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June 15th, 2014, 03:55 AM
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#1 | Suspended indefinitely
Joined: Apr 2014 From: Matrix Posts: 825 | Famous Saadi line. The spider weaves the curtains in the palace of the Caesars the owl calls the watches in the towers of Afrasiab. According to Wikipedia this line belongs to Saadi Shirazi (1210-1291) the famous Persian Poet.
1-What does it mean?
2-What book is it from?
3-What is the original Persian lines? Mehmed the Conqueror - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | |
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June 15th, 2014, 04:20 AM
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#2 | Historian
Joined: Mar 2012 Posts: 3,306 | Quote:
Originally Posted by Agent Smith The spider weaves the curtains in the palace of the Caesars the owl calls the watches in the towers of Afrasiab. According to Wikipedia this line belongs to Saadi Shirazi (1210-1291) the famous Persian Poet.
1-What does it mean?
2-What book is it from?
3-What is the original Persian lines? Mehmed the Conqueror - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | I don't know the original Persian of the poem. But the two lines seem to be contemplating on the death of once great civilizations, where nature replaces human activities. Its like Percy Shelley's poem, Ozymandias: Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
There is a line from a Swahili poem written in the 18th century saying the same about the ruins of one of the great Swahili cities;; it talks about birds making nests in the walls of ruined mansions or something of that sort, but I don't have access to it right now. And Swahili poetry would have had some Persian influence, I believe.
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June 15th, 2014, 07:35 AM
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#3 | Historian
Joined: May 2011 From: Sweden Posts: 2,450 |
Mehmed was probably pointing out the fact that the glory days of the Byzantines were gone, and that now spiders lurked around in their desolate palaces. Meanwhile the time had come for the people of Turan (from those "beyond the black river") to rise and wake up.
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June 15th, 2014, 03:33 PM
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#4 | Suspended indefinitely
Joined: Apr 2014 From: Matrix Posts: 825 | Quote:
Originally Posted by mansamusa I don't know the original Persian of the poem. But the two lines seem to be contemplating on the death of once great civilizations, where nature replaces human activities. Its like Percy Shelley's poem, Ozymandias: Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
There is a line from a Swahili poem written in the 18th century saying the same about the ruins of one of the great Swahili cities;; it talks about birds making nests in the walls of ruined mansions or something of that sort, but I don't have access to it right now. And Swahili poetry would have had some Persian influence, I believe. | Come to think about it. Saadi Shirazi witnessed civilization being crumbled especially the Abbasid Caliphate in 1258. He witnessed the advancement of the Mongols in Middle East.
Ilkhanate ruled the Persia at the time of his death.
But what made him talk about the Byzantines that were far away??
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June 15th, 2014, 03:53 PM
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#5 | Citizen
Joined: Jun 2014 From: Carolina Posts: 23 | Quote:
Originally Posted by Agent Smith Come to think about it. Saadi Shirazi witnessed civilization being crumbled especially the Abbasid Caliphate in 1258. He witnessed the advancement of the Mongols in Middle East.
Ilkhanate ruled the Persia at the time of his death.
But what made him talk about the Byzantines that were far away?? | Mehmed II cleverly repeated this when he conquered Constantinople. Originally Saadi Shirazi was talking about things in general; man builds things but nature takes over and uses. The towers of Afrasiab are used to call prayer but an owl is making noise from them instead. The spider is making curtains from the dark unnoticed places of the palace. Saadi probably means nature mimics man and man mimics nature, they're related, but Mehmed used it to comment on the dilapidated state of Constantinople. Saadi believed in what wed call "Ubuntu" today.
It's not part of a bigger work just an aphorism or a short work the poet wrote.
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June 15th, 2014, 04:10 PM
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#6 | Suspended indefinitely
Joined: Apr 2014 From: Matrix Posts: 825 | Quote:
Originally Posted by Litos Mehmed II cleverly repeated this when he conquered Constantinople. Originally Saadi Shirazi was talking about things in general; man builds things but nature takes over and uses. The towers of Afrasiab are used to call prayer but an owl is making noise from them instead. The spider is making curtains from the dark unnoticed places of the palace. Saadi probably means nature mimics man and man mimics nature, they're related, but Mehmed used it to comment on the dilapidated state of Constantinople. Saadi believed in what wed call "Ubuntu" today.
It's not part of a bigger work just an aphorism or a short work the poet wrote. | I'm just amazed by those poetic lines.
I found something The Owls of Afrasiab: The Secret Story of Constantinople 1453 - Lars Holger Holm - Google Books
At the end of page 41 the complete speech by Mehmed.
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June 15th, 2014, 04:44 PM
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#7 | Citizen
Joined: Jun 2014 From: Carolina Posts: 23 | Quote:
Originally Posted by Agent Smith | Is this all real stuff? It's awesome.
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June 16th, 2014, 01:50 AM
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#8 | Suspended indefinitely
Joined: Apr 2014 From: Matrix Posts: 825 | Quote:
Originally Posted by Litos Is this all real stuff? It's awesome. | As far as I know yes.
I suspect it is part of the Gulistan Gulistan of Sa'di - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
His masterpiece.
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June 16th, 2014, 02:05 PM
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#9 | Citizen
Joined: Jun 2014 From: Carolina Posts: 23 | Quote:
Originally Posted by Agent Smith | Youre probably right about that Gulistan had a lot of symbolic language and short poems.
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June 16th, 2014, 09:09 PM
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#10 | Suspended indefinitely
Joined: Apr 2014 From: Matrix Posts: 825 | Quote:
Originally Posted by Litos Youre probably right about that Gulistan had a lot of symbolic language and short poems. | Just reading some poems from it, can give you wisdom.
"I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet”
WOW, I am pretty sure it downs better in the original language. I need to buy a copy some day.
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