Tajikistan to celebrate the 1150th anniversary of Rudaki
Tajikistan is hoping to set international value on the jubilee of the great Persian (Tajik) poet. Yesterday during the regular meeting of the government was revised the action-plan of preparation works dedicated to 1150 anniversary of the founder of classic Persian (Tajik) literature Abuabdullo Rudaki. President Emomali Rahmon ordered to give another brush in fifteen days (rus) to the action-plan, given that the jubilee shall be celebrated on the international level under the aegis of UNESCO.
Abdullah Jafar Ibn Mohammad Rudaki (Tajik Абӯабдуллоҳ Ҷафар Ибн Муҳаммад Рӯдакӣ, Persian ابوعبدالله جعفربن محمدبن حکیمبن عبدالرحمنبن آدم رودکی), also written as Rudagi or Rudhagi, (859-c.941) was a Persian (Tājīk) poet, and the first great literary genius of modern Persian language, who composed poems in the “New Persian” Perso-Arabic alphabet script.
Previously, Ben prepared an excellent post on Rumi and Geothe, the two great poets. I responded to that post saying that it was important to mention the fact that International Rumi day (2007) was initiated by Turkey and not by Tajikistan or Iran, though it had to be the other way around because Rumi is considered to be a Persian poet. In response to my comment Ben said that Tajikistan “missed that train”. I hope this time Tajikistan is going to be more successful and catch that train on time.
I really support the idea of Rahmon to set an international value on this event. Rudaki deserves to be put on the same level as Rumi and Goethe. Nowadays not too many people know about him, especially in the West. I think that UNESCO would be the best organization that could make this person and his poems more visible beyond the Persian world.
He was born in Rudak, a village in Transoxiana, 870 in what is now Panjakent in Tajikistan. Most of his biographers assert that he was totally blind, but the accurate knowledge of colors shown in his poems makes this very doubtful. He was the court poet to the Samanid ruler Nasr II (914-943) in Bukhara, but he eventually fell out of favour and ended his life in poverty.
In a certain period of his life Rudaki became blind due to his religious views. There are many people who say that he was blind from birth. I’m not an expert in these things but I believe that he became blind in the late period of his life otherwise he would not be able to write 1,300,000 verses in Persian-Arabic script.
on June 1st, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Vadim, interesting article! What do you mean by becoming blind “due his religious views”?
on June 1st, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Reading books in bad light was a contributing factor to poor eyesight in the pre-modern era I believe - hence the tendency towards poor eyesight and/or blindness among priests, monks, rabbis and Imams before the widespread use of spectacles. Indeed, I believe that even now there is still concern that intensive rote-learning of the Quran in less well-equipped madrassahs (i.e. without electric lighting) affects children’s eyesight. Hence, Rudaki’s ‘regious views’ may very well have led to his blindness as a result of his religious scholarship. Just a guess.
on June 1st, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Actually, scrub that last comment - it appears Rudaki was blinded as punishment for his profession of Ismailism.
on June 1st, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Wow, Nick, thanks for clarification! The first comment could be logical though.
on June 2nd, 2007 at 1:30 am
My childhood textbook version:
Yes, Rudaki was blinded as a punishment (by rubbing small metal particled in his eyes) because he criticized the ruler who he worked for in his writings. Or refused to praise him…
on June 2nd, 2007 at 8:28 am
Leila,
Nick is right. Rudaki was blinded for practice of Ismailism. Someone can argue that it was not like that but many historians say that the Samanid ruler Nasr bin Ahmed accepted Ismailism with the help of Rudaki. Nasr was a “fan” of Rudaki’s writings. After that Nasr was overthrown by his son and all Ismailis were persecuted together with Rudaki.
No matter what was his religious background he is accepted in the Persian speaking countries as a great poet and a founder of classic Persian (Tajik) literature.
on August 29th, 2007 at 10:20 am
eye
on March 4th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
we know nothing about rudaki and his religious views… it would be safer if you did not remark on them… we have only 1000 bayts that have survived, the rest did not reach us… in these 1000 bayts he mostly praises wine, wisdom, love, and the samanid prince… he complains of his rough time and old age… i don’t understand why people believe rudaki was an ismaili… only ignorant people would say that… rudaki served an ismaili prince, nasr b. ahmad, but except praising him, he says nothing that brings him close to ismailism…
on March 10th, 2008 at 3:04 am
come on man, how can you say nasr was influenced by rudaki? this is outrageous… nasr was converted to ismailism by nasafi, an ismaili missionary from central asia… it is true that nasr’s son toppled him and massacred the ismailis of central asia, and nasafi was executed in 943 in bukhara… nasr died a few months after him… many say he was sick… but to return to rudaki, again we are an a shaky ground to suggest that he was an ismaili or qarmati… he in fact fell out of nasr’s favour and died before the general massacre of the ismailis began… rudaki died two years before nasr and nasafi… you are again right to say that nasr loved rudaki’s poems… remember his famous ‘buyi juyi muliyun’ told by nizami arudi… anyway, debates are interesting here… i will come back later… ba bye
on March 10th, 2008 at 3:13 am
again i don’t understand those who say rudaki was blinded… come on… do not close the doors of ijtihad… we are still debating if rudaki was blind from birth or became blind or even as you say was blinded… rudaki himself remains silent in this regard… only speculations… since rudaki describes the beauty of nature, etc in his poems, it has led many believe that he was could see in the beginning, but was blinded at some point in his life…. we simply don’t know, it will all remain to be seen…