Poetics and Eros in Early Modern Persia: The Lovers'' Confection and The Glorious Epistle by Muhtasham Kshnī

摘要

The poet Muhtasham Kshnī (d. 1588) is today known primarily for his strophic elegy on the martyrdom of Imam Husayn at Karbal, but such devotional poems make up only a tiny fraction of large oeuvre. Far more substantial are two works of a very different tenor, Nuql-i ''Ushshq (The Lover''s Confection) and Risla-yi Jalliyya (The Glorious Epistle). Using an innovative combination of prose and poetry, these works tell the story of the poet-narrator''s stormy affairs with, respectively, an upper-class courtesan and a footman attached to a nobleman''s house. As part of the larger literary movement known as the maktab-i vuq'' or “realist school,” these purported autobiographical accounts of Muhtasham''s amorous adventures reveal a sophisticated culture of eros and desire that differs strikingly from the usual representations of the state of literature and the arts under Shah Tahmsp. After situating these works in their historical, literary, and cultural contexts, the article turns to a close analysis of an extended passage from each work to show how Muhtasham integrates lyric poetry, narrative, and setting to depict the pursuit of desire in the urbane world of early modern Persia.