Asadi Tusi

Abu Mansur Ali ibn Ahmad Asadi Tusi (born: Tus, Iranian province of Khorasan - died: 1072 Tabriz, Iran) is arguably the second most important Persian poet of Iranian national epics, after Ferdowsi who also happens to come from the same town of Tus. He was a poet, a linguist and copyist of ancient manuscripts.

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Life

The information on Asadi's lifetime is scanty. During Asadi's time, and for some time after, much of the Khorasan province was under violent attacks and rivalry by various Turkic groups. Many native intellectuals left Khorasan as a result of these conflicts, while many of those who remained lived in seclusion. As a result of the violence, Asadi, who lived the first twenty years of his life in Khorasan, left Khorasan for the Iranian province of Azarbaijan and stayed there until his death. He first served as a poet in the court of the Daylamite Abu Nasr Jastan. Later he went to Nakhjavan and in 1065-1066, completed his seminal work, the Garshapnama. He dedicated this work to Abu Dolaf, the ruler of Nakhjavan. Later on, he went to serve at the court of the Shaddadid king Manuchehr who ruled over Ani. His tomb is located in city of Tabriz.

Works

Asadi's most significant work is Garshasp-nama (The Book (or Epic) of Garshasp). His other important contribution was a lexicon of the Modern Persian language (فرهنگ لغت فرس). Also five of his Monāẓarāt (Debates in the form of poetry between two concepts) are also extant.

Garshaspnama (The epic of Garshasp)

The Garshaspnama epic is the major work of Asadi Tusi containing 9000 couplets. The hero of the poem is Garshasp, the son of Eṯreṭ, and grandson of Sam) Šam, who is identified in the Avesta with the ancient Iranian hero, Kərəsāspa-, the son of Θrita-, of the clan Sāma. The poet took the story from a book called the adventures of Garshasp and he states that it is a complement to the stories of the Shahnameh. The poem thus is based on written sources although it was part of the folklore of the common people and the poet invokes the Dehqan (an Iranian class who were small land owners but kept ancient Iranian traditions alive) and Mobad (Zoroastrian priests) who sang the story.

The story starts with Jamshid, the ancestor of Garshasp who is overthrown by Zahak and flees to Kurang, the king of the area of Zābolestān(modern Sistan and Zabol in Iran and Afghanistan). Jamshid falls in love with the king's daughter and gives birth to Tur. Jamshid though is forced to flee again and the king Kurang adopts Tur and makes him his own heir. Tur is succeeded by Shedasp, who begets Tovorg. Tovorg begets a son named Šam, who begets Eṯreṭ. Eṯreṭ begets Garshasp(Garšāsp).

When Garshasp is born, Zahak is still the king and pays a visit to Zābolestān. Zahak's eye is captured by the valiant of Garshasp and challenges him to slay a ferocious dragon. Equipped with a special antidote against dragon-poison, and armed with special weapons, Garshāsp succeeds in killing the monster. Impressed by the child's prowess, Zahhāk now orders Garshāsp to India, where the king – a vassal of Zahhāk's – has been replaced by a rebel prince, Bahu, who does not acknowledge Zahhāk's rule. Garshāsp defeats the rebel and then stays in India for a while to observe its marvels and engage in philosophical discourse. Garshasp then proceedes to Sarandib (Ceylon) where he observers the footprint of the Buddha (in Muslim sources identified with the footprint of Adam). Asadi then conveys many legends about Adam, the father of mankind. Garshasp then meets a Brahman, whom he questions in detail about philosophy and religion. The actual words Asadi Tusi relates from the Brahman's mouth are actually related with Islamic Neo-Platonism. Garshasp afterwards visits some of the islands of India and observes super natural wonder, which are described at great length in the story. India always been a place of marvel for Muslim authors.

The hero then returns home and pays homage Zahak, who was still the ruler at the time. Garshāsp the goes on to woo a princess of Rum, restores his father Eṯreṭ to his throne in Zābol after the king of Kābol defeats him, and builds the city of Sistān. He has further anachronistic adventures in the Mediterranean, fighting in Kairouan and Córdoba. In the West, he meets a "Greek Brahman" and again indulges in philosophical discourse with the wise-man. Returning home after his father passes away, Garshasp now becomes the king of Zābolestān.

When he returns to Iran, his father dies, and Garshāsp becomes king of Zābolestān. Although he has no son of his own, he adopts Narēmān as his heir, who would become Rostam's great-grandfather. During this era, Ferēdūn defeats Zahak and becomes king of Iran, and Garšāsp swears allegiance to Ferēdūn. Garšāsp and his nephew then adventure unto Turan and defeat the Faghfūr(Iranian title for the ruler of Central Asia and China probably of Sogdian origin) of Chin. They take him as a captive to Ferēdūn thereby showing their allegiance to the King of Iran. Nariman, the has a son, Sām, who is the grandfather of Rostam. Garshasp then does one final battle with the king of Tanger and slays another dragon. He then returns home to Sistān and Zābolestān and passes away.

Loḡat-e fors (The Khorasani-Persian lexicon)

This lexicon was written in order to familiarize the unfamiliar phrases found in Eastern Persian (Darī) poetry for the people of Arran and Azerbaijan. It is the oldest extant Persian dictionary based on examples from poetry. It also preserves information concerning the names of some of the poets of the 4th/10th century. Several very different manuscripts exist in Iran and elsewhere. The oldest extant manuscript seems to be at the Malek Library in Tehran (dated 722/1322) although the manuscript written in Safina-yi Tabriz is also from the same period. The manuscript of 1302 states that Asadi composed it at the request of his son.

Monazerat (Debates)

Five of these have survived and they are in the Persian poetic form of Qasida. Such a form of poetry is unprecedented in Arabic or New Persian, but it is part of the Middle Persian (Pahlavi) tradition. The Pahlavic poetic debate Draxt i Asurik shows that this form of debate has had a long history. The five surviving debates are called "Arab o 'Ajam" (The Arab vs the Persian), Mogh o Mosalman (the Magian vs the Muslim), Shab o Ruz (the night vs the Day), Neyza o Kaman (the spear vs the Bow) and the Asman o Zamin (the Sky vs the Earth). In the Persian vs Arab debate, the Persian wins while in the Muslim vs Zoroastrian debate, the Muslim Wins. Asadi, seem to have reasoned that an Iranian Muslim was superior to an Arab Muslim, but a Muslim, whatever his nationality, was superior to a Zoroastrian.

References

Encyclopedia Iranica, "Asadi Tusi", Dj. Khaleghi-Motlagh

Encyclopedia Iranica, "GARŠĀSP-NĀMA", FRANÇOIS DE BLOIS

See also

edit Persian literature series
Qahveh rostam.jpg
 شاهنامه فردوسی
Shahnameh of Ferdowsi
Characters: Abteen | Arash | Afrāsiāb | Akvan-e Div | Bahman | Bahrām Chubineh | Bizhan | Div-e Sepid | Esfandiār | Fereydun |Garshasp | Goodarz | Gordāfarid | Haoma | Homa/Huma bird | Hushang | Īraj | Jamasp | Jamshid | Kāveh | Kay Kāvus | Kai Khosrow | Kei Qobád |Kiumars | Luarsab | Manuchehr | Manizheh | Mehrab Kaboli | Nowzar |Pashang | Rakhsh | Rohām | Rostam | Rostam Farrokhzad | Rudābeh | Salm | Sām | Shaghād | Siāmak | Siāvash | Simurgh | Sohrāb |Sudabeh | Tahmineh | Tahmuras |Tur | Zāl | Zahhāk
Places: Alborz (Hara_Berezaiti) | Damavand | Irān | Māzandarān | Samangān | Turān | Zābolestān | Kābul | Birjand | Ark of Bukhara
See also: Asadi Tusi | Derafsh Kaviani | Bijan and Manijeh | Daqiqi | Jat people in Shāhnāma | Rostam and Sohrab | Sadeh | Kayanian | Jaam-e Jam