Kalim Kashani (1581/1585–1651) (Persian:کلیم کاشانی) was one of the leadingPersian poets of the 17th century.[1]
He was born inHamadan, but soon moved toKashan, and this is the reason for his pen-name/association (nisba)Kashani. He studied atKashan andShiraz, beforegoing to theDeccan inIndia. He then became friends with Shahnavaz Khan of Shiraz (d. 1611), a court official toIbrahim Adil Shah II, the ruler ofBijapur. His first journey to India did not bring him the success he desired, and he was imprisoned for a while due to chargers of being a spy. In 1619 he returned toIran, placing high hopes of Iranian patrons. however, he became nostalgic forIndia (which he was genuinely fond of) and returned in 1621. Until 1628 he was atAgra in the service of Mir Jomla of Shahrestan, who himself was a poet with the pen name ofRuh al-Amin). He addresses Ruh al-Amin in several panegyrics. In 1628, due to some eulogies ofAbu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan, he became a member of the court of theMogul emperorShah Jahan (r. 1628–58). He impressed Emperor Shah Jahan so much that the emperor bestowed the title ofpoet laureate (Persian:Malek al-šoʿarā, lit. "King of Poets") on him in 1632.
His works amount to 24,000 lines, about 15,000 couplet in his version of the Shah-nama and 9,500 couplets in his Divan. His Divan which has recently been edited and published by the scholarMohammad Qahraman contains 36 qaṣidas (odes), 2 tarkib-bands (stanzaic or strophic poem), 1 tarjiʿ-band (a poem with a refrain), 32 qeṭʿas (occasional poem), 33 tāriḵs (chronograms), 28 short maṯnawis (rhyming couplets), 590Ghazals (lyrics), and 102 robāʿis (quatrains), making a total of 9,823 couplets.
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