NIZAMI GANJAVI (1141 - 1209)
Nizami Ganjavi (pseudonym; real name - Ilyas Yusif oglu) (1141 - 1209) is a great Azeri poet and philosopher. He was born in Ganja, which at that time was one of the biggest cultural and scientific centers of Azerbaijan and, as medieval Arabic historian Ibn Azrak stated "a great capital of Azerbaijani Turks". He spent all his life in this city and only once left it and made a short travel because the King of Azerbaijan Qizil-Arslan-shah was passing by and expressly requested a meeting. He was well-educated, received education in madrasah and studied the medieval sciences.
Outstanding knowledge of Qur'an and studies of Islamic scholars in the various fields such as arithmetic, algebra, higher mathematics, geometry, astronomy, chemistry, mineralogy, medicines, geography, history and prosody is perfectly expressed in his poetry that made his creative activity a subject of ceaseless investigations and a treasure-house of learning. Thus, in his poems "Leyli and Majnun" and "Seven beauties" Nizami stated and gave a professional characteristics of heavenly bodies majority of which became known to the European science after discovery of telescope. He was aware about sphericity of the earth, autonomy of each planet and ring of Saturn, which was later discovered in Europe by Galiley. Nizami was also well acquainted with studies on medicines written by Razi, Ishak Ibn-Hunayna, Ibn Sina etc. Nizami widely used sufi terminology understandable for initiated into mysteries of this fascinating culture.
The epical works of Nizami consist of five separate poems that have been assembled by later generations into a collection called Khamsa (Five Poems or Quintuple). They are "The Treasure-House of Mysteries", "Khosrov and Shirin", "Leyli and Majnun", "Seven Beauties" and "Iskandarnama" (The Book of Alexander the Great). He is also author of a complete collection of lyrics - a divan consisting of ghazals, qassidas, rubaiyats and others. Many of them are dedicated to his beloved wife Afaq (Appag - white in Azeri). Before, the ruler of Darband Seyfaddin Muzaffar was fascinated by a beauty of this kipchak girl, but this proud young lady refused to be his wife, so outraged Muzaffar decided to send her to Nizami, who constantly disturbed this ruler with his exhortations and precepts. This event rendered a great service to literature.
The Story of Sultan Sanjar and the old Woman (from the poem Treasure-house of Mysteries)
A poor old woman, harassed and in pain
Came to Sanjar the Sultan to complain:
She said: "You have no justice, you offend,
Your club-law and your cruelty has no end.
Your drunken steward came to me, the lout,
Kicked, knocked me down, till he was tired out.
He seized me by the hair - an innocent old crone,
And dragged me, heeding neither cry nor moan.
A crowd flocked round, he swore at me, the brute,
Abused, reviled me, hard blows following suit.
He yelled: 'You hunch-backed hag, you'd better tell
Who killed a man quite near to where you dwell?'
He searched my house in hope of finding there
The murderer? O master, is that fair?
The reason was the steward's drunken state,
But why to torture me? O what a fate!
If subjects of the king ransack his land,
Can an old woman answer for the band?
The steward wished his false rights to assert -
Are not your justice and my honour hurt?
The blood flowed thickly from my wounded breast,
I have no strength to bear this cruel test.
O mighty Shah! I writhe with dreadful pain,
To God you'll answer should my cries be vain.
You have no mercy, you're unjust, unfair,
Your club-law is a torture, hard to bear.
A shah should grant his people bounty, grace,
Whilst you defile your honour with disgrace.
To rob poor orphans - that's no valiant deed,
I see the sequel to your acts, indeed!
Don't rob old crones that hunger they should bear,
And be restrained, at lest, by their grey hair!
You are no shah - a knave, and nothing more,
You cause great sorrows on our homes to pour.
If you but strove with love your land to bless,
Your subjects would rejoice of your caress.
They would respect and honour you, no end,
And would consider you're their greatest friend.
Your criminal acts created chaos here,
What valorous deed was yours, of conscience clear?
This state used to be famous for its might,
Its kings were praised for being just and right.
Now homes and hearths are ruined here by you,
The empty barns present a desolate view.
Recall the dreadful deaths you caused around,
Your turn will come! Yet you'll be safe and sound
If justice you adopt as guiding star;
Today is yours more than tomorrow, Shah!
Be kind and just to crones, infirm and old,
Attend to them, their words are more than gold.
Refrain from ruining homes of innocent folk,
They may take vengeance with a fatal stroke.
From your vile bow-strings swarms of arrows sped,
But starving men may rise and strike you dead!
This bear in mind: you are the key to peace,
Is mankind born disaster to increase?
You were made king to keep your folk from harm,
To treat their wounds with vivifying balm.
To what your subjects say, o Shah, give ear,
To what their hearts demand, give heed sincere.
No need for words!? Though taking Khorassan -
Your loss was great, when everything was done."
Of shame today remains not even a token,
Loyalty's done away with, vows are broken,
Justice and conscience to the winds we fling,
They've fled, found refuge under Phoenix wing!
O Muse, your poet's words now stop flood:
For Nizami has steeped his soul in blood!?
Translated by Olga Moisseyenko
Humanism is the meaning and content of a poetry of Nizami. Man and his destiny are the central themes in his creative activity. In his first poem "The Treasure-House of Mysteries" (1177) poet described his phylosofical and ethical views. Nizami considered a social disparity as a main reason of the world troubles and disasters. His poem was full of didactic examples for rulers and the powers that be. He also considered relations between a human being and a nature.
Nizami's creation played a great role in the development of the Eastern Arts. Since the end of 17th century the interest to Nizami's heritage has considerably risen in Europe and Russia. Many European and Russian poets were inspired by his creation. One may find many similarities between poetry of Nizami and creation of famous Russian poets of XIX century. His works have been translated into English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and other languages.
Yashar Hamzayev
ILO National Correspondent in Baku, Azerbaijan
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