Abū al-Majd Majdūd Sanā'ī (English spelling)

Persian poet. Born in Ghazni, Afghanistan. He initially served as a court poet to the Sultan of the late Ghaznavid dynasty, but left his hometown for Balkh and made a pilgrimage to Mecca, after which he gradually took the path of mysticism. He wandered the Khorasan region for many years, returning to his hometown around 1124. In his later years he lived a secluded life, devoting himself to writing poetry, and died in his hometown. He is considered one of the three great Persian mystical poets. He was a prolific writer, and his works include the Poems of Sana'i, with about 13,000 verses, as well as his representative work, the long mystical epic poem The Garden of Truth (1131), with about 12,000 verses. He is also known as a pioneer of mystical epic poetry.

Among the epic poems of Sana'i's Seven Parts, "The Journey of the Servant" is particularly famous. It is a work that deals with the soul's journey to heaven and earth, and is described as "the forerunner of Dante." His other works include "The Book of Reason," "The Book of Love," "Prayer of the Pen," "The Way of the Search," "The Works of Balkh," and "Sana'i Abad." He is also known as a pioneer who expressed mystical ideas in the field of lyric poetry. He had a great influence on later Persian poets in both the fields of epic and lyric poetry.

[Tsuneo Kuroyanagi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ペルシアの詩人。アフガニスタンのガズニーに生まれる。初め宮廷詩人としてガズナ朝末期のスルタンに仕えるが、郷里を去ってバルフに向かい、メッカ巡礼に出てから、しだいに神秘主義の道を歩む。ホラサーン地方を長年月にわたって放浪し、1124年ごろ郷里に帰る。晩年は隠遁(いんとん)生活のうちに作詩に専念し、郷里で没する。ペルシア三大神秘主義詩人の一人に数えられる。多作で、作品には約1万3000句の『サナーイー詩集』のほか、代表作として約1万2000句の神秘主義長編叙事詩『真理の園』（1131）がある。神秘主義叙事詩の開拓者としても知られる。

　叙事詩『サナーイー七部作』のなかでも『下僕(しもべ)の旅路』はとくに著名。魂の天上および下界の旅を主題とする作品で、「ダンテの先駆者」と評される。ほかの作品は『理性の書』『愛の書』『筆の祈り』『探求の道』『バルフの業行』『サナーイー・アーバード』である。また叙情詩の分野で神秘主義思想を表現した先駆者として知られる。叙事詩、叙情詩両分野で後世ペルシア詩人に大きな影響を与えている。

［黒柳恒男］

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