Science and Poetry in Medieval Persia
Subtitle: The Botany of Nizami's Khamsa (University of Cambridge Oriental Publications)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: November 30, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 256
ISBN-13: 9780521873642
Subjects: Poetry & poets: classical, early & medieval; Language Arts & Disciplines; Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy; Persian (Farsi); Language; European - General; General; Literary Criticism & Collections / European
Description: "Nizami Ganjavi is one of the foremost figures in Persian poetry, living in Azerbaijan in the second half of the twelfth century. One of the oldest Western poets in Persian literature, he is acclaimed for his five masnavis which are assembled to form the Khamsa (Quintet). His reputation is that of a difficult and refined poet, who introduced into his verse vocabulary, expressions and allusions to the then-known sciences. This study considers all his verses containing allusions to trees and their fruit. The scientific contents of these allusions are then checked with the help of Arabic and Persian medieval scientific treatises, ranging from the ninth to the seventeenth centuries. As a result, this study not only proposes a better understanding of nature imagery in the work of a seminal Persian poet, but provides a useful insight into the breadth and depth of the education of medieval poets and their readers."--Jacket.