An Adib and His Poet of Choice: Nasr AllAh Munshi's (fl. ca. 540/1145-6) Quotations of Sana'I Ghaznavi (d. ca. 525/1131)

Abstract: The Persian translation/adaptation of Kalīla and Dimna by Naṣr Allāh Munshī, written in the 1140s CE and dedicated to the Ghaznavid sultan Bahrāmshāh (r. 511–52/1117–57), is considered one of the foundational works of classical Persian belletristic prose. Along with translating the fables of Kalīla and Dimna from the Arabic version of Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ (d. ca. 139/757), Naṣr Allāh has enriched the book in many ways. He adds a substantial new preface, and throughout the text, he has woven in a huge number of quotes from the Qur’an, ḥadīth, Arabic and Persian poetry, wisdom sayings, and so forth. This is, in other words, a highly “adab-ized” rendition of Kalīla and Dimna. One of the noteworthy aspects of Naṣr Allāh’s use of poetry quotes is that his Arabic references tend to be somewhat older—e.g., the muʿallaqāt—whereas the Persian poets whose lines he borrows are often quite close to his period. Among the most frequently quoted is Sanāʾī Ghaznavī (d. ca. 525/1131), author of (inter alia) the renowned mystical poem Ḥadīqat al-ḥaqīqa. Sanāʾī was about a generation older than Naṣr Allāh, and he was also linked to the court of Bahrāmshāh. It is not inconceivable that they crossed paths, at opposite stages in their careers. In any case, Naṣr Allāh’s Kalīla and Dimna contains numerous quotes from Sanāʾī and offers early documentation of the poet’s reception. My presentation will focus on this material, providing both an overview and more detailed analysis of a few examples.

Theodore S. Beers (PhD, University of Chicago, 2020) is a postdoctoral research fellow and research software engineer in the Seminar for Semitic and Arabic studies at the Freie Universität Berlin. Many of his recent and forthcoming publications address processes of literary exchange between Persian and Arabic in the medieval and early modern periods.