Masih Kashani

Masih Kashani, Rukn al-Din Mas’ud (d. 1655), a physician, calligrapher, and poet with the noms de plume Masih and Masihi, well-known as Hakim Rukna. He was from a family of physicians. He was patronized by the Safavid Shah ‘Abbas and served as his companion. He also made poetical compositions on the nobile of the Shi’i Imams. Majmu’a-yi Khiyal was one of his compositions. Having incurred the Shah’s suspicions, he had to depart for India where he attached himself to the court of Akbar Shah and after a while traveled to Allahabad and the court of Jahangir. Having obtained permission from the Indian court to go on pilgrimage to Mecca and Mashhad, he traveled to Kashan and Isfahan, but failed to obtain Shah Safi’s patronage and settled in Kashan. His three divans of poetry reflect his delicacy of imagination and innovativeness.  His works also include Saqinama, Ram wa Sita, and Qaza wa Qadar. He died in 1655 as betokened by the chronogram ‘raft bi-su-yi falak baz masih-i duwwum’ (lit. ‘The second Messiah soared into the heaven once more.’ The Following lines are by him:

If the world happens to be indifferent to me one morn,

I’ll depart his land like the sun in the eve.

My heart has oozed out life that I may not see you again,

In short, my love for you has rendered me distraught.

As you have looked wrathfully at me,

Many an arrow have targeted my heart.

I thought that my frail soul may be released from the fetters of the body,

But my yearning for her has locked the door of the prison.

Beware of her lock of hair, o godly man!

Such disbelief has sworn allegiance to belief!

Farhang-i A’lam-i Sukhan (2/ 82).