(998-1037 A.D.)
The foundation of Persian literature which has been laid down under the samanide, got its competence under the Ghaznavite. The Ghaznavite period is one of the most brilliant eras in the history of Persian literature for the number of poets, writers and scientists it has produced. Though the Ghaznavite period was short yet so far as the importance and development of Persian poetry and number of poets are concerned this was the most illuminating ages of Persian literature.
The reign of Ghaznavid – especially under Sultan Mahmud is considered as a great patron of art and letter. Sultan Mahmud was not only a great ruler and mighty conqueror but also a munificent patron of learning and literature.
Sultan Mahmud had in A.D. 998 inherited from his father Sabuktagin, a Turk who commenced life as a Slave, a small kingdom which had Ghazna for its capital. Around this nucleus he built up by conquest, with incredible speed, an empire which stretched from Lahore to Isfahan and dominated Baghdad itself. In the course of his campaigns he overthrew not only the Samanids, but robbed the Buwayhids, of a large portion of their domains. Mahmud had good relation and was in good contact with the Caliph of Baghdad who honoured him with the title of “Aminuddaullah”. As it is known to everyone that Sultan Mahmud was efficient and genius, he made many compass and thus he was in position to form a very powerful government. He was not content with the Iranian territories but also he proceeded towards India. His Indian expeditions are very well-known in history. He was not only a great warrior but also a great lover of art and literature. His high patronage of the men of letters and his lovely care for their writings had drawn nearly all the prominent literary figures of that period to Ghazna.
Like Sultan Mahmud, the later Ghaznavid kings also lavishly patronized poets and writers and as a result of this Ghazna and Lahore remained crowded with men of letters till the end of the Ghaznavid rule.
Among the other rulers of this age Qabus bin Washamgir and Saheb bin Ubad were the great learned men. Their Courts as well as their capital like as Bukhara, Samarqand, Tabaristan, Ray and Isfahan were the great centres of learning and literature and many great poets, writers and scientists assembled and lived there cheerfully. Mahmud in the heyday of his power gathered around him at Ghazna a company of poets and scientists which became famous in the history of Persian literature. It is said that more than four hundred poets were assembled in the court besides which Unsuri, Farrukhi, Asjadi and Firdausi were the great amongst them.
After Sultan Mahmud, although his successors like Sultan Mas’ud, Ibrahim and Bahramshah also patronized men of letters, but they could not reach the same position which Sultan Mahmud had attained. Because after Mahmud many of his successors had to busy in sustaining the attacks from the Seljuqs which could not divert their minds for the cause of learning and literature.
The poetical works produced during this period is numerous and also had a great value. Amongst all of the poets Firdausi was prominent. He is undoubtedly the greatest poet of Iran and none can place on equal fitting with him. He was born about A.D. 920 at Tus and died there about A.D. 1020 – or 1025. He raised a lofty place of Iranian poetry and language. For the revival of ancient Iranian national legends and history of Iran and for giving a new life to persian language, Firdausi is considered to be the greatest poet of Iran. No other poet could reach his position, as he himself said:
‘Basi ranz burdam dar in sale si
Azam zinde kardam bedin parsi.’
“I got much troubled in these thirty years
I would keep alive Iran by the Persian.”
The great poem consists of sixty thousand couplets, including a satire on Sultan Mahmud. It is a history of the Persian kings from earliest time to the death of the last Sasanian king, Yazdgird III, in A.D. 651. From incidental references in the Shahnama if appears that Firdausi was about forty years old when he began to write his monumental work. The first version of the Shahnama was completed in A.D. 944 and the second in A.D. 1009. It was the latter version which was presented to Sultan Mahmud. Later on the poet had left for Ghazana as he did not receive what he considered due recognition. He spent a few more years completing his third and final version.
The Shahnama is a work which stands as a masterpiece work of class one in the world literature. He acquired the fame of becoming the greatest poet of Iran throughout the Shahnama. Iranians pay due respect to him as their national poet and a prophet of Persian Mathnawi. According to ‘Chahar Maqala’ Firdausi was born in the city of Tus in khurasan. His full name was Abul Qasim Mansur and Firdausi was his pen-name. His father left him in a small estate on which he lived in a modest way. As mention has been made in the Shahnama. Firdausi in the beginning was an agriculturist and a landlord type of man and he was passing through a comfortable and peaceful life. It was the time when he thought to compose the shahnama on his own good will accord to satisfy his literary taste. He received his primary education from a learned of his own place named Asadi.
The shahnama of Firdausi is not merely a legendary history of Iran in the epic form; rather it can be easily called the great Encyclopedia of Iran containing the history of information of various branches of knowledge of the country and nation from its remote antiquity. It is the huge treasury of knowledge and wisdom. In it lies the history of the Iranian nation, their civilization and culture, wars and warticts, power and greatness, rulers of administration and justice, arts and architects, learning and language, philosophy and morality of the country from the remote antiquity. This legendary history introduces before us the four dynasties of the Persian kings partly from the mythology and partly from the history of the Pre-Muhammadan times. In the legends throughout the whole Shahnama come the names of about fifty kings belonging to those dynasties. These legends come around fifty sections made special for each king his rule of administration, the activities of the ministers and the warfare of the heroes and warriors. In the historical legends, come the name of Kaikhusraw, the first king of the Iranian mythology. This long history came to an end in the region of Yazdigird III, the last sasanian king of the real history with hist defeat in the hands of the Arabs and their possession of Persian within the limit of this long period. The period of reigns of Hushung, Tahmuras and Jamshed are remarkable in the mythological history of Iran. It reminds us the rise of the human civilization and society, the growth of science and culture, the beginning of arts and agriculture learning and languages and the process of writing in the law of Iran. At the time of Hushang he discovered how to produce fire by flint and steel and established the festival of Sadah to commemorate this great discovery. Tahmuras ruled not only over man but over demon also. He learnt about thirty languages and the processes of writing with the help of this creatures. The reign of Jamshed represents the most brilliant period in the Shahnamah. He reigns for seven hundred years. He rules besides man, the demons, animals, birds and the fairies. He invents weapons of wars and textile arts. He institutes the priestly, military, agricultural and the artisan classes. He compels the demons to practice architect. He introduces the use of precious stones and metals, perfumes and medicines. He builds ships and establishes the great festival Nawruz (New Years day) when the sun enters the sign of Aries. The legends containing the admonitions and wise counsels are full of social, philosophical and moral ideas prevalent in the land of the Iranian people. In the legends of the battle and wars the shahnama reminds us the heroism, bravery and profound patriotism of the Iranian race. It provides us with the information of Iranian war tactics, the applications of the Iranian weapons above all the falling of Iranian fighters and soldiers, the heroes, the prince and princess, the kings and the queens. The Shahnama introduces before us Nariman, Sam, Zal, Rustum, Shohrab and others as the representatives of the great warriors, eminent heroes, the real guardians of the crown and the protectors of ancient Iran. Besides these, on the Shahnama, reflect the social, moral and philosophical ideas, the strong national sentiments, the firm belief, literary talents, the command of language, the beauty of description, the application of similes and metaphors, the dramatic touch, the choice of characters, rigidity of thoughts, depth of feeling and the mastery of poetic art.
The style of the shahnama is simple and majesty. Firdausi achieves his style of exceptional distinction and dignity by the use of the simplest possible elements of his native language. With a uniform simplicity and dignity, he possesses the necessary variety of expression to suit every occasion and every character. The speech of king is kingly and of warriors warlike. He is stately and graceful or plain and simple, soft or stern, smooth and rugged as the occasion demands. Love, anger, anguish, defiance, reflection, devotion, despair and every phase of heroic and lyric emotion, finds appropriate expression in his matchless verse. His language is characterized by exceptional purity.
He wrote pure Persian avoiding consciously the Arabic vocabulary to the utmost possible limit. His language in a sense is archaic. But he is clear as daylight and even a peasant in Iran today can understand and enjoy the Shahnama without effort. His language is alive and goes straight to the heart of a modern reader like his mother tongue.
It is said that towards the end of his life, Firdausi, disturbed by the disapproval of the orthodox, decided to ingratiate himself once more with pious Muslims. Under this stimulus he wrote a poem ‘Yusuf and Zulaykha’, in masnawi form (i.e. rhyming in couplets)
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