Abstract:

This article presents an introductory and analytical study of Gulistan-e-Saadi, the celebrated ethical and literary Persian prose work of Saadi Shirazi, translated into Punjabi verse by Hakim Mian Fazl Elahi in 1938. Recognized as a masterpiece of Persian literature, Gulistan has been translated into more than forty languages worldwide, influencing literary traditions across regions, including the Indian subcontinent. Fazl Elahi’s Punjabi rendition is a unique and poetic translation in the form of masnavi (rhymed couplets), preserving the moral and philosophical essence of the original while skillfully embedding it within the linguistic and cultural framework of Punjabi. His work also includes poetic translations of Quranic verses, Hadiths, and Arabic poetry, showcasing his command of Persian, Punjabi, Arabic, and Islamic thought. This article highlights the literary, cultural, and ethical dimensions of his translation and positions it as a significant contribution to Punjabi literature, especially within the context of Sufi and prophetic poetic traditions.

Keywords:

Saadi Shirazi, Punjabi poetic translation, Hakim Mian Fazl Elahi, Ethics and Morality, Sufi Literature, Masnavi, Persian Prose.

Romanised References:

1. Shāʿirī kī Nayī Bahār, Poṛī Sāndal Bār maʿa Risālah Nahr, Ghulām Murtaz̤ā ʿAlī, nusḵhah mamlūkah Muʿẓẓam ʿAlī Shāh, p. 14.
2. Faẓl alIlāhī Ḥakīm, Nūr Muḥammadī, Lāhaur: ʿIlmī Printing Press, 1930, p. 118.
3. Ibid., p. 119.
4. Ibid

5. Ḥakīm Faẓl alIlāhī ke beṭe Ḥakīm Zahūr alIlāhī kī ḍāʾrī men likhī hai.
6. Faẓl alIlāhī Ḥakīm, Gulistāne Saʿdī Manẓūm Panjābī, Lāhaur: Ḥājī Chirāgh Dīn, 1938, p. 320.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid., p. 14.
9. Ibid., p. 1.
10. Ibid., p. 3.
11. Ibid., p. 1.
12. Ibid., p. 3.
13. Ibid., p. 6.
14. Ibid., p. 8.
15. Ibid., p. 9.
16. Ibid., p. 22.
17. Ibid., p. 24.
18. Ibid., p. 25.
19. Ibid., p. 43.
20. Faẓl alIlāhī Ḥakīm, Gulistān Manẓūm Panjābī (1938), p. 89.
21. Ibid., p. 99.
22. Ibid., p. 146.
23. Ibid., p. 152.
24. Ibid., p. 184.
25. Ibid., p. 205.
26. Ibid., p. 241.
27. Ibid.
28. Ibid., p. 251.
29. Ibid., p. 246.
30. Ibid., p. 278.
31. Ibid., p. 279.
32. Ibid., p. 290.
33. Ibid., p. 294.
34. Ibid., p. 320.
35. Ibid.