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Persian literature (in ) spans two and a half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources often come from far-flung regions beyond the borders of present-day Iran, as the Persian language flourished and survives across wide swaths of Central Asia . For instance, Rumi , one of Persia's (and Islam's) best-loved poets, wrote in Persian but lived in Konya , now in Turkey and then the capital of the Seljuks . The Ghaznavids conquered large territories in Central and South Asia, and adopted Persian as their court language. There is thus Persian literature from areas that are now part of Afghanistan , Pakistan , India and Central Asia . Not all this Literature is written in Persian , as some consider works written by ethnic Persians in other languages, such as Greek and Arabic , to be included. Surviving works in Persian Language s (such as Old Persian or Middle Persian ) date back as far as 650 BCE, the date of the earliest surviving Achaemenid inscriptions. The bulk of the surviving Persian literature, however, comes from the times following the Islamic Conquest Of Iran circa 650 CE. After the Abbasid s came to power (750 CE), the Persians became the scribes and bureaucrats of the Islamic empire and increasingly, also its writers and poets. Persians wrote both in Arabic and Persian; Persian predominated in later literary circles. Persian poets such as Sa'di , Hafiz , Omar Khayyam and Rumi are well known in the world and have influenced the literature of many countries. CLASSICAL PERSIAN LITERATURE Persian manuscript copy dated 1429, from Herat , depicts the Jackal trying to lead the Lion astray.]] Pre-Islamic Iranian literature
Very few literary works have remained from ancient Persia. Most of these consist of the royal inscriptions of Achaemenid kings, particularly Darius I (522-486 BC) and his son Xerxes. Zoroastrian writings were mainly destroyed in the Islamic Conquest Of Iran . The Parsi s who fled to India however took with them some of the books of the Zoroastrian canon, including some of the Avesta and ancient commentaries (''Zend'') thereof. Some works of Sassanid geography and travel also survived albeit in Arabic translations. No single text devoting to Literary Criticism has survived from Pre-Islamic Persia. However there are some essyas in Pahlavi such as ''Ayin-e name nebeshtan'' and ''Bab-e edteda’I-ye Kalile va Demne'' which have been considered as literary criticism. (Zarrinkoub, 1959) Abdolhossein Zarrinkoub, ''Naqde adabi'', Tehran 1959 pp:374-379. Some researchers have quoted the ''Sho’ubiyye'' as asserting the pre-Islamic Persians had books on eloquence, such as ''Karvand''. No trace remains of such books. There are some indications that some among Persian elite were familiar with Greek rhetoric and literary criticism.(Zarrinkoub, 1947) Persian literature of the medieval and pre-modern periods While initially Overshadowed By Arabic during the Umayyad and early Abbasid caliphates, modern Persian soon became a literary language again of the Central Asia n lands. The rebirth of the language in its new form is often accredited to Ferdowsi , Unsuri , Daqiqi , Rudaki and their generation, as they used pre-Islamic nationalism as a conduit to revive the language and customs of ancient Persia. In particular, says Ferdowsi himself in his Shahnama : بسی رنج بردم در این سال سی عجم زنده کردم بدین پارسی ''"For thirty years I endured much pain and strife,'' ''with Persian I gave the Ajam verve and life".'' Poetry in the Republic Of Azerbaijan .]] So strong is the Persian aptitude for versifying everyday expressions that one can encounter poetry in almost every classical work, whether from Persian literature, science, or metaphysics. In short, the ability to write in verse form was a pre-requisite for any scholar. For example, almost half of Avicenna 's medical writings are known to be versified. Works of the early era of Persian poetry are characterized by strong court patronage, an extravagance of Panegyrics , and what is known as سبک فاخر "exalted in style". The tradition of royal patronage began perhaps under the Sassanide era, and carried over through the Abbasid and Samanid courts into every major Persian Dynasty . The Qasideh was perhaps the most famous form of panegyric used, though Quatrain s such as those in Omar Khayyam 's Ruba'iyyat are also widely popular. "Khorasani style", as most of its followers were associated with Greater Khorasan , is characterized with its supercilious diction, dignified tone, and relatively literate language. The chief representatives of this lyricism are Asjadi , Farrukhi Sistani , Unsuri , and Manuchehri . Panegyric masters such as Rudaki were known for their love of nature, their verse abounding with evocative descriptions. Through these courts and system of patronage emerged the epic style of poetry, with Ferdowsi 's Shahnama at the apex. By glorifying the Iranian Historical Past in heroic and elevated verses, he and other notables such as Daqiqi and Asadi Tusi presented the " Ajam " with a source of pride and inspiration that has helped preserve a sense of identity for the Iranian People s over the ages. Ferdowsi set a model to be followed by a host of other poets later on. The thirteenth century marks the ascendancy of lyric poetry with the consequent development of the Ghazal into a major verse form, as well as the rise of mystical and Sufi Poetry . This style is often called ''"the Eraqi style"'', and is known by its emotional lyric qualities, rich meters, and the relative simplicity of its language. Emotional romantic poetry was not something new however, as works such as Vis O Ramin by Asad Gorgani , and ''Yusof o Zoleikha'' by Am'aq exemplify. Poets such as Sana'i and Attar (who ostensibly have inspired Rumi ), Khaqani Shirvani , Anvari , and Nezami , were highly respected ghazal writers. But the elite of this school are none other than Rumi , Sadi , and Hafez . Regarding the tradition of Persian love poetry during the Safavid era, Persian historian Ehsan Yarshater notes that "As a rule, the beloved is not a woman, but a young man. In the early centuries of Islam, the raids into Central Asia produced many young Slaves . Slaves were also bought or received as gifts. They were made to serve as pages at court or in the households of the affluent, or as soldiers and body-guards. Young men, slaves or not, also, served wine at banquets and receptions, and the more gifted among them could play music and maintain a cultivated conversation. It was Love Toward Young Pages, Soldiers, Or Novices In Trades And Professions which was the subject of lyrical introductions to panegyrics from the beginning of Persian poetry, and of the ghazal." Yar-Shater, Ehsan. 1986. ''Persian Poetry in the Timurid and Safavid Periods,'' Cambridge History of Iran. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.973-974. 1986 In the Didactic genre one can mention Sanai 's ''Hadiqatul Haqiqah'' as well as Nezami 's ''Makhzan-ul-Asrār''. Some of Attar 's works also belong to this genre as do the major works of Rumi , although some tend to classify these in the lyrical type, due to their mystical and emotional qualities. And some tend to group Naser Khosrow 's works in this style as well, however the true gem of this genre is Sadi 's Bustan , a heavyweight of Persian literature. After the fifteenth century, the ''Indian style'' of Persian poetry (sometimes also called ''Isfahani'' or ''Safavi'' styles) took over. This style has its roots in the Timurid era, and produced the likes of Amir Khosrow Dehlavi . |
Image:Conference Of The BirdsjpgIllustration From
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Attar" class="copylinks">Attar 's The Conference Of The Birds A Sufi Poetry popular |
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Image:Bahram-e Gurjpg''
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Bahram_V" class="copylinks">Bahram Gur and the Indian princess in the black pavilion'' Depiction from Nizami 's Khamsa (Quintet) |
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Image:Jami Rose GardenjpgIllustration From
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Jami" class="copylinks">Jami 's ''Rose Garden of the Pious'', 1553 The image blends Persian poetry and Persian Miniature into one, as is the norm for many works of Persian literature |
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