Pearls of Persia : the philosophical poetry of Na⁺ѕs⁺Đir-i Khusraw

"I.B.Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies Nasir-i Khusraw is a major literary figure in medieval Persian culture. He was a Muslim philosopher, poet, travel writer, and Ismaili da'i who lived a thousand years ago in the lands known today as Afghanistan, Iran, and Tajikistan. Although known in the West mainly for his Safarnama, or travelogue, which describes his seven-year journey from Khurasan, in the eastern Islamic lands, to Cairo, the city of the Fatimid imam-caliphs, his poetry and ideas are less familiar. Yet, over the centuries, Persian-speaking lands have consistently ranked him as one of the finest poets of all time. But today, even among those who know Nasir-i Khusraw's poetry, few understand the philosophical and Ismaili concepts the poet expounds. And while mystical and epic genres of Persian poetry are memorized and studied, the genre of philosophical poetry in Persian remains basically unexplored. This collection of studies seeks to redress the balance. Originally presented at a conference at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London in 2005 to commemorate the millenary of Nasir-i Khusraw's birth, the papers published here examine his poetry both for philosophical meaning and poetic method. They address a variety of topics, ranging from metaphysics, cosmology, and ontology to prophecy, as well as rhythm and structure, and analysis of individual poems and authorship."--Bloomsbury publishing. List Of Contributors -- Note On Transliteration And Abbreviations -- Editor's Introduction: Nasir-i Khusraw And Philosophical Poetry / Alice C. Hunsberger -- I. Speech And Intellect -- 1. The Position Of 'aql In The Prose And Poetry Of Nasir-i Khusraw / Faquir Muhammad Hunzai -- 2. Ontological And Religious Aspects Of The Intellect In Nasir-i Khusraw's Poetry / M. J. Esmaeili -- 3. 'i Am A Mine Of Golden Speech': Poetic Language And Self-reference In Nasir-i Khusraw's Qasidas / Daniel Rafinejad -- 4. Nasir-i Khusraw's Ode To The Universal Soul And Intellect / Leonard Lewisohn -- Ii. Philosophical Poetry: Enlightening The Soul -- 5. Nasir-i Khusraw, Imagination, Prophecy And The Poetics Of Enlightenment / Mohammad Azadpur -- 6. Nasir-i Khusraw's Poetics Of The Moral Journey And The Foundations Of The Metaphysics Of Morals / Mehdi Aminrazavi -- 7. The Rawshana'i-nama And The Older Iranian Cosmogony / Mohsen Zakeri -- Iii. Nasir-i Khusraw's Poetics -- 8. Also A Poet / Michael Beard -- 9. Hearing By Way Of Seeing: Zaban-i Hal In Nsir-i Khusraw's Poetry And The Question Of Authorship Of The Rawshana'i-nama / Nasrollah Pourjavady -- 10. 'on The Steed Of Speech': A Philosophical Poem By Nasir-i Khusraw / Alice C. Hunsberger -- 11. Symbolic Structure In A Poem By Nasir-i Khusraw / Julie Scott Meisami -- 12. Rhythm In Nasir-i Khusraw's Poems / Finn Thiesen -- 13. Nasir-i Khusraw: A Poet Lost In Thought? / Julie Scott Meisami -- Appendix: Three Qasidas In The Persian Script -- Bibliography -- Index. Edited By Alice C. Hunsberger. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Written by authorities on Nasir-i Khusraw and Persian literature, and originally presented as papers at a conference at SOAS, University of London, the chapters here cover topics ranging from metaphysics, cosmology and ontology, to prophecy, rhythm and structure, the analysis of individual poems and the matter of authorship.