HAFIZ: THE SERVANT OF THE MAGI MASTER

Abstract

The image of “magi master” is repeatedly invoked in the ghazals of Hafez–e Shirazi. In almost all the ghazals where this image is used, it is constantly contrasted with the image of a “sheikh” or a corresponding religious representative. This contrasting use of these images, in turn, raises the question of why the poet might have held such admiration for a non-Muslim Zoroastrian priest. This article seeks to answer this question using Hafez-e Shirazi's own stanzas. The analyzed couplets will assisst in comprehending the poet’s deep appreciation of the magi master’s image.