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Home , Haft Peykar, Nizami Ganjavi

Great people THE NIZAMI OF AND THE WORLD Rafael HUSEYNOV Doctor of Philology, Professor, Corresponding Member of the ANAS ON SATURDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 1139, A VERY SERIOUS EVENT HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF THE EARTH. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTAT ING EARTHQUAKES IN WORLD HIS TORY AND TURNED THE EARTH UP SIDE DOWN. MEDIEVAL HISTORIANS RECORDED THAT THIS EARTHQUAKE, WHICH HAPPENED IN THE CITY OF GANJA, HAD NO ANALOGUES FOR THE DEVASTATION IT CAUSED.

he earthquake totally destroyed Ganja. But in its stead, it created Ta natural wonder like Goygol. The earthquake killed tens of thou- sands of people. But to compen- sate for all those losses, nature gave Azerbaijan and the world an unusual child in 1141. A genius poet and phi- losopher, who became known as later, whose pieces woke people’s spirit and thoughts for centuries and whose works became a school, was born. Nizami Ganjavi has long ceased to be only Azerbaijan’s child. His lit-

“Nizami in his native Ganja” by Eyyub Mammadov 38 www.irs-az.com erary heritage is part of the treasury born in the city of in . is still originally from Ganja of humanity’s most valuable assets, while he himself rose to such a level Cho dorr garcheh dar bahr-e Ganjeh Some sources (for example, that he became a child of all peoples qomam Daulatshah Samarqandi, 15th centu- and humanity. In his lifetime, Niza- Vali az gahestane shahre Qomam ry) say that Nizami had a poet broth- mi Ganjavi believed that his works er named Givami Mutarrizi. would live for a long time and wrote Translation: Givami Mutarrizi’s extant literary the following: Even if I stay in the Ganja sea as a works prove that he was proficient masterpiece in the qasideyi-masnui genre and in Ze sad sal pas agar porsi koja u, I am from the mountainous part of general, was a poet who possessed Ze har beytash seda ayad ke ja u. the city of Qom poetic techniques. However, science However, most of the world’s ex- has not yet drawn a definite conclu- If you wonder after 100 years where perts on Nizami, headed by the fa- sion that Mutarrizi was a brother of he is, mous Russian orientalist, Yevgeniy Nizami. Its every couplet will respond: “He is Bertels, maintain that this couplet is It is no accident that we men- here.” tioned this controversial couplet about Nizami’s birthplace. Like there Not 100, but 800 years have have been people throughout his- passed, and Nizami’s living has sur- tory who wanted to take over Azer- passed his own prediction, and this baijan’s wealth and lands, there have path leads to eternity. A genius Ger- been, and still are, peoples and coun- man poet gave an assessment of tries that wish to appropriate Azer- high modesty by pointing to seven baijan’s genius children. great poets selected and elevated by At the time of Nizami, there were the Persian-speaking classical tradi- two dominant languages in science tion – Firdausi, , Nizami, Sa’di, and literature in the Middle and Near , Hafiz and : “If the East pre- East. All scientific works were writ- ferred only seven of all poets, there ten in , while poets of various are many people who are much bet- nationalities from Central Asia to the ter than me among those remaining.” Caucasus and from Iran to India tra- ditionally wrote their poetic pieces in Nizami Ganjavi’s name was Ilyas. one language – Persian. But some sources say that his name Knowledge, rich information and was Ahmad (for example, a source fictitious and that Nizami was born in high awareness of various spheres of entitled Khulasat al-Afkar says that Ganja and lived all his conscious life science show that Nizami had an ex- his name was Ahmad ibn Yusif ibn in that city (1, 94). cellent education. His earliest poems Muayyad). Nizami repeatedly mentions known to science also show that he Nizami is the poet’s penname. His Ganja from his first poem to his last possessed high poetic techniques. nickname was Nizam ad-Din. In the poem. And one of these couplets This proves that from the very begin- medieval Muslim East, a kunya – the is the best answer to those who try ning, Nizami engaged in not son’s name – was used next to fa- to separate Nizami from Ganja and as an amateur, but as a professional mous people’s names. artificially link him to other places. who had learnt the theoretical foun- In his various lines, the poet ap- It looks as though the poet sensed dations of this art. The canons of the peals to his son and this a few centuries before and states time first and foremost required deep gives him advice. that he is from Ganja despite efforts knowledge of Persian and Arabic in All sources say that Nizami was to link him to other places: order to learn such universal knowl- born in Ganja. According to this cou- Nehane mara kashekara borand edge. plet, which was added by a scribe to Ze Ganjast gar ta Bokhara barand Nizami wrote his works which a copy of Iqbalnameh and has noth- are currently known to science – Di- ing to do with the reality, there are They disclose my innermost words van and Khamsa – in Persian. Even people who claim that Nizami was (But) even if they take it to Bukhara, it though the poet’s Persian was fluent www.irs-az.com 39 Great people and perfect, in any case, according to children of Nizami – his poems – are person, understood very well that the prominent Iranian scientist Sa’id still fresh, living and known to every- poetry does not start or end with Firdausi, this Persian was different one like eight centuries ago. This is him. But why did he try to discourage from that of a Persian person, for ex- the great power of the word. Nizami his son in whom he clearly saw signs ample, Firdausi. has a couplet in which he gives his of a poet? Nafisi proves that Nizami’s po- son advice: Because he was highly profession- ems are reminiscent of the Turkic al, and if his son were to become a language. Apart from that, Nizami Garche sar-e sarvarit binam poet, he wanted to see him at least as recorded that sometimes he consult- Vain-e sokhanvarit binam a poet at Nizami’s level. But he prob- ed a Persian dictionary to clarify the Dar sher mapich o dar fan-e u ably also sensed that being Nizami is meaning of individual Persian words: Chon akzab-e ust ahsan-e u a miracle and not everyone’s destiny. Zin fan matalab bolandnami That’s why he encouraged his son, Do bashad manjanaq az ruye farhane Kan khatrn shodast bar Nezami who was not to be higher than him Yeki abrisham andazad o yeki sane Nazm ar che be martabat bolandast in poetry, to engage in a science for An elm talab ke soudmandast which there was a need. According to the dictionary, there are two types of manjanaq (catapult) - After all, Nizami himself also of- One fires silk and the other – stone. fered another formula:

Sources give different dates of Palangariyi bejayat hadd Nizami’s death – 1180 (Daulatshah, Behtar ze kolahduzii bad Haji Khalifa, Hammer-Purgstall, Franz von Erdmann), 1199, 1200, (Atashka- Good pack-saddle making is dah, Tarikh-e Jahan-ard, Gore Ouse- Better than being a bad hat-maker ley), 1202-1203 (Wilhelm Bacher, Edward Brown, Charles Rieu) and What made Nizami famous and others. eternal is his Khamsa, which consist- Today the famous monument to ed of five – poems: Nizami in says that he died in 1203. However, the date, which has Makhzan ul-Asrar – Treasury of already been unanimously adopted, Secrets written in 1178, Khosrow and is 12 March 1209 (this was written on written in 1180, and Maj- Nizami’s grave in 1947 – 4 Ramazan nun completed in 1189, – 605 Hijrah). – created in 1197 and Since Nizami was not just a poet, Iskandarnameh, which was complet- but also a mature scientist and was ed in 1201 and consisted of two parts ahead of scientists of his time, he was – Iqbalnameh and Sharafnameh. called a “hakim” – a wise person. In fact, Nizami combined his five Although there were quite a few works under this common title. Had genius persons at the time, only I see that someone wants to guide Nizami lived longer, he would have two people, apart from Nizami, had you written several more poems and his this title: Abu Ali ibn Sina and Omar I see poetic habits in you series of poems would consist of 7, 8 Khayyam. But don’t hang on to poetry and po- or 9 pieces. However, his life was as As we noted, sometimes Nizami etic art long as the time during which these affectionately mentioned his son Because its most beautiful thing is five poems were written, and after Muhammad, who was born in 1174, the most deceitful Nizami’s death, theorists who sensed in his poems. Today no-one knows Do not seek glory in this art (poetry) an organic link between these five how Muhammad’s family extended Because this art ends with Nizami poems and saw that the poet’s con- and whether Nizami had grandchil- Even if poetry has a higher position cept, which began from the Trea- dren, great-grandchildren and great- You’d better take up a useful science sury of Secrets, ended with Iskan- great-grandchildren. However, other Of course, Nizami, who was a wise darnameh, initially united these five

40 www.irs-az.com works under the title of “Panj Ganj” – five treasures. Later, these two words were replaced with the Arab word “Khamsa”, which means “Five”. A short while later, in the 13th century, a series of first answers to these five poems were created. In India, Amir Khosrow Dehlavi created the first five, which was a response to Nizami’s poems, laying the foundation of following Nizami’s tradition and of the Nizami school. That’s to say with the Khamsa he cre- ated, Amir Khosrow defined the for- mula of writing a response to Nizami: preservation of the plot, characters and basic principles - the person Nizami made eight centuries ago, Since the word names us a “sea” who responds should demonstrate is still valid, and anyone who opens Our door should be open like the sea his skills in the manner of expression, that door still benefits from it: Let those who seek come literary proficiency and polishing the And see the door of the king of poets words. Dar-e ma be ruye kasi dar maband Although the doors of all Ke dar bastan dar bovad napasand Although time destroyed the were open to Nizami during his life- Cho mara sokhan nam-e darya nahad most magnificent palaces of shahs, time, he stayed away from palaces. Dar-e ma cho darya bebayad goshad Nizami’s of words, despite its He preferred to live a quiet and inde- Raha kon ke ayand juyandegan age, is becoming fresher, more splen- pendent life. However, his door was Bebinand dar-e shah-e guyandegan did and more attractive instead of open to anyone and he invited ev- becoming dilapidated. eryone to enter this door and benefit Do not close my door to anyone One of the main reasons for this is from it. In fact, this invitation, which Because it is no good to close the door probably the fact that Nizami created www.irs-az.com 41 Great people his poems totally in the name of hu- new meanings and try to understand plets and have acknowledged that. manity, respect for people and love. the general idea of the couplet and The meanings of Nizami’s words are fragment in accordance with the countless, and if commentaries were Kasi dar band-e mardom chun naba- new meaning. to be written, it would be necessary shad Nizami’s poems are a kind of en- to write whole khamsas for every Ke u az san-e mardom mitarashad cyclopedia of the 12th century – the couplet of the Khamsa. Therefore, time when the poet lived. Khamsa Nizami rightfully says: How can a person who creates a hu- can be regarded as the most reliable man (monument) from stone source for studying the way of think- Sharh-e sokhan bishratast az sokhan Not admire people! ing of that period, its public-political environment, architecture, art and The commentary on the word is He seems to be saying these words economic life (3,451, 454). greater than the word itself to himself. Since Nizami himself knew better What makes Nizami a global poet Since Nizami always admired is, of course, not just his outstanding people and worshiped their highest ability to manage words with magic qualities, he managed to create hu- and change their forms and mean- man monuments from words. ings. This is just one of the conditions that make Nizami Ganjavi a genius. Be mardom dar amiz agar mardomi Nizami was a person who had read a Ke ba adami khugarast adami lot. He did not read only Turkic, Per- sian and Arab sources. As he said him- If you are human, mix with humans, self, he was aware of various Christian Because people go well with each and Jewish sources. If his knowledge other of several languages gave him the ability to read those books, it is pos- This idea – the principle of hu- sible that he familiarized himself with manism – is the core of Nizami’s art. sources in other languages through Nizami carried this high idea from his third parties. Such diverse knowledge first to his last rhyme and continued it and world outlook gave him an op- from his first to his last poem. portunity to create a literary world In terms of reading and under- that covered the entire cultural world. standing, Nizami is one of the most Nizami was a resident of the re- difficult medieval authors. The reason naissance city of Ganja, and he was is not that Nizami’s language is com- than anyone else what sort of deep one of those who created and main- plicated. No, although Nizami wrote heritage he left to the reader, he did tained the Oriental Renaissance with his poems eight centuries ago, his not omit to warn that these pieces all his existence and works (4,30-41). language has little difference from cannot be regarded and be read just Nizami was a genius who was far modern Persian except for some ar- for entertainment: away from national boundaries and chaic words. What makes Nizami dif- understood his belonging to human- ficult to understand is that he worked Man in goftam o raftam o qesse ity. The choice of the main characters on every line and couplet with ex- mand of couplets is a graphic example of tremely high precision, was able to in- Bebazi nemibayad in qesse khand this. This character can be Persian, clude several meanings of one word Arab or Greek. Nizami’s goal was not inside one line and one couplet and I said this and left, but the story re- to show what nation or country his combined several meanings in every mained character came from. His intention line. For this reason, it is impossible This story cannot be read just for fun was to find a high literary solution to to just read and forget about him. It his idea or goal. But it is no accident is necessary to read every word and Even the best experts on Nizami that both the main characters and word combination in every line and have not been able to fully discover other people in his poems are rep- couplet again and again, try to find all the meanings of Nizami’s cou- resentatives of dozens of nationali-

42 www.irs-az.com ties. Nizami does this deliberately. He Ze dozdan nadarim hargez haras guards in the streets demonstrates once again he writes Na dar shahr shahne na dar kuy pas We have no key or lock in our homes about people and for people and his Naradim dar khaneha qefl o band No-one guards our cattle poems should be read not just by Negahban na ba gav o ba gusfand We don’t count gold and silver one nation, but many nations. Farib-e zar o simra dar shomar Because no-one needs them And this was the end result any- Nayarim o nayad kasira bekar We don’t eat a lot like oxen or don- way. Nizami is one of the classics Na besyar kharim chun gav o khar keys whose poems have been translated Na lab niz barjasteh az khoshk o tar Nor do we refuse the food that we like into many other languages. But there Ze ma dar javani nemirad kasi None of us dies young is no doubt that in the course of time, Magar pir ku omr darad basi… Only old people who lived a long life more and more languages will join die these languages. We are peaceful and faithful people With his works, Nizami created We have not deviated from the truth We still have not seen the day not just a literary model that will be even a hair’s width when everyone can benefit from the repeated for centuries, but also a world and life Nizami wished. model of thinking, nationhood, spiri- But humanity was longing for tuality and statehood. such a happy life for eight centuries, The ideals promoted by Nizami 1,000 years and millennia ago. eight centuries ago are still in de- Not only did Nizami urge next mand. Humanity is still struggling to generations to wish such a life and promote even more the qualities that society, he also showed them ways Nizami wanted to see in people and of establishing such a society. society eight centuries ago. Therefore, the light of Nizami’s The city that Nizami described word is still needed today and will be in his last poem – the part of Iskan- needed tomorrow. darnameh called Iqbalnameh – was Every compatriot of Nizami – ev- a society he saw in his dreams and ery Azerbaijani – needs this light. wanted to become a reality. What- Every compatriot of Nizami and ever progress humanity has made every citizen of the world need this on this path since the time of Nizami, light. Nizami Ganjavi also made an unde- Nizami Ganjavi, who unites ev- niable contribution to this together eryone’s wishes, belongs to every- with other world geniuses. one. In this city, everyone is equal, and And since he belongs to every- respect for human rights is the norm one, he is eternal. in this city and society. Money has al- We have no dealings behind the cur- Nizami will always be one step ready been abolished. There is no po- tain ahead of us and will always invite us lice because there is no need for that We have nothing other than honest to a brighter future. as there are no violations of the in things to do a conscious and disciplined society. If a weak person asks us for help, we will extend our hand Goruhi zaifan-e dinparvarim If we are in trouble, we patiently wait Sar-e muyi az rasti nagrazim We don’t have more property than Nadarim bar-e parde-ye kaj basij anybody else Bejoz rastbazi nadarim hich We have divided all our property Cho ajez bovadyar yari konim equally Cho sakhti rasad bordebari konim We all take each other equally Nadarad az ma kas zek as mal bish If someone else is sad, we don’t re- Hameh rastqesmim dar mal-e khish joice Shomarim khodra hameh hamsaran We are not afraid of thieves Nakhandim nar gerye-ye digaran We don’t have supervisors in cities or www.irs-az.com Gold coin dedicated to the memory of Nizami Ganjavi. 2008 43 Great people

Masnavi

Khosrau asked once: “Where do you come from, say?” Farhad replied: “From regions far away.” Khosrau: “In what crafts does your land excell?” Farhad: “We purchase grief and souls we sell.” Khosrau: “By selling souls what do you gain?” Farhad: “Our bards this custom don’t disdain.”

Ghazal

O radiant-face beloved, whose cherished bride will you be? Whose dignity will you raise, whose honour and pride will you be?

You are shaded this eve by the awning your master has spread, Whose queen with your odorous tresses and grace will you be?

You are sweeter than honey, no sherbet is sweeter than you, Whose rill his course with love’s wavelets to trace, will you be?

In the darkness of night you’re a lamp with bright light, God guard you from evil eye, Breath of life – o whose love to caress and embrace will you be?

You are gone, how can poor Nizami live alone with his grief? He is down now, whose healer his pain to appease will you be?

Guit’a

Near the garden, too shy to go in, I was burnt by a flower, How I trembled... She laughed with her laughter of resonant power,

And the emerald garden, it echoed the sweet rolling laughter, She, smiling, exceeded in beauty the flowery bower.

In the morning, at dawn, fleecy cloudlets shed tears on the garden, And the jasmine laughed, and the violets smiled, revived by the shower.

Gassida

It is I who am peer of all knowledge, my renown of perfection is great, My genius is vast as the , for I dominate earth, time and fate. My breath fills the earth, it resembles the resonant chimes of a bell, My pen is a banner of glory called to conquer the earth and create.

Translated by Olga Moisseyenko

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