batch.motif.sufi-jami-persian-mystics-davis-gutenberg-l259-l357
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-jami-persian-mystics-davis-gutenberg-l259-l357
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
passage_locator:
label: CONTENTS / INTRODUCTION / EDITORIAL NOTE / INTRODUCTION; lines 259-357
start: '259'
end: '357'
translation: 'The Persian Mystics: Jámí'
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: '"Go, O child! and wait on one who is indispensable to you."'
summary: The passage recounts Jámí’s acceptance of Sufism after a visionary summons,
his ascetic training, his relations with holy men, a dispute during pilgrimage
caused by a mutilated text, punishments imposed on the plotters, his travels and
avoidance of royal patronage, his retirement and wit, and the opening of the allegory
of Salámán and Absál, where a childless king guided by a sage obtains a son by
magic and appoints Absál as nurse.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Jámí accepts Sufism after a vision in which S'ad al-Dín appears and directs
him to seek someone indispensable to him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Jámí obeys the visionary command and goes to S'ad al-Dín for spiritual instruction.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Under S'ad al-Dín, Jámí lives as a rigid ascetic and performs severe penances.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: After his penances are lessened and he mixes with society again, Jámí temporarily
loses his eloquence before regaining his rhetorical stature.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: "'Ubaid Ullah Ahrár describes Jámí as a flood of light and himself as a small
lamp."
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Jámí says that he finds seekers of their own prosperity rather than seekers
after Truth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: During a pilgrimage to Mecca, a passage from Jámí’s Silsilah al-Dhahab is
mutilated and shown to Baghdad Shí'a as Jámí’s work, provoking dispute.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: A public meeting in a madrassah reveals that the beginning and end of the
passage had been suppressed and an offensive addition inserted.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: Jámí punishes N'imat-i Haidarí by having his moustache cut off and requiring
him to give up a pious garb.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Another offender is made to wear a fool's cap and ride backward on an ass
while Baghdad people jeer.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Jámí avoids the Sultan of Rúm’s offered gold and later avoids Hasan Beg’s
overtures by journeying to Khorasan, where he receives costly presents.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: In retirement, Jámí speaks of God occupying all his thoughts and vision, and
answers a mocking question with a witty insult.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: The story of Salámán and Absál opens with the Shah of Yunan, a king counselled
by a sage who keeps the Tower of Wisdom.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:14
text: The king laments his childless marriage and desires a son.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:15
text: The king’s wish for a son is fulfilled by magic; he names the son Salámán
and chooses Absál as nurse.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:16
text: Absál is described as closing her eyes to all the world beside the child after
seeing him.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Jámí
description: Poet and Sufi figure whose conversion, training, pilgrimage dispute,
travels, retirement, and wit are narrated.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
- role:4
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: S'ad al-Dín
description: Holy man who appears in Jámí’s vision and later instructs him spiritually.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Shams al-Dín Mohammad Asad
description: Holy and pious man mentioned as admired by Jámí.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: "'Ubaid Ullah Ahrár"
description: Holy and pious man who calls Jámí the flood of light and himself the
small lamp.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: N'imat-i Haidarí
description: Native of Jám who accompanies Jámí, quarrels, leaves the group, and
is associated with the mutilated passage plot.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: N'imat-i Haidarí’s brother
description: Another offender punished with a fool’s cap and backward ride on an
ass.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: People and officials of Baghdad
description: Excited public, religious representatives, and the governor who attend
the madrassah meeting after the disputed text is circulated.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Sultan of Rúm
description: Ruler who sends a messenger with five thousand pieces of gold to invite
Jámí to Constantinople.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Hasan Beg
description: Governor of Kurdistan who repeatedly tries to persuade Jámí to reside
in his capital.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: God
description: The divine addressee in Jámí’s anecdotal statement about thoughts and
vision.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Shah of Yunan
description: King in the allegory of Salámán and Absál, childless and desirous of
a son.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Sage keeper of the Tower of Wisdom
description: Counsellor to the Shah of Yunan, described also as a cynic.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Salámán
description: Son of the Shah of Yunan, obtained by magic and assigned to Absál’s
care.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Absál
description: Nurse chosen for Salámán, delighted with her charge and exclusively
attentive to him.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: visionary recipient
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jámí receives a vision that brings about his acceptance of Sufism.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: ascetic disciple
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jámí obeys the command, receives instruction, and lives a rigid ascetic life
under S'ad al-Dín.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: spiritual instructor
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: S'ad al-Dín appears in the vision and later instructs Jámí.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: punisher of plotters
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: After the textual deception is discovered, Jámí punishes those identified
as originators of the plot.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: holy man admired by Jámí
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
basis: The passage names these men among holy and pious men for whom Jámí had strong
liking.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: traveller avoiding patronage
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Jámí continues toward Mecca and later avoids royal munificence and attempts
to detain him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: offender in deception episode
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: N'imat-i Haidarí is linked to the mutilated passage plot, and his brother
is also described as having offended.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: public arbiters and witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Baghdad people, church representatives, and the governor participate in or
witness the meeting and punishment episode.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: royal or elite patron
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:9
basis: The Sultan offers gold to secure a visit, and Hasan Beg tries to persuade
Jámí to reside in his capital.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: divine object of contemplation
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Jámí says God occupies his thoughts and vision so completely that distant
things appear to be God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:11
label: childless king
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The Shah of Yunan laments his childless marriage and desires a son.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:12
label: wise counsellor and cynic
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: The sage keeps the Tower of Wisdom, counsels the king, and is described as
a cynic.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:13
label: magically obtained son
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: The king’s wish is fulfilled by magic, and the child is named Salámán.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:14
label: nurse devoted to child
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: Absál is chosen as nurse and is described as delighted with Salámán and closed
to all the world beside him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: visionary summons
literal_form: A vision in which S'ad al-Dín appears and commands Jámí to wait on
one indispensable to him.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: ascetic penance
literal_form: Rigid ascetic life and strenuous penances under a holy man.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: flood of light and small lamp
literal_form: Metaphoric contrast between Jámí as flood of light and 'Ubaid Ullah
Ahrár as small lamp.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: mutilated sacred or literary passage
literal_form: A passage with beginning and end suppressed and an offensive addition
inserted.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: loss of moustache and pious garb
literal_form: N'imat-i Haidarí’s moustache is cut off and he is commanded to forfeit
a pious garment.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: fool’s cap and backward ass ride
literal_form: An offender wears a fool’s cap and rides an ass facing the animal’s
tail.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: gold and costly presents
literal_form: Five thousand pieces of gold and other costly presents offered or
received during Jámí’s travels.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:8
label: all-occupying divine vision
literal_form: God occupying Jámí’s whole thoughts and vision so that whatever appears
from afar seems to be God.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:9
label: Tower of Wisdom
literal_form: A tower kept by the sage who counsels the Shah of Yunan.
associated_figures:
- fig:11
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:10
label: magically fulfilled son
literal_form: The king’s desire for a son fulfilled by magic.
associated_figures:
- fig:11
- fig:13
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:11
label: eyes closed to the world
literal_form: Absál sees Salámán and closes her eyes to all the world beside him.
associated_figures:
- fig:13
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Vision and ascetic instruction
summary: Jámí receives a visionary command, seeks S'ad al-Dín, undergoes spiritual
instruction, practices severe asceticism, and later temporarily loses eloquence
when allowed back into society.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Holy men and seekers of Truth
summary: The passage names holy men admired by Jámí, reports 'Ubaid Ullah Ahrár’s
light imagery, and records Jámí’s complaint about seekers of prosperity rather
than Truth.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Baghdad dispute over altered passage
summary: During the pilgrimage route, a mutilated passage is circulated as Jámí’s
work, causing dispute in Baghdad until a madrassah meeting reveals the alteration.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Punishment of offenders
summary: Jámí punishes N'imat-i Haidarí by cutting off his moustache and stripping
pious garb, while another offender is publicly shamed with a fool’s cap and backward
ride on an ass.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Journey, honours, and avoided patronage
summary: Jámí continues toward Mecca and back, receives public honour, avoids the
Sultan of Rúm’s offered gold, resists Hasan Beg’s invitations, and nevertheless
receives costly gifts in Khorasan.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Retirement and witty divine-vision anecdote
summary: Jámí retires from public life, and an anecdote presents his statement that
God fills his thoughts and vision followed by a sharp exchange about a jackass.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:7
label: Opening of Salámán and Absál
summary: The allegory introduces a childless king counselled by a sage of the Tower
of Wisdom; the king desires a son, obtains him by magic, names him Salámán, and
appoints Absál as nurse.
figure_refs:
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
- sym:10
- sym:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Spirit-mediated call to spiritual initiation
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
- mystical_quest
basis: A vision brings Jámí to accept Sufism and seek spiritual instruction from
S'ad al-Dín, followed by ascetic discipline.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is biographical prose rather than a mythic narrative; the
visionary call is literal within the biography as presented.
- id: motif:2
label: Ascetic discipline transforms or impairs worldly skill
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: Jámí’s severe penances are followed by a temporary loss of eloquence when
he returns to society.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explicitly interpret the loss of eloquence as a ritual
ordeal or symbolic transformation.
- id: motif:3
label: False textual alteration exposed before public assembly
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A mutilated passage attributed to Jámí causes conflict until an assembly
discovers suppression and insertion in the text.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a historical anecdote; no broader comparative taxonomy is asserted.
- id: motif:4
label: Public humiliation of deceivers
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: 'The plotters are punished through visible bodily and costume-based shaming:
loss of moustache, loss of pious garb, fool’s cap, and backward ride on an ass.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The episode is punitive and social rather than explicitly ritualized.
- id: motif:5
label: Holy person avoids royal wealth and honours
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Jámí avoids the Sultan of Rúm’s munificence and Hasan Beg’s attempts to keep
him, and later retires from public life.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage also says he receives many costly presents, so renunciation
is not presented as absolute.
- id: motif:6
label: Divine presence fills all perception
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
- annihilation_union
basis: Jámí states that God occupies his thoughts and vision so completely that
whatever appears from afar seems to be God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The statement occurs in a witty anecdote and is immediately turned into
a joke; doctrinal interpretation requires review.
- id: motif:7
label: Childless king obtains a son by magic
taxonomy_refs:
- miraculous_child
- sacred_birth
basis: The Shah of Yunan laments childlessness, desires a son, and the narrator
says the wish is fulfilled by magic.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage excerpt does not describe the mechanics of the birth or creation.
- id: motif:8
label: Wise counsellor in a tower of wisdom
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The king is counselled by a sage who keeps the Tower of Wisdom.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The tower’s narrative function is only introduced here and not developed
in the excerpt.
- id: motif:9
label: Nurse’s exclusive attachment to royal child
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Absál is chosen as nurse and, after seeing Salámán, closes her eyes to all
the world beside him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The excerpt gives only the initial attachment and not the later development
of the allegory.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 259-264
quote_or_summary: Jámí’s acceptance of Sufism comes through a vision in which S'ad
al-Dín appears and says, "Go, O child! and wait on one who is indispensable to
you"; Jámí obeys and seeks instruction.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 264-271
quote_or_summary: Under S'ad al-Dín, Jámí lives as a rigid ascetic, performs strenuous
penances, and temporarily loses eloquence after being allowed to rejoin society.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 272-279
quote_or_summary: The passage names holy men admired by Jámí; 'Ubaid Ullah Ahrár
calls Jámí the "flood of light" and himself the "small lamp," and Jámí says he
finds seekers of prosperity rather than seekers after Truth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for evidence.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 280-296
quote_or_summary: During Jámí’s pilgrimage to Mecca, a passage from Silsilah al-Dhahab
is mutilated, shown in Baghdad as Jámí’s work, and later exposed at a madrassah
meeting as a deception involving suppressed beginning and end plus an offensive
addition.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 296-305
quote_or_summary: 'Jámí punishes the originators: N''imat-i Haidarí has his moustache
cut off and loses pious garb, while his brother wears a fool’s cap and rides backward
on an ass amid public remarks.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 310-327
quote_or_summary: Jámí continues toward Mecca and receives honours; he avoids the
Sultan of Rúm’s offer of five thousand gold pieces, resists Hasan Beg’s overtures,
travels to Khorasan, and receives costly presents.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:7
type: quote
locator: lines 328-337
quote_or_summary: After retiring from public life, Jámí says to God, "whatsoever
comes into view from afar appears to me to be You," and answers a contemporary’s
question about a jackass with a witty retort.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for evidence.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 339-349
quote_or_summary: The allegory of Salámán and Absál begins with the Shah of Yunan,
a king counselled by a sage who keeps the Tower of Wisdom; the king laments his
childless marriage and desires a son.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 350-354
quote_or_summary: The king’s wish for a son is fulfilled by magic; the father names
him Salámán and chooses Absál as nurse.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized evidence.
- id: ev:10
type: quote
locator: lines 355-357
quote_or_summary: 'Absál is delighted with Salámán: "As soon as she had opened eyes
on him, / She closed those eyes to all the world beside."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/persian-mystics-jami-davis.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for evidence.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage provides clear biographical and allegorical details. Motif assignment
is moderate because several episodes are editorial biography or opening summary,
not fully developed mythic narrative. No comparison claims were added because
the passage itself does not support specific cross-text or cross-tradition comparisons.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Used only the supplied passage text and metadata. Available taxonomy references were applied only where directly supported by passage evidence.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-jami-persian-mystics-davis-gutenberg__l259-l357
passage_sha256=06a17145c0949ab1adae96c23271f9ea5158ecf7bb022e79033b16aef50feb27