| Written by Iraj Bashiri |
|
| Written by Iraj Bashiri |
*This article was originally published in Studies in Islam (XVI, no. 1, 1979). I would like to thank the editorial board of the jouranl for its permission to reprint the article. It was also published as a part ofKamal Khujandi: Epoch and its Importance in the History of Central Asian Civilization in 1996.*
1Bashiri, Hafiz' "Shirazi Turk": A Structuralist's Point of View' in The Muslim World. 1
2During the early years of his life, Hafiz was known as Shams al-Din Muhammad to his contemporaries; only during the latter part of his life was he known as Hafiz. After his death he was referred to as Lisan al-ghaib (Tongue of the Unseen). See Bamdad, 1969, p. 27. For a different interpretation of the word hafiz, see the analysis of the "Shirazi Turk," above.2
3According to Sudi, gufta burun shudi is written in the mudari' meter corresponding to maf'ul fa'ilat mafa'il fa'ilun, and a rhyme scheme of aa, ba, ca, etc. See ghazal No. 464, p. 2204 in Sudi's fourth volume of text and commentary on the ghazals of Hafiz.3
4For Saqi, see Dihkhuda, 1962, Letter S. Fasc. 2, No. 69, p. 154. See also footnote 1, above.4
5Pir is an intermediary between man and the Beloved. In status, he is above man and below the beloved. Cognizant of the latent mysteries of the world of matter, the Pir guides the Seeker in his 'flight' in search of the beloved. See Bamdad, 1969, p. 145. See also Dihkhuda, 1960, Letter P. Fasc. 5, No. 52, pp. 939-40.5
6Manuscripts in which these emendations appear are omitted, since they are available in Farzad's study (for reference see Bibliography).6
7The discussion of each bayt begins with the translation of Wilberforce Clarke, a rendition of this ghazal which takes the Sufic aspect into consideration. Although Clarke provides ample background information for some of the ghazals of Hafiz, this ghazal does not benefit from such treatment. See ghazal 478, p. 790. See also Rypka, 1968, p. 266.7
8For a description of the tariqa (Path, Way) see Annemarie Schimmel, 1975, pp. 98-186, and Nicholson, 1975, pp. 28-50. See also Ghani, 1942, pp. 207ffs.8
9Maikhana (tavern) is the place where the wine (knowledge) of love is served. The initiate seeks intoxication by allowing the Saqi, and other perfect ones, to inspire his Soul with divine knowledge, and enable him to master the mysteries of existence.9
10Cf., the dibacha to the Gulistan of Sa'di, for instance.10
11Zav, also recorded as gav and gau (see Sudi, vol. IV, p. 2206), is the name of the son of Tahmasb. Zav's son, Karshasp, is considered to be the last of the Pishdadian dynasty.11
12de Santillana, et al., 1969, pp. 45, 47, 113, 36-42 discuss the cosmological value of the works of medieval Persian authors, such as 'Umar Khayyam, showing that the mythical kings of Iran ruled a cosmic domain as well as an earthly one. The former was known to the poets, however.12
13See Hatif's tarji'-band, an example of mystical thought expressed in an uncommonly lucid style in Hatif's diwan, 1307; biography by Rashid Yasami, Tehran.13
14The Turkish scholar Sudi leaves these three bayts out of the text of his commentary. See, Sudi, vol. IV, pp. 2207-2211.14
15It is interesting to note that the only changes that we have made so far on the poems of Hafiz have been deletion of bayts. There are no indications that those amplifying the diwan have made any attempt at changing the order of the bayts.15
16As an alternate this bayt fails in that it does not have an aa rhyme scheme.16
17Cf., the word halqa (ring) also conveys the same sense and strengthens the implicit pun.17
18According to Sa'di (d. circa 1597) the "Harvest Moon" is written in the ramal metre corresponding to fa'ilatun fa'alatun fa'alatun fa'alun. See ghazal No. 464 on page 2207.18
19Hillmann, p. 782.19
20 ibid., p. 78.20
21Hillmann, pp. 28-29.21
22See Wickens, pp. 239-43, for details.22
23I should add that I do not agree with all the meanings that Wickens suggests for the vocabulary of this ghazal. In spite of the spurious definitions, however, Wickens' basic argument with regard to unity in this ghazal emerges quite forcefully. See also Rypka, p. 270.23
24Dihkhuda, Letter S. Fasc. 3, p. 229.24
25Schimmel, 1975, p. 115.25
26Cf., Sudi, vol. IV, p. 2207.26
27Dihkhuda, Letter S. Fasc. I, p. 16.27
28Cf., Dihkhuda, Letter Kh, Fasc. 9, p. 875, where khurshid refers to the animal spirit (ruh-i haivani).28
29Cf., Hillmann, 1976, pp. 76-77. 29
30 Cf., Clarke, 1974, p. 167.30
31Cf., Sudi, vol. IV, p. 2209.31
32de Santillana, et al., 1969, pp. 45, 47, 113, 36-42.32
33Shatranj al-'urafa, a Sufic compound, refers to a kind of chess played by the Sufis. Instead of a board, in this game they employ a piece of lined cardboard, or a piece of lined paper. The lines on the cardboard or paper create squares each of which is marked for a good or an evil ethical attribute or for one of the stages or stations of tasawuuf. Two people using a dice play the game. The game begins from the lower left corner of the paper known as "safr-i 'adam" and proceeds in the squares to the right according to the throws of the dice. Whoever reaches the topmost square known as waslat (union), or some such name, is the winner.33
34Dihkhuda, Letter B, Fasc. 5, p. 484.34
35For a full description of the khirqa (the mantle of the dervish) and its relation to Muhammad, see Clarke, 1974, p. 261.35
36Quoted in Hillmann, p. 8.36
37Arberry, 1968, pp. 699-712.37
38Wickens, 1952, p. 240.38
39See Clarke, 1974, pp. xiv, xxxv.39
40In Zib-i sukhan ya 'ilm-i badi'-i parsi, Mahmud Neshat discusses two types of ghazals: love ghazals (ghazalha-i 'ashiqana, and Sufic ghazals (ghazalha-i 'arifana). Neshat explains that the Sufis used Sufic ghazal as a replacemcnt for the qasida because the latter could not be dissociated from the Honoured One (mamduh). He regards the Sufic ghazals that were developed after Sa'di to be solid (matin), perfect (ustuwar) and based on true Sufic love. See Neshat p. 109. Ehsan Yarshater adds a third category of ghazals, the qalandari ghazal. See Yarshater, 1956, pp. 140-175.40
41Cf., Yarshater, 1956, p. 164.41
42 The three bayts that follow are written by Maulana Bana'i, Amir Muhammad Salih and Maulana Malak respectively:
a. mikunam jama-i khud dar rah-i maikhana girau
ki mara jam-i may-i kuhna bid az jama-i nau.
b. harchih dari shab-i nauruz biman dar girau
gham-i farda chi khuri ruz-i nau-u ruzi-i nau.
c. shab-i 'idam ba-qadah kard isharat mah-i nau
man-u maikhana digar jan girau-u jam-i girau
All three verses are written in response to the first bayt of Hafiz's "Shirazi Turk." Whether a ghazal such as the "Shirazi Turk" could be the response to some unknown poet's sina malamal is still to be further investigated. My feeling is that in spite of the stylistic and structural differences discussed above, they belong to the same composer. See Yarshater, 1956, pp. 78ff.42
43Cf., Arberry, 1958, p. 359.43
44The interpretations presented above are consistent with the medieval Persians' conception of poetry, its structure and meaning as well. In his al-Mu'jam fi ma'aylr ash'ar al-'ajam, a treatise on Persian poetry, Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Qais al-Razi says:
(Know that the word poetry is derived from a root which means the recognition and the comprehension of semantics using well-aimed conjectures, direct thought, and logical deduction. Rhetorically, poetry is a well-arranged, well-thought-out, harmonious, repetitive, and balanced spritual statement the last letters of which are identical).
Qais al-Razi's discussion is lengthy and need not be reiterated here. The sentences quoted above are sufficient to reflect his concern with respect to meaning and structure in Persian poetry. See Qais al-Razi, 1976, p. 50ff.44