Classic Persian Poets

Hakm Sanyi Ghaznavi

By Manu Malek
10 February 2011
Abol-Majd Majdd-ebn-dam () , known as Hakm Sanyi
Ghaznavi () , is a prominent Persian mystic poet. He was born
in Ghazneh (, in todays Afghanestn) in 463 or 473 AH and died in 525 or 535
AH (around 1131 AD) at age 62. This article provides a glimpse into his life and
philosophy and discusses his works and influence on Persian literature.

Hakm Sanyi Ghaznavi

His life and philosophy
Little is known about Sanyi s early life. He was a resident of Ghazneh and served
for a time as a court poet of Ghaznavid kings, in particular, Bahrm-Shh (
, r. 1118-1152 AD), composing panegyrics in praise of his patrons. It is said
that once he accompanied Bahrm-Shh on a military expedition to India and met a
Sfi teacher there. He then underwent a spiritual conversion, abandoned the court,
and went to Marv (, in todays Turkmenestn), where he pursued a life of spiritual
perfection. Later in life, he returned to Ghazneh but resisted the blandishments of
Bahrm-Shh, who promised him wealth and his daughter in marriage if he stayed as
a court poet. He later even criticized some royal habits (and hypocritical Sfis) in one
of his elegies:

His poetry mainly expresses the philosophical, mystical, and ethical ideas of Sfism.
He views religion as the social conscience, and believes that greed, lust, and
hypocrisy are deterrents of mankind to connect with the true reality and love (
). In the following piece he offers a Gnostic maxim to humans:

His following piece in praise of God is well known:

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M. Malek

His works and influence on other poets

As surmised from his works, Sanyi must have been well versed in the Arabic
language, familiar with all the sciences of his time, and a master in some areas.
Sanyi is considered the first poet to compose poetry in the styles of ghasdeh (elegy
) , ghazal (ode, lyric ), and masnavi (rhymed couplet ). His works
include ghazalit (), ghasyed (), robyit (), and miscellaneous
poems ( ). His collected poetry contains some 30,000 verses.
Sanyi is well-known for his masnavi works including The Garden of Truth and the
Law of the Path (Hadiqat-al-Haqiqa va Sharat-al-Tariqa - ) , The
Balkh Report () , The Worshippers Way Toward Resurrection () ,
The Love Letter (), and The Wisdom Letter (). The first one of these,
dedicated to Bahrm-Shh, is his best known. It is composed of 10,000 couplets in
ten sections, expressing his ideas about God, love, philosophy, and reason.
Sanyi had a great influence on other poets and on Persian literature in general. His
work The Garden of Truth is considered a classic Sfi text-book. It is believed to
have been the model for several other poets, including Nemi in Makhzan-olAsrr (Treasury of Secrets ) , Ar in Manteq-ot-Teyr (The Logic of the
Birds - ), as well as Rmi, Owadi, and Jmi. According to scholar J.
Stephenson [i]: "Sanais fame has always rested on his Hadiqa; it is the best known
and in the East by far the most esteemed of his works; it is in virtue of this work that
he forms one of the great trio of Sfi teachers Sanyi, Attr, and Rmi."
0F

Attr and Rmi, in particular, have been greatly influenced by Sanyi. Following are
some samples.
Sanyis ghazal starting with

and Attrs:

as well as Hfez:

or the following concept of complete surrender to God from Sanyi:

and Attr:

There are many references to Sanyi by Rmi. Here are some examples:
...

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...

Rmi acknowledged Sanyi and Attr as his two primary inspirations; e.g.,
...

...

...

Arghi, a 7th-century AD mystic poet, also has references to Sanyi, e.g.,

...

Related references and web sites:

i.

Enclosed Garden Of Truth, Edited and translated by J. Stephenson in 1910

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanaayi
ii. "San" Encyclopdia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopdia Britannica Online,
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/521711/Sanai.
iii. http://ganjoor.net/sanaee/
iv. Authors article Classic Persian Poets: Nezmi Ganjavi:
http://www.cs.stevens.edu/~mmalek/ IC6-Nezami.pdf
v. Authors article Classic Persian Poets: Farid-ed-din Attr:
http://www.cs.stevens.edu/~mmalek/ IC7-Attar.pdf
vi. Authors article Classic Persian Poets:Mowln Jall-ed-din Mohammad Balkhi Rmi:
http://www.cs.stevens.edu/~mmalek/ IC8-Rumi.pdf

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M. Malek