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Nezami
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Nezami-ye Ganjavi (; ; ;? 1141 to 1209), or Nezami , whose formal name was Nizam ad-Din Abu Mu?ammad Ilyas ibn-Yusuf ibn-Zaki ibn-Mu‘ayyad, is considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature, who brought a colloquial and realistic style to the Persian epic. His heritage is widely appreciated and shared by Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Tajikistan.
Life
His personal name was Ilyas and his chosen pen-name was Nezami(also spelled as Nizami and Ne?ami).
Discussion
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Encyclopedia
Nezami-ye Ganjavi (; ; ;? 1141 to 1209), or Nezami , whose formal name was Nizam ad-Din Abu Mu?ammad Ilyas ibn-Yusuf ibn-Zaki ibn-Mu‘ayyad, is considered the greatest romantic epic poet in Persian literature, who brought a colloquial and realistic style to the Persian epic. His heritage is widely appreciated and shared by Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Tajikistan.
Life
His personal name was Ilyas and his chosen pen-name was Nezami(also spelled as Nizami and Ne?ami). He was born of an urban background in Ganja and is believe to have spent his whole life in Transcaucasia. Little is known about his life, the only source being his own work, which does not provide much information on his personal life.
Parents
Nezami was orphaned early and was raised by his maternal uncle Khwaja Umar who took responsibility for him and afforded him an excellent education. His mother, named Ra'isa, was of a Kurdish background. His father, whose name was Yusuf is mentioned once by Nezami in his poetry. In the same verse, Nezami mentions his grandfather's name as Zakki and his great grandfather's name as Mu'ayyad. Some sources have stated that his father might be possibly from Qom.
Nezami was at least half Iranic, but there exists a dispute, with allegation of politicization about his father's ethnicity and Iranic, Turkic and Jewish have been mentioned.
Family
Nezami was married three times. His first wife, Afaq, a Kipchak slave girl, was sent to him by Fakhr al-Din Bahramshah, the ruler of Darband, as a part of a larger gift. She became Nezami's first and most beloved wife. His only son Mohammad was from Afaq. Afaq died after "Khosrow and Shirin" was completed. Mohammad was seven at the time. Strangely enough, Nezami's other wives, too, died prematurely - the death of each coinciding with the completion of an epic, prompting the poet to say, "God, why is it that for every mathnavi I must sacrifice a wife!"
Education
Often referred to by the honorific Hakim("the Sage"), Nezami is both a learned poet and master of a lyrical and sensuous style. About Nezami's prodigious learning there is no doubt. Poets were expected to be well versed in many subjects; but Nezami seems to have been exceptionally so. His poems show that not only he was fully acquainted with Arabic and Persian literatures and with oral and written popular and local traditions, but was also familiar with such diverse fields as mathematics, astronomy, astrology, alchemy, medicine, botany, Koranic exegesis, Islamic theory and law, history, ethics, philosophy and esoteric thought, music, and the visual arts.
Influences and Literary Scene
The earliest extant example of Persian poetry from the area is that of Qatran Tabrizi who served in the courts of the Shaddadid and Rawadid dynasties. Qatran Tabrizi, is credited with what some scholars in the last century have termed as the founder of the "Azerbaijan" or "Trans-Cacausian" school of Persian poetry. This school produced a distinctive style of poetry in Persian, which contrasted with "Khurasani" ("Eastern") style in its rhetorical sophistication, its innovative use of metaphor and its use of technical terminology and Christian imagery. The Seljuqs took control of Ganja from the Shaddadids in 1075 A.D. and spread Persian literary westwards to their courts. In the middle of the twelfth century, the Seljuks control of the region weakened and their provincial governors, virtually autonomous local princes, further encouraged Persian poetry in their courts. Nezami was patronized by different rulers and dedicated his epics to various rival dynasties including the Seljuqs, Eldiguzids, Shirvanshahs and Ahmadilis (Atabekan-e-Maragheh). Although he enjoyed the patronage of various rulers and princes, he avoided the court life and is generally believed to have lived a secluded life.
According to Professor Chelkowski: It seems that Nezami’s favorite pastime was reading Firdawsi’s monumental epic Shahnameh (The book of Kings). Nezami has mentioned Ferdowsi as the Sage (Hakim) and Knower/Wise (daanaa) and the great master of discourse: who has decorated words like new bride. Nezami advises the son of the Shirvanshah to read the Shah-nama and to remember the meaningful sayings of the wise. Nizami has used the Shahnameh as a source in his three epics "Haft Paykar", "Khosrow and Shirin" and "Eskandar-nameh".
The story of Vis and Ramin also had a immense influence on Nezami. Although Nezami takes the bases for most of his plots from Ferdowsi, but the basis for his rhetoric comes from Gorgani. This is especially noticeable in the Khosrow and Shirin, which is of the same meter and imitates some scenes from Vis and Ramin. Nezami's concern with astrology also has a precedent in an elaborate astrological description of the night sky in Vis and Ramin. Nezami had a paramount influence on the romantic tradition, and Gorgani can be said to have initiated much of the distintive rhetoric and poetic atmosphere of this tradition, with the absence of the Sufi influences, which are seen in Nezami's epic poetry.
The first monumental work of Nezami, the Makhzan al-Asrar is influenced by Sanai’s "Hadikat al-Hakika". Nezami acknowledges this but considers his work to be superior. The main similarities between Sanai’s poem and Nezami’s are in its ethico-philosophical genre, although Nezami utilizies a different metre and organized the whole work in a different fashion.
Works
". The thwarted lovers meet for the last time before their deaths. Both have fainted and Majnun's elderly messenger attempts to revive Layla while wild animals protect the pair from unwelcome intruders. Late sixteenth century illustration.]]
Nezami lived in an age of both political instability and intense intellectual activity, which his poems reflect; but little is known about his life, his relations with his patrons, or the precise dates of his works, as the many legends built up around the poet color the accounts of his later biographers. Only a small corpus of his lyric poetry, mainly qa?idahs (“odes”) and ghazals(“lyrics”) have survived.
Nezami is best known for his five long narrative poems, which have been preserved. He dedicated his poems to various rulers of the region as was custom of that time for great poets, but avoided court life.
Nezami was a master of the Masnavi style (double-rhymed verses). He wrote poetical works; the main one is the Panj Ganj (Persian: Five Jewels) "Quinary", also known by the Persian pronunciation of the same word in Arabic, Khamse. The Quinary includes the five Persian books of Nezami:
- Makhzan al-Asrar "The Storehouse of Mysteries" (1163) (some put it at 1176)
Persian: ???? ???????
The ethico-philosophical poems of about 2,250 Persian distichs was dedicated to Fakhr al-Din Bahramshah, the ruler of Erzinjan. The story deals with such esoteric subjects as philosophy and theology. The story contains twenty discourses, each of them portraying an exemplary story on religious and ethical topics. The stories which discuss spiritual and practical concerns enjoin kingly justice, riddance of hypocrisy, warning of vanity of this world and the need to prepare for the after-life. Not a romantic epic, the "The Treasury of Mysteries" was translated into English by Gholam H. Darab in 1945.
- Khusraw o Shirin "Khosrow and Shirin" (1177-1180)
Persian: ???? ? ?????
A story of Persian origin which is found in the great epico-historical poems of Shahnameh and is based on a true story that was further romanticized by Persian poets.. The story chosen by Nezami, was commissioned and dedicated to the Seljuk Sultan Toghril II , the Atabek Muhammad ibn Eldiguz Jahan Pahlavan and his brother Qizil Arsalan. It contains about 6,500 distichs in length, the story depicts the love of Sassanian Khosrow II Parviz towards his Armenian) princess Shirin. Khosrow and Shirin recounts the story of King Khosrow’s courtship of Princess Shirin, and vanquishing of his love-rival, Farhad. Shirin eventually consents to marry Khosrow after several romantic and heroic episodes, including his rescue of her from a lion by killing the animal with his bare hands.
An excerpt from "The Labors of Farhad"
Persian: ???? ? ?????
A story Of Arabic origin, the poem of 4,700 distichs was dedicated, in 1192, to Abu al-Muzaffar Shirvanshah, a descendant of Bahram Chubin, the Sassanid general, whose exploits are reflected in Nezami's "Seven Beauties." The poem is based on the popular Arab legend of ill-starred lovers: the poet Qays falls in love with his cousin Layla, but is prevented from marrying her, and goes mad (Hence called Majnun meaning mad and possessed in Arabic). Majnun abandons society and family and moves to the desert and composes poems for his love Layli, who has been married to another. Although they were never united in life, when the lovers pass away, they are buried in the same grave. The Story of Layla and Majnun by Nizami, was translated and edited by Dr. Rudolf Gelpke into a English version in collaboration with E. Mattin and G. Hill Omega Publications and published in 1966. .
A comprehensive analysis containing partial translations of Nezami's romance Layla and Majnun examining key themes such as chastity, constancy and suffering through an analysis of the main characters was recently accomplished by Prof. Ali Gohrab.
- Haft Paykar "The Seven Beauties" (1196)
Persian: ??? ????
A story of Persian origin, it was dedicated to the ruler of Maragha, 'Ala' Al-Din korp Arslan. It is the story of Bahram V, the Sassanid king, who is born to Yazdegerd after twenty years of childlessness and supplication to Ahura Mazda for a child. The Haft Paykar is a romanticized biography of the Sasanian Persian empire ruler Bahram Gur. His adventurous life had already been treated by Ferdowsi in the Shahnama, to which fact Nezami alludes a number of times. In general, his method is to omit those episodes that the earlier poet had treated, or to touch on them only very briefly, and to concentrate on new material.
The story was translated to English in 1924 by Charles Edward Wilson. A newer English rendering based on more complete manuscripts was accomplished by Professor Julia Scott Meysami.
Original Persian:
English translation by Wilson:
- Eskandar-nameh "The Book of Alexander" (1196-1202)
Persian: ??????????
The Romance of Alexander the Great" contains 10,500 distichs. The names of its dedicatees are uncertain. The story is based on Islamic myths developed about Alexander the Great, which derive from Qur'anic references to the Dhu'l-Qarnayn as well as from the Greek Alexander romance of Pseudo-Callisthenes. It consists of two books, Sharaf-Nama and Iqbal-nameh. The Iqbal-nameh is a description of Alexander's personal growth into the ideal ruler on a model ultimately derived, through Islamic intermediaries, from Plato's Republic. An English translation of the Sharaf-Nama book by Henry Wilberforce-Clarke was published in 1881 under the title Sikandar Nama e Bara.
Influence and Legacy
The legacy of Nezami is widely felt in the Islamic world and his poetry has influenced the development of Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish and Urdu poetry amongst many other languages.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica: Nezami is admired in Persian-speaking lands for his originality and clarity of style, though his love of language for its own sake and of philosophical and scientific learning makes his work difficult for the average reader.. Nezami composed his verses in Persian and Western Encyclopedias such as Encyclopedia of Islam, Encyclopedia Iranica, Encyclopedia Britannica and orientalists of many countries consider Nezami a Persian poet and hail him as the greatest exponent of romantic epic poetry in Persian literature.
Amongst the many notable poets who have taken the Five Treasures of Nezami as their model may be mentioned Amir Khusro, Jalal Farahani, Khwaju Kermani, Mohammad Katebi Tarr-Shirini, Abdul Rahman Jami, Hatefi Jami, Vahshi Bafqi, Maktabi Shirazi, Ali-Shir Nava'i, Abdul Qader-e Bedel Dehlavi, Fuzûlî, Hashemi Kermani, Fayzi and Ehmedê Xanî. Not only poets, but historians such as Rawandi were also influenced by Nezami's poetry and used his poem in rendering history. Besides these, scores of poets have started their composition with the first line of the Makhzan al-Asrar.
According to Dr. Rudolf Gelpke: Many later poets have imitated Nizami's work, even if they could not equal and certainly not surpass it; Persians, Turks, Indians, to name only the most important ones. The Persian scholar Hekmat has listed not less than forty Persians and thirteen Turkish versions of Layli and Majnun.
According to Vahid Dastgerdi, If one would search all existing libraries, one would probably find more than 1000 versions of Layli and Majnun.
Jami in his Nafahatol Ons remarks that: Although most of Nezami's work on the surface appear to be romance, in reality they are a mask for the essential truths and for the explanation of divine knowledge.
Jami in his Baharestan mentions that: Nezami’s excellence is more manifest than the sun and has no need of description. Hashemi of Kerman remarks: The empire of poetry obtained its law and order from Nezami's beautiful verses and To present words before Nezami's silent speech is a waste of time.
Amir Khusro writes:
"The ruler of the kingdom of words, famed hero,
Scholar and poet, his goblet [glass] toasts.
In it - pure wine, it's drunkingly sweet,
Yet in goblet [glass] beside us - only muddy setting."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe writes:
A gentle, highly gifted spirit, who, when Ferdowsi had completed the collected heroic traditions, chose for the material of his poems the sweetest encounters of the deepest love. Majnun and Layli, Khusraw and Shirin, lovers he presented; meant for one another by premonition, destiny, nature, habit, inclination, passion staunchly devoted to each other; but divided by mad ideas, stubbornness, chance, necessity, and force, then miraculously reunited, yet in the end again in one way or another torn apart and separated from each other.
Nezami's story of Layla and Majnun also provided the namesake for a hit single by Eric Clapton, also called Layla. Recorded with Derek and the Dominos, Layla was released on the 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. The album was highly influenced by Nezami and his poetry of unrequited love. The fifth song of Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, "I Am Yours," was in fact a Nezami composition, set to music by Clapton.
The Soviet ballet produced a film, Leili and Medjnun, named after a poem by Nizami Gandjevi.
A minor planet 3770 Nizami, discovered by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Chernykh in 1974 is named after him. Monuments to Nezami are found in many cities of Azerbaijan, Iran, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Udmurtiya (Russia), Kiev (Ukraine), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Marneuli (Georgia), Chisinau (Moldova). A musuem called the "The Nizami Musuem of Azerbaijani literature" is located in Azerbaijan and is devoted to Nezami.
Mausoleum and Musuem in Azerbaijan
The Nizami Museum of Literature is located in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Nezami Mausoleum, built in honor of Nezami, stands just outside the city of Ganja, Azerbaijan. It is a tall cylindrical building, surrounded by gardens. To one side, there is a metal statue commemorating Nezami's epic poems. The mausoleum was originally built in 1947 in place of an old collapsed mausoleum, and rebuilt in its present form after Azerbaijan regained its independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
See also
External links
- . A biography by Prof. Iraj Bashiri, University of Minnesota.
- at RiRa—The Persian Digital Library
-
viewpoint on Nezami's Background
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