JAMI, DDIN ULM\ II MAN, (1414-9'2). A Persian poet, renowned for his romantic, lyric, and mystic writings, and often spoken of the last of the transcendental Suti poets. Jami was born at the small town of Joni, near 'Herat. in Khorassan; on this account he is known a, Jami, although be also plays upon his name in itt, significant, sense as denoting that he was a mystic wine-cup (Pers. jam, 'cup') of the divine love of God. Ilis education seems to have been excellent, and his guiding principle in life was the philosophy of Sutiism (q.v.), with all its mysticism. llis poetic activity must have begun early, if we may judge from the number of works that are his. besides others which are at tributed to him. Foremost among his works is a collection of seven poems entitled Haft Aiming. 'Seven Stars of the Great llear,' or 'Seven Thrones.' One of the poems in this series is the tender love story of Laila wa jafin ; another. the Nalaman wa .tbsal, is allegorical and moral in its treatment and is known in English through Edward FitzGerald's version: a third, Yasuf Zulaikha, in the same collection, is the romantic tale of the passion which Joseph's beauty in spired in Potiphar's wife. Jami is likewise the author of a well-known prose work, Babaristan. or 'Garden of Spring,' composed about 1487 to give instruction to a son horn to him in his old age. Ile composed also three Dirraas, or collec
tions of lyrical poems and odes, written between the years 1479 and 1491. • His death occurred at Herat. November 9. 1492.
As a poet Jami's talent is unquestioned: his verse is so polished and his art so finished as to contain almost elements of weakness owing to its refinement and perfection. Itis works are held in high esteem among the Persians. am) some of the manuseripts of his poems are splendid sped IllenS of Oriental calligraphy and illumination. His life and personality, moreover, seem to have been such as to win the favor of princes as well as to endear himself to the people because of his reputation for spiritual exaltation. Con sult: Onseley. Biographical Notices of Persian Poets (London. 1846): FitzGerald. Sabimin and _11).30. translated (Boston, 1887), which con tain; a sketch of Jami's life after Rosenweig; Robinson. Persian PoPfs (Glasgow. 1883); Cos tello. Rose Garden of Persia (Boston. 1901): 7LP Baharistan Literdlly Trnnslafed (Benares, ISS71, and the comprehensive references in Etta% "Neupersische Literatur," in Geiger and Kuhn, Grundriss der iranischen Philologie, vol. ii. (Strassburg, 18,96).