Masud Sa'd Salman
Mas'ud-i Sa'd-i Salmān (
Early life
He was born in 1046 in Lahore to wealthy parents from Hamadan, present-day Iran.[2] His father Sa'd bin Salman accompanied the Ghaznian Prince Majdûd under the Sultan Mahmûd's orders to garrison Lahore.[3] Mas'ud was born there and he was highly learned in astrology, hippology, calligraphy, literature and also in Arabic and Indian languages.
His first work of note was as a panegyrist in the retinue of Sultan Ibrâhîm's son Sayf al-Dawla Mahmûd, whose appointment to governor-general of India in 1076 Mas'ud marked with a qasideh.[3]
In prison
In 1085, he was imprisoned, in the fortress of Nay, for his complicity with Sultan Ibrâhîm's son, Mahmud.[4] He was released by the sultan's successor Mas‘ûd III in 1096, who appointed him royal librarian.[2] He came under the patronage of Abu Nasr Farsi, deputy governor of India, and was appointed governor of Jallandar.[3] Two years later, continued political changes resulted in a prison stay of 8 years, with his release in 1106.[2] The last years of his life was spent in high favor, serving four consecutive sultans as librarian and panegyrist.[3]
Poetry
He is known as a great Persian poet and is particularly notable for his use of conventional language and personal tone.[2]
Most of his works are written in the
During one of his prison stays, he wrote the Tristia, a celebrated work of Persian poetry. He had relationships with some of the Persian poets, including Othman Mokhtari, Abu-al-Faraj Runi, and Sanai.
One of his famous
شخصي به هزار غم گرفتارم در هر نفسي بجان رسد كارم
- I am fallen person in a thousand sorrows
- In each breath my life's looking in end
بي زلت و بي گناه محبوسم بي علت و بي سبب گرفتارم
- with no sin I am prisoner
- with no reason fallen in trouble
خورده قسم اختران به پاداشم بسته كمر آسمان به پيكارم
- stars have sworn to hurt me
- the sky has come to fight with me
امروز به غم فزونترم از دي امسال به نقد كمتر از پارم
- today in pains I'm higher than the yesterday
- this year my soul's lesser than last year
ياران گزيده داشتم روزي امروز چه شد كه نيست كس يارم؟
- I had many selected friends
- what has become no one's remain
هر نيمه شب آسمان ستوه آيد از ناله سخت و گريه ي زارم
- every night the sky's made sad
- with my painful sadness cryings
محبوس چرا شدم نمي دانم دانم كه نه دزدم و نه عيارم
- I fell in jail, why? I don't know
- I just know: I'm not still nor wicked
بسيار اميد بود بر طبعم اي واي اميد هاي بسيارم
- to much desires I had before
- oh alas! where is my lost desires
Couplet:
Transliteration:
Gardoon beh ranj o dard mara kushteh bood agar!
Paiwand e umr e man neh shudey nazm e jan fizaaey!
Translation:
Had this sky (fate) got me killed with grief and pain (in my imprisoned state)!
This patch (of garment) of my life would not have yielded life giving poetry!
Notes
- ^ "MASʿUD-E SAʿD-E SALMĀN – Encyclopaedia Iranica". iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ ISBN 90-04-09239-0.
- ^ ISBN 8178240092.
- ^ C.E. Bosworth, The Later Ghaznavids, (Columbia University Press, 1977), 66.
References
- Jan Rypka, History of Iranian Literature. Reidel Publishing Company. ASIN B-000-6BXVT-K
- Selected Masud Sa'd Salman poems by Dr. Ismail Hakemi, Amir kabir publishing association,ISBN 964-00-0049-3
See also
- List of Persian poets and authors
- List of people from Lahore
- Persian literature