Garden of Fragrance

MUSLIH-UD-DIN, better known under his poetical name of Sddi (acquired from his patron, the Persian king, Sad-Atabak], was born at Shiraz, in Persia, A.D. 1176. His father, Abdullah supposed to be a descendant of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the “Prophet”.

Sddi has written numerous works, in prose and verse, on moral, theological, and amatory subjects; and the best known and most read of his writings are the Gulistan in prose and verse, and the Bostan in verse. He delighted in wit and repartee, and puns abound in his works. His moral and religious remarks show great depth of thought, correct observation, and knowledge of human nature. His style of writing is simple but vigorous, and the pride he occasionally displays in his conscious superiority in intelligence and eloquence over his neighbors. He is credited with having worked miracles, especially that of restoring to life a young lover, who had cast himself down from a tower, one hundred feet high, to the ground. If the young man survived the fall, it was certainly a miracle!