Nature in Sohrab Sepehri's Poetry and Thought

Abstract

In Sepehri's view, the entire universe, even nature, is alive and active. Nature has not only physical appearance, but also spiritual essence and soul. Looking at nature monotheistically, we can even see mud and bur as containers of the truth and signs of God. Sepehri believes that nature is the embodiment of God's grace and grandeur. Hence, looking at and meditating on it, man may be led to meet God and reach spiritual worlds. In Sepehri's poetry, nature and phenomena in the universe, as well as their living, beauty, and meaningfulness, are treated as manifestations of the Truth and inspiration. Introduction: Sohrab Sepehri, the contemporary Iranian poet and painter, is among the artists who are expert in both poetry and painting. As a thoughtful poet who spent most of his life in pondering upon different horizons and spiritual matters and studying various mystical, philosophical, and religious schools and worldviews, Sepehri has unique attitudes toward life. This view of man and the meaning of life evolves and is illuminated gradually throughout his works. It seems that he has followed human's life from the beginning to the end of its evolution and provided his audience with the most essential issues of life. Most of his poems are soliloquy and seem to be his own autobiography. Such autobiographies, however, are not like those located in anecdotes and wrapped in narratives; they are rather questions and meditations of life, human, and existence. He awakens the audience and evokes them to self-response. The next section of the present study is dedicated to Sepehri's views on man and his life, God, existence, and nature. In another section, his directions about how to achieve meaningful and transcendental life are presented. In the subsequent section of the paper, we deal with the relations of God, man, nature, and insightful view of the existence. Existence, Universe, and Nature: