About the Authors:

Marzieh Yahyapour holds a PhD in Philology and is a professor in the Department of Russian Language and Literature at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature at Tehran University. She serves as the editor-in-chief of the “Research Journal of Russian Language and Literature” and is an honorary member of the “St. Petersburg Society of Admirers of Ivan Bunin,” the “Bunin Society of Russia,” and a member of the “Gumilyov Society.” In 2021, she was awarded the Pushkin Medal.

Janolah Karimi-Motahhar holds a PhD in Philology and is a professor in the same department at Tehran University, and the chairman of the “Iranian Association of Russian Language and Literature.” He is also an honorary member of the “St. Petersburg Society of Admirers of Ivan Bunin,” the “Bunin Society of Russia,” and a member of the “Gumilyov Society.” He is a member of the presidium of the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature (MAPRYAL).

 

Abstract: This article explores the poetry of 20th-century Russian poet Konstantin Abramovich Lipskerov, who was familiar with the works of Saadi. Influenced by Saadi Shirazi, Lipskerov composed a series of poems rich in Eastern motifs. Through his poetry, he merges the cultures and beliefs of Iranian and Russian thinkers. Lipskerov’s worldview reflects a perspective similar to that of Saadi, several centuries earlier.

Keywords: Saadi, K.A. Lipskerov, wisdom, Eastern motifs.

 

The renowned Persian poet Saadi (circa 1200-1292) has influenced poets and writers from various countries, including Russia, across the centuries. His name remains well-known in every corner of the world. Beyond Saadi’s wisdom, thoughts, and ideas, his ghazal style also captivated Russian poets, such as Mikhail A. Kuzmin (1872-1936). Saadi’s work has impacted great writers like Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), who referenced the Persian poet’s words in his works over forty times. See Vol. 21: 671; Vol. 41: 17, 134, 144, 148, 150, 170, 228, 506, 532, 540; Vol. 42: 19, 172, 254, 268, 293, 456; Vol. 43: 66, 73 (repeated in Vol. 41: 148), 136, 583; Vol. 44: 8, 55, 103 (Vol. 42: 172), 130 (Vol. 41: 140), 175 (Vol. 41: 506), 176 (Vol. 42: 254), 242, 279, 281 (Vol. 41: 540); Vol. 45: 109 (Vol. 41: 148; Vol. 43: 73), 136 (Vol. 41: 228), 145 (Vol. 44: 279), 173 (Vol. 41: 540; Vol. 44: 281), 355 (Vol. 41: 506), 356 (Vol. 44: 242), 363 (Vol. 44: 242), 487 (Vol. 41: 144); Vol. 80: 298.

Most of the expressions of Sheikh Saadi that caught Leo Tolstoy’s attention are moral teachings:

 

— All children of Adam are members of one body. When one member suffers, all others suffer. If you are indifferent to the suffering of others, you do not deserve to be called human.

— It is best for a foolish person to remain silent. But if he knew this, he would not be a foolish person.

— A holy man prayed to God for people: “O God! Be merciful to the wicked, for you have already been merciful to the good; they are well because they are good.”

— If not for greed, no bird would fall into traps. This same bait catches people as well.

— Science should be used to affirm religion, not to acquire wealth.

— He who acquires knowledge but does not use it is like one who plows but does not sow.

 

Leo Tolstoy also wrote works based on stories from “Gulistan” (Persian: “Golestan”). For example, “The Unfortunate Man” (Yahyapour and Karimi-Motahhar, 2022, 28).

Before L.N. Tolstoy, Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799-1837), the sun of Russian poetry, used Saadi’s words in his poems “In the Sweet Coolness of Fountains,” “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai,” “Fazil-Khan,” and in the verse novel “Eugene Onegin.” In the poem “In the Sweet Coolness of Fountains,” Pushkin refers to Saadi’s verse as “golden”:

 

On a thread of idle merriment,

His hand cunningly strung

A necklace of lucid flattery

And beads of golden wisdom. (A.S. Pushkin, “In the Sweet Coolness of Fountains,” 1828)

 

Pushkin held the wisdom of Saadi, “the Eastern rhetorician,” in high esteem. For the Russian poet, Saadi’s style was like “thundering pearls,” and no one “has invented with such power; so artfully told tales and verses.” (Yahyapour M. https://literaturatmcodneoba.tsu.ge)

Ivan Alexeyevich Bunin (1870-1953), a poet of Russia’s Silver Age who acknowledged being strongly influenced by Saadi’s poetry, also compared the words of the Persian poet to pearls that enriched his own verses: “Sheikh Saadi, may his name be blessed! — Sheikh Saadi, we have strung many of his pearls alongside our own on a thread of fine prose!” (Bunin, 1987–1988, vol. 3, p. 175) According to Muromtseva-Bunina, I.A. Bunin always took Saadi’s “Gulistan” with him on his travels to the East. The poet himself said: “On my journey, I carry with me the Tazkirat of Saadi, the most delightful of preceding writers and the best of those who follow, Sheikh Saadi of Shiraz, may his memory be sacred!” (Ibid., p. 500). In his works, Bunin often used mystical and Sufi words and expressions such as “mentor,” “Sima’a” (Music of the World), “mysticism,” “tower of Ma’ana” (Contemplation), “state of the soul,” “seeker,” “perfection,” “ecstasy,” etc. (cited in the article: Yahyapour M., Karimi-Motahhar J. Ivan Bunin and Eastern Mysticism).

Russian orientalist I.S. Braginsky aptly noted the reason for such interest in Saadi: “Saadi’s work attracted attention for its sincerity in understanding humanity.” Braginsky writes of Saadi’s poetry: “Philosophical-didactic poetry is Saadi’s domain. At the center of his attention is a highly moral, benevolent personality. Whether he writes qasidas, lyrical ghazals, or collections of parables and admonitions, he always has one goal in mind — to depict his ideal: a person of soulful beauty (emphasis added by I.S. Braginsky).” (Braginsky, 1990, p. 207)

Moreover, many Russian poets and writers have written about Saadi, including A. Shishkov, E. Baratynsky, D. Kedrin, S. Yesenin, S. Lipkin, P. Obodovsky, D. Oznobishin, I. Severyanin, I. Selvin, A. Surkov, L. Yakubovich, and many others. The East, particularly the Iranian world, is not “foreign” to Russian poets and writers.

Here, we will focus on the poetry of the 20th-century Russian poet K.A. Lipskerov, who was familiar with Saadi’s works and even spoke Persian, translating Saadi’s poems from Persian into Russian.

Konstantin Abramovich Lipskerov (1889-1954) was a poet, translator, playwright, and artist of the 20th century, fluent in Georgian, Azerbaijani, Armenian, and Persian. He translated the works of Iranian poets Saadi, Nizami (“Khosrow and Shirin”; “Iskandername”), and ghazals of Hafez from Persian to Russian. He was associated with the Acmeists. In early 1914, Osip and Lilya Brik took him on a journey through Central Asia. This trip significantly influenced the young poet and his work, immersing him in the emotional atmosphere of the East.

Among Lipskerov’s poems, “Sand and Roses” (1916), “Turkestan Poems” (1922), “Sea Pea” (1922), “Golden Palm” (1916–1921), and “The Sixth Day” are rich in Eastern motifs. He is also the author of the poetic story “The Other: A Moscow Tale” (1922). From the early 1920s, the poet turned to playwriting. His first play was “Carmensita and the Soldier” (1924), followed by the rhymed drama “Sea Pea” (1925), which shares its title with his earlier poetry collection.

The poems “Why Should I Sigh for Pleasure’s Sake,” “Shiraz Roses,” “The Bookseller,” and “Song” are written in honor of Saadi, reflecting understanding and empathy for the Persian poet.

 

In the first stanza of the poem “Why Should I Sigh for Pleasure’s Sake,” the Russian poet mentions the name Zengi for unknown reasons. He may be referencing the preface to Saadi’s “Golestan,” which is dedicated to Abu Bakr Sad ibn Zengi.

 

Why should I sigh for pleasure’s sake?

The clang of coins is heavy.

I heed what aged Saadi makes,

The son of the wise Zengi.

Sweet Saadi once spoke, his message clear:

“Young ones should not hoard gold away;

Only the foolish in their cloisters

Keep their riches buried.”

Saadi also said: “Is life always bright?

Everything fades, as we know…”

Then why, dear friend, should I not delight

In kissing you, letting love grow?

 

In the poem “Shiraz Roses” (An Imitation of Saadi’s “Gulistan”), the Russian poet refers to words from the preface to “Golestan.” Using Saadi’s words, he writes the poem in a dialogic form to give it a lively character. All quoted words are taken from Saadi’s “Golestan.” In “Golestan,” the Persian poet speaks of the eternal and the temporal. The roses will soon wither, but his “Golestan” (“Golestan” in Persian means “garden of flowers”) is immortal and eternal.

 

Shiraz Roses

(An Imitation of Saadi’s “Gulistan”)

 

In a garden past the city, where a silver stream wove

In its course, the sheikh in cool whispers said

To his companion: “Tell me, what’s the good

Of your filling the patterned floor with roses?

Place a cup of fragile pleasures on the ground,

By dawn, the blooms will die. Don’t trust enjoyment

That is fleeting.” “What should I do, Saadi?”

“O friend…” And a ray of light passed over the old brow.

“For you and your homeland — its people have grown grimmer —

I’ll bind a book. The roses of my thoughts there

Will fill pages. My body may hunch down,

But the varied blooms won’t know an autumn’s passage.

“I’ve cleared the floor!” — “You’ll get the Gulistan:

Eternal gardens are born in Shiraz.”

 

In the poem “The Bookseller,” Lipskerov captures the atmosphere of Eastern society. The bookseller sits on his knees before the mosque, selling two books: one is the great book, the Quran, which addresses jihadist themes in various social aspects, and the other is a small book, the verses of Saadi. The Russian poet regards Saadi’s book as small compared to the Quran, but calls both books eternal commodities, believing that the Creator is the guardian of such treasures:

 

He believes in his eternal wares: the Creator

Preserves them. A sudden buyer

Leans toward him from his saddle, dusty body craned.

(Yahyapour and Karimi-Motahhar, 2019, 94)

 

The Bookseller

 

He sits, bowing his shaven temples low,

Crossing his feet and spreading his knees.

Above him, sweet shadows form a canopy,

Around him, spines of packed books crowd.

Before him, blue shards of enamel glow,

The mosque, where turquoise stairsteps lead.

And stirring the dust with their slippers idly,

Old men on browsing donkeys loaf.

He believes in his eternal wares: the Creator

Preserves them. A sudden buyer

Leans toward him from his saddle, dusty figure craned.

And he eyes, holding a child behind his body,

A large book — the fierce, passionate Quran,

And a small one — the little songs of Saadi.

 

The main motif of Lipskerov’s poem “Song” is love. The protagonist recounts the dangers of a forgotten noisy life and exalts the sweet red flower of passion and kissing, stating that they too were praised by Saadi and Solomon (in Persian, Suleiman). He believes that throughout the passage of fleeting time, he has found nothing sweeter than this. All bow before the fragrant cup of Almighty Love. Ages change, time flies quickly, and the earth strives for new horizons, but the heart in search of human love remains constant and unwavering.

 

Song

 

Life’s noisy, but I’ve forgotten that dread,

I sing of the sweet rose of passion instead.

What equals the pleasure of dewy kisses?

Suleiman praised them, Saadi sang their blisses.

Times have flashed by. What have we found more precious?

We all lean toward love’s fragrant chalice.

Let the earth strive for new ages to come —

The heart of man stays on unbudged.

 

In our time, the centuries-old cultural ties between Russia and Iran are entering yet another phase of development. As in previous eras, literary achievements serves as a primary indicator of the two people’s cultural interaction.

Examining Lipskerov’s poetry, we see that the Russian poet not only draws on Saadi’s thoughts but also pays attention to the motifs in the Shirazi poet’s verse, blending the culture and faith of both nations in his Eastern poetry. The Russian poet’s worldview is much like Saadi’s from several centuries before.

 

References

 

1. Braginsky, I.S. 12 Miniatures. Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya Literatura, 1990. 284 p.
2. Bunin, I.A. Collected Works: in 6 vols. Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya Literatura, 1987–1988. Vol. 3. Works 1907–1914. 671 p.
3. Tolstoy, L.N. Complete Works in 90 Volumes. Jubilee Edition, Moscow, Leningrad, 1928–1958. https://tolstoy.ru/creativity/90-volume-collection-of-the-works/1008/
4. Yahyapour, M., Karimi-Motahhar, J. Saadi and Russian Poets. Tehran: Tehran University, 2nd ed., 2019, 200 p. (in Persian and Russian).
5. Yahyapour, M. The Wisdom of Sheikh Saadi in the Words of Russian Writers (based on the works of I.A. Bunin), https://literaturatmcodneoba.tsu.ge/VI%20simp-tezis.pdf
6. Yahyapour, M., Karimi-Motahhar, J. Ivan Bunin and Eastern Mysticism // Quaestio Rossica. Vol. 9. 2021. No. 2. pp. 533–546. DOI 10.15826/qr.2021.2.594.
7. Yahyapour, M., Karimi-Motahhar, J. Motifs of the Parable “The Unfortunate Man”: L. Tolstoy and Saadi’s “Gulistan,” XXXVIII International Tolstoy Readings “L.N. Tolstoy in the Consciousness of Man in the Digital Age,” dedicated to the 194th anniversary of the writer’s birth. September 9, 2022, Tula, Russia. (in Russian).