farsi-calligraphy

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A line of poetry from Rumi (Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī), Divan-e Shams Qazal 1759

بحر من غرقه گشت هم در خویش بوالعجب بحر بی‌کران که منم

My sea has become drowned in itself. What a wonder, this infinite sea that I am!

or in the translation by Franklin D. Lewis:

My sea has drowned within itself; what a strange and shoreless sea I am!

Persian / Farsi calligraphy and watercolor by S. J. Thomas www.palmstone.com

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A monogram, as the word suggests, is a single design. I get a lot of commissions for creating a monogram of a single name, or for incorporating two, three or even more names into a single graphically striking design. This is calligraphic design of the name Tajzadeh -- تاج زاده Persian / Farsi calligraphy by S. J. Thomas www.palmstone.com

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Wishing everyone a very happy Vernal Equinox. Goldfish represent life and vitality and are a traditional part of the celebrations of the Iranian New Year,No Ruz, which starts on the first day of spring.

سال نو مبارک -- نو روز پيروز

Watercolour painting by S. J. Thomas www.palmstone.com

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I ever see the world as full of blessing; Waters boiling forth from the eyes of springs. من همی‌بینم جهان را پر نعیم   آبها از چشمه‌ها جوشان مقیم Rumi Masnavi IV, 124 Persian Calligraphy by S. J. Thomas www.palmstone.com

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Calligraphic name design and mock up of an aqeeq seal ring. In the context of rings aqeeq, akik or aqiq - العقيق or عقيق - usually refers to a ring set with a chalcedony stone. Well-known types of chalcedony are carnelian, agate, and onyx. This ring was designed for Mehmed (Mohammad) Yagubi - محمد آيدين يعقوبي - in a traditional style used for Arabic, Persian or Urdu calligraphy. The initials "M," "A," and "Y" are included in a style consistent with Arabic diacritic marks. Calligraphy design by S. J. Thomas www.palmstone.com

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Cedar of Lebanon

املشاكل التي تقف أمامك ليست بقوة اجدادك الذين يسريون معك

“The problems that lay before you are not as strong as the ancestors that walk beside you”

Arabic Calligraphy design commission completed for a client by S. J. Thomas www.palmstone.com

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My heart is too full. What is a calligrapher to do when there are NO WORDS to express the depth of feeling? My world is filled with writing, but all too often I am at a loss for words. No words are enough to express the magnitude of my feelings of loss, grief and sorrow; the horrors unfolding in real time. And there are no words that capture the sense—or even the logic—of hope and happiness and joy that move me forward in spite of all that life entails. I have finally posted the core of the work I exhibited earlier in 2024. Follow this link to view the exhibit online: https://palmstone.com/no-words/ Calligraphic works by S. J. Thomas

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So happy to have designed the logo for my high school classmate Niloo Ziai's new venture: Well Mind Well Body Coaching <https://wellmindwellbodycoaching.com/>

The logo is a stylized version of the word "آنی" (Ani) from Moulana Rumi's line of poetry:

هر چیز که در جستن آنی آنی

translated here as "All you seek is within you."

Persian calligraphy and logo design by S. J. Thomas www.palmstone.com

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This poem by the Persian Sufi Poet Abū Saʿīd Abū'l-Khayr or Abusa'id Abolkhayr

(Persian: ابوسعید ابوالخیر)  (December 7, 967 - January 12, 1049)

is inscribed on the tomb of Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī

and is often incorrectly attributed to him.

باز‌ آ باز‌ آ، هر آن چه هستی باز‌ آ

گر کافر و گبر و بت‌پرستی باز‌ آ

این درگهِ ما، درگهِ نومیدی نیست

صد بار اگر توبه شکستی باز‌ آ

___________

Transliteration:

bāz ā bāz ā, har ān keh hastee bāz ā

gar kāfer o gabr o bot parastee bāz ā

een dargeh-ye mā, dargeh-ye nomeedee neest

sad bār agar tobeh shekastee bāz-ā

___________

I provide three translations. The first, by Barks, is the most famous rendering into English. Barks captures the simplicity of the sentiment. Gamart more accurately translates the verse. My own version is meant to be literal, rather than poetic. None of the English translations capture the repugnance that  the words infidel, heretic, pagan, unbeliever or idolater carry in the original. Please read the note for further insight into this poem.

___________

Translation by Coleman Barks:

Come, come, whoever you are.

Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter.

Ours is not a caravan of despair.

Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again, come, come.

___________

Translation by Sidi Ibrahim Gamart:

Come again, please, come again, Whoever you are. Religious, infidel, heretic or pagan. Even if you promised a hundred times And a hundred times you broke your promise, This door is not the door Of hopelessness and frustration. This door is open for everybody. Come, come as you are.

___________

My own more literal translation:

Come, come, whoever you are, come again

Be you faithless, unbeliever or idolater, come again

This doorway of ours, it is not the entry to despair

If you’ve broken your repentance a hundred times, come again.

___________

Notes:

bāz ā = come again; welcome (bāz  means both “again” and “open”; both meanings are relevant here)

kāfer = usually translated as infidel, the basic meaning of the word in Arabic (kufr) is someone who is ungrateful [for God’s blessings], or who has no faith; by extension, someone who does not believe in the tenants of Islam, who is a pagan, non-believer, or member of a non-Muslim religion. It is commonly used as a pejorative term.

gebr or gabr = the word originally referred to someone who was a Zoroastrian but came to have a pejorative meaning referring to any non-Muslim, or sometimes to any unbeliever The word continues to be used as a slur against Christians in some former areas of the Ottoman Empire.

Bot parasti = idol worshiper (again, a pejorative term)

All three of the phrases used have the sting of extremely insulting, pejorative terms. All three place the person being referred to as the most outcast or outside categories in Islamic society. To say they are welcome is to go against all expectations.

* Note that the word Dargah has many meanings, several of which are indicated directly in this line: portal, door, threshold, the site of the saint’s tomb. The royal court (dargah) was also where the king dispensed legal rulings and justice, which also plays into the poem: no matter how many transgressions you have made, this is not the place for having no hope. Baz A, means, come, come again, welcome.

* درگاه (درگهِ) dargāh (dar=door; gāh or gah=place): Portal, door; location of the door [into a house or building]; threshold; a royal court, a palace; a mosque; shrine or tomb (of some reputed saint}; place of pilgrimage.

** nomidi: no hope (na=no; omid=hope)

tobeh (Arabic “tawbeh”) = repentance. In Islam repentance is an individual matter between an individual and the Divine. By using this word the poet transfers the point of view from society’s vantage point (someone who is outside the fold of society), to the personal (what is my relationship to the Divine).

Persian (Farsi) Calligraphy by S J Thomas  www.palmstone.com

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This is a zoomorphic calligram of the Arabic name Asad -- أسد -- which, appropriately enough, is the word for lion. Zoomorphic calligraphy by S. J. Thomas. www.palmstone.com

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Arabic calligraphy in the Andalusian Maghrebi style. Calligraphy by S. J. Thomas www.palmstone.com

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Calligraphic design of the name Amari. Just so there is no confusion, note that there are a number of names which are transliterated into the exact Romanization. In Arabic script this name is أمار�� . Original Arabic calligraphy design by S J Thomas, completed as a commission for a client. To order calligraphic work please contact me via the online forms at www.worldcalligraphy.com or www.palmstone.com

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Ancient Persian Achaemenid Empire winged lion with sword and Persian calligraphy, family names and "My country, Iran" -- "Vatanam, Iran." Original Persian Farsi calligraphy by S. Joon Thomas. Order your unique hand-created calligraphy design by following the menu links above.

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The Bouton Passover Haggadah

This magnificent manuscript was created as a specialty commission by illustrator, heraldic painter, engraver and skilled scribe (Sofer Mahir) Victor Bouton. Born in Lorraine in 1819 and active in Paris, Bouton followed the model of Shiraz school of miniature paintings and manuscript decoration when creating this unique Haggadeh. The manuscript features sumptuously rich borders with floral elements, gold and lapis lazuli surrounding the text in Hebrew calligraphy.

The Haggadah is now in the Braginsky Collection (https://braginskycollection.com/portfolio/bouton-haggadah/)

Posted by S Joon Thomas, artist and calligrapher

www.palmstone.com, www.worldcalligraphy.com

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First Day of Spring (in the Northern Hemisphere) marks the Iranian New Year, No Ruz. No Ruz is literally New Day. May it be a new day for Hope, for Freedom and for Love, نو روز اميد نو روز آزادى نو روز محبت

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A wonderful way to display the names in your family! Perhaps a surprise gift for No Ruz? Click the link above to fill out an order form for your personalized family calligraphy, or email palmstone@gmail.com  Persian / Farsi calligraphy by S J Thomas

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"Not all those who wander are lost." ليسَ كل مَن يتجولون ضائعين Arabic calligraphy by S Joon Thomas https://worldcalligraphy.com