Seyed-Gohrab, Ali Asghar

There is no single Persian word for “ epigram ,” yet the epigrammatic style is a central characteristic of Persian poetry. In Western literature, “epigram” (from Greek epigramma , inscription) refers to a terse statement in verse or prose with a pithy conclusion, which displays …

Chronogram s (Pers. mādda(-yi) taʾrīkh ) are dates disguised in texts, generated from the numerical values of the Arabic alphabet (abjad, ḥisāb al-jummal ; see Colin). Chronograms appear early in the history of Persian poetry. The Persian narrative poems ( mathnavī s) Āfarīn-nām…

Busḥāq (for Abū Isḥāq) Aṭʿima is the takhallus (nom de plume) of Fakhr al-Dīn (or Jamāl al-Dīn) Abū Iṣḥāq Ḥallāj Shīrāzī (d. 827 or 830/1424 or 1427), a Persian satirical poet famous for his culinary terminology and metaphors. An innovative satirical poet, he poked fun at mystic…

ʿĀshiq Iṣfahānī is the laqab (cognomen) of the Persian poet Āqā Muḥammad Khayyāṭ (c. 1111–81/1700–68). He should not be confused with poets with the same laqab , such as Jamālī Ardistānī (d. 879/1474–5). ʿĀshiq Iṣfahānī usually used the pen name ʿĀshiq (the lover) in his poetry.…