A qualitative analysis of the dialogue with Mount Damavand in contemporary Persian poetry

Since long, mountains have been natural phenomena with a special place in mythological and religious beliefs. Damavand, as the highest peak of the Alborz Mountains in Iran, has a significant connection with the myths and ancient religious beliefs of Iranians. This mountain looks picturesque, so it has featured prominently in literary works from the past to the present. In the contemporary literature, Damavand has cast its shadow on many other poeticized subjects. In this regard, one may refer to the two odes of Damavandiyeh composed by Malik al-Shaarai Bahar. After Bahar, Siavash Kasrai, Fereydoon Moshiri, Hamid Mossadegh, Nader Naderpour, Mohammad Reza Shafii Kadkani, and Qadamali Sarami have conversed with Damavand in poems. The mythological and symbolic aspects of Damavand and its relevance with identity and nationalism in accordance with the conditions of Iran in the last century have been the basis of these poetic compositions. Sadness and heartbreak from the disorder of the society and the conditions of the people of the time, the August 28 coup and its ominous effects on Iranian intellectuals and poets, oppression and tyranny, distance from the homeland and the sadness of exile, the confusion of Iranians and their return to their true selves and their lost identity, as well as the empathy and unity of Iranians in Anti-Zahakism poetry of the contemporary poets about Damavand have become a guide for Iranians.  In the pe research, we have qualitatively analyzed the approaches, motivations, and artistic, intellectual and stylistic attitudes of the poets towards Damavand.