‘The Female Rumi’ and Feminine Mysticism: ‘God’s Weaver’ by Parvin Iʿtisami

Parvin Iʿtisami (1907–1941), the first important twentieth-century woman poet of Iran, was well versed in classical Persian poetry. Her knowledge English language and education at American school for girls as her father’s translations from foreign literature contributed to appreciation modern ideas, including women’s rights. Unlike some contemporaries early twentieth century who tried revolutionize form poetry, she expanded potentiality poetic its traditional forms. Iʿtisami’s profound mystical awareness gender inequality familiarity with Western literature, particularly Walt Whitman, introducing a character poem ‘God’s Weaver’, spider possessed characteristics female those mystic. Through this character, formed an association between femininity mysticism challenged patriarchal system, discourse lethargy (mostly male) mystics.