Kasa’i Marvazi

Kasa’i Marwazi, Hakim Majd al-Din, Abu Ishaq, Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali (952-1001), a poet with the nom de plume Kisa’i. Born in Marw, he excelled his contemporaries in erudition, particularly in grammar. Flourishing in the late Samanid and early Ghaznawid periods, he first composed eulogies to viziers, like ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Ahmad ‘Utbi (d. 982), vizier to the Samanid Nuh ibn Mansur, and kings, like the Ghaznawid Sultan Mahmud, but he regretted having composed them later in life. A contemporary of Nasir Khusraw, Kasa’i has repeatedly alluded to him. A poet of renown in his time, he composed poetry that reflected his Shi’ism, hence his recognition as a Shi’i poet. He composed numerous poetical compositions eulogizing the Commander of the Faithful (‘Ali) and he is one of the earliest of poets who excelled his predecessors and contemporaries in didactic poetry. He engaged himself in the purification of his heart late in life and led an ascetic life. His recognition is indebted to his vigorous and elegant poetry in which he extolled the Ahl al-Bayt (family of the Prophet). He is the earliest of poets who composed eulogies and elegies to the Ahl al-Bayt in Persian and he is regarded as the avant-garde of Shi’i poets. Accorded the appellation Hakim (‘Sage’), he attacked the tyrants of his time in his poetry and poetical ideas in the period of political and social strangulation. His poetry is marked by the attempts he made in awakening others, seeking freedom, and reproaching the enemies of the Ahl al-Bayt. Besides poetical and literary significance, his poetry reflects valuable social and cultural materials which have otherwise been consigned to oblivion. His poetry is mainly marked by propagation of Shi’ism, opposition to tyranny, eulogies and elegies to the Ahl al-Bayt, wise counsels, an exalted approach towards the world of existence, and elegant and fluent diction. Scholars maintain that his nom de plume reflects his Shi’ism inspired by the prophet tradition of the People of the Robe (Ahl al-Kisa’). His biographical accounts are not reflected in biographical sources. His extant divan of poetry runs to 3,000 couplets. It is noteworthy, however, that composing elegies to the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Ali, and his descendants was not an easy task in the tenth and eleventh centuries, but it required unparalleled faith and bravery, possessed by Kisa’i. His complete divan survived until the second half of the twelfth century, but it dispersed like many thousands of treasures of literature and science. His surviving divan comprises of two qasidas, four ghazals, and 25 qit’as. According to Awfi, ‘His poetry is mainly didactic, devoted to the nobilities of the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet.’ He further states, ‘His divan comprises the eulogies and praize of the Prophet and his descendants.’ His poetry is marked by imagery, mastery of the Qur’an and traditions, attention to nature, grieving for the wrongs inflicted upon the family of the Prophet, and disliking the enemies of the prophetic house. He is reportedly the first poet who composed a tragedy in Persian verse devoted to the incident of Karbala’. His elegies and eulogies on the praises of the house of the Prophet reflect the sympathies of the Persians for the martyrs of the prophetic house who were subject to tyrannies of the Umayyads and the ‘Abbasids. His musammat qasida is the earliest of the tragedies of Karbala’. His extant poetry betokens his poetical excellence in his time and his vigor and skill in creating innovative themes, depictions, and similes. Besides his elegant and eloquent depictions and eulogies, he achieved great success in composing didactic poetry as the earliest of poets versifying in this respect who achieved the summit of poetical excellence in the late tenth century and paved the path for later distinguished poets like Nasir Khusraw Qubadiyani.

Tarikh-i Adabiyyat dar Iran (1/ 441-449).