Fakhroddin Araghi

Fakhroddin Ebrahim Araghi, born in a village near Hamedan in 1211, early distinguishes himself for his knowledge and good voice. It is said that by the time he was 17 years old, his daily recitals of the Koran attracted a large group of auditors. Then, his encounter with a group of wandering dervishes transformed him to such a great extent that he left his studies and accompanied them to India where he stayed for 25 years, attaining a great reputation both as a poet and a Sufi. Later he traveled to Konia where he met Rumi, and to Egypt where he was greatly revered by the court. A few years later he went to Damascus where he died in 1289.

The publication of Araghi's writings in 1959 in Iran by the late researcher Saeed Nafisi, led to his rising popularity among the academia. In this edition, we can find an authenticated divan consisting of ghasidehs, ghazals, ruba'is and other verse forms- altogether amounting to 5872 distichs. The divan also contains his Ketab-e Lam'at, a work in prose and poetry dealing with neo-Platonic love and mysticism. Araghi's writings are generally characterized by a fervid sincerity and mystical depth which are reminiscent of Rumi. Nafisi, in his introduction to the divan, writes;" I know of no poet in the Persian literature who shows such bravery, recklessness, and abandon in expressing love, be it human or mystical... ." The lovesickness and distraction which Araghi's biographers refer to is clearly evident in his poetry. The well-known lovers in Persian literature such as Saa'di, Hafez, and Vahshi Bafghi who are foremost in expounding love and distraction, still fall short of him in terms of frankness and emotional height of expression.

The following is one of Araghi's poems rendered into English by E. G. Brown:

"Forth from the Veil came that fair Cup-bearer, in hand the cup;
He tore our veils asunder, and our vows forthwith broke up;
Showed us His visage fair, and straightway us of sense bereft,
Then sat Him down beside us, when of us no trace was left.
His locks the knots unloosed; our spirits bonds were cast aside;
Our souls abjured the world, and to His curls their fortunes tied.
There in fragrant tresses we remained in frenzy fine,
Intoxicated with the proffered cup of ruby wine.
Lost at His Hands, our hearts for refuge clung unto His hair,
E'en as the drowning man will catch a straws in his despair.
And when His tresses chains became the bonds of hearts that raved,
From their own being they escaped and from the world were saved."