Muhammad-Husayn Behjat Tabrizi, known to the world by his pen name Shahriar, holds a singular place in the history of Iranian poetry. Writing with equal mastery in Persian and Azerbaijani, his verses carried a spiritual depth that transcended language and generation. Among his most celebrated works is the poem “Ali (AS), O Bird of Mercy” (Ali ey Homay-e Rahmat), which became one of the most beloved poetic dedications to Imam Ali (a) in the Persian-speaking world.
It was this very poem that, decades before any official meeting, planted the seed of a profound admiration in the heart of a young teenager.
A Fourteen-Year-Old and a Poem That Changed Everything
Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, recalled that he first encountered Shahriar’s poetry at the age of fourteen or fifteen, recited by a religious orator during a gathering. The experience left an indelible mark:
“We had heard many poems dedicated to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), but this work was different from everything we had heard before. It had both an extraordinary beauty of language and completely new images.”
Moved by what he heard, the young Ali Khamenei made his way to the library of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad, where he found a collection of Shahriar’s poems and immersed himself in the poet’s wider body of work. That early encounter became a lifelong reverence.
Two Unusual Conditions
Years later, while serving as President of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei travelled to Tabriz on an official visit. According to the recollections of the renowned Azerbaijani poet and religious orator Muhsin Asgari, a literary evening was arranged in the President’s honour. But Ayatollah Khamenei set two unusual conditions that puzzled the organisers:
First, he insisted that Shahriar himself be invited.
Second, he demanded that he, the President, enter the hall before the poet arrived.
The reason behind these conditions remained a mystery — until the meeting began.
“He Didn’t Want Shahriar to Stand”
When Shahriar’s arrival was announced, Ayatollah Khamenei rose from his seat, walked to the door, and personally greeted the elderly poet.
“Then we understood why he had set such a condition,” Asgari recalled. “He didn’t want Shahriar to stand up when he arrived. On the contrary, he wanted to stand up and greet the poet himself.”
After warmly welcoming Shahriar, the President said:
“One of my life’s desires was to meet you. And today, praise be to God, I have been able to do so.”
He then seated the poet beside him, and the evening of poetry and conversation began.
A Question About Fatima Zahra (SA)
During the gathering, Ayatollah Khamenei posed a thoughtful question to Shahriar: why, among his many works dedicated to Imam Ali (AS), Imam Husayn (AS), and Imam Mahdi (AS), had he not come across a poem about Fatima Zahra (SA)?
Shahriar replied that he did indeed have such a work, and proceeded to recite a poem about the night burial of the Prophet’s daughter (S). In it, Shahriar painted the grief-stricken silence of Medina and conjured the image of Fatima Zahra (SA) — a woman who bravely defended her rights and stood firm against injustice.
The Poem That Started It All: “Ali, O Bird of Mercy”
The poem that first captivated the young Khamenei remains one of the crown jewels of devotional Persian poetry. Its opening verses are among the most widely recited lines in praise of Imam Ali (AS):
علی ای همای رحمت تو چه آیتی خدا را
که به ماسوا فکندی همه سایه‌ی هما رادل اگر خداشناسی همه در رخ علی بین
به علی شناختم من به خدا قسم خدا رابه خدا که در دو عالم اثر از فنا نماند
که علی‌گونه باشد به جز او که را که راچو علی گدا نباشد ملک گدا نصیبش
که به تیغ فقر گردد سر پادشاه را
A translation of the opening couplets:
O Ali, O Bird of Mercy, what a sign you are of God,
That you cast upon all else the shadow of the Homa bird of grace.If the heart knows God, it sees Him wholly in the face of Ali —
Through Ali, I swear by God, I came to know God Himself.By God, in both worlds not a trace of annihilation remains
For one who is like Ali — and who, and who could ever be?If Ali is no beggar, then the kingdom is the beggar’s due,
For with the sword of poverty, he strikes down the head of kings.
These verses, with their daring imagery and theological depth, are precisely what struck the young Khamenei as “completely new” — a poet who spoke of Imam Ali (AS) not in inherited metaphors, but in visions no one had dared to shape before.
“Not Only a Poet, but a Wise Man”
Ayatollah Khamenei also spoke with great admiration of Shahriar’s celebrated Azerbaijani epic, “Heydar Baba Salam” (“Greetings to Heydar Baba”), calling it:
“An exceptional work. It combines the beauty of language, the purity of feelings, wisdom, and the amazing power of artistic imagery. Therefore, Shahriar can be considered not only a poet but also a wise man.”
The Leader also drew particular attention to the spiritual dimension of Shahriar’s later life, noting that the poet devoted the last three decades of his years to self-purification, study of the Holy Quran, and spiritual practice — a testament to the inner journey that gave his verse its unmistakable sincerity.
A Legacy in Verse and Memory
Shahriar passed away on 18 September 1988. In his honour, the Islamic Republic of Iran designated the anniversary of his death — 27 Shahrivar — as the National Day of Persian Poetry and Literature, ensuring that the voice of the man who called Imam Ali (AS) the “Bird of Mercy” would echo through every generation that follows.
And in the memory of those who witnessed that evening in Tabriz, one image endures above all others: a President rising from his seat, walking to the door, and standing in quiet reverence before an old poet — because some debts of the heart can only be repaid by rising.
To understand the "purity of feelings" and "amazing power of artistic imagery" that Ayatollah Khamenei referred to, one only needs to look at the opening verses of Shahriar’s masterpiece, "Heydar Babaya Salam." Written as an address to the mountain overlooking his childhood village, the epic captures the poet's longing for his youth and his reflections on the fleeting nature of life:
Heydar Babaya Salam (“Greetings to Heydar Baba”) is a monumental epic poem consisting of over 100 stanzas. Written in 1954, it is a deeply nostalgic masterpiece in which Shahriar looks back on his childhood in the village of Khoshgenab near Tabriz. “Heydar Baba” is the name of the mountain that overlooks his birthplace, serving as a silent, eternal witness to his youth, his people, and the passage of time.
The poem is considered the pinnacle of Azerbaijani literature in Iran and was instrumental in reviving the literary Azerbaijani language in the region.
Because the full epic is over 100 stanzas long, the opening stanzas are the most famous and widely recited. They perfectly capture the poem’s emotional depth, blending breathtaking nature imagery with profound reflections on mortality and memory.
🏔️ Excerpts from Heydar Babaya Salam
Stanza 1
Heydərbaba, ildırımlar şaxanda,
Sellər, sular şaqqıldayıb axanda,
Qızlar ona səf bağlayıb baxanda,
Salam olsun, şövkətizə elizə,
Mənim də bir adım gəlsin dilizə.
Translation:
Heydar Baba, when the thunder resounds across the skies,
When floods roar down the mountainsides,
And the girls line up to watch it rushing by,
Send my greetings to the tribesmen and the village folk,
And remember me and my name once more.
Stanza 2
Heydərbaba, kəkliklərin uçanda,
Kol dibindən dovşan qalxib qaçanda,
Baxçaların çiçəklənib açanda,
Bizdən də bir mümkün olsa yad əylə,
Açılmayan ürəkləri şad eylə.
Translation:
Heydar Baba, when pheasants take flight,
And the rabbits scurry from the flowering bush,
When your gardens burst into full bloom,
May those who remember us live long,
And may our saddened hearts be gladdened.
Stanza 3
Bayram yeli çardaxları yıxanda,
Novruzgülü, qarçiçəyi çıxanda,
Ağ buludlar köynəklərin sıxanda,
Bizdən də bir yad eyləyən sağ olsun,
Dərtlərimiz qoy dikəlsin dağ olsun.
Translation:
When the March wind strikes down the bowers,
Primrose and snowdrops appear from the frozen earth,
When the clouds wing their white shirts,
Let us be remembered once again,
Let our sorrows rise up like a mountain.
Stanza 4
Heydərbaba, gün dalıvı dağlasın,
Üzün gülsün, bulağlarin ağlasın,
Uşaqların bir dəstə gül bağlasın,
Yel gəlende ver gətirsin bu yana,
Bəlkə mənim yatmış bəxtim oyana.
Translation:
Heydar Baba, let your back bear the mark of the sun,
Let your streams weep and your face beam with smiles,
Let your children put together a bouquet,
And send it to us when the wind blows this way,
So that, perhaps, our sleepy fortune be awakened.
Stanza 5
Heydərbaba, sənin üzün ağ olsun,
Dört bir yanın bulaq olsun bağ olsun,
Bizdən sonra sənin başın sağ olsun,
Dünya qəzov-qədər, ölüm itimdir,
Dünya boyu oğulsuzdur, yetimdir.
Translation:
Heydar Baba, may your brows be bright,
May you be circled by streams and gardens,
And after us, may you live long.
This world is full of misfortunes and losses,
The world is replete with those bereaved of sons and orphaned.
Stanza 6
Heydərbaba, yolum səndən kəc oldu,
Ömürüm keçdi, gələmmədim gec oldu,
Heç bilmədim gözəllərin necə oldu.
Bilməz idim döngələr var, dönüm var,
İtkinlik var, ayrılıq var, ölüm var.
Translation:
Heydar Baba, my steps never crossed your pass,
My life was spent, becoming too late to visit you.
I know not what became of all those beautiful girls.
I never knew about dead ends, about paths of “no return.”
I never knew about separation, loss and death.
Reference: Shia News