The ''Bustan'' (, also
transliterated
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...
as ''Būstān'', ''Bustān''; "the orchard") is a book of poetry by the Persian poet
Saadi, completed in 1257
CE and dedicated to the
Salghurid Atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic language, Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the ti ...
Sa'd I or Sa'd II. ''Bustan'' is considered one of two major works of Saadi.
It was Saadi's first work. The book contains the fruits of Saadi's long experience and his judgements upon life, and is illustrated by a vast collection of anecdotes. It includes accounts of Saadi's travels and his analysis of human
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
. He often mentions his accounts with fervour and advice similar to
Aesop's fables
Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a Slavery in ancient Greece, slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 Before the Common Era, BCE. Of varied and unclear origins, the stor ...
. The book has ten chapters regarding the issues of ethics and training; namely, justice, mercy, love, humility, contentment, devotions, education, gratitude, repentance, and praying.
This book is one of the 100 greatest books of all time according to
Bokklubben World Library. It is composed in ''
mathnawī'' style (rhyming
couplets), and has been translated into
English. The ''Bustan'' was translated into Dutch in 1688 by Daniel Havart.
In India, Bustan and
Gulistan were taught to schoolboys in
maktabs, and it had to be learnt by heart.
Herat
Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...
, 1488. Egyptian National Library
File:A party at night, from the Bustan (Orchard) of Sa`di (CBL Per 236).jpg, ''A party at night''. Safavid miniature (possibly by Mirza Ali) attached to the Timurid copy of ''Bustan''. Tabriz
Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
, c. 1540. Chester Beatty Library
File:Sheet of the Bustan de Saadi - Google Art Project.jpg, Page from the Safavid copy of ''Bustan'' written in nastaliq
''Nastaliq'' (; ; ), also Romanization of Persian, romanized as ''Nastaʿlīq'' or ''Nastaleeq'' (), is one of the main book hand, calligraphic hands used to write Arabic script and is used for some Indo-Iranian languages, predominantly Persi ...
script. C. 1560–1570. Lázaro Galdiano Museum
File:The Dervish from Faryab Crosses the River on his Rug.jpg, ''The Dervish from Faryab Crosses the River on his Rug''. Miniature by Habiballah Savaji from the Safavid copy of ''Bustan''. Isfahan
Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
, c. 1600–1608. The David Collection
File:Sadi1.jpg, The first page of the Mughal copy of ''Bustan''. Probably Abd al-Rashid Daylami, 17th century. Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
See also
*
Lote tree
*
Persian literature
*
Kolliyat-e Saadi
References
External links
English translation of Bustan-e Saadi(pdf)
{{Authority control
1257 works
13th-century Persian books
Iranian books
Memory of the World Register in Iran