Another Narration of the Transformation of Sana'i's Poetry and Personality

Abstract

The subject of investigation in this article is the reevaluation of the transformation of the poetry and personality of Sana’i. This research examines the evolution of Sanai’s poetry and personality by analyzing the content of Sanai’s odes (qasidas) and their historical context and admirers. The article demonstrates that contrary to common belief, the reason for Sanai’s departure from Ghazna was not his spiritual transformation towards asceticism and Sufism, but rather his failure to find admirers who could fulfill his material needs. He left Ghazna in search of suitable admirers and since at that time he was not a very famous poet, and the migration of other poets to cities far from Khorasan was not very successful, he decided to stay in Khorsan. However, the requirement for new admirers led to a change in the rhetorical and thematic structure of odes, and this is where Sanai's new role as the initiator of didactic-mystical ode genre began. Sana’i’s poetic character in the field of ode is different from his poetic character in the realm of lyrical literature (ghazal), but the synthesis of these two personas can be found in his masnavi works. Accordingly, Sanai’s role in the transformation of Persian poetry, rather than having an ideological dimension, has a rhetorical dimension. He holds a prominent position in poetic stature more than as a mystic.

Keywords

• sanai’ ghaznavi
• persian ode
• personality transformation