“Till the Gossamer Thread You Fling Catch Somewhere”

Abstract

The literary relation between Parvin E'tesami and Walt Whitman remains a largely unexplored field. This article analyzes the connection between “God’s Weaver” and “A Noiseless Patient Spider” to shed light on Parvin’s creative reception of Whitman. Creating a mixed-breed spider, combining characteristics from both Whitman’s insect and the Persian spider, and letting it contribute to the debate with the patriarchal system all demonstrate Parvin’s successful poetic inventiveness. The interaction between many forces—including Persian traditions of monazereh and mystical poetry, Parvin’s poetic genius, her personal situation as a female poet in a patriarchal society, and the unique characteristics of the American spider—led to Parvin’s creative reception of Whitman.