The Walled Garden of the Truth

THE WALLED GARDEN OF THE TRUTHSana’iTranslation and Introduction Paul SmithHakim Sana’i (1050–1131) is best known for his classic mystical poetry in the forms of ghazals, ruba’is and masnavis. He is considered one of the finest and first poets in the Sufi tradition. Sana’i means ‘insight’. The epithet ‘hakim’ (‘wise one’) was typically reserved for people of great learning. Sana’i was born in the city of Ghazna. Sana’i appears to have suddenly abandoned his career as a professional poet after making the acquaintance of a ‘drinker of dregs’ a God-intoxicated soul named Lai Khur, in about 1114. Later, mystical writing was popular among the ruling classes and the poet soon attracted the attention of the sultan, Bahramshah. Now old, Sana’i wrote the first major Sufi masnavi in the Persian language. Titled ‘The Walled Garden of the Truth’, the poem of 10,000 couplets contains mystical teachings intermingled with proverbs, fables, anecdotes and even obscene stories, in six volumes. This is the first volume. The uncommon manner in which Sana’i introduced and explained the esoteric teachings of Sufism through the medium of poetry was the key to its popularity and lasting value. It is still widely considered by scholars to be the first great mystical poem in Persian and the work had wide-reaching influence on Persian poetry influencing Nizami to compose ‘Treasury of the Mysteries’, ‘Attar to compose his ‘Book of God’ and Rumi to compose his 6 volume ‘Masnavi’ and Sadi his ‘Bustan’. Rumi said, “ ‘Attar is the soul and Sana’i the eyes and I came after them’.” Introduction: Life & Times & Poetry of Sana’i; Sufis & Dervishes: Their Art & Use of Poetry; Forms in Persian Poetry Used by Sana’i; The Persian Masnavi before Sana’i; Four Great Masnavi Sufi Poets & their Poems that were…