Mavlono Vafoiy

Biography

Mavlono Vafoiy was a poet who wrote under the pen name Vafoiy in the Kokand literary circle; his activity falls chiefly in the late 18th and the first half of the 19th century, the period when the culture of the Khanate of Kokand was in flower. What is known of the poets and artists of that time survives above all in tazkira anthologies, in bayaz collections and in the sources devoted to the history of the khanate; Vafoiy was one of the active figures of that rich creative milieu. In keeping with the custom of the age, many poets did not confine themselves to the pen alone: Vafoiy too was known as a skilled master who, alongside poetry, had a thorough command of ornamental painting, calligraphy and architecture. Under Amir Umarxon (Amiriy) and Nodirabegim, hundreds of poets, scholars and artists were drawn to Kokand from Transoxiana and Khorasan; Vafoiy was an active participant in these learned and literary gatherings and was known for his lyric ghazals and verse fragments. His poetry is dominated by the themes proper to classical Eastern verse — love, human beauty, moral and philosophical reflection and Sufi overtones. There are also reports that he took part, through his practical art, in building and civic improvement work at the court and in the city.

Works

• G'azallar
• Nazmiy parchalar
• Naqqoshlik va xattotlik namunalari