Abu Mansur Daqiqi
Encyclopedia
Abu Mansur Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Daqiqi Balkhi (Tusi) (935/942-976/980), sometimes referred to as Daqiqi (also Dakiki, Daghighi), was an early Persian
poet
from Tus in Iran
or in Balkh
, located in modern-day Afghanistan
.
Daqiqi supported the nationalistic tendencies in Persian literature and attempted to create an epic
history of Iran
which is begun by history of Zarathushtra and Gashtasb. Questions have been raised as to whether Daqiqi harbored some Zoroastrian beliefs, or was simply promoting Sassanian cultural trends in the wake of Samanid
domination. Nevertheless, he is viewed to have been a Zoroastrian convert to Islam. A large number of couplets by him were included in the epic Shahname (Book of Kings) by the Persian epic poet Ferdowsi
. Daqiqi was murdered by his favorite slave.
Some scholars speculate that Daqiqi wrote more, but the content was too controversial to be included in Shahname and later lost. Other poems by him have survived, published, among others, in Le premier poet Persan by G.Lazard.
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
from Tus in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
or in Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
, located in modern-day Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Daqiqi supported the nationalistic tendencies in Persian literature and attempted to create an epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
history of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
which is begun by history of Zarathushtra and Gashtasb. Questions have been raised as to whether Daqiqi harbored some Zoroastrian beliefs, or was simply promoting Sassanian cultural trends in the wake of Samanid
Samanid
The Samani dynasty , also known as the Samanid Empire, or simply Samanids was a Persian state and empire in Central Asia and Greater Iran, named after its founder Saman Khuda, who converted to Sunni Islam despite being from Zoroastrian theocratic nobility...
domination. Nevertheless, he is viewed to have been a Zoroastrian convert to Islam. A large number of couplets by him were included in the epic Shahname (Book of Kings) by the Persian epic poet Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
. Daqiqi was murdered by his favorite slave.
Some scholars speculate that Daqiqi wrote more, but the content was too controversial to be included in Shahname and later lost. Other poems by him have survived, published, among others, in Le premier poet Persan by G.Lazard.
Further reading
- Annemarie SchimmelAnnemarie SchimmelAnnemarie Schimmel, SI, HI, was a well known and very influential German Orientalist and scholar, who wrote extensively on Islam and Sufism. She was a professor at Harvard University from 1967 to 1992.-Early life:...
; A Two-Colored Brocade: The Imagery of Persian Poetry; University of North Carolina Press (November, 1992); ISBN 0-8078-2050-4 - B. W. Robinson, The Persian Book of Kings: An Epitome of the Shahnama of Firdawsi; Curzon Press (April, 2002); ISBN 0-7007-1618-1
- A. J. Arberry; Classical Persian Literature; Routledge/Curzon; New Ed edition (January 31, 1995); ISBN 0-7007-0276-8
- E.G. Browne. Literary History of Persia. (Four volumes, 2,256 pages, and twenty-five years in the writing). 1998. ISBN 0-7007-0406-X
- Jan Rypka, History of Iranian Literature. Reidel Publishing Company. 1968 . ISBN 90-277-0143-1
- Encyclopedia Iranica, "Daqiqi", Jalal Djalal Khaleghi-Motlagh http://web.archive.org/web/20071118230938/http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v6f6/v6f6a083.html
External links
- Abu-Mansur Daqiqi entry in Encyclopaedia Iranica