Rumi, Hafiz & Saadi: Persian Poetry in the Original
Read the greatest poets of Persia the way they wrote — no translation between you.
What you'll learn
- Read selected verses of Rumi, Hafiz, and Saadi in the original Persian
- Understand classical Persian grammar through poetry, not drills
- Hear the aruz meters and why the music matters
- Trace how these poets shaped Urdu poetry and Sufi thought
- Recite ten canonical verses from memory with correct pronunciation
Course curriculum
3 modules · 12 lessons · 26 hours. Green lessons are free previews.
- Beshno az ney — the Masnavi's first 18 versesPreview30:00
- Rumi's world: Balkh to Konya18:00
- The vocabulary of longing: ishq, judaai, vasl22:00
- Quiz: Rumi's opening15:00
- Why Iranians consult Hafiz like an oracle16:00
- Agar aan Turk-e-Shirazi — the most famous ghazal28:00
- Wine, witness, and ambiguity: reading rindi24:00
- Quiz: Hafiz decoded15:00
- The Gulistan's opening — prose that sings24:00
- Bani aadam — the verses on the UN's wall18:00
- Assignment: Memorise and recite ten verses30:00
- Quiz: Final assessment20:00
About this course
Rumi is the best-selling poet in the West — in translations that lose half his music. Prof. Hamid Kirmani teaches you to hear the original: the Masnavi's opening song of the reed, Hafiz's wine-soaked ambiguities, Saadi's worldly wisdom. Every ghazal is read slowly, word by word, with grammar taught exactly when you need it.
Requirements
- Persian script reading (or take Persian from Zero first)
- No prior literature background needed
Your teacher
Prof. Hamid Kirmani
Indo-Persian Literature & Calligraphy · AMU
Prof. Hamid Kirmani taught Persian at Aligarh Muslim University for two decades and trained in Nastaliq calligraphy under Ustad Khursheed Alam. He reads Rumi, Hafiz, and Saadi in the original and teaches them the traditional way — verse by verse, story by story. His calligraphy course carries a 700-year-old craft into your notebook, one stroke at a time.
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