A reflection on a verse by Muhammad ibn Wasif-e Sagzi: ("Letam" or "Logan"?)

1. Introduction
It has been told in the book history of Sistan, when Jacob achieved great victories and the king gave him domination of Kerman and Pars, the poets admired him in the Arab language because he didn't know Arabic, he didn't understand the poetries, so he said don't express what i don't perceive. At this time Mohammad-ben-Vasif was a sober man, started Persian poetry for him and compose:




ای امیری که امیران جهان خاصه و عام




 


بنده و چاکر و مولای و سگ‌بند و غلام






ازلی خطی ور لوح که ملکی بدهید




 


به ابی یوسف یعقوب بن لیث همام






به لتام آمد زنبیل و لتی خورد بلنگ




 


لترَه شد لشکر زنبیل و هَبا گشت کُنام...






In the all resources as following history of Sistan  "Letam" has been written "Letam" and based on researchers "Letam" transformed of "Logan / Locan".
 

Methodology

This research is following a decriptive-analytical method. Based on this method, we investigated the documents including considered couplet and then surveyed the commentators. Eventually, by using historical and literary documents, we didn't recognise it correct and suggested a new form.
 

Discussion

Mohammad Vasif Sagzi is one of the pioneer poets in Persian poetry. It has been told about him in the history of sistan book his scribe was Jacob leith a polite man. He glorified him in an ode by beginning a couplet :




ای امیری که امیران جهان خاصه و عام




 


بنده و چاکر و مولای و سگ‌بند و غلام






There is a couplet in this ode that most researchers and commentators analysed, but most of them focused on words such as "Ratbil/ Zonbil", "palang/ begeng/ kolang". that may written wrong. "Letam" is another word argued about its meaning. Sombody meant it fight and others meant it a local name of place. We annunce . "Letam" is a  transformed word of "Logan / Locan" that uninforming of  this made the poetry in ambiguity.
"Logan / Locan" is a local name of a place in Sistan-Provience. Based on Moqadasi research, the author of History of Sistan and Beihaghi references, this plain has governmental function. Moqadasi recalled this plane for the army as an altered Arabic shape of Askar. Toward Qaznin there is a place like a city called Asqar as a place of lord. This territory in the history of Sistan has been mentioned as Bakan plain and the existence of  Bab-taam district proves our idea about that writing form of Bakan plain is another form of writing Lekan/Legam plain. By investigating the historic documents and poetry, it has been cleared some indications that prove our idea.
Abolfazl beyhaqi in his book has written about Legan Plain three times. Onsori-balkhi in an ode for king Mahmoud in describing one of the palaces of this realm has mentioned this plain as Lekan plain:




به فرّ قصر تو شد خوب همچو عقد به درّ




 


هوای بست و لب هیرمند و دشت لکان






Farrokhi-sistani also mentioned this plain in an ode.
 

Conclusion

As recording the poetry as "Letam" The researchers have been tried to clarify the ambiguity of poetry. The ambiguity of meaning in this phrase «به لتام آمد» caused the researchers to express various interpretations to interpret this poet. By considering the indications in this article, "Logan / Locan" have to replace "Letam" and this is a word of Mohammad-ben-vasif poetry. Also,  by the instances in this article, we express this word is name of a place in Sistan district.