Father of Songs: Rudaki and His Poetry

Abu ‘Abdollah Jafar ibn Mohammad Rudaki (c. 880 CE-941 CE), the poet attached to the Samanid court which ruled much of Khorasan (northeastern Persia) from its seat in Bukhara, is widely regarded as ""the father of Persian poetry."" Rudaki is the first major poet to write in New Persian and holds a central position in the re-emergence of Persian as a literary language following the Arab conquest. The Arab conquest in the seventh and eighth centuries installed Islam as the official religion, and Arabic as the predominant literary language in Persian-speaking lands. In the tenth century, the gradual weakening of the Caliphate, and the distance of Khorasan from the center of the caliph’s power in Baghdad, provided a hospitable atmosphere for a ""renaissance"" of Persian literature. Persian poetry—now written in the Arabic alphabet—flourished under the patronage of Samanid amirs who drew literary talent to their court. It was under the rule of Nasr ibn Ahmad II (r. 914-943) that Rudaki distinguished himself as the brightest literary star of the Samanid court. As a court poet, much of Rudaki’s verse is characterized as panegyric poetry, praising the qualities and characteristics of his patrons. As a founder and innovator of a new poetic aesthetic, Rudaki has had a great impact on subsequent generations of Persian poets. Rudaki is accredited with being the first poet to write in the rubai form; and much of the imagery we first encounter in Rudaki’s lines has become staples of Persian poetry.