SA'IB

born 1601/02, Tabriz, Iran died c. 1677 in full Mirza Muhammad 'ali Sa'ib, also called Sa'ib Of Tabriz, or Sa'ib Of Esfahan Persian poet, one of the greatest masters of a form of classical Arabic and Persian lyric poetry characterized by rhymed couplets and known as the ghazel. Sa'ib was educated in Esfahan, and in about 1626/27 he traveled to India, where he was received into the court of Shah Jahan. He stayed for a time in Kabul and in Kashmir, returning home after several years abroad. After his return Shah 'Abbas II bestowed upon him the title King of Poets. Sa'ib's reputation is based primarily on some 300,000 couplets, including his epic poem Qandahar-nama (The Campaign Against Qandahar). His Indian style verses reveal an elegant wit, a gift for the aphorism and the proverb, and a keen appreciation of philosophical and intellectual exercise. In addition to his remarkable output of Persian verse, Sa'ib wrote poetry in Turkish.