Goethe and Hafiz, one in the West and the other in the East, lived in two distinct cultural eras, yet thanks to the affinities embedded within their social and private lives, and beyond the inconsistencies in the mistranslations, the two share such affinities that, bridging the gap of centuries in between, have aspired the genius of Goethe to reach the core of Hafiz's (The Tongue of the Veiled) words far more profoundly than any of Hafiz's own contemporaries, compatriots, and fellow-Farsi speakers could ever comprehend.The Eastern Divan (Bulk) is regarded as the most appealing and significant work of Goethe's, one which creatively combining the West and the East creates a melange of the genius of Goethe's and Hafiz's. It is in fact Goethe's admiration of Hafiz, one that epitomizes the Western intellectual awe towards the genius of the East.Studying The Eastern Divan, one can understand Goethe's consideration of the East, his general perspective towards the Orient and of Hafiz in particular, and the close relation between the two.

Many efforts have been made for closeness, reconciliation and understanding between Eastern and Western cultures. But in modern times, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is perhaps the first person to take a major step in this direction, opening a warm embrace of friendship to the East. Goethe’s particular interpretation of Hafez can be a major pivot for a deep intercultural dialogue between the East and the West. Goethe took an important step in moving the West towards this common culture. Goethe's interpretation of Hafez paved the way to this common world culture in the East as well. Perhaps this common culture can be called a „global culture”. This global culture must have two important elements, one from the West and one from the East. It is evident that this culture must be the result and combination of both culture types. „Individuality” (fardiyyat) and „unity of being” (vahdat-e wojoud) are these two elements, which don’t seem to get straight to the point. It seems that Goethe’s interpretation of Hafez is not an interpretation far removed from Hafez’s meanings and intentions, and is deeply correlated with ancient Iranian wisdom. Hafez und Goethe: Prediger der Weltkultur Zusammenfassung Viele Anstrengungen wurden unternommen, um Annäherung, Versöhnung und Verständigung zwischen den Kulturen des Ostens und des Westens zu fördern. Doch in der Moderne ist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wohl die erste Person, die in dieser Hinsicht einen bedeutenden Schritt unternommen und dem Osten eine herzliche Freundschaft entgegengestreckt hat. Goethes besondere Interpretation von Hafis kann als zentraler Ausgangspunkt für einen tiefgehenden interkulturellen Dialog zwischen Ost und West dienen. Goethe leitete eine Bewegung ein, die den Westen in Richtung einer gemeinsamen Kultur führte. Gleichzeitig ebnete seine Interpretation von Hafis auch im Osten den Weg zu dieser gemeinsamen Weltkultur. Vielleicht kann man diese gemeinsame Kultur als eine „globale Kultur“ bezeichnen. Diese globale Kultur muss zwei wesentliche Elemente enthalten – eines aus dem Westen und eines aus dem Osten. Offensichtlich muss diese Kultur das Ergebnis und die Verbindung beider Kulturtypen sein. „Individualität“ (Fardiyyat) und die „Einheit des Seins“ (Vahdat-e Wojoud) sind diese beiden Elemente, die jedoch nicht unmittelbar auf den ersten Blick miteinander harmonieren. Es scheint jedoch, dass Goethes Interpretation von Hafis nicht weit von den Bedeutungen und Intentionen von Hafis entfernt ist und in enger Verbindung zur alten iranischen Weisheit steht. Schlüsselwörter: Hafis, Goethe, Weltkultur, Individualität, Einheit des Seins.

Johan Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), a reflective thinker and speaker from Germany, firstly announced the world group of literature words in May 1827. His speech in demand of world literature has become an essence for writing and speaking among those world philosophers who were researchers of literature in that time. There are many gaps to be fulfilled on this subject matter. In the same way, the original demand of his direct willing in making world literature has not been reached to a certain result. At last, the following research on the bases of disputed conversations, biographies (self-writing and others), letters, and his essays could be the sources in the fulfillment of Goethe’s point of view about world literature. It is no doubt that Goethe's point of view and other thinkers and speakers from Germany in the decades of 18th and 19th centuries could be a means for other nations and countries in the way of gathering world literature considering awareness, sympathy, and preservation of the great combination of world literature basically in relation to Europe and Germany in that time. In the following research, considering a historical creation in the way of comparative literature, the original demand of Goethe about world literature was investigated

The year 1999 coincided with the two hundred and fiftieh birth anniversary of Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe, the great German poet and dramatist, who is the distinguished representative of the classic literature of his country, and Many of his works have been introduced to the arena of the global literature. The present article takes benefit from this opportunity to inroduce the Western- Eastern Wok of this renowned poet. The reason for selection of this work is to explain that Goethe was inspired by and indebted to the Iranian poets, particularly Hafez, in the thoughts and feelings hidden in different chapters of this book.

In recent years comparative literature has become very popular in European countries especially in the German speaking ones. This scientific field of literary study was established in early 19th century and many scientific activities have been conducted in German speaking countries in this regard. Some believe that Goethe who first brought in the concept of world literature is one of the founders of comparative literature. The present article introduces the national literature, colonial literature and world literature and tries to elaborate on the true meaning of world literature according to Goethe.Abstract in French:Ces dernières années, les pays européens y compris les pays germanophones, la littérature comparée a été bien accueillie. La littérature comparée a été formée au début du XIX siècle. Selon certains, Goethe est l´un des fondateurs de la littérature comparée en expriment la notion de la littérature mondiale. Cette recherche essaie de présenter littérature nationale, littérature de domination et littérature mondiale en expliquant la notion de la littérature mondiale en considérant la littérature comparée.Abstract in German:In den letzten Jahrzehnten ist vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft in den europäischen Ländern sehr beliebt. Diese Wissenschaft wurde schon zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts begründet und daher gibt es auch viele Forschungen in diesem Bereich in deutschsprachigen Ländern. Andererseits vertreten auch einige Wissenschaftler die Meinung, dass Goethe mit dem Begriff Weltliteratur als Begründer der vergleichenden Literaturwissenschaft gilt. Der vorliegende Artikel befasst sich mit den Begriffen so wie Nationalliteratur, Globalliteratur und Weltliteratur. Vor allem wird der letzte Begriff aus Goethes Sicht behandelt.

World literature is a reaction against unfulfillment and diminished satisfaction hereby national literature to be existed so. The vivid fulfillment is a solid world people and hidden one is a superiority and national excess as a matched hope of aims in this way. A solvtion of result is a coefficency among world literates to be gained by colture instrument beside of language and literature. Goetheś aspects in this view of world literature is a reaction of thoughts, aims and events through his days of life hence, those are many and much continuously canged. The essay to be fronted is trying to survey these Goetheś aspects towards world literature and his demands fulfilled from world literature as his situation to be matched by borders and know how to be accomplished

In the Romantic period, substantial changes occurred in representational arts and narratology. Bakhtin refers to these changes as the carnival spirit, and one of the causes of the democratization of art. This article looks at Goethe and Byron and the bifocal and polyphonous influence of Hafiz"s poetry on their thought. It is then argued that the efforts made by these writers to learn about other cultures and literatures are one of the main sources of the carnival spirit. Also, by making reference to their writings and journeys, which acquainted them with new horizons, an effort is made to analyze the nature of the key concepts, bifocality and polyphony, as the main causes of the democratization of art and the merging of literary styles and genres in England and Germany in the late 18^th and early 19^th century. Next, the possible influence of Byron on Goethe in cross-cultural dialog is discussed.

Even though, the first acquaintance of the west with eastern literature and culture was mixed with doubt and hesitations, the negative prejudgments of the west (gradually) faded away, particularly during the Age of Enlightenment, with the discovery of the richness of eastern literature. In the meantime, the Romantic Period of the east turned as a source of inspiration for scholars and literary figures of the west. Herder was one of the pioneers of the intellectual movement inclined to the culture and literature of the east in German Literature. His ideas had a profound impact on Goethe's beliefs regarding the East. At the beginning the East was an escape for Goethe from the turbulant west. His acquaintance with Hafiz's Anthology laid the ground for a mystic and fanciful journey into the east.    

This paper explains the Eastern origins of world literature from Goethe’, s view point. In 1813, Goethe became acquainted with Hafez’, s Divan through Hammerpurgestal’, s translation, and following Hafez, he composed his West-Eastern Divan. But almost a decade after the Divan was composed, in his conversation with Ackerman, Goethe used the term “, world literature”,for the first time, because he believed that national literature had lost its meaning and that the age of world literature had arrived. However, it seems that Goethe’, s invention of this term, did not take place independently and away from the influence of Eastern culture and literature, especially that of Hafiz’, s Divan. The argument is that Goethe’, s West-Eastern Divan is a work that has emerged through Goethe’, s encounter with the translation of Oriental literary works and, in particular, and most importantly, Hafez’, s sonnets. For Goethe, world literature is neither a body of national literatures nor a collection of the world’, s literary masterpieces, but rather, a dynamic process of interaction between the world’, s nations, with the aim of breaking down the walls of national prejudice that have damaged peaceful coexistence among the people of the world. Therefore, this paper explicates the status of world literature through Goethe’, s reading of Hafez.

The romantics in the West are paying close attention to Eastern mystical literature and poets such as Hafiz, Rumi, and Sa’adi. The intellectual similarities of Goethe, the great German poet in the 19th century, with Ibn-al-‘Arabī, an Islamic mystic and philosopher, and the common characteristics of the beloved in Goethe’s West-Eastern Divan and Ibn ‘Arabī’s Tarjoman Al-Ashwaq, have made some call them “spiritual brothers”. The purpose of this study is to explain the role of earthly love in human spiritual transcendence in the lyric poems of two great Arab and German poets. This research, using content analysis method and the approach of the American school of comparative literature, examines the characteristics of the two beloveds in Ibn-al-‘Arabī’s and Goethe’s work, namely, Nizam and Marianne (Zulikha), and how this earthly love has become the basis for transcendental love for the two poets. The results of this comparison show that although there is no mention of Goethe’s acquaintance with Ibn ‘Arabi in the former’s biography, there are similarities in issues such as unity of existence, transcendental love, and the union of the lover and beloved. For the two poets, love is the ladder for their spiritual excellence. In the eyes of the two poets, love turns any plurality into unity and reveals the beloved in different shapes and forms.