Homam-e Tabrizi or HOMĀM-AL-DIN B. ʿALĀʾ TABRIZI was a Persian poet of the Ilkhanid era. He was a follower of Saadi and his poetry was mostly in form of ghazal.
Biography
His birthplace is unknown as are details of his life and education. Most sources following Dowlatshah Samarqandi claim that he was a student of Nasir al-Din Tusi. He is also said to be a student or associate of Qutb al-Din Shirazi. He roses in prominence in the political and intellectual circles of Tabriz and was close to the Jovayni family. He also founded a Sufi lodge house in Tabriz which was endowed by the Jovayni family. Homam mentions a travel to Baghdad and is said to have made a pilgrimage to Mecca. He is buried in the poet's monument Maqbaratoshoara in Tabriz. An important book detailing cultural activities of Tabriz in the Ilkhanid era called Safina-yi Tabriz sheds more light on the cultural activities of the city.
Works and influences
Homam left a prose, a commendation of Rashid al-Din's "Esharat" contained in a manuscript in the library of Tehran university. He is most well known for his Divan which is around 3944 verses. The Divan contains Persian, Arabic poems and also macaronic ghazal in Persian and the Iranian old Azari language. Homām is best known for his ḡazals, which follow those of Saʿdi in style and tone. Many of them are replies to specific ḡazals of Saʿdi, and later Homām was called “the Saʿdi of Azerbaijan”. The Ghazals in the Divan are his most important contribution to Persian literature. Many of them are replies to the Ghazals of the Persian poet Saadi and later Homam was called the "Saadi of Azerbaijan". Among his Mathnawis, two stand out in particular. One is in the meter of Sanai's Hadiqat al-haqiqa and focuses on similar themes. The other, "Sohbat-nama" is a disquisition on love. Homam's poetry was influenced by Saadi, Sanai and Anvari. In turn, he influenced Hafiz and Kamal al-Din Khujandi.
A sample quatrain from Homam in Persian: پس از سال به خوابت ديده ام دوش مبادا هرگز آن خوابم فراموش هنوزم هست ديدار تو در چشم هنوزم هست گفتار تو در گوش A sample Ghazal from Homam in Persian: چو ما به ديدن رويت ز دور خرسنديم نسيم با سر زلفت چرا كند بازي به دست باد سر زلف را تو باز مده كه هست پيشه آن هرزه گرد غمازي اگر حريف مني يك زبان و يك دل باش مكن كه خوش نبود ده دلي و طنازي مكن تفرج سرو سهي ، همان بهتر كه عشق با قد و بالاي خويشتن بازي
Homam also wrote in Iranian Azari language. A Macaronic poem from Homam Tabrizi where some verses are in Khorasani Persian and others are in the dialect of Tabriz Another Ghazal from Homam Tabrizi where all the couplets except the last couplet is in Persian. The last couplet reads: Standard Persian: بهار و گل با روی یار خوش است بی یاران نه گل باشد و نه بهاران
