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Persian, Urdu, Arabic and Farsi Calligraphy

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I bring over 40 years of experience as a calligrapher to my work in Farsi, Persian, Urdu and Arabic Calligraphy. I work in both contemporary and traditional calligraphy styles, providing work for a diverse array of clients worldwide. For calligraphy in other languages and scripts, please visit my website palmstone.com. For inquiries and orders, please submit a contact form. 

I provide calligraphy for names and monograms, wedding monograms, illuminated marriage certificates, architectural calligraphy, tattoo designs, book cover and publication design, logos, signage, and many other types of projects. I also create calligrams (calligraphy in a specific shape) and zoomorphic designs (calligraphy in the shape of animals).

Persian, Urdu, Arabic, Dari and Farsi Calligraphy

My procedure is to first learn as much as I can about the project you have in mind. In order to create a calligraphic design I typically produce a number of versions for the client to review. In addition to calligraphy commissions I also produce original art for sale. I am available for calligraphy workshops, seminars and presentations as my schedule permits.

I receive quite a number of requests regarding Rumi, Hafiz and other Persian poets. Happily many people have come to appreciate Persian poetry due to the popularity of recent versions of the work in English. Tracking down the original Persian counterparts of these translations can be tricky. Rumi was a prolific poet, whose complete works run to many volumes. The versions in English are often not exact translations. I take up researching the original lines of poetry on behalf of my clients and do my best to offer a deeper understanding of the original wording of the passages.

Key Terms: Arabic Calligraphy, Persian Calligraphy, Farsi Calligraphy, Urdu Calligraphy, Calligrapher, Iranian Calligraphy, Iranian Fine Art.

Persian Calligraphy | Farsi Calligraphy | Arabic Calligraphy | Urdu Calligraphy | Dari Calligraphy |
خطوط العربية | خوش خط فارسى | خطاط

My writing tools

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My writing tools, including quills, reed pens (qalam ney), Chinese brushes, sign painting brush and assorted metal nibs (broad nib, copperplate, quill, wire brush, etc.). These are a sampling of the well-used tools of my daily life as a calligrapher. They are displayed on an antique writing desk from India from the time of the British Raj, which features multiple compartments and closes up as a convenient–if somewhat heavy by modern standards–box (purchased from a high up shelf in Doma’s old shop in Mussoorie, India, way back in 1978).

Rumi: The Messiah is within my heart and like an invalid, I roam

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A poem of Mawlana Rumi, “Nah man beehodeh gerde koocheh.” If you would like to hear this song sung in the Sufi ecstatic style, here is a link to a rendering by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The accent is definitely that of Pakistani Urdu, but the singing is all in the original Persian (Farsi), the language of all of Rumi’s poems.

The traslation/transliteration below is not mine, and includes the last two lines of the section, which are not included in the calligraphy version shown here.

Calligraphy by Stewart J. Thomas, www.palmstone.com

Naman behuda girde koocha o bazaar mi gardam,

Neither foolishly nor frivolously, in the lane and the market, I roam

Mazak-e-ashqui daram pa e didar mi gardam,

Possessed by the temperament of the lover I am, to have a glimpse, I roam

Khudaya reham kun bar mann pareeshaan waar mi gardam

O, God, the Almighty! Shower Your mercy upon me, disturbed and distracted, I roam

Khataa kaaram gunah gaaram bahaal e zaar mi gardam,

I am guilty, I am sinful and in this wretched condition, I roam

Sharaab-e-shouq mi nousham bagird e yaar mi gardam,

The wine of fondness I drink and round the Friend, I roam

Sukhan mastana mi goyam bhale hushyaar mi gardam,

Like the intoxicated I talk, but like the wise, I roam

Gahe khandam gahe giriyam gahe uftam gahe khezam,

Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I weep, sometimes I fall, sometimes I rise

Maseeha dar dilam paida ho mann beemaar mi gardam,

The Messiah is within my heart and like an invalid, I roam

Bayaan jaanan inayat kun to molana-e-rumi ra,

Come, O My Beloved! Come! Help your Maulana Rum

iGhulam-e-shams tabrezam qalandar war mi gardam

I am a slave of Shams Tabrizi and like a qalandar, I roam

(Translation from http://kalam-e-rumi.blogspot.com/)

Rumi: Don’t sleep!

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Poetry by Jalaluddin Rumi, calligraphy by Stewart J. Thomas, palmstone.com.  A popular translation of this passage reads:

“The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you.

Don’t go back to sleep!

You must ask for what you really want.

Don’t go back to sleep!

you really want.

People are going back and forth across the door sill where the two worlds touch.

The door is round and open.

Don’t go back to sleep!”

Buddhist Prayer Rondel

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This rondel features original calligraphy and translation into Persian (Farsi) by Stewart J. Thomas of the Buddhist prayer:

May I be free from fear. May I be free from suffering.
May I be happy. May I be filled with loving kindness.

The first phrase begins at the position of about 1 if this were a clock.

Sa’adi Shirazi – Poet 13th Century

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“The sons of Adam are limbs of each other, Having been created of one essence.When the calamity of time affects one limbThe other limbs cannot remain at rest.If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others,You are unworthy to be called Human.”

Sa’adi Shirazi – Poet 13th Century

I found this piece of my own calligraphy posted on another blog.  So, I thought I best reblog it here on my own Tumblr.  This is the famous poem of Sa’adi that is engraved on the walls of the United Nations in New York. More of my work can be seen at palmstone.com … Stewart J. Thomas, calligrapher