Texts of Islam

Salaman and Absal: Life of Jámi

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This is the biographical preface to Edward FitzGerald's 1904 English translation of *Salaman and Absal*, a Persian poem by the 15th-century Sufi poet Jámi (1414–1492). The piece draws heavily on Rosenzweig's German-language biographical notes compiled from Jámi's own writings and contemporary commentators, tracing the poet's life from his boyhood in Khorasán through his education in Herát and Samarcand, his Sufi initiation under a master of the Nakhsbend order, and his eventual fame across the Islamic world. A significant portion follows Jámi's 1472 pilgrimage to Mecca and his encounters with rival dynastic rulers — including Hasan Beg of Mesopotamia and Sultan Husein of Herát — who competed to honor him even while warring with one another, illustrating poetry's unique political neutrality in the Persian world. The text is notably anecdotal and colorful, dwelling on Jámi's miraculous reputation as a saint (enemies who wronged him died grotesquely soon after), his prolific output of up to 99 volumes, and his lifelong self-identification as a Dervish despite lavish royal patronage. FitzGerald's editorial voice is wry and digressive — he apologizes for the preface's length while clearly relishing the material — making this as much a portrait of Orientalist enthusiasm as of Jámi himself. It will appeal most to readers interested in Persian literary history, Sufism, or the Victorian translation tradition.

Salaman and Absal: Life of Jámi

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