Full text of 'In the Bazaar of LoveThe Selected Poetry ofAmir KhusrauTranslated and introduced byPaul E. Losensky and Sunil SharmaPENGUIN BOOKSLosensky, has patiently endured all the drafts of the translations andprovided enthusiastic love and support throughout.Sunil would like to thank R. Sivapriya and Ambar SahilChatterjee at Penguin India for their support of this project;Franchise Nalini Delvoye and Yousuf Saeed for their unceasingdedication to Amir Khusrau’s legacy; and the organizers of theJashn-e-Khusrau in New Delhi, March 2010, where some of thetranslations were first presented.INTRODUCTIONAmir Khusrau (1253-1325) — often also written as Khusrawor Khusro — was one of the greatest poets of medieval India,writing in both Persian, the courtly language of Muslims ofthe sultanate period, and Hindavi, the vernacular language ofthe Delhi area. Known as Tuti-yi Hind (Parrot of India) for hispoetic eloquence and fluency in Persian, Amir Khusrau has stoodas a major cultural icon in the history of Indian civilization foralmost seven hundred years.
He is especially remembered asthe founder of the ‘Ganga-Jamni’ Hindustani culture whichis a synthesis of Muslim and Hindu elements. He helped togive a distinctive character to Indian Islamic cultural traditionsthrough his contributions to the fields of Indian classical music,Islamic mysticism (Sufism), South Asian Sufi music ( qawwali ),and Persian literature. Significantly, he also contributed to thedevelopment of Hindavi, in which both modern Hindi and Urduhave their roots. Positioned at the juncture of two cultures, AmirKhusrau’s prodigious talents and prolific literary output makehim one of the outstanding figures in Islamic, Indian, and indeedworld cultural history.Amir Khusrau’s legacy is far more widespread than peoplerealize, from his vast corpus of Persian poetry that continues tobe read in the modern Persian-speaking world (Iran, Afghanistanand Tajikistan) to this day, to the devotional qawwalis that areperformed and listened to in India, Pakistan, and beyond.
He isAcknowledgementsrightly acknowledged as the best Indian poet to have written inPersian, and his influence on later Persian and Urdu literaturewas immense. In South Asia, he is revered for his contributionsto music and mysticism but most people are familiar with only asmall portion of his immense body of poetry and prose in Persian,or have no access to these works due to the language barrier. Thishas not been Amir Khusrau’s fate alone. The Persianate world inwhich he lived, the entire area from Anatolia (now Turkey) to India,no longer exists as a cultural continuum. Though the ruling elite ofthese lands was mainly Turkish by ethnicity, the language of highculture was Persian, with Arabic serving as the sacred languageof religion. But Persian ceased to be a language of learning in theIndian subcontinent during the British colonial period, and withthe fragmentation of the Persianate world by the forces of modernnationalism, many poets who form part of the Indian Persianheritage have suffered a similar fate, including the nineteenth-century Ghalib, who wrote prodigiously in Persian as well as inUrdu.
However, Amir Khusrau’s Hindavi poetry and Persian poetryon Sufi themes are still part of a living and dynamic tradition.Amir Khusrau’s personality is shrouded in mystery and attemptsto piece together his biography can be frustrating. Modernbiographers have difficulty resolving the apparent conflict betweenhis professional life as a courtier and his spiritual life as a mystic.As a courtier Khusrau would have had to overlook many morallydubious actions and practices on the part of his patrons, for whichhe must have suffered some ethical conflict.
Furthermore, whiletradition credits Khusrau with a body of Hindavi poetry andthe invention of several musical instruments, there is no written,documentary evidence to support this claim. Fortunately for us’there is quite a bit of biographical information in Amir Khusrau’sown writings and in numerous poetic and Sufi biographicalnarratives from throughout the medieval period. Although theinformation is not always reliable and the resulting picture of thexii Introductionpoet seems one-dimensional or larger than life, it is more than wehave for most other pre-modern poets. Getting to the ‘real’ AmirKhusrau challenges us to sort through an overwhelming numberand variety of original sources, many unpublished, and to unravelthe layers of cultural myth and legend that have shrouded hispersonality over the centuries.There are some remarkable parallels between Amir Khusrau’slife and that of the renowned Sufi poet, Jalaluddln RumI (d. 1273),who lived a generation or two before him. As a result of the Mongolincursion into Central Asia RumI fled westwards with his familyand ended up in Konya, in what is now Turkey. Similarly, a coupleof decades later, Khusrau’s family moved eastwards and endedup in India.
Both poets had their origins in the region of Balkh inpresent-day Afghanistan. There are some salient differences in theirbiographies: Khusrau was born in India, to a Turkish father andIndian mother, and identified himself as an Indian; RumI, ethnicallyIranian, was born near Balkh, far from Konya, the city where he wasto settle. Also, Khusrau was deeply involved in court life, and mostof his Persian writing, whether poetry or prose, is of a panegyric orhistorical nature, whereas RumI was not a court poet and his outputis entirely mystical. Thus, it is appropriate that Khusrau is honouredwith the title Amir (Prince) and RumI with Maulana (Our Master).Nevertheless, just as RumI had a deep attachment to his spiritualcompanion Shams, Khusrau was devoted to Nizamuddln Auliya.In poem 35 in our collection, Khusrau uses Ruml’s characteristicclosing signature ‘Silence’, as he rues his failure to turn fully to alife of religious devotion. Most importantly, both were poets ofCentral Asian origin who deeply influenced the practice of Sufismin their respective parts of the world through their emphasis on themystical performance of music and dance, and the poetic languagein which it was expressed. Both were immersed in the local culturesand wrote macaronic poetry, mixing Persian with local languages(Persian, Turkish, Greek and Arabic in Ruml’s case; Persian andIntroduction xiiiHindavi in Amir Khusrau’s). Since both chose to write their poetryin Persian and authored a large body oigbazals on themes of love,there are many points of comparison from a literary point of viewas well, although one must be sensitive to the different historicaland social contexts in which they were active as poets.Amir Khusrau’s LifeAlthough Amir Khusrau included much autobiographicalinformation in his writings, the details of his origins are notclear.
His father was Sayfuddln Shams!, whose Turkish name wasLachln, perhaps named after the obscure Lachln tribe from theregion of Transoxiana in Central Asia, from where many peoplemigrated to north India in the wake of the Mongol invasions.At least one scholar has suggested that Shams! May have been ofslave origins and named after his first master. In Delhi he servedSultan Iltutmish (r. 1211-36) in the police force of the city.
Amir Khusro Poems
Itwas not uncommon for Turkish slaves to attain high positionsat the courts of rulers all over the Islamic world. Over time, asKhusrau’s prestige and fame as a mystic increased, the writerschronicling his life creatively embellished this account of theorigins of his family.Sayfuddln Shams!
Married the daughter of ‘Imad al-Mulk, anIndian Muslim who was also in the service of the sultan, first as thekeeper of the royal falcon and later of the royal horse. Althoughthe first- and second-generation Turkish immigrants were generallyan elite group who looked down on recently converted IndianMuslims, it appears that intermarriage did take place between the twocommunities. Khusrau was proud of both sides of his lineage and hislife and writings symbolize a synthesis of the two different cultures.Thus, Khusrau appropriately calls himself an ‘Indian Turk’ (in Indiathe designation ‘Turk’ came to be synonymous with ‘Muslim’) andhis Sufi master Nizamuddln Auliya called him the ‘Turk of God’.xiv IntroductionSayfuddln Shams! Had three sons, and our poet Abu al-Hasan‘Khusrau’ was born in 1253 in Delhi and was most certainly thesecond of the male offspring. His brother ‘Izzuddin ‘Ali Shah went onto become a scholar of Arabic and Persian, while the other brother,Husamuddin Qutlugh became a professional soldier like their father.The report of a later biographer that Amir Khusrau’s birthplace wasthe village Patiyali (Etah district, UP), although now accepted as afact, is not confirmed in the poet’s own writings.
It is true that thepoet did spend some years there while serving in the military, butKhusrau’s statements regarding his intense attachment to the capitalcity suggest that Delhi may indeed have been his birthplace.Although Khusrau’s father was illiterate he made sure that hissons received a proper education. He died in battle when the poetwas eight, and as a result, the boys were raised by their maternaluncles and maternal grandfather, a powerful nobleman in serviceat court for over eighty years. Khusrau writes with great fondnessabout his grandfather who was the most influential figure in his lifeduring his formative years. Even before he reached his teens Khusraustarted to compose poetry in Persian. His talent did not go unnoticedby his elders and he passed a poetic test with flying colours. This wasthe time when the poet got his first pen-name ( takhallus ), Sultani,which he used in his earliest poems.
On the question of language,Khusrau would have been educated in Arabic and Persian, perhapsspoken some Turki, and definitely have used Hindavi (the khadi bobof the Delhi region) as the language of daily life. However, Persianwould be the language of choice for his literary works since it wasthe court language of the Delhi sultans.It was at his grandfather’s house that Amir Khusrau met theyoung Sufi Nizamuddln Auliya, who had just moved to Delhi for hiseducation, and who would later become one of the most renownedspiritual men connected to the city and the most important personin the poet’s life. Khusrau’s other closest intimate was the court poetand fellow Sufi Hasan Sijz! 1337), whose life revolved aroundIntroduction xvthe same institutions and personalities as Khusrau’s. Though Hasanand Khusrau were both honoured with the title of Amir for theirprowess in the art of poetry, Hasan is today better known for hiswork Fava’id al-fu’ad (Morals of the Heart), in which he recordedthe discourses of Nizamuddln Auliya.Khusrau s career as a professional poet began in earnest whenhe was twenty, also the time when his grandfather passed awayat the age of one hundred and thirteen.
Under the mentorship ofsenior poets at the sultan’s court, Khusrau began composing versesin praise of his patrons. For the next fifty years, until his death in1325, Khusrau was a courtier and poet, initially in the service ofprinces and nobles, then permanently at the court of the sultanof Delhi.
Serving five rulers and witnessing the rule of severalmore, he managed to survive the political intrigues of the variousfactions and individuals at work in Delhi. This in-fighting probablypropelled him further into Sufism. Khusrau lived simultaneously inthe normally incompatible worlds of the mystic and the courtier.A ruler would often be arbitrary in showing favour to poets andSufis of the city, and judging by the lives of many medieval Persianpoets, the perils of being a panegyrist at court were great.In medieval Islamic culture, praise poetry was one of theprincipal means for a ruler to establish and propagate his culturaland political legitimacy.
The professional court poet could berichly rewarded for his services, but he was often regarded as amercenary sycophant because he shifted allegiances without qualmsand offered his praises to the highest bidder. Khusrau admits thatpraising patrons is a tiresome task even if it results in fine poetry.He uses the metaphor of Jesus’s breath, which is supposed tobestow life on the dead: just as it rejuvenates a lamp’s flame, sogood poetry erases the negative aspects of insincere praise. OftenKhusrau and poets like him state that they utter no lies but onlyreport the truth. Court poets, however, were not objective recordersof the character and deeds of their patrons; rather, they presentedan idealized image of the ruler. They were professionals whoselivelihood depended on their mastery of current literary trendsand the existence of generous patrons, and they competed witha whole class of wandering poets who were continuously seekingbetter prospects for themselves.
Once a poet became successful anda favourite at court, he could not easily disassociate himself fromhis patron. The court poet played many roles: he was an entertainer,but also a boon companion (nadim) and friend to the ruler; he wasa propagandist, but also an advisor who could use his poetry as ameans of instructing his patron in proper conduct.Amir Khusrau’s first patron was Kishlu Khan (also knownas Malik Chhajju), a nobleman and nephew of Sultan Balban (r.1266-87). Based in Sunnam, west of Delhi, Malik Chhajju wascelebrated as a generous patron of poets.
However, at the end oftwo years’ service, Amir Khusrau fell out of Malik Chhajju’s favourfor accepting a gift from his cousin, the emperor’s son BughraKhan, who was also a great admirer of Khusrau’s poems. As aresult, Khusrau took up service with his new patron and settled inSamana (Punjab), but he stayed there only briefly before movingon to Lakhnauti (Bengal) where Bughra Khan was sent to quell arebellion. Bughra Khan was a connoisseur of music and the arts,but the poet soon left his service and returned to Delhi because hemissed the city and his family. He often spoke candidly of his deepattachment to the city, which he considered his home.
In one of hispoems, written when he was absent from Delhi, he says:My home was the Dome of Islam.It was the qibla for kings of the seven climes.Delhi is the twin of pure paradise,a prototype of the heavenly throne on an earthly scroll.Such statements link his name to the city and helped in buildingthe reputation of the sultanate capital as a major centre of Persianxvi IntroductionIntroduction xviipoetry in the Islamic world. Khusrau is often given the addedappellation of Dihlavl or Dehlvl (of Delhi).In 1280, Amir Khusrau attracted the attention and became thenadim of the sultan’s son, the young prince Khan Malik SultanMuhammad, who was by all accounts a warm, generous andcharming individual.
Prince Muhammad was fond of poetry andgathered the best poets around him. His court at Multan wasa significant cultural centre that rivalled even Delhi for a time.Multan was home to the Suhravardi Sufi order and Khusrau musthave had contacts with the Sufis based there. In all likelihood, hewitnessed and participated in performances of devotional singingthat would later develop into the qawwali. The memory of thefamous Persian mystical poet Fakhruddln ‘Iraqi (d. 1289)— whohad lived in Multan for twenty-five years before returning to thewestern Islamic lands — must have been fresh in the community, andAmir Khusrau would have heard ‘Iraqi’s ghazals which were alsopopular with the Chishti Sufis.
Khusrau’s friend Hasan had alsoaccompanied him to Multan in the service of Prince Muhammad.According to one tradition, Muhammad twice invited the famouspoet of Iran, Sa‘dl of Shiraz (d. 1292), a literary giant and modelfor all poets writing in Persian at this time, to come and settlein Multan where the prince was going to name an institution oflearning after him. It is even claimed that Sa’di did visit India tomeet Amir Khusrau but these accounts are not confirmed by anyreliable source of the period.Amir Khusrau s sojourn in Multan lasted five years and cameto an abrupt end in 1285 when Timur Khan Tatar led a Mongolforay into the Punjab.
In the ensuing battle, Prince Muhammad waskilled and Khusrau taken captive. The poet spent a short time asprisoner, a horrifying experience that he later described in graphicdetail. He and Hasan both wrote moving elegies on the death oftheir beloved patron, and when they returned home, all of Delhi wasin mourning for the prince who was henceforth called the MartyrPrince (Sultan-i shahid). The powerful elegy by Amir Khusrau ineleven stanzas reveals the depth of his grief:People shed so many tears in all directionsthat five other rivers have appeared in Multan.I wanted to speak of the fire in my heartbut a hundred fiery tongues flared up in my mouth.The death of the prince changed the very geography of the poet’sworld in ways that exceeded all expression.
Written in the typicalpoetic idiom of the marslya (elegy), the poem is a poignant andsincere elegy for the virtuous young patron, and it was said thatwhen the sultan in Delhi heard the poem he was moved to tears. Forhis part, Hasan wrote his elegy in prose, in order not to competeor be compared with his friend.After returning to Delhi, Amir Khusrau kept a low profile,spending time with his family. Scattered references in Khusrau’sworks testify to his deep and sincere attachment to his family.
Hementions his maternal grandfather in fond terms as an influentialfigure in his early years. His mother, to whom he was especiallyclose, is also mentioned a few times and his elegy on her death in1299 — which occurred the same year that he lost one of his twobrothers — speaks of his sense of personal loss. As for other familymembers, there is no mention of his wife anywhere in his worksbut there are references to his children. He addresses his daughterMastura at the end of his work Matla‘ al-anvar, while in his poemHasht bihisht, he gives advice to another daughter Aflfa. He givesadvice to his son Khizr in Majnun Laila. Two sons, Muhammad andHajjl, died during the poet’s lifetime while another, Malik Ahmad,was known to be active as a court poet under Sultan FlruzshahTughlaq (r.
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1351-75).The political situation in Delhi was unstable at this time and Khusrauwent east to Avadh for a brief stint in the service of the new governor;xviii IntroductionIntroduction xixthe freedman ‘All Sarjandar Hatim Khan. He returned to Delhi in 1289,and as though to celebrate his return to the city, Khusrau wrote:Dehli:Refuge of religion!Refuge and paradise of justice!Long may it endure!Since it is a heavenly paradisein every essential quality,may God keep it free from calamity.This verse appears in the work Qiran also. ‘darn (Conjunction ofTwo Stars) that he was commissioned to write by the new sultan,Kaiqubad (r. 1287-90), to commemorate the reunion between thesultan and his father Bughra Khan, Khursau’s one-time patron.
Thiswork was the first narrative poem on a theme from the history ofhis own times and an innovative step in his growth as a court poet.Sultan Kaiqubad did not survive long and died the following yearat the age of twenty-two in 1290.One year later, Amir Khusrau joined the court of the new sultan,Jalaluddln Khaljl (r. 1290-96), and from then until his death he wascontinuously connected with the court of Delhi, having progressed fromserving provincial officials to being the chief poet at the imperial court.Under Jalaluddln Khaljl and ‘Alauddln Khaljl (r. 1296-1316), bothof whom were of Afghan background, Khusrau was at his peak as aprofessional poet.
When Sultan Jalaluddln began his short reign, he wasa man of advanced years but had a great zeal for the arts and was anardent admirer of Amir Khusrau’s poetry. The contemporary historianZiyauddln Barn! Describes the monarch’s fondness for Khusrau:Sultan Jalaluddln was a connoisseur and patron ofthe arts. He had an elegant disposition and couldcompose quatrains and ghazals.
What clearer proofcould there have been of his refined nature andconnoisseurship than the fact that just when he hadbecome the war minister he extolled Amir Khusrau,who was the chief of the court poets from first tolast, and held him in great esteem. And fixedupon him a stipend of 1200 tankas which had beenhis father’s, and gave him horses, vestments and hisown slaves. When he became king, Amir Khusraubecame one of his intimates at court and served askeeper of the Qur’an.In the pleasure assemblies ( mahfil ), there was a great deal ofdrinking, jesting and exchange of poetry, accompanied by music,singing and dancing by women and young boys who would alsoserve wine. In fact, the figure of the sdqi or cupbearer is a stockcharacter in Khusrau’s ghazals.
These assemblies provide theimplied setting for much of his lyric poetry, and BarnI states, AmirKhusrau would bring new ghazals daily to those assemblies andthe sultan became enamoured of his poems and rewarded himhandsomely.’ The reign of ‘Alauddln Khaljl, Jalaluddln s nephewand successor, witnessed a cultural renaissance, exceeding even thestandards of other Delhi sultans for patronage of literature and thearts. Architecture and building activities flourished and all sorts ofhistorical, poetic and scientific works were written in Persian.In the last decade of his life, Amir Khusrau served the newsultan, Mubarak Shah (r. 1316-20), the young and handsomeson of ‘Alauddln Khaljl, who had come to the throne as the resultof a bloody coup.
Autoplay next videoI am a pagan and a worshiper of love: the creed (of Muslims) I do not need;Every vein of mine has become taunt like a wire,the (Brahman's) girdle I do not need.Leave from my bedside, you ignorant physician!The only cure for the patient of love is the sight of his beloved -other than this no medicine does he need.If there be no pilot in our boat, let there be none:We have god in our midst: the sea we do not need.The people of the world say that Khusrau worships idols.So he does, so he does; the people he does not need,the world he does not need.