When Iranians worry about life’s big questions, many seek answers in the works and wisdoms of Persia’s most revered poet, Hafez — sometimes with the help of a parakeet.
Retired housewife Mitra, 61, had questions about whether her son married the right woman, so she went to the tomb of Iran’s beloved 14th-century bard in the southern city of Shiraz.
Seeking guidance, she visited a fortune-teller there, one of many who offer advice with the help of Hafez’s collected works, a book of odes known as the Divan.
After sharing her concern, Mitra watched anxiously as the fortune-teller thumbed through the thick tome, opened it on a random page and pointed his finger at one verse.
He read it out and then explained its metaphors and mystical insights. Mitra’s face lit up — the message was positive, and domestic harmony lay ahead.
“I finally did the consultation today for my son, because I had doubts on whether his marriage was a good decision,” she said in the garden of the Hafez mausoleum.
After the nod of approval for her daughter-in-law from within Iran’s ancient lyrical treasure trove, she said: “I finally regained hope”.
Some Iranian fortune-tellers, known as falgir, offer a special service to truly randomise the selection of the all-important Hafez verse.
Chirpy parakeets known as “love birds” hop across stacks of colourful envelopes that contain his enigmatic poems and pick one out with their tiny beaks.
