Persian Poetics

“Oh Kind one, pardon our state - it is dire! 

For we have fallen captive to desire.

Our cries for help, you are the one who heeds,

you’re the forgiver of our sinful deeds.

Keep us far from the path of sin and plight,

look past our sins, show us the way that’s right.”

-Saʿdī, Pandnāma, Introduction

The Pandnāma was not a text prepared by Saʿdī himself, rather it is a later compilation of his work, likely intended as a textbook in South Asian madrassas.

Though Persian has declined considerably in the Subcontinent following colonization, this text continues to be read and taught using Urdu translations as an aid. 

Join us as we read the original Persian and translate the text in real time.