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| ===The theme of ''nazar''=== | ===The theme of ''nazar''=== | ||
| ⚫ | In keeping with certain streams of Sufi thought, his poetry also deals with the ] topic of ] and with the Sufi practice of contemplating the beauty of God in the beauty of an adolescent boy, known as ]. In his ''Nafahat al-Uns'' (''Breaths of Fellowship''), a biography of Sufi saints, he defends some of the greatest Persian mystics against accusations that their practice of ''shahid-bazi'' (the "witness-game", the contemplation of beautiful boys) is heretical. Among these are ], ], and ]. His argument was that the masters were absorbed in absolute beauty, and not trapped by the base form. In the cosmogony evolved by Jami, God himself is but a beautiful youth absorbed in the contemplation of his many qualities.<ref>"The Will Not to Know" in Murray and Roscoe, ''Islamic Homosexualities'', NY, 1997; p.125<ref> | ||
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| ⚫ | In keeping with certain streams of Sufi thought, his poetry |
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| Jami's view – a variation from the norm, |
Jami's view – a variation from the norm, – was that one should not discriminate against youths who were more mature: "Is it not the same youth as last year? ... It is true that he has increased in stature and his body is more vigorous. What impudence, what shame, what irreverence to cease to visit him and to desire his company." Jami himself was a practitioner of ''shahid-bazi'', though he seems to have evaded being suspected of heresy. <ref>ibid., p.23</ref> | ||
| This aspect of his life and practice is reflected in many of his works. In his ''Baharistan (Spring Garden)'', Jami recounts the events in a Sufi ] where all the ]es are smitten with love for a beautiful boy. The ''khaneghah,'' the abbott, advises the boy not to be free with his favors: | This aspect of his life and practice is reflected in many of his works. In his ''Baharistan (Spring Garden)'', Jami recounts the events in a Sufi ] where all the ]es are smitten with love for a beautiful boy. The ''khaneghah,'' the abbott, advises the boy not to be free with his favors: | ||
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| :"Your face is a mirror most carefully polished, | :"Your face is a mirror most carefully polished, | ||
| :"Take care you do not rust this limpid mirror." | :"Take care you do not rust this limpid mirror." | ||
| Finally, the abbott relents, admiting that "no one can lay down the law" to the youth and that he can freely associate – or not – with whomever he chooses. |
Finally, the abbott relents, admiting that "no one can lay down the law" to the youth and that he can freely associate – or not – with whomever he chooses. <ref>ibid., p.136<ref> | ||
| ==Divan of Jami== | ==Divan of Jami== | ||
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| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ]</ref> | ||
Revision as of 23:35, 5 April 2006
From the Haft Awrang of Jami, in the story "A Father Advises his Son About Love." See Nazar ill'al-murd Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
Nur ad-Din Abd ar-Rahman Jami (August 18, 1414–November 19, 1492) was arguably the greatest Persian poet in the 15th century and the last great Sufi poet of Persia. His fame rests even more on his mystical authority than on his talents as a poet and writer.
Biography
He was born in a village near Jam, but a few years after his birth, his family migrated to the cultural city of Herat in present-day Afghanistan where he was able to study Peripateticism, mathematics, Arabic literature, natural sciences, and Islamic thought at the Nizamiyyah University of Herat.
Afterwards he went to Samarqand, the most important centre of scientific studies in the Islamic World and completed his studies there. He was a famous Sufi, and a follower of the Naqshbandiyyah sufi Order. At the end of his life he was living in Herat.
His works
Another illustration from the Haft Awrang
Jami wrote approximately eighty-seven books and letters, some of which have been translated into English. His works range from prose to poetry, and from the mundane to the religious. He has also written works of history. His poetry has been inspired by the ghazals of Hafez, and his Haft Awrang is, by his own admission, influenced by the works of Nizami.
The theme of nazar
In keeping with certain streams of Sufi thought, his poetry also deals with the esoteric topic of pederasty and with the Sufi practice of contemplating the beauty of God in the beauty of an adolescent boy, known as Nazar ill'al-murd. In his Nafahat al-Uns (Breaths of Fellowship), a biography of Sufi saints, he defends some of the greatest Persian mystics against accusations that their practice of shahid-bazi (the "witness-game", the contemplation of beautiful boys) is heretical. Among these are Al-Ghazali, Awhad al-Din Kirmani, and Farhruddin Iraqi. His argument was that the masters were absorbed in absolute beauty, and not trapped by the base form. In the cosmogony evolved by Jami, God himself is but a beautiful youth absorbed in the contemplation of his many qualities.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
This aspect of his life and practice is reflected in many of his works. In his Baharistan (Spring Garden), Jami recounts the events in a Sufi monastery where all the dervishes are smitten with love for a beautiful boy. The khaneghah, the abbott, advises the boy not to be free with his favors:
- "Do not yield up the bridle you wear in the hands of the unworthy,
- "Do not admit the vulgar throng into your private dwelling,
- "Your face is a mirror most carefully polished,
- "Take care you do not rust this limpid mirror."
Finally, the abbott relents, admiting that "no one can lay down the law" to the youth and that he can freely associate – or not – with whomever he chooses. Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).