Reflecting Moral and Educational Themes in the Works and Thoughts of Nizām Vafā

Nizām Vafā is one of the leading contemporary poets and writers. He was born to a noble family who appreciated literature and poetry. Nizām Vafā gained the precious experience of being a teacher for forty years and sensed love as a young man. He met his contemporary great poets and travelled to Europe and wrote valuable and diverse poems, essays, and plays. Nizām Vafā was well acquainted with classical literature, culture, and mysticism and frequently mentioned the name of great figures such as Omar Khayyam, Rumi, Hafiz, and Saadi in his works, being influenced highly by them in his works’ content and face. One of the obvious, yet important, aspects of Nizām’s writing was a reflection of moral and educational themes, and at times mystical-religious ones, in his works; so that, studying such themes, he is regarded as a moral ‘poet-teacher’ figure who is deeply concerned about society, moral life, and religion, seeking his utopia in a virtuous and free community. The present paper tries to discuss Nizām’s outstanding moral and educational teachings. Themes and motifs such as the seven amulets of loyalty, love and kindness, heart as a world-view mirror, peace and security, not offending and not being offended, glory of knowledge, the treasure of contentment, carpe diem, freedom from body-cage, patriotism, and faith.