The Rose Garden (Gulistan) of Saadi – Persian–English Bilingual Edition

Written in 1258, the Gulistan — the Rose Garden — is the book that taught Persian prose how to sound. Saadi mixes short stories, anecdotes from his travels, maxims and bursts of verse into eight chapters on how to live: the conduct of kings, the character of dervishes, contentment, silence, love and youth, old age, the effects of education, and the rules of good company. For seven centuries it was the first literary book a Persian-speaking child read, and it is still the one most often quoted.

This Persian Bell edition prints the complete Persian text with Edward Rehatsek’s full English translation on the same page.

What is inside

• All eight chapters of the Gulistan, complete and in order
• Saadi's stories, anecdotes and maxims in the Persian original
• Edward Rehatsek's complete English translation (1888) beside the Persian
• The verses within each story, in both languages
• Short, self-contained stories — ideal for one-a-day reading
• 368 pages in a printable PDF, delivered as soon as the order completes

Why this edition

Inside the book

Saadi’s style is described as simple but impossible to imitate: plain words carried by rhythm, rhyme and a wit that turns every anecdote on its last line. The Gulistan reached Europe early — a French version appeared in 1634 and Goethe read it with admiration — and copies were made across the whole Persianate world. The Library of Congress holds Gulistan manuscripts from Iran, Turkey and Central Asia, including a 1602 Iranian copy you can page through online.

Good for

Persian learners from intermediate level up — the Gulistan is the classic reading text for exactly this stage; heritage readers who heard these stories as children; students of world literature; and anyone who enjoys short, sharp moral tales. Pair it with the all-verse The Bustan of Saadi for Saadi’s two masterpieces.

Helpful links

• Gulistan manuscript (1602) – Library of Congress
• Sa'di and his mystical humanist literature – Library of Congress
• Classical Persian Poetry – Library of Congress
• All Saadi books
• Exploring Golestan
• Online Persian lessons

Reading tip

Read a story in English first, then the Persian — Saadi’s sentences are short and his vocabulary everyday, which makes the Gulistan one of the most rewarding classical texts for learners.

Frequently asked questions