Politics, Poetry, and Sufism in Medieval Iran
STUDIES IN PERSIAN CULTURAL HISTORY POLITICS, POETRY, AND SUFISM IN MEDIEVAL IRAN New Perspectives on Jâmï’s Salâmân va Absâl Chad G. Lingwood BRILL Politics, Poetry, and Sufism in Medieval Iran Studies in Persian Cultural History Editors Charles Melville Cambridge University Gabrielle van den Berg Leiden University Sunil Sharma Boston University VOLUME 5 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/spch Politics, Poetry, and Sufism in Medieval Iran New Perspectives on Jami’s Salaman va Absal By Chad G. Lingwood BRILL LEIDEN • BOSTON 2014 Such is the custom of rulers, You will have heard this if you remember The paladins stand on their left hand Because the heart is bound to the left side The chancellor and the men of the pen are on the right side Because the science of writing and book-keeping is fixed to the right hand. They situate the Sufis in front of their face, For they are the mirror of th