Nizamī’s Perspective on the Relationship Between Poetry and Truth
Open AccessThe dominance of the Seljuk dynasty over Iran had profound consequences on Persian poetry. From this period on, poetry started to separate from court life and follow an independent path. Accordingly, the joyful and mundane Persian court poetry fell under the influence of Sufism. This transition did not happen at once and there is a middle chain: ‘poetry of religion’. Nizamī of Ganjah was the most distinguished figure during this period. Nizamī, who thought of poetry as a vehicle for truth, saw the poets as a shadow of the prophets and likewise inspired by Jibra’īl who are responsible for shedding the light of marifah (true knowledge) on his audiences. To summarize, Nizamī primarily sees himself as a jeweler who tries to put words, like gems, into the setting of discourse. Only then can he put himself in a line with the prophets, whose shadow poets seek, and whose inspiration comes from a similar source. Nizamī does not stop here, however. After aligning himself with the prophets, he compares his own poesy with God’s creation. As a divine act, then poesy finds a different meaning. God creates everything based on Truth and Intellect; Nizamī similarly thinks the poetic words need to be bound up with thought and wisdom.
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