Nizamī (English spelling) Ilyās b. Yūsuf Niāmī

Persian poet. Commonly known as Nizami Ganjavi. Born into a wealthy family in Ganja, southwest of the Caspian Sea. Although he lost his parents at an early age, he achieved advanced academic success in a wide range of fields, and was well-versed in theology, law, astronomy, music, and art. Little is known about his life, but it is said that he never left his hometown, and composed poetry at the request of local lords in the surrounding area. According to the medieval Biographies of the Poets, he was described as "a pious, noble, and ascetic person, an outstanding poet who should serve as a model for poets of future generations."

His fame was established by his five epic poems, known as the "Five Treasures" or "Five Treasures." Three of these were romantic epics, and he was regarded as the greatest poet in the history of Persian literature in this field, exerting a great influence on later poets. His first work, "The Treasury of Mysteries" (1176), is a mystical epic poem of about 2,200 lines, following the style of his predecessor in this field, "The Garden of Truth" by Sana'i. His second work, "Khosrow and Shirin" (1177-1181), is a romantic epic poem of about 6,500 lines, and is set in a magnificent palace, with the theme of the romance between the Sassanid emperor Khosrow and the beautiful Shirin. His third work, "Layla and Majnun" (1188), is a romantic epic poem of about 4,500 lines. It is set in the desolate and vast Arabian desert, and tells the tragic love story of a young Bedouin man and woman. He completed this work in about four months, demonstrating his genius as a poet. The fourth work, The Seven Queens (1197), is a romantic epic poem of about 5,000 lines, and is considered the masterpiece of the pentalogy. The fifth work, The Book of Alexander, was written in his later years and consists of two parts, The Book of Honour and The Book of Fortune, with about 10,000 lines, showing the depth of his thought and scholarship.

His romances have been a favorite subject for Persian miniature since the Middle Ages.

[Tsuneo Kuroyanagi]

"Khosrow and Shirin" translated by Emiko Okada (Heibonsha, Toyo Bunko)" ▽ "Layla and Majnun" translated by Emiko Okada (Heibonsha, Toyo Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ペルシアの詩人。一般にニザーミー・ガンジャビーの名で知られる。カスピ海南西方ガンジャの裕福な家に生まれる。早く両親を亡くすが、広い分野にわたり高度な学問を修め、神学、法学、天文学、音楽、美術などに精通していた。生涯はほとんど不明だが、郷里を離れず周辺の地方君主の求めに応じて詩作したといわれる。中世の『詩人伝』によると、「敬虔(けいけん)、高潔、禁欲的な人柄で、後世詩人の模範たるべき優れた詩人」と紹介されている。

　名声が確立したのは「五部作」（ハムセ）または「五宝」として知られる五大長編叙事詩による。このうち3編はロマンス叙事詩で、この分野ではペルシア文学史上最大の詩人として評価され、後世の詩人に多大の影響を与えた。第一作『神秘の宝庫』（1176）は約2200句からなる神秘主義叙事詩で、この分野の先達サナーイーの『真理の園』の手法を踏襲している。第二作『ホスローとシーリーン』（1177～1181）は約6500句のロマンス叙事詩で、ササン朝皇帝ホスローと美女シーリーンとのロマンスを主題とし華麗な宮廷を舞台に展開する。第三作『ライラーとマジュヌーン』（1188）は約4500句のロマンス叙事詩。舞台は荒涼、広漠たるアラビア砂漠で、ベドウィンの若き男女の悲恋物語。彼はこの作品をほぼ4か月で完成し、天才詩人ぶりを発揮した。第四作『七王妃物語』（1197）は約5000句からなるロマンス叙事詩で、五部作中の最高傑作と評されている。第五作『アレクサンダーの書』は晩年の作で「栄誉の書」と「幸運の書」の2部からなり、約1万句で、彼の思想、学識の深さがうかがわれる。

　彼のロマンス作品は中世以来ペルシア・ミニアチュールの絶好の題材としてよく用いられた。

［黒柳恒男］

『岡田恵美子訳『ホスローとシーリーン』（平凡社・東洋文庫）』▽『岡田恵美子訳『ライラとマジュヌーン』（平凡社・東洋文庫）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例