Sayyid Ya'qūb Māydashtī (1799–1871) was aKurdish poet fromKermanshah and considered one of the greatest from the Kermanshah area.[1] Subjects of his included love,[2] religion,mysticism, satire and the popular genre ofenigma and answering them.[3]
Māydashtī was born inQomsheh village inKermanshah,Iran and was aShia Muslim. He spokeKurdish,Gorani andPersian and worked as adewan in Kermanshah under the service of governor Imam Quli Mirza Imad al-Dawla of theQajar dynasty. During this period, his reputation was as high as that of Persian poets and scholars. In Kermanshah, he moreover composed formal letters for the governor. Beside poetry, he was well-versed in grammar, philosophy, music and astronomy.[4]
Before his death in Qomsheh in 1871, he travelled toQom to visit theFatima Masumeh Shrine and also toTehran.[3]
After his death, the same symbol which was put over the graves of Kurdish kings, religious leaders and other eminent people was erected over the grave of Maydashti.[4]
Māydashtī consciously wrote in different Kurdish dialects and he was influenced by his contemporaryNalî. Hisdiwan include words inLaki,Sorani andKalhori and use their idioms for the purpose of giving them new expressions. Beside being influenced by other Kurdish poets, he was also influenced byPersian literature. According to Dehqan, his diwan had aharddiction and sometimes idiosyncratic making the text difficult to read.[5]
Important works of Māydashtī:[3]
