Born in 1145, I am a poet and perfumer from Nishapur. I have greatly influenced Persian poetry. I have written 114 pieces, but about only 30 can be found. I wrote about ego, intellect, thirst for detachment, thirst for unity, thirst for knowledge, and imagination. I am widely respected by the king. I am considered a sage or wise man, and the king comes to me for advising. The once asked me and the others to make a ring that make a happy man sad and a sad man happy. We created one inscribed "this too shall pass." Because I would like to keep my private life private I would rather express my opinions through my poetry.
So long as we do not die to ourselves,
and so long as we identify with someone or something,
we shall never be free.
The spiritual way is not for those wrapped up in exterior life.
Strive to discover the mystery before life is taken from you.
If while living you fail to find yourself, to know yourself,
how will you be able to understand
the secret of your existence when you die?
Do you consider your writing influential to others other than those of authority like the king?
ReplyDeleteI believe you meant to right performer and you wrote perfumer. Also, the phrase "this too shall pass" is found in the bible and I found that interesting.
ReplyDeleteI was curious so I looked it up: the name "Attar" actually references his occupation as a druggist/perfumist! So perfumer was right.
DeleteThanks for introducing us to Attar. I'd never heard of him before, and I'm glad I got to learn about his beautiful and intriguing poetry.