Publication – English
Nasir-i Khusraw: This Old Hag
An Anthology of Ismaili Literature: A Shi’i Vision of Islam, 2008
Abstract:
Considered one of the foremost poets of the Persian language, Nasir-i Khusraw’s (d. after 462/1070) compositions were widely circulated and transmitted and continue to be cherished, particularly by Ismailis in Central Asia, Iran and Afghanistan. Most of his poems are composed in the qasida (ode) form and many have a didactic quality, exhorting moral virtue. Nasir encountered intense opposition for his beliefs and writings, leading him to move east, eventually to Yumgan in Badakhshan. In the poem “This Old Hag,” translated here, Hakim Nasir urges his audience to forsake allegiance to the materialistic world, depicted as a wily temptress, and to pursue the higher life of the spiritual world.
Cite this publication:
Hunzai, Faquir M., and Shafique N. Virani. “Nasir-i Khusraw: This Old Hag.” In An Anthology of IsmailiLiterature: A Shi’i Vision of Islam. Edited by Hermann Landolt, Samira Sheikh and Kutub Kassam,276-278. London: I.B. Tauris in association with Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2008.
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