Some Eastern sages and philosophers wrote down their thoughts in the form of quatrains. It was something like equations, striving for exact formulas, aphorisms. One of the most complex genre forms of Tajik-Persian poetry was the ruby. What is a lyrical-philosophical quatrain and how does it reflect the surrounding reality? The legacy of these verses is rich and diverse. Well, let's talk about what rubyes are, about the main poets that make them up. You will learn about the most famous oriental sages who wrote philosophical and lyrical poems. They are very wise, full of humor, craftiness, insolence.
What is a ruby?
You have probably heard about oriental lyric poetry, such as gazelle, qasida. A similar option is the ruby. What is this mysterious quatrain? It is also called dubai or ram. Rubai consists of four lines, two or three of which rhyme with each other. Sometimes all four lines can rhyme.
These quatrains were based on Iranian oral folklore. The beginning of the appearance of the ruby is in the 9th-10th centuries. Below you will learn about the most famous authors of ruby about love, life, the nature of man. The content of these verses is filled with philosophical and lyrical thoughts.
Rubai about the life of Azerbaijani poets
The people of the East do not erect monuments to women. But one of them erected a monument to herself with her immortal quatrains - Mehseti Ganjavi. This is the first Azerbaijani poetess, a contemporary of the great Nizami. In her works, the image of a feminine, courageous and freedom-loving rebel emerges. She could not stand obscurantism, hypocrisy, ridiculed the rich, idolized the lovers.
He who could forever surrender to love,
Does not dare to say: "My lot is bad."
I’ve been looking for a companion all my life.
It turned out to be my own sigh.
Another Azerbaijani compiler of the ruby was Heyran-Khanum. Her parents were aristocrats. She lived all her adult life in Iran, she knew Persian, Arabic, was interested in classical oriental literature. Among her creations are not only rubyes, but also gazelles, kasids, and muhammas.
Her poetry was about noble and selfless love. Heyran-Khanum struggled with evil, social injustice, lawlessness and the oppressed position of women.
Heaven is the belt of my ruined life
The tears of the fallen are the salty waves of the seas
Paradise is blissful peace after passionate efforts
Hellfire is just a reflection of faded passions.
Life Poems by Omar Khayyam
An unrivaled master of the rubye genre was Omar Khayyam. In them, he clearly stated his worldview. There are legends about the great poet of the East, his biography is full of secrets and mysteries. He is not just a philosopher, but also a mathematician, physicist, astronomer.
There are many observations in the ruin of Khayyam, a deep comprehension of the world and the soul of man. In them there is a brightness of images, a grace of rhythm.
The lower a person’s soul,
the higher his nose rises.
He reaches out there with his nose
where the soul has not grown.
The poet brought up the religious East. Omar Khayyam often reflected on God in poetry, but did not understand all church dogmas. In ruby, he expressed all his free thought and irony.
Two looked at one window.
One saw rain and mud.
The other is foliage of green ligature, spring and the sky is blue.
Two looked at one window.
Khayyam was supported by many other poets. Some of them were afraid of persecution for freethinking, so they gave the authorship of their rubai to Khayam. He was a humanist, put man first, his peace of mind.
To be beautiful does not mean they are born,
After all, we can learn beauty.
When the Man is beautiful in soul -
What looks can compare with her?
In his verses, the sage Khayyam spoke about what he could not say in plain text. Contemporaries are read by the unsurpassed quotes of the philosopher about man, happiness and love.
How often, in life, making mistakes, we lose those we value.
Trying to please strangers, sometimes we run away from our neighbor.
We exalt those who are not worth us, but we betray the most faithful.
Who loves us so much, we offend, and we are waiting for an apology.
Poems of the founder of Tajik poetry - Abu Abdallah Rudaki
Translated from Tajik Rudaki means "trickle." He really sounded and became the founder of national poetry. He is not just a poet, but a singer of his country, a rhapsody musician. Even in his youth, he was blinded by one of the viziers. Rudaki was able to learn the Arabic language and the Qur'an well. Over time, he began to lead the union of poets at the court of the Samanid rulers in Bukhara. Then he reached his highest glory. In his piggy bank of creations more than 130,000 couplets and about 50 quatrains. He also wrote the poem "Kalila and Dimna."
When a caravan steps in the steppe
Remember the immutable science:
Don't fall on your chest
Give the exhausting hand.
Rudaki wrote not only on laudatory, anacreontic topics, but also reflected on the human mind. The poet called for knowledge, virtue, an active life position. His poetry is simple and accessible.
My God does not pamper me.
Spikes and needles send me.
Don't like complaints too much
Prefers games.
Rubai of the Indian poet Babur
Muhammad Babur addressed the issues of morality and spiritual perfection of man in his poetry. In his rubye, the poet is exalted towards man, his dignity, cannot reconcile with egoism, pride, greed, vanity. Babur in ruby gives advice to people on how to discover the best qualities of morality.
As the ruler of Ferghana, he created a centralized state of baburids. In his piggy bank there are many poetic works. In them, he wrote about his personal life, environment and historical events.
You are in a foreign land - and, of course, a man is forgotten!
Only a man regrets himself heartily.
In my wanderings I did not know joy for an hour!
Ever since man mourns over a sweet homeland.
Babur masterfully used the most expressive means of the Turkic language. His ruby are devoted to the customs and mores of time, religion, love.
I need this beauty, whose flesh is so tender - I need it,
Like the sun, by whose light the soul is lit, is needed.
To me, a prostrate person, not a mihrab, the sacred vault -
This eyebrow, which the artisan has made up for, is needed.
In love, Babur sought loyalty, devotion, nobility and humanity. He put love over wealth, social status, all earthly goods. His lover is beautiful and looks perfect. The girl has a beautiful appearance, rich internal content, spiritual perfection. When writing rubye, the poet skillfully used original artistic means.