Synopses & Reviews
Annemarie Schimmel's translation of Nasir-i Khusraws qasidahs also included a detailed study of the poet and his work. A great thinker of the early Islamic world, whose writing inspired the intellectual development of the Ismaili tradition, Khusraws poetry--lyrical and deeply human--has so far received surprisingly little attention from translators in the West. The poet's ideas, expressed with consummate artistry, his descriptions of the world around him, and his skill in the use of language and meter, are of great interest to the enthusiast for poetry as well as students of the medieval Islamic world and Ismaili culture.
Review
". . . a truly scholarly achievement which should provide the basis for more detailed studies on Nasir-I Khusraw's poetry."--Sunil Sharma,
MELA Notes
Synopsis
Born in 1004, Nasir-i Khusraw was the major poet and philosopher of the early Ismailiyya. The outward political and religious events of the first half of the 11th century were the canvas on which Nasir-i Khusraw's poetry and prose developed. It is a poetry that teaches the importance of wisdom, of reason, of the right word and the right faith. Nasir-i edifice of religio-philosophical thought with its constant emphasis on the true faith and, as importantly, on reason and its role. Unique and important for our understanding of the times in which it was written Nasir-i Khusraw's ideas and expressions appeal strongly to readers of today. . The interest in Nasir-i Khusraw's poetry lies first in its contents and, from the purely formal viewpoint, in its consummate artistry. Through the poet's descriptions of gardens and stars, and his technical skill in the use of language and metre, the book offers an insight in to the poet's learning in all areas of Islamic and scientific topics. Above all, the poet successfully combines poetical skill with a deep religious conviction.
The work of the Persian author in both its philosophical and poetical aspects has been known in the West for more than a century, but until now a full evaluation of Nasir-i Khusraw's poetry - his Divan - has not been attempted. This volume is intended as a step toward a better understanding of the poet's thought. In it, the noted Islamic scholar Annemarie Schimmel presents her translations of Nasir-i Khusraw's qasidas along with a detailed study of the poet and his work.
About the Author
Annemarie Schimmel is Professor Emeritus of Indo-Muslim Culture at Harvard University and a leading expert in Islamic mysticism.
Table of Contents
Nasir-i Khusraw as a Poet * The Contents of Nasir-i Khusraw's Poetry * Selected Poems from the
Divan