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Shahid Balkhi

January 06, 2023

Shahid Balkhi (or Shuhayd; Persian: شهید بلخی, romanized: Shahīd-e Balkhī; died 927) was a scribe, philosopher and poet active in the Chaghaniyan and Samanid courts. He is notable being for one of the first composers of New Persian poetry.

Life

The modern historian Francois de Blois has argued that the name of "Shahid" is a misrepresentation of chronicles, stating that during that period the name was only used as a posthumous title for Muslims that had been killed in battle, and thus using it for a living person "would seem ludicrous and indeed sacrilegious." He instead suggests that the proper transliteration is "Shuhayd", a name that has in few occasions been attested, and is a diminutive of shahd (honeycomb).[1]

Shahid was born in Jakhudanak, a village near the city of Balkh,[2] where his father later moved and raised him.[3] Of Persian stock, Shahid was bilingual in his mother tongue as well as Arabic.[4] Little is known about him.[2] He was close friends with the polymath Abu Zayd al-Balkhi and the Mu'tazili theologian Abu'l-Qasim al-Balkhi.[5] The three of them, all connected to Balkh, appear jointly in the Yatimatu'l-dahr of al-Tha'alibi and the Mu'jamu'l-udaba of Yaqut al-Hamawi.[6] Based on this, de Blois suggests that Shahid may have been part of the somewhat pro-Shi'ite Mu'tazili environment of his two associates.[7] An adept scribe, Shahid was well-known for his accurate copying skills.[5]

Shahid died in 927.[5]

Philosophy

Shahid was a fierce opponent of Abu Bakr al-Razi,[5] who was from the same philosophical background.[8] Razi had studied under an obscure figure called "al-Balkhi", who may also have been Shahid's teacher, or regardless whose philosophical system Shahid adhered to.[8] Razi is known to have written two polemics (about pleasure and eschatology, respectively) against Shahid.[5] The Siwanu'l-hikma of Abu Sulayman Sijistani contains a large excerpt from one of Shahid's books about the "superiority of the pleasures of the soul over those of the body", which may have been what Razi addressed in one of his polemics.[9][5]

Poetry

Shahid also wrote poetry in Arabic, including two qit'as that ridicules Ahmad ibn Abi Rabi'a, who served as the vizier of the Saffarid ruler Amr ibn al-Layth (r. 879–901) between 891–900. Shahid wrote a similar poem about the governor Ahmad ibn Sahl, a distinguished governor in Khurasan. This led to Shahid's flight from the angry governor, first returning to Balkh after Ahmad's execution in 920.[5] Shahid is best known for being one of the first composers of New Persian poetry.[5][10] More or less 100 of his verses have survived in the accounts of anthologists and lexicographers. These contain an erotic poem of eight lines, a portion of a qasida written for the Samanid amir (ruler) Nasr II (r. 914–943), a poem that uses shifts between Persian and Arabic verses, and a number of couplets from a poem of a story, supposedly romantic-related. A number of the surviving verses mentioned in the dictionaries have a gnomic or philosophical tone.[5] Some of his lines have been hypothesized to have subtle references to the religion of Manichaeism.[11]

Legacy

Shahid's close friend and teacher in poetry, Rudaki (died 941), dedicated an elegy to him;[12]

Shahid’s caravan has left before ours,

Believe me, ours will also leave. Count the eyes, there is one pair less,

Measure the wisdom, thousands less.

Persian poets between the 10th and 12th-centuries mention Shahid in an respectful manner, but after that he fades into obscurity.[5] The modern historian N. N. Negmatov calls Shahid "one of the best court poets of the Samanid Nasr II, and one of the leading scholars of the age."[2] In the Prison Feats masnavi of the modern Iranian poet Mohammad-Taqi Bahar, several historical and fictional anecdotes of historical figures are used, including Shahid.[13] The same work also narrates a fictional scene, where Bahar meets Shahid.[14]

References

  1. ^ de Blois 1996, p. 333 (see note 1).
  2. ^ a b c Negmatov 1998, p. 91.
  3. ^ de Blois 1996, p. 336.
  4. ^ Rypka 1968, p. 143.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j de Blois 1997, p. 208.
  6. ^ de Blois 1996, pp. 335–336 (see also note 26).
  7. ^ de Blois 1996, p. 337.
  8. ^ a b de Blois 1996, p. 334.
  9. ^ de Blois 1996, p. 335.
  10. ^ Pelló 2015, p. 40.
  11. ^ Pelló 2015, pp. 45, 48, 51.
  12. ^ Epinette 2022.
  13. ^ Gould 2022, pp. 252–253.
  14. ^ Gould 2022, p. 255.

Sources

  • de Blois, Francois (1996). "Notes and Communications: Shuhayd al-Balkhī, a poet and philosopher of the time of Rāzī". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 59 (2): 333–337. JSTOR 619716. (registration required)
  • de Blois, Francois (1997). "S̲h̲ahīd". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W. P. & Lecomte, G. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume IX: San–Sze. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 208–209. ISBN 978-90-04-10422-8.
  • de Blois, Francois (2004). Persian Literature - A Bio-Bibliographical Survey: Poetry of the Pre-Mongol Period (Volume V). Routledge. ISBN 978-0947593476.
  • Epinette, Michèle (2022). "Rudaki". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica, Online Edition. Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation.
  • Gould, Rebecca Ruth (2022). The Persian Prison Poem. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-1474484015.
  • Negmatov, N. N. (1998). "The Samanid state". History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Volume IV. Unesco. ISBN 978-9231034671.
  • Pelló, Stefano Pelló (2015). "The Other Side of the Coin: Shahīd-i Balkhī's dīnār and the Recovery of Central Asian Manichaean Allusions in Early Persian Poetry". Nuova Serie. 88: 39–55. JSTOR 24754106. (registration required)
  • Rypka, Jan (1968). History of Iranian Literature. Springer Netherlands. ISBN 978-9401034814.

January 06, 2023
shahid, balkhi, shuhayd, persian, شهید, بلخی, romanized, shahīd, balkhī, died, scribe, philosopher, poet, active, chaghaniyan, samanid, courts, notable, being, first, composers, persian, poetry, contents, life, philosophy, poetry, legacy, references, sourcesli. Shahid Balkhi or Shuhayd Persian شهید بلخی romanized Shahid e Balkhi died 927 was a scribe philosopher and poet active in the Chaghaniyan and Samanid courts He is notable being for one of the first composers of New Persian poetry Contents 1 Life 2 Philosophy 3 Poetry 4 Legacy 5 References 6 SourcesLife EditThe modern historian Francois de Blois has argued that the name of Shahid is a misrepresentation of chronicles stating that during that period the name was only used as a posthumous title for Muslims that had been killed in battle and thus using it for a living person would seem ludicrous and indeed sacrilegious He instead suggests that the proper transliteration is Shuhayd a name that has in few occasions been attested and is a diminutive of shahd honeycomb 1 Shahid was born in Jakhudanak a village near the city of Balkh 2 where his father later moved and raised him 3 Of Persian stock Shahid was bilingual in his mother tongue as well as Arabic 4 Little is known about him 2 He was close friends with the polymath Abu Zayd al Balkhi and the Mu tazili theologian Abu l Qasim al Balkhi 5 The three of them all connected to Balkh appear jointly in the Yatimatu l dahr of al Tha alibi and the Mu jamu l udaba of Yaqut al Hamawi 6 Based on this de Blois suggests that Shahid may have been part of the somewhat pro Shi ite Mu tazili environment of his two associates 7 An adept scribe Shahid was well known for his accurate copying skills 5 Shahid died in 927 5 Philosophy EditShahid was a fierce opponent of Abu Bakr al Razi 5 who was from the same philosophical background 8 Razi had studied under an obscure figure called al Balkhi who may also have been Shahid s teacher or regardless whose philosophical system Shahid adhered to 8 Razi is known to have written two polemics about pleasure and eschatology respectively against Shahid 5 The Siwanu l hikma of Abu Sulayman Sijistani contains a large excerpt from one of Shahid s books about the superiority of the pleasures of the soul over those of the body which may have been what Razi addressed in one of his polemics 9 5 Poetry EditShahid also wrote poetry in Arabic including two qit as that ridicules Ahmad ibn Abi Rabi a who served as the vizier of the Saffarid ruler Amr ibn al Layth r 879 901 between 891 900 Shahid wrote a similar poem about the governor Ahmad ibn Sahl a distinguished governor in Khurasan This led to Shahid s flight from the angry governor first returning to Balkh after Ahmad s execution in 920 5 Shahid is best known for being one of the first composers of New Persian poetry 5 10 More or less 100 of his verses have survived in the accounts of anthologists and lexicographers These contain an erotic poem of eight lines a portion of a qasida written for the Samanid amir ruler Nasr II r 914 943 a poem that uses shifts between Persian and Arabic verses and a number of couplets from a poem of a story supposedly romantic related A number of the surviving verses mentioned in the dictionaries have a gnomic or philosophical tone 5 Some of his lines have been hypothesized to have subtle references to the religion of Manichaeism 11 Legacy EditShahid s close friend and teacher in poetry Rudaki died 941 dedicated an elegy to him 12 Shahid s caravan has left before ours Believe me ours will also leave Count the eyes there is one pair less Measure the wisdom thousands less Persian poets between the 10th and 12th centuries mention Shahid in an respectful manner but after that he fades into obscurity 5 The modern historian N N Negmatov calls Shahid one of the best court poets of the Samanid Nasr II and one of the leading scholars of the age 2 In the Prison Feats masnavi of the modern Iranian poet Mohammad Taqi Bahar several historical and fictional anecdotes of historical figures are used including Shahid 13 The same work also narrates a fictional scene where Bahar meets Shahid 14 References Edit de Blois 1996 p 333 see note 1 a b c Negmatov 1998 p 91 de Blois 1996 p 336 Rypka 1968 p 143 a b c d e f g h i j de Blois 1997 p 208 de Blois 1996 pp 335 336 see also note 26 de Blois 1996 p 337 a b de Blois 1996 p 334 de Blois 1996 p 335 Pello 2015 p 40 Pello 2015 pp 45 48 51 Epinette 2022 sfn error no target CITEREFEpinette2022 help Gould 2022 pp 252 253 Gould 2022 p 255 Sources Editde Blois Francois 1996 Notes and Communications Shuhayd al Balkhi a poet and philosopher of the time of Razi Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 59 2 333 337 JSTOR 619716 registration required de Blois Francois 1997 S h ahid In Bosworth C E van Donzel E Heinrichs W P amp Lecomte G eds The Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Volume IX San Sze Leiden E J Brill pp 208 209 ISBN 978 90 04 10422 8 de Blois Francois 2004 Persian Literature A Bio Bibliographical Survey Poetry of the Pre Mongol Period Volume V Routledge ISBN 978 0947593476 Epinette Michele 2022 Rudaki In Yarshater Ehsan ed Encyclopaedia Iranica Online Edition Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation Gould Rebecca Ruth 2022 The Persian Prison Poem Edinburgh University Press ISBN 978 1474484015 Negmatov N N 1998 The Samanid state History of Civilizations of Central Asia Volume IV Unesco ISBN 978 9231034671 Pello Stefano Pello 2015 The Other Side of the Coin Shahid i Balkhi s dinar and the Recovery of Central Asian Manichaean Allusions in Early Persian Poetry Nuova Serie 88 39 55 JSTOR 24754106 registration required Rypka Jan 1968 History of Iranian Literature Springer Netherlands ISBN 978 9401034814 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shahid Balkhi amp oldid 1120903929, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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