duringhisvisitforhisprodigality–rebukingḤāfiẓ’sreadiness,inoneoftheearliest
poemsoftheDīvān,tobestow‘allthedominionofBukhārāandSamarqandforthe
sakeofablackmoleofthatShīrāzīTurk’^233 –isprobablybutafondbiographer’s
romanticreverie.Yetthemoralitinculcatesistruerthanallhistoricalfact:thatone
eroticversepennedbyPersia’sgreatestlyricpoet–Shelleynevermoretrulyspoke
whenhesaidpoetsare‘thetrumpetswhichsingtobattle,andfeelnotwhatthey
inspire;theinfluencewhichismovednot,butmoves.Poetsaretheunacknowledged
legislatorsoftheworld’^234 –consignedtoobliviontheimperialpretensionsofthe
mostfearsomestateterroristoftheentirelateIslamicMiddleAges.^235
Remaining in Shīrāz for only two months, Tamerlane was called back to
Samarqandonunfinishedmilitarybusiness,atwhichpointShāhManṣūr,b.Shāh
Muẓaffarī,acousinofShāhShujā‘,tookthecityfromShāhYaḥyāinabloodless
coup. Manṣūr, who managed to hold on to the city for the next four years
(791/1388–795/1392),wasregardedhighlybyḤāfiẓ,whocelebratedhisrulein
ShīrāzandthedepartureofTamerlanewithaghazaldedicatedtohim.^236 Several
otherpoems^237 inwhichversesarepennedinpraiseofthisprinceappearinthe
Dīvān.ManyoftheyearsofShāhManṣūr’sbriefreignwerepreoccupiedinfighting
Zaynal-‘Ābidīn,who,havingescapedfromprisonandtakenoverthecityIṣfahān,
triednumeroustimestoreconquerShīrāz,althoughtheincumbentprinceproveda
superiorstrategistinalltheirconfrontations,oneachoccasiondefeatingZaynal-
‘Ābidīn,beforefinallycapturingandblindinghim.^238 Attheendofoneofhismost
famous eroticghazals dedicated to the ruler, Ḥāfiẓ indirectly alludes to Shāh
Manṣūr’ssuccessinonesuchintertribalbattle,celebratinghow‘Victoryshonethat
dayforShāhManṣūr,whosingle-handedlychargedatthecentreofathousandof
theirtroopsandstruckoffheadsoffoeswithhissword’.^239
ShāhManṣūrspentthelastthreeyearsofhisruleoccupiedintheconquestof
townsandcitiesandmilitarycampaignsaroundIran,untilhefinallydiedonthe
battlefieldin795/April1393^240 bravelywieldinghisswordagainstTamerlane,whom
henearlykilledincombat,beforethewallsofthecity.^241 Ḥāfiẓhadbeenfortunate
enoughtopassawaythreeyearsearlier,in792/1389,beforethehatedTamerlane
invadedhisbelovedcity.AfewweeksaftertheSamaraqandīTurktookthecitadel
ofsaints,heexecutedalltheremainingrepresentativesoftheMuẓaffariddynasty,
saveforonlytwofamilymembers(amongthemtheblindedZaynal-‘Ābidīn),both
ofwhomheexiledtoTransoxiania.^242
Intheend,AbūIsḥāqĪnjū...ShāhShujā‘...ShāhManṣūr,andtheircourtsandthe
vizierswhoservedthem,figuredasconvenientandsignificantcomponentsofthe
poet’ssocio-politicalpersona.Butjustasnonesaveahandfuloftrainedhistorians
everbringtomindtheintriguesofthecourtofQueenElizabethwhenreading
Spenser’sFaery Queen,hardlyasoulreadingḤāfiẓtodayrecallstheexploitsand
escapadesofAbūIsḥaq,ḤajjīQawām,ShāhShujā‘,Zaynal-‘ĀbidīnorShāhManṣūr.
Themainreasonthattheseprincesandtheirministers’namesarenotutterlyfor-
gottentodayisbecausetheyhavebeenstampedwiththeeternityofḤāfiẓ’sgenius.
ḤāfiẓintheSocio-historical,LiteraryandMysticalMilieuofMedievalPersia 27