TEHRAN – Croatian Ambassador Drago Stambuk’s poem collection entitled “Damavand Beyond the Sea” (“Damavand, s onu stranu mora”) has recently been published in Persian.

The book was introduced during a meeting organized in collaboration with the Persian literary monthly Bokhara at the House of Humanities Thinkers in Tehran on Saturday, the Persian service of IRNA reported.

Speaking at the meeting, Stambuk said that it is a great honor that his poems have been translated into Persian, the language in which the great poets such as Ferdowsi, Rumi, Attar, Sanai, Sadi and Hafez composed their poems.

He praised Persian mysticism and Iranian philosophy, and expressed his thanks to Damavand and called the snowy mount a lighthouse in the turbulent nights of his life.

He dedicated his book to those people who are affectionate toward Iran and those people who seem far removed from worldly concerns. 

Stambuk also called the dormant volcano Damavand a sacred celestial mount that has concealed the salvation secrets in itself from those people who wish to return to the eternal unity.

The collection has been translated into Persian by Ebtehaj Navaey who also attended the meeting.

In his brief speech, Navaey said that Stambuk was introduced to him during a literary session a year before he was appointed as Croatian ambassador to Tehran.

“Stambuk’s interest in Iranian culture led him to compose the collection and the Persian version of the book has been warmly received by Persian readers,” he added.

Navaey said that the translation of the collection is an effort to introduce Stambuk as an Iranophile poet to the Iranians.

Stambuk, 69, who is also a physician, has served as ambassador to Iran since February.

Photo: This combination photo shows the front cover of the Persian version of “Damavand Beyond the Sea” and a poster for the introduction of the poem collection by Croatian diplomat Drago Stambuk.

MMS/YAW