Anvari (1126–1189), full name
Awhad ad-Din 'Ali ibn Mohammad Khavarani or
Awhad ad-Din 'Ali ibn Mahmud was one of the greatest
PersianThe Persian people are the majority ethnic group in Iran. However, there are sub-groups who speak the Persian language as their mother tongue throughout the Iranian plateau. The term Persian has also a supra-ethnic significance and has been historically referred to a part of Iranian peoples...
poetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s.
He was born in Abivard of (now in
TurkmenistanRepublic of Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic...
) and died in Khurasanian
BalkhBalkh , known as Bactra to the Greeks and Baktri or Bagdhi to the Persians, was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in Northern Afghanistan...
, now in
AfghanistanThe Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East...
, and studied science and literature at the collegiate institute in
TunTun may refer to:* Tun , an antiquated British measurement of liquid volume, especially wine casks* Tun shells, large sea snails of the family Tonnidae* Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state* Lauter tun, a vessel used in brewing...
(now
FirdausFirdaus or فردوس is a loanword from middle Persian just like paradise which has Persian root. The Arabic name derived from the word firdaws, the word for the highest paradise that can be attained in afterlife...
,
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
), becoming a famous astronomer as well as a poet.
Anvari's poems were collected in a Deewan, and contains panegyrics, eulogies, satire, and others.
Anvari (1126–1189), full name
Awhad ad-Din 'Ali ibn Mohammad Khavarani or
Awhad ad-Din 'Ali ibn Mahmud was one of the greatest
PersianThe Persian people are the majority ethnic group in Iran. However, there are sub-groups who speak the Persian language as their mother tongue throughout the Iranian plateau. The term Persian has also a supra-ethnic significance and has been historically referred to a part of Iranian peoples...
poetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s.
He was born in Abivard of (now in
TurkmenistanRepublic of Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic...
) and died in Khurasanian
BalkhBalkh , known as Bactra to the Greeks and Baktri or Bagdhi to the Persians, was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in Northern Afghanistan...
, now in
AfghanistanThe Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East...
, and studied science and literature at the collegiate institute in
TunTun may refer to:* Tun , an antiquated British measurement of liquid volume, especially wine casks* Tun shells, large sea snails of the family Tonnidae* Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state* Lauter tun, a vessel used in brewing...
(now
FirdausFirdaus or فردوس is a loanword from middle Persian just like paradise which has Persian root. The Arabic name derived from the word firdaws, the word for the highest paradise that can be attained in afterlife...
,
IranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in Western Asia. The name Iran has been in use natively since the Sassanid period and came into international use from 1935, before which the country was known internationally as Persia...
), becoming a famous astronomer as well as a poet.
Anvari's poems were collected in a Deewan, and contains panegyrics, eulogies, satire, and others. His
elegyAn elegy is a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.-History:The term "elegy" originally denoted a type of poetic meter . It commonly describes a poem of mourning, from the Greek elegeia derived from elegos —a reflection on the death of someone...
"Tears of Khorasan", translated into
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
in 1789, is considered to be one of the most beautiful poems in
Persian literaturePersian literature spans two-and-a-half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources have been within historical Persia including present-day Iran as well as regions of Central Asia where the Persian language has historically been the national language...
.
The Cambridge History of Iran calls Anvari "one of the greatest figures in Persian literature". Despite their beauty, his poems often required much help with interpretation, as they were often complex and difficult to understand.
Anvari's
panegyricA panegyric is a formal public speech, or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally highly studied and discriminating eulogy, not expected to be critical. It is derived from the Greek πανηγυρικός meaning "a speech fit for a general assembly"...
in honour of the Seljuk sultan
Sultan SanjarAhmad Sanjar was the sultan of the Great Seljuq Empire from 1118 to 1153...
(1117–1157), ruler of Khorasan, won him royal favour, and allowed him to go on to enjoy the patronage of two of Sanjar's successors. However, when his prophesy of disasters in October 1185 failed, he fell out of favour with the kingship, and was forced into a life of scholarly service, eventually taking his own life in 1189.
See also
- List of Persian poets and authors
- Persian literature
Persian literature spans two-and-a-half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources have been within historical Persia including present-day Iran as well as regions of Central Asia where the Persian language has historically been the national language...