ادبیات تطبیقی (Feb 2022)

The reflection of Sa’adi’s Boostan & Golestan in practical wisdom on Molavi Abdollah Ravanbod’s Baloochi poems

  • Hushang Mohammadi,
  • Hadi Arbabi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.22103/jcl.2021.17489.3253
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 25
pp. 253 – 284

Abstract

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Introduction Didactic literature is a significant part of Persian literature, with edification and ethics playing a key role in all elements of ancient literary genres. Theological-educational literature grew and enriched in Islamic times as a result of writings influenced by the Holy Quran, hadiths, and other Islamic sources, and the bulk of these works were influenced by each other, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly, and intertextually. In their respective artistic ways, great writers and orators have profited from these pure and transcendent principles. Most didactic and moral texts, as well as their themes, influenced Sheikh Ajal Sa'di, and he was innovative in integrating the perspectives of the past with the needs of his time. Many artists tried to imitate Sa’di's eloquence. As one of the most effective followers of Sa’di's school of thinking, Abdullah Ravanbod Pishini has duplicated didactic and moral notions and topics that existed before Sa’di's period and then surfaced in this talented poet's works in plain language. Methodology This article is based on the French school of comparative literature. The researcher's job in this school is to identify sources of inspiration and thinking, as well as subjects and ways of expression, along with schools and literary genres. Historiography, differences in language and literature, and the existence of a historical relationship between the two types of literature are the principles of the French school. This research examines the extentto which Ravanbod was influenced from Sa'di, particularly in Boustan and Golestan, and the similarities between the poems of the two orators based on the "French School of Comparative Literature," while looking at the degree to which Sa'di's wisdom is reflected in Ravanbod's Balouchi poetry. Discussion Sa’di The wisdom poems, which are the result of Sheikh Ajal Sa’di’s personal meditation gained from his journeys, are the most prominent poetry in Boustan and Golestan. In these two writings, Sa’di strives to describe a civilisation founded on humanism, compassion, justice, and reality. Kindness and fairness, he believes, are the most important virtues. The Qur'an, Nahj al-Balagha, ancient Iranian memoirs (Andarz-nameh), Kelileh va demneh, Qabousnameh, Nasirean Ethics (Akhlaq-i Nasiri), and the Alchemy of Happiness (Kimiay-e-Sa’adat) have all been suggested as sources and foundations for Sa’di's moral point of view. Many scientific theories have affected him as a result of his many trips and education in Baghdad's Mustansiriyah and Nezamiyeh; yet, the wisdom and ideas of ancient Iran and Islamic wisdom form the foundation of his thoughts. Ravanbod In addition to wisdom, law, philosophy, theology, and religious sciences, Maulana Mohammad Abdullah Ravanbod Pishini (1926-1988) possessed a comprehensive command of literary sciences such as the science of prose, rhyme, innovation, and expressiveness, which he considered essential for every poet. He is the most well-known contemporary poet in Iran's Baluchistan province. Despite his wide understanding of Persian, Arabic, Urdu, and Baluchi literature, his manner of speech is basic and unpretentious. Ravanbod has been dubbed "Sa’di of Balochistan" by several critics and fans of his poetry. This term is usually attributed to him because his poetry influences Baluchi literature and language, as well as its simplicity. Ravanbod's Baluchi poems are the most essential, brilliant, and numerous of his poems. Baluchi poetry is written in the manner of traditional and classical Baluchi poetry or in the genres of Qasideh (ode), Qazal (lyric), and Mosammat, which are influenced by Persian poetry. The following are some of the most prevalent instructional concepts shared in the works of the two orators: God’s power, God’s transcendence of human intellect and imagination, purposefulness in the system of creation and the need to pay attention to every single being in the universe, humility due to being created out of the soil, God’s generosity to all human beings, the humans’ inability to thank God for all blessings, belief in fate and predestination, advising patience, seeking happiness in both worlds, avoiding worldy attachments, warning the harmful effects of persecution and scolding, criticizing the world, making the most of time in life, emphasizing the deeds rather than origin, highlighting the role of being a good person as an enduring legacy, not neglecting comeuppance, not belittling the enemy and sin, the immutability of the wicked principle, standing up to oppression and living and dying with honor rather than degradation and disgrace. Conclusion The presence of common and similar topics in the works of Sa’di and Ravanbad suggests that both poets are interested in religious and didactic writing, according to this study. Wisdom and ethics are practically present in the lives of characters and heroes in both orators' works, to the point where many educational notions and moral themes in Ravanbad's and Sa’di's writings are similar, and in some cases merge into one. If there is a little discrepancy in interpretations or words, it is due to language differences, which have the same semantic relationship and message in any case. The majority of the subjects on which the two orators have voiced and agreed are related to how one obtains both earthly and otherworldly bliss. In order to attain happiness and salvation in the two worlds, the ideal human being, in Sa’di and Ravanbad’s terms, must "give up bad and reprehensible habits and thoughts, and adorn oneself with good morals and good deeds"; that is, one must purify his existence of reprehensible attributes. The usage of verses and hadiths, myths and religious figures can be noticed with the use of similes and allegories in order to objectify the message in both orators’ poems. Ravanbod's poems in the Balochi language are known for their simplicity, earning him the title “Sa’di of Balochistan,” due to following Sheikh Ajal Sa’di Shirazi's statement.

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