13/07/2026
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Professor Charles-Henri de Fouchécour, Honorary member of the SIE, who died on June 19, 2026, at the age of one hundred.
An eminent scholar of classical Persian language and literature, Professor de Fouchécour’s contribution helped shape the field through a series of pioneering studies, including his landmark Moralia: les notions morales dans la littérature persane du IIIe/IXe au VIIe/XIIIe siècle (Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations, 1986). He taught at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Inalco) and at Sorbonne Nouvelle, where he succeeded Gilbert Lazard as University Professor and Director of the Institute of Iranian Studies. He also served as Director of the Institut français de recherche en Iran (IFRI) and was the founder of Abstracta Iranica, the journal of critical bibliographical reviews in Iranian studies in 1978.
Among his many publications, his annotated translation of Hâfez’s Divân (Verdier, 2006)—the first complete French translation of the work—and his translation of the Maqâlât-e Shams (Shams de Tabriz, La quête du joyau, Éditions du Cerf, 2017) stand among his most enduring contributions, not only to the scholarly community but also to generations of students, readers, and admirers of Persian literature and Iranian intellectual history.
A little over a year ago, in the spring of 2025, an exhibition curated by Farzaneh Zareie was presented at the BULAC library, which today commemorates his legacy on its website.
With his passing, we lose an inspiring scholar, a generous mentor, and a friend.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones, to his students and collaborators, and to the community.
Justine Landau, Denis Herman, Matteo de Chiara (directors of CeRMI)
مژدهٔ وصل تو کو کز سر جان برخیزم
طایر قدسم و از دام جهان برخیزم
بولای تو که گر بندهٔ خویشم خوانی
از سر خواجگی کون و مکان برخیزم
یا رب از ابر هدایت برسان بارانی
پیشتر زانکه چو گردی ز میان برخیزم
بر سرِ تربت من با می و مطرب بنشین
تا ببویت ز لحد رقص کنان برخیزم
خیز و بالا بنما ای بت شیرین حرکات
کز سر جان و جهان دست فشان برخیزم
گر چه پیرم تو شبی تنگ در آغوشم گیر
تا سحرگه ز کنار تو جوان برخیزم
روز مرگم نفسی مهلت دیدار بده
تا چو حافظ ز سر جان و جهان برخیزم
Vienne, vienne l’annonce d’être élu de Ton cœur,
Hors de moi je m’enlève.
Oui, je suis l’Oiseau Saint, du piège d’ici-bas
Je m’enlève.
J’atteste notre Amour que si je suis par Toi
Choisi pour Ton esclave,
Par-delà les confins du monde sublunaire
Je m’enlève.
Ta Sagesse, Seigneur, est Nuée bienfaisante,
Qu’il en tombe une Pluie,
Avant que la poussière ne vole et moi comme elle
On m’enlève !
Visite mon tombeau, sans oublier le Vin
Et les musiciens,
Et du fond du linceul, dansant à Ton parfum,
Je m’enlève.
Lève-Toi et déploie, ô gracieuse Idole,
Ta taille en sa splendeur,
Alors, comme Hâfez, hors de moi, hors du monde
Je m’enlève.
Je suis vieux, il est vrai, mais serrez-moi quand même
Une nuit dans Tes bras,
Pour que de Ton étreinte à l’Aube rajeuni
Je me lève !
(Hâfez, ghazal 336, trad. Charles-Henri de Fouchécour)
Credit photo: Farzaneh Zareie
