What follows is the result of an idea to connect the field of philosophy and thought with the world of drama. Let us choose sentences to ponder from the statements of the members of the philosophical group, which are archived in the “Chistiha Blog” (http://chistiha.blogfa.com); and after manipulating the concepts of those statements, and doing a brief exercise and editing, let us create a dramatic idea that will continue to form another dialogue, another concept, and another thought.
In the principles of drama writing, “ideation” and “drafting” have a specific method; but we tried to be one step before the idea and the plot. At the same stage of mental spark or, in our own words, the “study” stage, where the writer’s hand is open to writing down any image, concept, or point. Here, we have not limited ourselves to not mentioning the technical instructions, performance arrangements, dialogue, staging, and other matters, and left them for more detailed plans; on the contrary, we have completely written down whatever came to mind at the moment.
During our group meetings, we came to the conclusion that it was not necessary to obtain refined and precise plans from our conversations. It was only necessary to immediately edit and record everything that came to mind in an instant as a “study.”
And now we share the same with you. May these exercises and sketches be the beginning of a path to step on a bridge between philosophy and drama.
Ideas on the Bridge from Philosophy to Drama: Etude One Hundred and Seventeen
Note: These sketches have been registered with the Islamic Culture and Guidance Department. And the intellectual property belongs to the author.
These sketches are only allowed to be republished on the “Chistiha” site.
The 100th Etude
Short feature film (single location), or stage play
If it is a film, we should mention that the camera will move in the hall and insert shots, with the emphasis that the angle of these insert shots or cuts should not exceed ten degrees. The camera angle should, if possible, evoke a single point of view for the audience until the end of the film; not multiple points of view or omniscience. That is, it should be something close to the angle of the theater audience. It is very important that the camera remains on a single narrator until the end. And the directions of the shots from opposite angles that express the same subject from several aspects are not.
The entire film (or play) takes place in one night. In the hall of a duplex villa house.
This hall has a staircase that goes upstairs. The window curtains, tablecloths, several handmade rugs, tall stemmed cherries and other crystals in the sideboard, and the full-length gold-framed mirror with a relief of a dragon spinning around the mirror and eating its own tail (the myth of Ouroboros), and various models of candlesticks and bubble candlesticks on each table, and a dining table near the open kitchen, a single velvet sofa, chairs and several half-sets of wicker sofas, an old gramophone furnished with self-colored wood, all indicate a life that is wealthy and elegant, yet simple and somewhat spiritual; a link between several eras but with one authenticity. Cassette tapes of the magazine Sada, and Shabahang, and several classic gramophone records, along with books by Scovel Shin, Luscaglia, Paulo Coelho, Castaneda, Gibran Khalil Gibran, Deepak Chopra, books by Ek Vidya, and … in a library.
In this text, we consider the party to be a women’s party. However, in the performance, it can be a men’s party; with the necessary changes according to the characteristics of this type of party in a group of men. Of course, in that case, the story itself will change to a large extent.
It is the Night of Power.
1) As the opening music (the opening credits or the curtain fall) calms down, we will be right in the middle of the revival session.
A group of women sitting on chairs and sofas, each holding the Jushen Kabir prayer in their hands. These women are all in the most stylish party dresses and hairdo, with artificial nails and high heels. The younger ones with long, dyed hair and braids, and dresses suitable for parties, even one or two with torn trousers called “lashi” (tight pants). And the older ones with clothes suitable for evening gatherings. All of them are busy reciting prayers. Some have rosaries in their hands, or around their necks. All the lights are off and the faces are in the changing light of the candles, special shadows.
At the center of this assembly, Fereshteh Khanum is sitting under the light of a lampshade. And there is a table in front of her with several books and booklets and a glass of boiling water. And she is reciting the last stanzas of the Jushen very fast. Her throat is sore. Everyone is repeating the Ghouths behind her. And finally the prayer is over. Then one or two lights are turned on. And the lady begins, continuing the conversation she had before the Jushen, Mujir and Tawassul prayers, to summarize the virtues of these prayers that she is reciting tonight, and her speech enters the atmosphere of NLP. And we realize that this lady is one of those modern session ladies who speak eclectically. And she believes in all prayers, religions and mysticisms and has Indian mysticism in her bag as well as the Vedas and cosmic, Indian and Buddhist mysticisms. The whole group has been attending this lady’s classes regularly for the past few years, and several of them are her permanent students. Classes in mysticism, Masnavi recitation, Hafez recitation, etc. And when “Hazrat Hafez” is spoken of, it is as if he were a cherub, so sacred, so sublime, and so unattainable. And everyone knows how much spiritual value there is in saying the sound “S (Sin)” in cosmic mysticism; and also saying the sound “Om” in multiples of 9, which is one of the mantras. And everyone tries to be in harmony with each other like a choir when they say “Alif Salawat and Alif Salam Ali Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.” The lady’s charming and captivating speech continues until, after a short pause and a kiss, the ceremony of standing in a circle begins. Everyone goes barefoot. And they form a circle. This time in complete darkness, and only by candlelight. Everyone stands shoulder to shoulder and forms a circle with their hands in each other’s hands. Ms. Fereshteh is at the head. Everyone stands with their eyes closed. The lady continues her prayers for the healing of the sick, etc., etc., by appealing to the pure Imams and Imam Qaim (a.s.). And prayers from beyond the galaxy and the universe. And prayers for each chakra of the body. And after everyone asks them to slowly open their eyes. And a few sports movements. Hands up. Then clapping. Then shaking the whole body. And running in place. And then laughing out loud. With all their might, laughing along with smiley faces, the mouth should be wide open, and expressing all the childishness inside. And then the gathering is over, the lights are turned on, and everyone becomes the same as they were, and there is a kiss and the attendees thank the host, who is Ms. Azazi, one by one, and slowly make their way to leave. And Mrs. Azazi’s son comes to help the servant who has been working in the kitchen since the beginning. And he takes the pots. And everyone goes to his charity. And he also gives special thanks to him. And when the crowd becomes quiet, one of the younger ones goes to Mrs. Fereshte. Mrs. Fereshte is now gathering her white hair that used to hang down to her waist. And she is putting her books in her bag to go with the son of the family. But her conversation with that girl (Nafiseh) continues. Others go. The owner of the house and her son have instructions for the servant to pack and sort the dishes. And finally the work is finished. And the candlesticks are also put back in their places.
Now Nafisa and Fereshte’s conversation is endless. Mrs. Azazi suggests that her son first take the maid and then come back and give Fereshte a ride. The maid doesn’t want to be alone. She makes excuses. Mrs. Azazi, who is mocked by this intellectual poverty and low level of understanding, has no choice because this is her old maid and says, “I will come with you myself.” And she goes and takes a coat and shawl from the rooms above and tells Fereshte that: She will be back soon. And Nafisa has her own car. She can go whenever she wants.
Now we hear Fereshte and Nafisa’s voices. Nafisa is breathing hard. She is stunned. And she is talking about “right” and “truth”. She is a student of Islamic philosophy. And she looks at everything from a philosophical and theological perspective. This is the first time she has come to such a gathering. And she has no experience of mystical ceremonies; But he has had a strange dream that he wants to tell Mrs. Fereshteh in detail. He has had a dream about Hafez and has had a revelatory conversation with Hafez.
2) Gradually, as Nafiseh describes her dream, the atmosphere changes and several lights on the stage move and increase and decrease on their own, and we enter Nafiseh’s dream.
We hear the footsteps of Khwaja Shams al-Din from the wooden stairs. Hafez enters wearing a robe and a turban. His clothes and sandals belong to the eighth century. But his behavior is in no way similar to the characters in historical films. And he will have a normal tone. He has no resemblance to conventional patterns and does not use refined language. His tone is exactly like our standard Persian today. And words that should be broken and colloquial are heard as rarely as possible in his speech, but there is no doubt about it. In short, there is no mention of the artificial decorum of conventional dramas. Although we are not going too far to the point of banality.
His behavior is completely ordinary. And it seems that he has just come down the stairs of his house.
The most important thing in his face is the delicate and mischievous smiles, and the playful look in his eyes. He has such a subtle sense of humor that he is a complete model of humor and nothing else. It is absolutely impossible to imagine him as a Sufi mystic or a religious scholar.
Hafez first goes to the mirror. And he sees himself in it and begins to speak with sarcasm and irony. Nafisa is also visible in this mirror. Standing behind Hafez, three or four meters behind.
Nafisa is immersed in her role and has fallen asleep.
During this time, Fereshteh Khanum will be just a spectator in a semi-dark corner of the stage.
Hafez and Nafisa’s conversation reveals all of Hafez’s secrets.
Why did he praise the likes of Amir Mubarz al-Din and Shah Shuja? And what he meant by praise was not to remove them, but the hidden blame behind praise. Hafez speaks of suffering combined with joy. He opens up the concept of randi. Praise is like blame and blame is like praise. And it is ridiculous for him that he has become a featureless idol in the contemporary world. He laughs at this situation.
At these moments, Ms. Fereshte must be moved by Hafez’s words.
Hafez explains the cases to Nafisa in such a way, and this conversation is so fascinating that the audience holds their breath in their chest: that they should not expect any miracle from him other than his poetry. The miracle of the form of poetry. So many illusions behind illusions. When he is talking about people, our eyes only look at their clothes, our sorrowful heart does not remember anyone other than you, my tears wear the ihram of circumambulation, although he is not pure from the blood of the heart, his beard and tail, he expects Nafisa to understand. And since Nafisa is speechless and speechless, he advances the images one by one in a Socratic manner, and Nafisa can understand one by one and say, yes, there is a contradiction and a division here, why did he bring the impurity of blood into the purity of the sanctuary? And Hafez stares into the pupil of Nafisa’s eye. And he sees the light of the candle and his own image in it. And Nafisa is now exactly like Hafez. With the same delicate smile, combined with mockery, joy and purity; and a sweetness on her lips.
And in short, the hidden layers of Hafez’s poetry, which has been a debate among scholars all along about how much of it is mystical and how much is earthly, generally only results in Hafez’s salty laughter. He laughs at all the debate and discussion that has been going on over his poetry for centuries like a child who has accidentally done something that has astonished all the elders. He finds himself in such a position that with his slander he has been able to ridicule the whole world. Everything.
This is where Nafiseh tells Hafez about postmodern thought and also about relativism. And Hafez easily turns her words upside down. And at the same time, he says: “I can’t handle this.”
From time to time, Fereshteh expresses her astonishment. Hafez and Nafiseh, however, do not hear Fereshteh. But the connection of Hafez’s next words, in a way, refers to Fereshteh’s sentences (similar to the arrangement we have seen in the play “Afra, or the Day Passes”; by Ostad Bayzai).
Hafez is an example of Harlequin. His eyes are laughing. As if he wants to joke, tease, and make nonsense right now. He is so happy that he can’t fit into his own skin. He talks about his financial income. And about his ordinary life. And from his point of view regarding the history of the rulers of his time. And all the slogans he composed. And why the world and everything in it can be nothing in nothing, such as: You yourself, Nafisa Khanum, can you say that you will not get sick until the end of your life, so you do not know the future. And this means timelessness. And in short, all the justifications that are justified under the guise of humor, ridicule, sarcasm, and blame, and so on.
At the end of this long conversation, which is hidden in the middle of those points, Hafez asks Nafisa to go and get a mirror from her room. Nafisa does the same. She goes up the stairs and gets a mirror. She gets a big mirror. A mirror that looks like the tall mirror on the wall. It also has the same dragon design on it. But it seems to be the child of that mirror. If it is seventy centimeters by fifty, that tall mirror on the wall is three times that.
In the meantime, Hafez is holding one of the candlestick bases and is standing near the mirror with his face facing it. Nafisa comes to Hafez. Hafez asks her to place the two mirrors opposite each other. And he places himself between the two. And Hafez places the candle next to her profile face. Nafisa has been multiplied in the mirrors. To the point of nothingness. And the light in the same way.
Hafez places the candlestick on a table near Fereshte and leaves with his natural humor. Nafiseh has now become another Nafiseh. She has reached clarity and sublimity.
3) Fereshte stands up. And the light of the scene changes. Fereshte stands between two mirrors with the candlestick in her hand. Fereshte takes the candle and the mirror in her hand. And Nafishe slowly moves away from her. Nafishe must take off her coat and shawl and leave. Fereshte still wants to stand in front of the mirror. Nafishe looks through the corner of the curtain to the window. The light is from Mrs. Azazi’s son’s car. They have arrived.
Fereshte is not herself.
She is busy with the mirror and her reproduced image. She has now doubted all her information and beliefs. She now doubts everything she said in her classes.
Mrs. Azazi and her son have arrived.
Nafisa has found a wonderful joy. Mrs. Azazi and her son are amazed by Fereshte’s condition. Fereshte’s all-white hair is a little disheveled and disheveled. And she has a gloomy face. Mrs. Azazi takes the mirror from her hand. Fereshte comes to her senses and confesses that she has to close her classes. And she asks Mrs. Azazi to inform everyone. And in the coming years, the Night of Power will not come here. And she will not have any gatherings. And she wants to live a normal life. And finally, write. Her decision has changed. And between truth and right, she wants to go to the truth, which is normal and at hand. And everything she has said so far has been nothing more than nonsense. And this is all Nafisa has dreamed of from the government.
Nafisa is standing with a switch in her hand. Fereshte takes her clothes and belongings and says that she needs to breathe fresh air and be alone for a few minutes. And with a meaningful smile, a real smile, not like before when she had artificial smiles, it is about a new perspective. Now she has to cut her hair too. She leaves. To make it simple. And real. There is no need to gather information. Life is in its own mirror. And one can only laugh at it and mock oneself. Just as Hafez mocked himself throughout his poems. But Ms. Azazi is worried about her. Although Ms. Azazi has also realized that she was wrong that Hafez was Hazrat Hafez before. She walks cautiously behind Fereshteh. She gives the mirror to her son and leaves. Her son holds the mirror in his hand and stares at it. At Nafiseh’s indication of where and in what position to place it so that his image is reproduced, he changes position between the two mirrors. And she too is astonished by such an image. And Nafiseh smiles at this magic. A smile combined with mockery, joy, and purity; and sweetness on her lips. And that’s it.
Author: B. Khosravani
It is recalled that any copying and extraction of these ideas, from an ethical and legal perspective, is only possible by mentioning the address, and use for performance will only be possible if the author’s written consent is obtained.