August 2008
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The poems about love on these pages were written by a 15th-century poet named Ahli Khorasani from eastern Iran. Not long after his death these pages were calligraphed and included in an anthology of poems. Such anthologies were prized collectables among the educated members of Safivid culture. It was considered a mark of distinction to be literate, well-versed in poetry, and a connoisseur of Arabic calligraphy and finely decorated books.

Gallery 11 Label Nov 2015
Pages from an anthology of poetry
Iran
Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper, ca. 1550
Gift of Edwin Binney 3rd, 1971.63

The poems about love on these pages were written by a fifteenth-century poet named Ahli Khorasani, who was from eastern Iran. Not long after his death these pages were copied out and included in an anthology of poems. The borders around the text were constructed of dyed papers with gold drawings of animals, leaves and trees.
The poem in the lower left margin of the left-hand pages ends with the lines:
Shod boland âvâzeh ‘eshq-e to ahli dar jahân
Nâm-e Majnun past shod, âvâzeh Farhâd, ham
The news of your love has reverberated far and wide in the world,
[so that it has] brought low the fame of [the renowned lover] Majnun, as well as that of Farhad [another renowned lover].
Last Updated: 9/5/2017