The Persian Mystics

Book excerpt: Jami (1414-1492), a scholar and mystic, is considered by many to be one of the greatest Persian poets of the 15th century. This volume, edited by F. Hadland Davis and first published in 1908, contains selections from some of Jami's best-known works. "Salaman and Absal" examines the earthly love ("the love that binds and fetters and is corruptible") of the eponymous star-crossed lovers and contrasts it with "incorruptible" celestial love. The "Lawa'ih" is a treatise on Sufism. "Yusuf and Zulaikha" tells of Zulaikha's unrequited love for Yusuf, and the "Baharistan" is a book of verse and prose written as a series of eight "gardens." A brief biography of Jami and some additional information on each of the selections are included in this timeless work. FREDERICK HADLAND DAVIS is also the author of The Persian Mystics: Jalalu'd-Din Rumi (1907) and Myths and Legends of Japan (1912), both available from Cosimo.