intellectual system.

This lecturer said: in the second half of the 18th century and early 19th century “Silvester de Sasi” published another edition of "Pand-Nameh" which was republished several times. According to the "Bibliography of Attar" compiled by Ali Mir Ansari, the first edition of this poem in 1878 and the last one has been done in France in 1819. However, the second translation of "Pand-Nameh" was done by “Gabriel Latin “in Helsinki. In 1871, in Germany and in1821, in Russia other translations of this poem were presented as well.

He added: taking a look at the mass editions of “Pand-Nameh", indicates not only the exceptional boom of the poem outside of Iran, but it also conveys that in the past, they paid no attention to the authenticity of the poem and the scientific character of Attar as well. Most probably it was the moral content of “Pand-Nameh" which attracted the interest of the people. The text of Pand-Nameh, due to its simple style, was considered and applied as a textbook for a long time in India and Turkey. Europeans, who were first of all familiar with Persian literary works through these two mentioned countries, naturally were not inattentive about the most popular poem of Pand_Nameh and it surely attracted their attentions.

Keivani pointed out: In the past’s closed societies, the criteria to evaluate good and bad books, was just its moral value and there was paid lesser attention to the artistic aspect of a work. Thus, “Pand-Nameh” which- as it has been proved- is not belonged to Attar and can’t represent his thoughts, became so popular that it seems no criticism on is needed. 

Researches of "Helmut Ritter," about Attar
He added: The first person who studied Attar holistically was "Helmut Ritter," the German prominent orientalist who published the results of his researches in a worthwhile book entitled: “Darya-ye- Jaan" i.e. The Sea of Life. Ritter does not know "Pand-Nameh" belonged to Attar and in his book, he describes the formal structures of “Asrar-Nameh" (book of Secrets), "Ilahi-Nameh”, (Divine Book),"Mosibat-Nameh ", (Book of disaster)" and "“Manteq Al-Tair”, and then he classifies their contents in detail. This book has been translated into Persian by Professor Abbas Zaryab-e-khoei and Mehrafaq Bayvardi. 

Keivani said: Ritter’s great work indicates that it was in the early 19th century when Attar was seriously considered by the West. The translations of Nicholson, Arberry and John Boyle, all are the reasons to prove that Attar is being more discovered by and also is being more important to the West. The establishment of Attar Congress held in 1374/1995 is itself another reason of paying special attention to him in the East and West of the world. The Conference held in1381/ 2002 on Attar in England was the other reason of a fresh look on Attar as well.

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