Nezami and the (External or Internal) Source of Inspiration

Examining the viewpoints of Nezami about the source of inspiration, finding their mythical root and analyzing them based on the psychology of art is useful in knowing the mysterious phenomenon of inspiration. Nezami is a good choice for analysis in this regard as he gradually put forth these myths during 30 years. Autobiographical references, introductions and descriptions about the motivation for writing masnavis, especially the motivation for change in the narrative point of view help us know the poet’s mentality and find the root of his source of inspiration. His latest references to the source of inspiration in the end of his artistic life are more explicitly mentioned in Eqbalnameh. Gathering Nezami’s motivations for writing masnavi and analyzing them provides the ground for knowing his source of inspiration. This paper presents a part of viewpoints in Khamseh which, according to the researcher, are consciously described by Nezami to teach how to search for his autobiography.