Which Edition of Saadi Should We Buy?

The first step in engaging with classical texts is to have a reliable edition in hand. That is, we must first be sure whether what appears in the text is indeed from the poet or author in question. For instance, the vast majority of poems attributed to Khayyam, Baba Taher, and Abu Sa'id are not actually theirs.

Regarding Saadi, it must unfortunately be said that despite all the commotion and noise we have raised for the Sheikh, we still do not have a first-rate, precise text of his work, and every edition has its flaws. Of course, the state of Saadi's collected works is not like that of Abu Sa'id and the others, but there is still a quantity of interpolated poetry from other poets in his divan, and on the other hand, the recording of some of Saadi's poems is incorrect and has been subject to distortion.

Saadi's Collected Works (Kolliyāt)

The Kolliyāt is a volume that contains all of Saadi's works. That is, in one book you have the Bustan and Golestan, as well as the ghazals, qasidas, quatrains, singular verses, and prose treatises. (Though some of these treatises are certainly not by Saadi.)

With these details in mind, if you wish to buy a good edition of Saadi's Kolliyāt, there are several options. One is the edition by the late Mohammad Ali Foroughi. The original printing of this work can now be purchased from Amir Kabir Publishers. (The editions by Qoqnoos and Hermes Publishers are also good.) Baha'oddin Khorramshahi published this same edition, with the correction of some errors and the addition of several useful indices and some explanatory notes, through Doostan Publications, which is overall better than Foroughi's edition. I should also mention that if you are looking for Saadi's obscene poems (Hazliyāt), know that the printing or omission of this section has nothing to do with censorship or the Revolution. That is, even before the Revolution, the late Foroughi deemed it inappropriate and even said that attributing these to Saadi is disgraceful, and he refrained from printing them. However, if you ask me, I would say that the Hazliyāt definitely originated from the Sheikh of Shiraz, and the power evident in some of these poems shows that it could be the work of no one else. Unfortunately, this practice continued in other editions of the Kolliyāt, and among the available printings, this section is only present in the edition by Zavvar Publications. Another edition of Saadi's Kolliyāt has been published by Dr. Hasan Anvari through Qatreh Publications, one of whose merits is the inclusion of a concordance (Kashf al-Abyāt) for all the poems. Dr. Mazaher Mosaffa also has an edition of Saadi's Kolliyāt, printed by Rowzaneh Publications, which is very elegant and pleasant to hold in terms of appearance (the meanings of difficult words are also provided at the bottom of the text). Some versions of this printing have an index and some lack one; if indices are important to you, pay attention to this point when purchasing. (This book is printed "from the corrected copy of the Fars Society" and perhaps cannot be considered an independent critical edition.) None of the above printings contain explanatory notes for the poems (except in the few instances mentioned).

Saadi's Ghazals

As we mentioned, Saadi's Kolliyāt includes the ghazals as well, but if you wish to have the ghazals separately, you have several options: Saadi's Ghazals, edited by Dr. Gholamhossein Yousefi, has been printed by Sokhan Publications, which also includes several useful indices. Saadi's Ghazals edited by Habib Yaghmaei was also out of print for many years and was published some time ago by the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies. This edition is one of the good and overlooked critical editions of the ghazals, and its reasonable price (14,000 Tomans) should be added to its benefits; however, the major flaw of this edition is its numerous and unsuitable indices, a discussion of which requires a separate occasion. If you want ghazals with commentary, explanation, and word meanings, first and foremost, "A Commentary on Saadi's Ghazals" by Ms. Farah Niaz-Kar is suitable (Hermes Publishers). The late Khatib-Rahbar also wrote a commentary on Saadi's Ghazals, which is quite famous (Safi-Ali-Shah Publications). The late Barg-Neysi also commented on the ghazals, published by Fekr-e Rooz Publications, but it seems it is not widely available in the market!

Bustan and Golestan

The most famous edition of these two books is the one edited by the late Dr. Yousefi (Kharazmi Publications). I should also mention that despite its great renown, this edition is not the final version, and these two books still require further editing and commentary. If you want the explanations of Golestan's phrases printed at the bottom of the same page, I recommend the Golestan commentary by Khatib-Rahbar (Safi-Alishah Publications), which is printed in a large font and is easier to read for weak eyes. The late Mohammad Khazaeli also has a famous commentary on Golestan, which is very useful in its own right. Professor Javadi Jahanbakhsh has also provided a commentary on a selection from Golestan, published in a pocket-sized edition with an audio file by Moin Publishing.

A Recommendation

If you intend to buy at the book fair, do not rely on your memory; bring this sheet with you, or take a photo of it, because I am certain that at the fair and in bookstores, amidst the multitude of editions, you will mix up these names! Also, be careful that each of these editions is obtained only from the publishers I mentioned; otherwise, dozens of pirated editions have been made from the Foroughi edition, which are not what we are looking for.

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Author: Reza Zia

The above note was written on the occasion of Saadi Day in the current issue of Kargadan Weekly, which is available from today. Obviously, there is much to be said about each of these editions, but this piece was written with a general audience in mind.

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