The Rose Garden

…Orchard) and the Gulistān (1258; The Rose Garden). The Būstān is entirely in verse (epic metre) and consists of stories aptly illustrating the standard virtues recommended to Muslims (justice, liberality, modesty, contentment) as well as of reflections on the behaviour of dervishes and their ecstatic practices. The Gulistān is mainly…

…in prose, the Gulistān (The Rose Garden), which treated the same moralistic themes as in The Orchard but in a more playful manner. With the latter work Saʿdī won his reputation as one of the greatest Persian writers not only in the Middle East but also in Europe, where…

…his Būstān (The Orchard) and Gulistān (The Rose Garden) have been popular ever since. The Būstān is a didactic poem telling wise and uplifting moral tales, written in polished, easy-flowing style and a simple metre. The Gulistān, completed one year later, in 1258, has been judged “the finest flower that…