Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry

5.ShāhYaḥyā’sshortsix-monthreign(in789/1387)

6.ShāhManṣūrb.ShāhMuẓaffarī(cousinofShāhShujā‘)(reg.791/1388–

795/1392)^169

AbūIsḥāqĪnjūwasrecognizedasa‘tolerantandartisticallymindedprince’^170 anda
‘generouspatronofpoetry’.^171 Religioustoleranceandpatronageoftheartswere
thehallmarksofhisrule.^172 FromalloverPersia,poetsthrongedathiscourt,sow-
ingtheseedsoftheirpanegyricalpraiseinthereceptiveearthofhisadulation-
lovingears.^173 Apoetasterhimself,hewasagoodconnoisseurofthemanypoets
whosoughtfameandfortuneathiscourt.Theseincludedthesharpestpoeticwits
oftheage,suchasKhwājūKirmānī,whodedicatedtwoofhismathnawīpoems
(Kamāl-nāmaandRawḍātal-anwār),severalqaṣīdasandastrophepoem(tarkīb-band)
tohim,^174 and‘UbaydZākānī,whocomposedseveralpanegyricsinhispraise.^175 Abū
Isḥāqwasalso‘oneofthemostbelovedofprinceswhomḤāfiẓpraised’,towhom
quiteafewofḤāfiẓ’sghazals(aspanegyrics)areexplicitlyaddressed.^176 Ḥāfiẓwrote
aqaṣīdaof44coupletsinpraiseofAbūIsḥāq.^177 Somescholarsspeculate,for
instance,thatsomeoftheversesfromthefollowingghazalwerecomposedtobewail
thepassingofAbūIsḥāq’sconvivialandpleasure-lovingcourtandreign:

Friendshipandcamaraderieinmenhavefled

Andcan’tbefoundinanyone.Owhat’shappened

Tokithandfriends?Whendidcomradeship

Andfellowshipconclude?Wherehasgonefriendship?

Theaquavitae’sturnedfoul,overcastanddun;

Themaningreenwhosecomingwassoblissful,gone;

What’shappenedtothevernalwindandAries’fan?^178

Whateveritspoliticalbackground,whetherornotthisghazalwascomposedby
ḤāfiẓasamementoofAbūIsḥāq’sbenevolentreignduringthefive-yearpolicestate
ofMubārizal-DīnMuẓaffarī,whowas‘orthodox,harsh,andnotinclinedtospare
humanlife’^179 –asGhanīinsistsonarguing^180 –byreducingitsinspirationdownto
thelowestcommontemporaldenominator,datingitsprovenancebydecadeorby
year,theactualmeaningofthepoemisnottherebygreatlyelucidated.Inanycase,
scholarsarefarfromunitedinagreeingaboutthepoliticalcircumstancesthatocca-
sionedanyofḤāfiẓ’spoems.^181
ProveifonecouldthatPrinceXwasthepoet’s‘beloved’,onecancertainlymore
commonsensicallyextrapolatethemeaningofḤāfiẓ’slamentintheabovepoemto
beakindofcontrapuntalanalogueinversecastinthesamemouldastheDuke’s
quipinprosetoEscalusinShakespeare’sMeasureforMeasure,that‘thereissogreat
afeverongoodnessthatthedissolutionofitmustcureit.Noveltyisonlyinrequest,
anditisdangeroustobeagedinanykindofcourseasitisvirtuoustobeconstant
inanyundertaking.Thereisscarcetruthenoughalivetomakesocietiessecure,but

ḤāfiẓintheSocio-historical,LiteraryandMysticalMilieuofMedievalPersia 21