Iraj Mirza

Prince Iraj Mirza Yazdi Jalāl ol-Mamālek
Native name	ایرج میرزا
Born	October 1874 Tabriz,Persia
Died	14 March 1926 (aged 51) Tehran,Persia
Resting place	Zahir-od-dowleh cemetery
Occupation	Writer, poet
Nationality	Iranian
Alma mater	TabrizDar ul-Funun
Children	3, Ja'afar Gholi Mirza, Khosrow Mirza, Robabeh
Relatives	Fath-Ali Shah Qajar(great-grandfather)

PrinceIraj Mirza(Persian:ایرج میرزا, literallyPrince Iraj;October 1874 – 14 March 1926), titledJalāl-ol-Mamālek(Persian:جلالالممالک), was a prominent Iranian poet. He was the son of PrinceGholam-Hossein Mirza.Iraj Mirza was known for his modern poetry, which often critiqued traditional customs. In addition to his original works, he translated literary pieces from French into Persian.

Early life

Iraj Mirza’s paternal house at30 Tir Street,Tehran

Iraj Mirza was born in October 1874 inTabriz,located in northwesternIran.He was a great-grandson ofFath Ali Shah Qajar,the second shah of theQajar dynasty(reigned 1797–1834). His father, PrinceGholam-Hossein Mirza,was the son of Prince Malek Iraj Mirza, who was himself a son of Fath Ali Shah Qajar.

Gholam-Hossein Mirza served as the poet laureate, or official court poet, forMozaffar al-Din Mirzain Tabriz, since traditionally, all Crown Princes during the Qajar era resided in Tabriz. Mozaffar al-Din Mirza, later known as Mozaffar al-Din Shah, the Crown Prince of Iran at the time, was the son ofNasser-al-Din Shah,the fourth shah of the Qajar dynasty (reigned 1848–1896).

Although some sources suggest that Iraj was privately educated, reliable evidence indicates that he attended a branch of theDārolfonoon(House of Sciences and Techniques) in Tabriz. By the age of 15, Iraj was fluent inPersian,French,Arabic,andAzerbaijani.He was also skilled in the art ofcalligraphy,with his handwriting being regarded as highly artistic. Iraj Mirza remains recognized as one of Iran's renownedcalligraphers.

Marriage and offices

In 1890, at the age of 16, Iraj Mirza married. By the age of 19, both his father and his wife had passed away.Following his father's death, Iraj assumed the position of court poet for Mozaffar al-Din Mirza. At 22, when Mozaffar al-Din Mirza ascended to the throne in 1896 and became Mozaffar al-Din Shah, Iraj was given the title Head of Poets (Sadr o-Shoʻarā) (Persian:سردار الشعراء) and later received the titleJalāl ol-Mamālek.

A few years later, Iraj left the royal court and joined theTabrizoffice ofAli Khan Amin al-Dowleh,the governor ofIranian Azarbaijan.During this period, he learned French and became familiar withRussian.In 1905, when Amin al-Dowleh was sent to Tehran, Iraj accompanied him and became involved in thePersian Constitutional Revolution.In 1907,Ahmad Ghavam(Qavam os-Saltaneh), a governmental authority, was assigned to Europe, and Iraj joined him. Two years later, Iraj returned to Tehran and began working as a staff member in the Office of Official Compositions (Dār ol-ʻenshā,Persian:دار الانشاء).

In 1915, Iraj's first son, Ja'afar Gholi Mirza, committed suicide due to psychological problems. In 1917, Iraj joined the newly established Ministry of Culture, and three years later, he transferred to the Ministry of Finance and Revenue. From 1920 to 1925, he served as a Revenue Officer inMashhad,the capital city of Khorasan Province (nowRazavi Khorasan), in northeastern Iran.

At the age of 51, Iraj returned toTehran,where he died of a heart attack on March 14, 1926.

Poems

Iraj is considered one of the famous contemporary poets ofIranand also as the first Iranian master of colloquial poetry. In his verses, he uses words from everyday speech. The origin of this tendency has come to be identified with his name. Through Iraj, poetic language was enriched with many colloquial words and expressions. His simple poetic language is also famous for its witticism andsatire.

During Qajar era, Iraj was influenced by thePersian Constitutional Revolution(1906–1911) and by the changing circumstances in the country. This fact is manifested in the particular style of poetry that he created. Modern and imported concepts, combined with what were obtained from his own thoughts, form the framework of his style. He criticizes the social conditions of the country, and the striking originality in his use of metaphor when addressing diverse social problems has been admirable by his critics.

His style is rich in the art ofsimile.His striking sarcasm, pungent and fanged words are pointed at the dishonest clergy, businessmen, merchants and statesmen. In addition to those colloquial poems, Iraj also composedelegiesto praiseMozzafar-al-Din Shah,Hassan Ali Khan Garroosy (also known asAmir Nezam Garroosy,the governor ofIranian Azarbaijan(nowEast AzarbaijanandWest Azarbaijan) andKermanshahduring Qajar era), and many other Qajar personalities. His praise never shaded into flattery. Iraj also composed very nicemassnawiandqat'aaon the raising and education of children, maternal affection, love and romance.

He was an enlightened and innovative poet, and tended towards European thought.

Despite his famous technical skills, he sometimes used similar cases of rhyme, which is considered by some poetry researchers to be an intentional rejection of strict traditional poetical rules. Although Iraj was one of the pioneers of the innovative movement in Persian poetry, he never thought of abandoning the rules of classical poetry. Some scholars believe that because of the time in which he lived, his depth of literary knowledge and his familiarity withFrenchand other foreign languages, he could also have been one of the masters of free verse if he had wanted to.

He is particularly famous for hispederasticand satirical poetry.

Among many poems that Iraj composed, his well-known poems include Satan (Persian: Eblis; ابلیس), Mother (Persian: Mādar; مادر), A Letter to the Iranian poet,Aref Ghazvini(Persian: Ārefnāme; عارفنامه), Woman's Picture (Persian: Tasvir-e Zan; تصویر زن), Story of the Veil or Hijab (Persian: Hejāb; حجاب) and the Story of Zohreh and Manouchehr (Persian: Dāstan-e Zohre o Manučehr; داستان زهره و منوچهر), which is based onWilliam Shakespeare'sVenus and Adonis.

In Mother, the poet describes a child's affection for his/her mother and how the mother nurtures the child from birth onwards. The words Iraj uses are exquisitely descriptive and lovely not only in its original Persian but even in translated versions.

The Story of Zohreh and Manouchehr is one of his famous poetic works. Here Iraj tells the story based on theGreek mythof Venus and Adonis. In this poem, Zohreh leaves the gods and comes to Earth, where she is overcome by the pleasing charm of Manouchehr in his armor. He rejects her advances, while Zohreh attempts her first seduction. She goes to great pains to explain the beauty of lovemaking, and she finally goes her own way as she returns to the gods.

On December 8, 2004, the last Iranian movies launched in France was The Story of Zohreh and Manouchehr directed byMitra Farahani.The film had already participated in theBerlinfilm festival and several other international events and attracted many viewers.

Iraj believed that the status of Iranian women at his time was reminiscent of theDark Ages.Iraj could not bear to see that life was intolerable, unbearable and miserable for the courageous and valorous women of Iran. That was why he composed the very powerful and memorable pieces of women's daily lives in his poems.

Tomb

Iraj Mirza's tomb

His tomb is inZahir-od-dowleh cemeterybetweenDarbandandTajrishlocated inShemiran,north ofTehran.

Works

• Diwan(collection of poems)
• Masnaviof Zohreh-o Manuchehr (not completed)
• Masnaviof Aref-nameh
• Iraj Literary Works
• Romeo and Juliet (Translation from French)

Legacy

In recent years, two of Iraj Mirza's poems have been adapted into music:

1. The first poem, a short piece about the similarity between a lover and a Haji (a person who has completed the annual Muslim pilgrimage), has been performed by two different generations of Iranian musicians. The artists areHabib,with the song "Gheble Nama," andSobhan Ganji,with the 2023 song "To Sanam."

2. The second poem, known for its creative use of proverbs in each line, was performed by Sobhan Ganji as the track "Che Ajab Shod" in his album "Dore Doori."

References

• Iraj Mirza Jalaalol-Mamalek:A Reference Article on the First Iranian Master of Colloquial Poetry byManouchehr Saadat Noury
• A survey of biography, thoughts, and works and ancestors of Iraj Mirza, Dr. Mohammad-Ja'far Mahjub, Golshan Printing House, Tehran, 1977
• Mo'in Persian Dictionary, Amir Kabir Publishers, Vol.5,
• From Saba To Nima, Vol. 1, Yahya Aryanpur, Tehran, Zavvar Publishers, Tehran

External links

• Photographs of the grave of Iraj Mirza,Zahir od-Dowlehcemetery:(1),(2).
• "Aman az in Del" sung byGhamaron Iraj Mirza's death[1]