The Bustan

What It's About

The Bustan — meaning "The Orchard" — is a Persian ethical poem written in 1257. Organised into ten chapters, it covers themes of justice, good governance, love, humility, contentment, and the nature of the soul. Rather than a continuous narrative, it moves through a series of stories, anecdotes, and reflections, each illustrating a moral or spiritual point. The tone shifts between the tender and the didactic, the worldly and the mystical, with Sufi ideas woven throughout.

Key Concepts

Justice and the responsibilities of rulers; Sufi notions of love and the soul's longing for the divine; humility, generosity, and contentment as virtues; the relationship between worldly conduct and spiritual growth.

About the Author

Saadi Shirazi was a thirteenth-century Persian poet and prose writer, born in Shiraz in what is now Iran. He travelled widely across the medieval Islamic world and his writing reflects a deep engagement with both scholarly tradition and ordinary human experience. He is considered one of the greatest figures in classical Persian literature.

About This Edition

This is a 1911 translation by A. Hart Edwards.