t UNIVERSITY .' , ■ i ■ ' ; • ' ''J IAN, SERIES ^lume 1 TALO.GUE ■ OF ^'^^ ^A•M; :Ar' PERSIAN f vlANUSCRIT >TS (COCHRAN '1 COLLECTIO n) » ■ • ' • A CATALOGUE OF A COLLECTION OF PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY INDO IRANIAN SERIES EDITED BY A. V. WILLIAMS JACKSON PROFESSOR OF INDO-IRANIAN LANGUAGES IN COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Volume 1 For volumes previously published see page iv Nein Jjcrrit COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS 1914 All rights reserved A CATALOGUE OF THE COLLECTION OF PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS INCLUDING ALSO SOME TURKISH AND ARABIC PRESENTED TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART NEW YORK BY ALEXANDER SMITH COCHRAN PREPARED AND EDITED BY A. V. WILLIAMS JACKSON PROFESSOR OF INDO-IRANIAN LANGUAGES AND ABRAHAM YOHANNAN LECTURER IN ORIENTAL LANGUAGES, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS 1914 All rights reserved Bibliographical Note Seven volumes of the Indo-Iranian Series have been previously published (volumes 2-8, 1901-1913; see the announcement following page 187). As the Sanskrit Grammar for Beginners, heretofore an- nounced as the first volume of the Series, is not yet ready for publication (though nearly complete in manuscript), the present work is, for general con- venience, issued as Volume i in its stead. Copyright, 1914, By COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS. Set up and electrotyped. Printed February, 191 4. J. S. Gushing Co. — Berwick & Smith Co. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. iv PREFACE The preparation of this catalogue has been a pleasant task during the past two years, though the appearance of the work has been considerably delayed by the many exactions of univer- sity duties. The plan followed in describing the manuscripts was originally adopted in conference with Mr. Cochran while he was collecting them for his own library, and now that he has presented the collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in order to make it accessible to the public, the plan then designed seems equally suitable for the purpose of the general exhibition of the collection. The descriptive method, thus chosen, has kept several ob- jects in view. By the side of technical matters for the infor- mation of Oriental specialists, particular attention has been paid to the art side of the collection, so as to convey some idea of the illuminations, miniatures, bindings, and the like, in addition to matters of literary interest, details of historic import, or items of a personal nature regarding the individual owners of the copies in generations long past, as gathered from the Oriental seals and memorandums. It would seem that no serious objection could be raised critically to the fulness with which such matters are recorded in the pages that follow. To the generous donor who made the manuscripts accessible to the public and available to scholars that may wish to con- sult them in future, a special acknowledgment is due. Beyond that, a personal expression of thanks is owing to him for the constant interest that he has shown, in every possible manner, V vi PREFACE in the preparation^ and publication of the catalogue. Without his aid the volume could not have appeared in the Columbia University Indo-Iranian Series. Words of appreciation are likewise due to Mr. Frederic W. Erb, Mr. Frank Erb, and Miss Adele Erb, of the Library Staff at Columbia, as well as to the Librarian of the University, Dr. W. Dawson Johnston, for obliging assistance in connection with the handling of the manuscripts during the year and a half that they were deposited in the Columbia University Library vaults for consultation in the preparation of this catalogue. In like manner Director Edward Robinson and his assistant, Mr. Henry W. Kent, of the Metropolitan Museum, together with Curator W. R. Valentiner and Mr. D. Friedley, have been equally kind in granting every possible facility in consulting the codexes since they have been on public exhibition in the Persian room at the Museum. Nor is to be forgotten the help they gave while the illustrative plates were being prepared, so as to convey an idea of some of the miniatures that adorn the collection. Among other friends who gladly lent aid may be mentioned Professor Richard Gottheil, of Columbia University, who gave assistance in connection with certain points relating to the Qur'an and other important matters. As to valued suggestions concerning the character and quality of the paper in the different manuscripts, acknowledgment is also made to Mr. Douglas C. McMurtrie, of New York. There is an appropriate opportunity here, furthermore, to thank Miss Susan Yohannan and Miss Cassandra Yohannan for their untiring work in copying and re- copying each section of the book as it was being prepared for the press. Last but not least, that friend, student, and faithful helper. Dr. George C. O. Haas, sometime Fellow in Indo-Iranian Lan- guages at Columbia and now Instructor in the College of the City of New York, deserves a very special acknowledgment; he not only prepared the Index to this work, but also gave PREFACE vii readily, as usual, his technical advice in all matters relating to the make-up of the volume and his skilled service in reading every revise of the proofsheets, to supplement the care bestowed by the readers of the Norwood Press. To each and all of these willing helpers most hearty thanks are expressed anew. A. V. WILLIAMS JACKSON, ABRAHAM YOHANNAN. Columbia University, July I, 1913. CONTENTS PAGE Preface v List of Illustrations xi List of Works of Reference xii List of Abbreviations xv Introduction xvii Persian Manuscripts : I. Firdausi 5 Ms. No. I. Shah-namah (1587-1588 a.d.) . 8 Ms. No. 2. Shah-namah (1602 A.D.) . . 14 Ms. No. 3. Shah-namah (1605-1608 a.d.) . 20 Ms. No. 4. Shah-namah (1663-1669 a.d.) . 28 Ms. No. 5. Shah-namah ( 1 6th- 1 7th cent.) . 38 II. Nizami ........ 47 Ms. No. 6. Khamsah (1449-1450 a.d.) . . 49 Ms. No. 7. Khamsah (1509-15 10 A.D.) . . 53 Ms. No. 8. Khamsah (1525 A.D.) ... 58 Ms. No. 0. Khamsah (middle of the i6th cent.) 67 Ms. No. 10. Haft Paikar (i6th cent.) . . 71 Ms. No.~ii. A Persian Anthology — Nizami abridged ; Selections also from other well- known Persian writers (19th cent.) . . 79 III. Jalal ad-Din Rumi 93 Ms. No. 12. Masnawi (1489 A.D.) ... 95 ix X CONTENTS PAGE IV. Sa'di loi Ms. No. 13. Kulliyyat (middle of the i6th cent.) . 102 Ms. No. 14. Bustan (2d quarter of the 17th cent.) . 108 V. Amir Khusrau of Delhi 119 Ms. No. 15. Khamsah (latter half of the 17th cent.) 120 VI. Hafiz 127 Ms. No. 16. Diwan (iSth-igth cent.) . . 129 VII. Jami 139 Ms. No. 17. Diwan (c, 1470 a.d.) . . 140 Ms. No. 18. Yusuf and Zulaikha (1523- 1524 A.D.) 145 Ms. No. 19. Yusuf and Zulaikha (c. 1550 A.D.) 148 Ms. No. 20. Haft Aurang (middle of the 1 8th cent.) 151 Turkish Manuscripts: VIII. Mir 'Ali Shir Nawa'i . . . . . .159 Ms. No. 21. A Diwan (1499-1500 a.d.) . 160 Ms. No. 22. Second Diwan (1580 a.d.) . 164 Arabic Manuscripts : IX. Qur'an 171 Mss. Nos. 23-24. Copy of the Qur'an in two volumes (1427 A.D.) . . . . 172 Index . . . ' . i79 List of Scribes and Artists 187 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE 1. Faridun's Grief at the Murder of his Son Iraj 39 Painting by /Ali Naqi, Ms. No. 4, fol. 24^. 2. Naufal, the Arab Chieftain, championing the Cause of Majnun 54 Ms. No. 7, fol. 130^. 3. King Khusrau seated on his Throne . . .57 Painting by Mirak, Ms. No. 8, fol. 64a. 4. King Khusrau and his Bride Shirin . . .61 Painting by Mirak, Ms. No. 8, fol. 104^. 5. Bahram Gur in the Sandal Palace ... 64 Painting by Mirak, Ms. No. 8, fol. 230^. 6. Alexander receiving Booty on the Day of Battle 68 Painting by Mirak, Ms. No. 8, fol. 321^. 7. Recitation of Poems to the Accompaniment of Music 103 Ms. No. 12, fol. 172^?:. 8. Bahram Gur in the Red Palace . . . .118 Ms. No. 15, fol. 159^?. 9. Embellished Introductory Page (*Unwan) . . 148 Ms. No. 18, fol. 2a. 10. Ornate Lacquer Binding 157 Ms. No. 21, outside of cover. 11. Lacquer Painting on a Manuscript Cover . .160 Ms. No. 21, inside of back cover. 12. A King listening to a Court Poet . . .173 Ms. No. 21, fol. sia. 13. Arabic Memorandum' in the Handwriting of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzib . . . .176 Ms. No. 24, fol. 268^. xi LIST OF WORKS OF REFERENCE This list includes the works most often cited, together with those that may profitably be consulted in connection with this catalogue. Details regarding other books and papers are given in the body of the work. Anur Khusrau of Delhi. For bibliographical references see Ethe, Neupersische Litteratur, in Grundriss der iranischen Philologiej 2. 245. Beale, T. W. Oriental Biographical Dictionary. New ed., London, 1894. Blochet, E. Les Ecoles de peinture en Perse. In Revue archiologique, 4. ser. 6. 1 21-148, Paris, 1905. Les Miniaturistes des manuscrits musulmans. In Gazette des beaux-arts, 39. annee, 3. periode, 17. 281-296; 18. 104-118, Paris, 1897. Les Origines de la peinture en Perse. In Gazette des heaux-arts, 47. annee, 3. periode, 34. 115-130, Paris, 1905. Peintures de manuscrits arabes, persans et turcs de la Biblio- theque Nationale. Paris, [19 11]. Browne, Edward G. A Literary History of Persia. 2 vols., London and New York, 1902, 1906. Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge, 1896. D^Allemagne, Henry-Rene. Du Khorassan au pays des Backhtiaris : compte rendu. Paris, 191 1. Elliot, Sir H. M. The History of India as told by its own Historians : the Muhammadan Period. Edited by Professor John Dowson. 8 vols., London, 1867-1877. Ethe, Hermann. Neupersische Litteratur. In Grundriss der iran- ischen Philologie, 2. 212-368, Strassburg, 1896-1904. Firdausi. Firdusii Liber Regum qui inscribitur Shah Name, ed. J. A. Vullers (et S. Landauer). 3 vols., Leiden, 1877-1884. xii LIST OF WORKS OF REFERENCE xiii The Shahnama of Firdausi, done into English by A. G. and E. Warner. Vols. i-6, London, 1905-1912. Le Livre des rois, traduit et commente par Jules Mohl. 7 vols., Paris, 1876-1878. II Libro dei re, poema epico, recato dal persiano in versi italiani da Italo Pizzi. 8 vols., Turin, 1886-1888. Gayet, A. J. L'Art persan. Paris, 1895. Grundriss der iranischen Philologie, herausgegeben von Wilhelm Geiger und Ernst Kuhn. 2 vols., Strassburg, 1895-1904. Hafiz. See the works referred to on page 128. Havell, E. B. Indian Sculpture and Painting illustrated by Typical Masterpieces, with an Explanation of their Motives and Ideals. London, 1908. Horn, Paul. Geschichte der persischen Litteratur. Leipzig, 1901. Huart, C. Les Calligraphes et les miniaturistes de I'Orient musul- man. Paris, 1908. Jalal ad-Din Rumi. See the works referred to on page 94. Jami. See the works referred to on page 139. Karabacek, J. Uber das angebliche Bilderverbot des Islams. In Kunst und Gewerbe, 10. 281-283, 289-291, 297-299, 307-308, 315-317^ 332-333- Nuremberg, 1876. Mahler, Eduard. Chronologische Vergleichungstabellen, nebst einer Anleitung zu den Grundziigen der Chronologie. Vol. i, Vienna, 1889. Manucci, Nicolao. Storia do Mogor, or Mogul India, translated by G. W. Irvine. 4 vols., London, 1906. < Martin, F. R. The Miniature Painting and Painters of Persia, India, and Turkey from the eighth to the eighteenth Century. 2 vols., London, 191 2. (This invaluable work became accessible only after the ' copy ' of the present volume was ready for the press; information drawn from it has been inclosed in angular brackets <> to indicate its subsequent addition.) > Mir 'All Shir Nawa'i. See the works referred to on page 159. Muqtadir, M. A., [and Ross, E. D.]. Catalogue of the Arabic and Persian Manuscripts in the Oriental Public Library at Bankipore. 3 vols., Calcutta, 1908-1912. Nizami. See the works referred to on page 48. Pertsch, W. Verzeichniss der persischen Handschriften der konig- Hchen Bibliothek zu Berlin. Berlin, 1888. xiv LIST OF WORKS OF REFERENCE Rieu, C. Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the British Mu- seum. 3 vols., London, 1 879-1 883. Supplement to the preceding. London, 1895. Catalogue of the Turkish Manuscripts in the British Museum. London, 1888. Rumi, Jalal ad-Din. See the works referred to on page 94. Sachau, E., and Ethe, H. Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindu- stani, and Pushtu Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library. Part i, Oxford, 1889. Sa'di. See the works referred to on page loi. Saladin, H., et Migeon, G. Manuel d'Art musulman. 2 vols., Paris, 1907. Sarre, F. Riza 'Abbasi, ein persischer Miniaturmaler. In Kunst und Kiinstler, 10. Jahrgang, Berlin, 1910. Sarre, F., und Martin, F. R. Die Ausstellung von Meisterwerken muhammedanischer Kunst in Miinchen, 1910. 3 vols., Munich, 1912. Shah-namah. See Firdausi. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS A.H. . . Anno Hegiracy Muhammadan Era. Bull. . . Bulletin. c. . . . circa^ about. Cat. . . . Catalogue. ch. . . chapter. cm. . : centimeter, centimeters. col. . . column. d. . died. cQ. cuicioii, cQiicQ uy. fl. . . . . Jloniity flourished. fol. . . folio. Hss. . . Handschriften. in. . inch, inches. 1. . line. n. . note. op. cit. . . opus citatum, the work previously cited. pi. . . plate. tr. . translation, translated by. < > . . . Angle brackets indicate that the matter so in- closed is based on published material by Martin or by Valentiner that became acces- sible after the 'copy' of this volume was ready for the press. XV INTRODUCTION This collection of Oriental manuscripts — twenty of them Persian, two Eastern Turkish, and two Arabic — was presented to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in March, 1913, by Mr. Alexander Smith Cochran, of Yonkers, New York. All of the codexes are handsomely illuminated and are adorned with beau- tiful miniatures, the entire collection containing much that is of interest to students of art, literature, and history. A number of the manuscripts are in certain respects unique.^ Mr. Cochran's interest in Persia was first aroused by a jour- ney he made through that country six years ago in company with his friend, the Editor of this volume. Shortly after his return to New York he enriched the Museum by the gift of an extremely rare Persian rug, which may now be seen displayed in one of the galleries, not far from the Morgan collection of paint- ings. His present donation of manuscripts fills four large cases occupying the greater part of the Persian room that adjoins the latter collection.^ ^The general points of this whole Introduction, which describes the main features of the collection, have previously appeared in an article by A. V. W. J. entitled ' Persian Manuscripts ' in The Nation (New York), 96. 627-628, June 19, 1913. ^ Prior to this gift the Metropolitan Museum of Art possessed only one Persian manuscript, a copy of Sa'di's Bustdn, together with a selected collec- tion of manuscript pages with ornamental borders, as specimens of Persian decorative art, and a number of single-leaf paintings, not from manuscripts, by the artists Sultan Muhammad, Rida 'Abbasi, and Qasim. The manuscript of the Bustan is a fine copy, comprising 139 folios and xvii xviii INTRODUCTION Persian illuminated manuscripts are growing rarer every year, as connoisseurs and collectors well know, and are ever in- creasing in value because of the exquisite miniatures with which the finer ones are adorned. In this realm and in the line of ar- tistic embellishment Persia was able, four and five centuries ago, to produce specimens of art that have never been equaled else- where in their particular way. The Persian scribes, moreover, were unrivaled masters of calligraphy, because the art of beau- tiful handwriting was cultivated as one of the highest of refined accomplishments. The bindings, likewise, in which the Per- sians chose to clothe the work of their best writers were often masterpieces of workmanship. It is true that for a time Persia had to borrow from China certain elements, including grace of line and other features, that were to be developed further with subtle skill by Mongol artists in Transoxiana and Turkistan ; but she made all of these her special property in the realm of art. She was prepared in turn embellished by five full-page miniatures in addition to other rich ornamen- tations. The copy has a partly obliterated colophon in two lines. In this the name of Mir 'All al-Husaini can be deciphered with some diflSculty as that of the scribe, the date being given as 929 (?) a.h. = 1522-1523 (?) a.d. This date is fully corroborated by the general style and especially by the handwriting of the scribe, which appears to be identical with the pen- manship of the renowned calligraphist Mir *Ali, who in 1 523-1 524 a.d. transcribed the copy of Jami's Yusuf and Zulaikhd in the Cochran collec- tion (No. 18, see p. 147-148 below), and it is borne out likewise by the style of the miniatures, which may well be attributed to Shaikh-zadah Mahmiid of Khurasan, chief artist at the court of the Shaibanid princes of Trans- oxiana at this period. < See especially W. R. Valentiner, Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 8. 80, whose deductions are based on Mar- , tin, The Miniature Painting and Painters of Persia, India, and Turkey, I. 55, 116-117, London, 191 2; and compare Huart, Les Calligraphes et les miniaturistes de VOrient musulman, p. 331, Paris, 1908. > (Attention may be called here to the fact that the angular brackets < > used throughout this catalogue indicate matter included from, or based upon, published material by Martin or by Valentiner that became available after the ' copy ' of this volume was ready to go to press.) INTRODUCTION xix to hand to Mughal India her refined gifts which made the art- ists at the courts of the Emperors Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzib the greatest portrait miniaturists of the world. The studies of such scholars as the French critics Blochet and Huart, the German authority Sarre, and the Scandinavian expert Martin, whose standard work on the miniature paintings of Persia, India, and Turkey was pubHshed a few months ago in two splendid volumes, render possible a truer judgment of the worth of the present fine collection. Detailed references to all these works are made in the Bibliography below and also in the body of the volume. From the standpoint of literature, before turning to the artis- tic side of the collection, it may be noted that this valuable body of codexes represents the works of the greatest Persian classic writers. There are five different manuscripts (Nos. 1-5) of the famous epic of Firdausi, who flourished about 1000 a.d. Six manuscripts (Nos. 6-1 1) contain the entire works of Nizami or parts of the writings of that celebrated romantic poet of Persia, who died about the year 1203. Next Jalal ad-Din Rumi (1207 -1275), renowned above all in the East as the Persian mystic poet, is represented by a volume (No. 12) copied two centuries after his death and well worthy of note. Then Sa'di (about 1184-1291 A.D.), the centenarian poet and moralist whose name is certainly better known in the Orient outside of his country than that of any other Persian author, claims two fine illustrated and illuminated volumes (Nos. 13-14). The Indo-Persian poet Amir Khusrau of Delhi, who won well-deserved fame in Hindustan in the thirteenth century through his recastings of Nizami's romantic types, is represented by a beautiful little book (No. 15), dating from the time of the last of the Mughal em- perors and bearing witness, by its exquisite paintings and finish, to the reverence in which this Persian-Indian bard was held — a reverence that can best be appreciated by the few Westerners who have paid a visit to his tomb near Delhi. Persia's far-famed XX INTRODUCTION lyrist Hafiz, in the fifteenth century, one of the great musical poets in all literature, has five hundred and more odes incor- porated in a small manuscript (No. i6), delicately outlined by ornamental flowerets and adorned by small miniatures to illus- trate the subjects of the poems. The works of Jami, the last classic poet of Persia, the year of whose death corresponds with the date of the discovery of America, are here in four manu- scripts (Nos. 17-20), one of which (No. 17) is peculiarly valuable, as it belongs to Jami's own lifetime. Outside the realm of Persian works, there are two very rare illuminated and illustrated manuscripts in Jaghata'i Turkish, the language of Eastern Turkistan (Nos. 21-22). They both contain lyric works of the laureate-minister and poet-statesman Mir 'All Shir Nawa'i, who died in 1501 after a renowned career at the court of Herat in Afghanistan prior to the founding of the empire of the Mughals in Hindustan, and whose fame lasts in the East even to the present time through his poetry. One of the copies in this collection (No. 21) was transcribed a year or two before his death; we can imagine the interest that it must have had for courtier friends. No collection belonging to the Muslim realm of Persia, Cen- tral Asia, and the adjacent domains would be complete without a fine copy of the Qur'an. The oldest manuscript in the Coch- ran collection is a specially valuable specimen of the Muham- madan scriptures in two volumes (Nos. 23-24), completed on June 29, 1427, which was transcribed by Tamerlane's grandson, Ibrahim Sultan, son of Shah Rukh and brother of the famous royal bibliophile Baisunghar. To illustrate the Sacred Word by pictures would be against the spirit of Islam, but exquisite orna- mentation might be lent to the text itself in the form of chaste embellishment, especially to grace a copy of the Qur'an tran- scribed by a prince's hand. Not only is this copy written by a prince and beautifully adorned, but it has the further distinction that it descended through the fine of the great Mughal rulers INTRODUCTION xxi till it reached Aurangzib, the last of these emperors in India. On the back of the last leaf he records the history of the copy and the date when he made the memorandum of his reading it, in 1638 A.D., more than two centuries after the manuscript had been transcribed. He was then a prince in his nineteenth year and had not yet sat upon the throne. The court gilder embellished the pages with brush-work of ornamental gold around Aurangzib's handwriting. A remarkably precious manuscript of the Haft Paikar of Nizami (No. 5), containing a romantic epopee on the subject of the Sasanian king Bahram Gur ('that Great Hunter'), who reigned in the fifth century of our era, furnishes not only a cherished transcript of a master-work, but formed a gift fit for a king, as it was presented to Akbar the Great by a grandee whom he had appointed to be governor in the Panjab. A regal memorandum in a painted medallion on the first page records that it was offered as a special tribute to the sovereign. The year of the gift was 1580, at which time we know that Akbar was at Lahore in the Panjab. The imperial seal and other memorandums attest the fact of presentation and prove the royal ownership ; and we know from court records that the works of Nizami were among the emperor's favorite reading. The volume descended to his grandson. Shah Jahan the Mag- nificent, as shown by an official signet. But the manuscript has an additional value and interest, since it contains five rare miniatures by Bahzad, the most famous of all Persian painters, whose death occurred about fifty years before. The miniatures are all genuine, each being signed in the authentic minute handwriting of Bahzad, which — as was characteristic of him — was so fine that a microscope is needed to decipher the name. The artistic value of the collection has been indicated already, and we may be sure that books which formed part of the libraries of Oriental potentates, as shown by seals and memo- randums, were choice copies. The finest in the entire set is a xxii INTRODUCTION magnificent manuscript (No. 8) of the works of Nizami, tran- scribed by the famous calligraphist Sultan Muhammad Nur, who completed the transcript in the year 1525. This superb codex, which is sumptuously embellished, came from the library of the Safavid kings of Persia and was among the treasures of the later Shahs. It is written on heavy, gold-frosted paper, with a different marginal color to distinguish each of the five long romantic poems, and is incased in the original flap-cover, which is a specimen of rare beauty in the way of binding. But beauteous above all are the fifteen miniatures with which it is adorned. They are from the brush of Mirak, the cele- brated pupil of Bahzad, and the most famous of all Persian artists after his master. < Regarding this manuscript Dr. Martin writes in terms of the highest praise when he says (i. 116): *It is second to none of the same period; there are certainly larger ones in existence, but none of finer quality with such a profusion of architecture and such charming coloring.' > The views of the seven different palaces in which Prince Bahram Gur visits the seven princesses, his wives from the seven realms of the world, are particularly notable. < Of the artistic treatment of these themes Dr. W. R. Valentiner, of the Metropolitan Museum, says {Bulletin of the Metropolitan Mil- seum of Art, 8. 86): 'These subjects, which demand a different color-scheme for each miniature to correspond with the different colors of the palaces, black, yellow, green, and so forth, have always been among the favorite problems of the Persian painters, but never has higher decorative value been given to these manuscripts than by Mirak in this Nizami, in which the hue of the walls in the different palaces is the motive upon which is built up an exquisite symphony of color.' > There are points of art to admire in other manuscripts of the set. We may note, for example, the expression of the faces, so remarkably caught in miniature, in a seventeenth-century copy (No. 14) of a Persian classic, Sa'di's Bustdny or ' Garden INTRODUCTION xxiii of Perfume,' which belonged to the library of Shah Jahan and that of his son Aurangzib. The borders of its pages, with extra-decorated insets, are unusually ornate ; and it is interest- ing to observe from the well-worn condition of this copy, with its sixteen official seal-impressions and memorandums, how extensively it was read at the court. Another manuscript of special value (No. 17), more than a hundred and fifty years older than the preceding, as its date is not far from 1465, is one of the four copies of Jami's poems in this collection, transcribed a quarter of a century before his death. It is a Diwdn, or select volume of his lyric and mystic verses, and, besides being richly illuminated, is adorned with sixteen beautiful miniatures, which show strongly the influence of Mongol art and are important for the study of the art of painting at that time. The art of calligraphy by the side of miniature painting may be illustrated by still another copy of Jami (No. 18), transcribed by the illustrious penman Mir 'All in 1523 and 1524; also by one of the copies (No. 21) of the poems of Mir *Ali Shir Nawa'i, which was copied in 1500 by the hand of the renowned *Ali Mashhadi. Imperfect as is this account, it would be still more lacking if some notice were not taken of a special variety of art, shown by five of the manuscripts, in portraying scenes from Firdausi's Shdh-ndmah^ Persia's great national epic, composed nearly a thousand years ago. Students of literature are familiar with the tragic episode of Suhrab and Rustam through Matthew Arnold's adaptation of the story of the unknown heroic son who is unwittingly slain in single combat by his warrior father, Rustam. Art connoisseurs will scan with interest the delinea- tions of this fearful scene as drawn by the different artists. Nor will any critic of the brush overlook, among other minia- tures, one by *Ali Naqi in a seventeenth-century copy of the Shdh-ndmah (No. 4, fol. 24^). In this picture the artist de- xxiv INTRODUCTION picts the grief of King Faridun, who, somewhat after the manner of Gorboduc or distantly like Lear, has divided his realm among his three sons, and, in consequence of the bloody internecine strife that arose among them, receives on a golden salver the head of his youngest and best beloved son, slain by the elder brothers. Only a great miniaturist could so per- fectly convey the poet's conception of a parent's heartrending sorrow. Allusion has previously been made to the lovely little manu- script, bound in red leather, of the Delhi poet Amir Khusrau, as an example of Indian-Persian miniature art (No. 15). It dates from the time of the last of the Mughal emperors, Aurangzib, the hero of Dryden's drama, whose grandsire, Ja- hangir, the ' Great Mogul,' boasted of a knowledge of technique in art that could distinguish if a different brush gave the con- cluding finish to an eyebrow in a portrait.^ The delicacy of touch in the miniatures of this particular manuscript bears witness to the nonpareil of workmanship attained by the several artists at Aurangzib' s court who have affixed their signatures to the paintings. In addition to the manuscripts themselves must be mentioned a series of twenty-nine single-page paintings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, most of which are not drawn from manu- scripts^ but were specially prepared as examples of art. Five of these are in the Persian style of Rida 'Abbasi. Among those from India, dating from the Mughal period, may be mentioned a fine portrait of the Emperor Jahangir, another painting in which he is depicted as reverently paying his respects to a pious dervish, and still a third which represents in splendid style his son Shah Jahan, mounted on horseback. < Dr. Martin chose two of these to be among the six which he se- lected for reproduction in color in his second volume (vol. 2, pi. D, p. 79 ; pi. E, p. 87). > The Cochran set contains four- 1 See E. B. Ha veil, Indian Sculpture and Painting, p. 199, London, 1908. INTRODUCTION XXV teen other single-sheet paintings in the Indian style, and also seven beautiful specimens of Persian calligraphy. Enough has been said to show the artistic, literary, and historic importance of the collection, the details regarding which may be gathered from the descriptions of the separate manuscripts in the ensuing pages. PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS I FIRDAUSi PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS FIRDAUSI (about 935-1025 A.D.) Persia's celebrated epic poet, Firdausi, author of the Shdh-ndmahf or 'Book of Kings/ a work which ranks among the great epics of the world, was born about 935 a.d. in the ancient city of Tus, whose ruins are still to be seen a few miles distant from Mashhad in Northeastern Persia. By descent he belonged to the landed gentry of Iran and had, therefore, an inherited interest in his country's great past. For fully thirty-five years, or from about 974 to loio, Firdausi worked upon his famous epic, a poem of nearly sixty thousand couplets. Much of it he composed at the court of the great conqueror Mahmud of Ghazni, in Afghanistan, a patron who ill rewarded his labors and who was consequently held up to scorn by the poet in a satire as im- mortal as the epic itself. Fleeing from the monarch's wrath he found himself, at the age of seventy-fiye, a wanderer without proper means of support ; but ultimately he received shelter at the court of a minor Persian ruler in Tabaristan, where he composed a notable long romantic poem, Yusuf and Zulaikhd, on the love of Potiphar's wife for Joseph, as recorded in the Qur'an after the Bible. Returning at last to Tus, Firdausi died in his native city at an advanced age in 1020 or 1025 a.d. The Shdh-ndmah is a poetic chronicle based upon older prose annals, now mostly lost. It portrays the national history of Iran from the age of the mythical ruler, Kaiumarg, or GayHmart, whom tradition places about 3600 B.C., down to the death of the last Sasanian King, the his- toric Yazdagard III, in 641 a.d., and the events directly preceding the fall of the empire before the Arabs. The main stages of the epic, so fully illustrated by the paintings in the present collection of Shdh-ndmah manuscripts, are as follows : After beginning with the primeval ruler Kaiumar§, the poem de- scribes the kingship of Hushang, who was the discoverer of fire, of Tahmurasp, 'the binder of demons,' and of Jamshid, sovereign of the 5 6 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS golden age. A foreign usurper, Dahhak, or Zahak, representing the tyrannical rule of Babylon and Arabia over Persia, seized the throne and reigned for a legendary period of a thousand years. The power of this monster was destroyed at last by a national hero of Iran, the noble Faridun, only to be followed by an internecine strife between the deliverer's three sons, Iraj, Tur, and Salm, who succeeded respectively to the kingdoms of Persia, Turan, and China. Iraj was slain by his two brothers. This deed of blood started the inveterate warfare between Iran and Turan, which forms the burden of a large part of the epic. King Minuchihr ultimately mounted the throne of Iran ; a romantic episode then tells of valiant Zal, whose love for Rudabah gave birth to a son, Rustam, the hero of the epic. Rustam's martial exploits, herculean labors, and signal triumphs (one being even the tragic slaying in battle of his own son Suhrab, whom he did not know) run almost to the end of the poem. Kings follow kings in the order preserved by tradition until the rise of the Prophet Zoro- aster, some three centuries before the invasion of Alexander the Great. The appearance of this ancient prophet gives occasion for chronicling the reign of his patron. King Gushtasp, and the latter's son, Asfandiar, crusader for the faith, as well as for recounting the religious wars between Iran and Turan, still more embittered by the difference of creed. The latter part of this reign of the Kaianian kings corresponds with the close of the great Achaemenian empire of Persia; and at this point the rimed chronicle begins to pass from the realm of legend into the domain of history. The overthrow of the Kaianians was brought about by the invasion of Alexander the Great, followed by the assassination of Darius III (Dara) in 330 b. c. The epic nar- rative compresses the next five hundred years, or the empire of the Parthian Arsacids, into the briefest possible summary of the events of half that period. A historic account in general of the Sasanian rule, from 226 a.d. to about the year 650, offers a special opportunity to record, among other reigns, that of Bahram Gur, as well as that of Nushirwan the Just, and the epic brings the story down to the mur- der of Yazdagard III (in 641 a.d.), the last king of Iran before Persia was conquered by the Muhammadan Arabs. ■ Abundant material is accessible in the way of editions and translations of the Shdh-ndmah, as shown by the bibliographical citations in the exhaus- tive treatise by Th. Noldeke, Das iranische Nationalepos, in Geiger and FIRDAUSi 7 Kuhn's Grundriss der iranischen Philologie, 2. 130-21 1. For other details regarding Firdausi's life and work see E. G. Browne, Literary History of Persia, 2. 129-147, London and New York, 1906; P. Horn, Persische Litteratur, p. 81-114, Leipzig, 1901 ; E. A. Reed, Persian Literature, p. 214-283, Chicago, 1893. There is an abridgment of the Shah-namah in English by J. and J. A. Atkinson (London and New York, 1886) and by A. Rogers (London, 1907), and an English translation into blank verse by A. G. and E. Warner (London, 1905-) ; a translation into French by J. Mohl (Paris, 1876-1878), and into Italian by 1. Pizzi (Turin, 1886-1888). 8 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 1 Firdausi (c. 935-1025 a.d.) : Shah-namah.— A large illuminated and handsomely illustrated manuscript of the great Per- sian epic poem Shdh-ndmah, or 'Book of Kings/ carrying the narrative down to the death of Alexander, with which event the codex ends. It contains the close of a Preface, the first pages of which are missing. The manuscript belongs to the latter part of the sixteenth century (being dated 1587- 1588 A.D.), and contains forty large miniatures in addition to the two illustrations on the inside of the lacquer covers. Size. — Height and width, 15I X n in. (39.5 X 28.0 cm.). Height and width of written page, 12 X 7I in. (30.5 X 19 cm.). Folios 596, comprising roughly about 49,000 couplets. A leaf between foHos i and 2 is missing. Binding. — Beautiful lacquer binding (though not the original covers) with a golden yellow background exquisitely adorned with dehcate flowered designs on the outside and decorated by two large illustrative scenes on the inside. The illustra- tion on the inside of the front cover represents a meeting between two kings who are seated in state, surrounded by their attendants, while officers of the army are stationed in review before them. The illustration on the inside of the back cover represents a king under a canopy in a garden ; his attendants are around him and a suppKant kneels in obeisance before him. The manuscript has been subjected to a rebinding and to a trimming of the pages, which gives the copy a neat appearance, but has unfortunately resulted in cropping some of the folios too closely, so that a part of many of the catchwords at the bottom of the right-hand pages has been cut off, the top of the illuminated title- pieces has been slightly clipped, and the figure of a man on the margin of fol. 49a has been almost trimmed off. FIRDAUSI 9 Writing and Paper, — Large clear Nasta^liq hand, 21 lines to the page in four columns with marginal ruUngs of blue, red, and green. The paper is of a light creamish tint, of medium sheen, pure-laid on a rather cross screen ; it is of fairly con- stant composition and of a comparatively light weight. Date and Scribe. — The date of the manuscript (i 587-1588 A.D.) and the name of the copyist, Shah Muhammad of Sabzavar, are both given. The scribe's name is first recorded on fol. i6ia, at the end of the first of the four sub- divisions into which the codex is divided, as follows : ' The (first) book is finished with God's help by the humblest Shah Muhammad of Sabzavar, the scribe.' The date itself with the scribe's name is given at the end of the manu- script in the colophon on fol. 596a : ^ Finished by the hand of the most humble Shah Muhammad of Sabzavar, the scribe (may God forgive him !), in the year 996 A. H. [ = 1 587- 1588 A.D.'].' The district of Sabzavar is in Khurasan, north- eastern Persia, between Teheran and Mashhad. Memorandums. — There are seal impressions stamped on several folios (fol. la, lyja, 327a, 33KZ, 41 7^?, and 596a). The oval one on fol. la is the signet of Muhammad Saif ad-Din, the date in the body of this seal being 1200 a.h. = 1785 a.d. The octagonal seals on folios la, 2>2'ja, and 596a are identical with each other, but in them only the name * Muhammad ' can be deciphered. The square seal on fol. 177a, which is surmounted by a triangular crown, is not legible, but above it are written, in an inverted order as in a seal, the figures for 1222 (a.h. = 1807 A.D.) and the words ba ism, ^ in the name of ' (Hkewise half in inverted order.) Above this there are two or three words, not quite distinct, but mushlr, * minister,' is legible. In two spaces in the body of the text near this seal there is twice written in a bold hand in Persian ' Shah [sic] Zadah Yunis.' The oval seal on 417a is not legible, but 10 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS appears to differ from the oval one on fol. la ; above it are written in inverted order as in a seal the figure 1222 (a.h. = 1807 a.d.) and the words ba ism likewise half inverted as in a seal, as in the case of that on fol. 177a; and above it the figures for ' 11.' On foHos 331a and 396a are the marks of a little square seal, but illegible. There is the impression of a third large square seal on fol. 596(1, but it has been erased. On the margins of several pages are ex- planations of Persian words or more modern terms for the ones that are comparatively obsolete. Subject and Arrangement. — The epic history of Persia down to the death of Alexander the Great. The codex contains a portion of the so-called ^ Older Preface,' often prefixed to the manuscripts of the poem (cf. Rieu, Cat. Pers. Mss. in British Museum, p. 534), but the first part of this is un- fortunately missing down to the list of kings with the tra- ditional length of their respective reigns, the list here begin- ning only with the Sasanian monarchs Hurmazd I, son of Shapur I, followed by Bahram and the rest. The poem itself opens on fol. ib with the lines The manuscript is divided into four unequal parts or divi- sions, each of which is introduced by an illuminated 'unwan, or title-piece, as follows : (a) Close of a Preface, fol. la. — I (fol. ib-i6ia). First part of the epic. — II (fol. i6ib-446a). ' Book of Kai Khusrau.' — III (fol. 4465-556^). ^Book of Bahman.' — IV (fol. 556&-596a). ^ Book of Alexander.' Illuminations and Illustrations. — The manuscript is illuminated by four richly adorned 'unwans, or title-pieces, as introduc- tions to the four books or subdivisions that have been men- tioned, each of these ornate titles occupying a third of the page. The ever recurring captions or head-bands to the FIRDAUSI II different sections of the poem are written throughout in white ink upon a gold background and occupy the space of two distichs between the two middle columns ; the band, however, on fol. ib, is blank, but was doubtless intended for extra decorations because it heads the section relating to the praise of wisdom ; the writing is missing in the gold band in fol. 3486. As an additional embelHshment to the body of the text the verses preceding the miniatures, or in some cases both preceding and following a miniature, are written in small square spaces delicately adorned with floweret designs of a violet and reddish color — a feature found in other manuscripts as well. Besides the two illustrations on the inside of the lacquer covers, described above, under Binding, there are forty full-page miniatures to illustrate the text. These all appear to be the work of a single artist and are markedly Mongolian-Persian in style. The figures as a rule are rather large, boldly drawn, without overmuch attention given to minor details. I (a) fol. lb. Illuminated title-piece to the first subdivision of the work. 1 fol. 3&. Kaiumarg, the first of the Persian kings. 2 fol. 96. Dahhak, the tyrant of Babylon and Arabia, had foreseen Faridun, his vanquisher, in a dream, and learns from his priests the import of the vision. 3 fol. 15^. Faridun is about to slay the serpent-shouldered Dahhak, but decides to bind him for thousands of years. 4 fol. 22a. Iraj, the son of Faridun, is slain by his brothers Salm and Tur. 5 fol. 32a. The fabulous bird Simurgh restores the youthful Zal to his father Sam, who had abandoned him when an infant on account of his having been born with white hair. 6 fol. 49a. The marriage of Zal and Rudabah. (It may be observed that in cutting the margin of this page a 12 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS part of a man's figure has been trimmed off, leaving the nuptial torch, his hand, and a portion of the turban.) 7 fol. 6ib. Naudhar, captured by Afrasiab, is put to death. 8 fol. 6'jb. Rustam in combat with Afrasiab seizes him by the girdle and lifts him from the saddle; Afrasiab is saved by the girdle s breaking. 9 fol. 77&. Rustam killing the Div-i Safid, or White Demon. 10 fol. 88&. Kai Ka'us (a pioneer in aviation !) attempts to fly to heaven by fastening young eagles to his throne. (The eagles endeavored to reach the haunches of mutton stuck on the points of four spears at the corners of the throne and thus raised it to the sky ; but the eagles, before long, became exhausted, and then Kai Ka'us fell from aloft, but escaped death.) 11 fol. 103&. Rustam in combat kills Suhrab, his son. 12 fol. II sb. Siawush passes through the fire-ordeal to prove his innocence of the calumnious charge that he was in love with his stepmother. 13 fol. 125a. Siawush displaying his skill in polo before Afrasiab. 14 fol. 139&. Siawush slain at the hand of GurwT Zirah. 15 fol. 154&. Piran taken and bound by Giv. II (b) fol. 161 6. Illuminated title-piece to the second subdivision of the work, or 'Book of Kai KJiusrau.' 16 fol. 1626. Rustam and his father Zal come to congratulate Kai Khusrau on being made King. 17 fol. 177b. Piran's night attack upon the Iranians. 18 fol. 201 a. Ashkabus slain by Rustam. 19 fol. 213a. Rustam catches with his lasso the Khaqan, or Ruler of China, and pulls him down from his white elephant. 20 fol. 222b. Rustam wrestling with Puladwand of Turan. (In the picture is to be noticed a Muhammadan flag with the words, 'O God, O Muhammad!') ^21 fol. 232a. Bizhan is brought before Afrasiab by Garsiwaz, * the latter's brother, and is threatened with death for having entered the palace of Manizhah, the daughter of Afrasiab. FIEDAUSi 13 22 fol. 243&. Rustam taking Bizhan out of the pit where he had been placed by Afrasiab. 23 fol. 2 58a. Rustam in combat with his unrecognized grand- son Barzu, the son of Suhrab, on horseback. 24 fol. 277(Z. The mother of Barzu explains that the man with whom Rustam is fighting is the son of Suhrab, and therefore Rustam's own grandson. 25 fol. 2946. Rustam wrestling with Pilsam. 26 fol. 313a. Human slain in battle by Bizhan. 27 fol. 3336. Kai Khusrau comes to Gudarz and sees those who have been slain. 28 fol. 345<2. Shidah slain by Kai Khusrau. 29 fol. 2)6gb. Afrasiab and Garsiwaz put to death by Kai Khusrau. 30 fol. 389a. Gushtasp killing a dragon. 31 fol. 417a. Asfandiar kills a Simurgh bird which attacks his chariot. 32 fol. 442a. Rustam shoots Asfandiar in the eyes with an arrow, as the Simurgh had bidden him. III (c) fol. 446&. Illuminated title-piece to the third subdivision of the work, or 'Book of Bahman.' 33 fol. 462a. Bahman the guest of Lulu. 34 fol. 483a. Rustam, though d)dng, transfixes by an arrow through the plane tree his half-brother Shaghad, who had treacherously caused his death. 35 fol. 500a. Faramarz fights with Bahman and is slain. 36 fol. 518a. Bahman in the mausoleum of Gushtasp. (There is a verse on the sarcophagus to the effect that those who have departed from this life have passed through dust to paradise.) 37 fol. S5S^' Bahman swallowed by a dragon. IV (d) fol. 5566. Illuminated title-piece to the fourth subdivi- sion of the work, or 'Book of Alexander.' 38 fol. 567a. Alexander lamenting the death of Darius III, who has been assassinated by two of his own treacherous vizirs. 39 fol. 588a. Alexander and Khidr, the Sage of Eternal Youth, at the Fountain of Life. 40 fol. 595^. Death of Alexander. 14 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 2 Firdausi : Shah-namah, or ^ Book of Kings/ the great epic poem of Persia, complete in a manuscript dated 1602 a.d., with richly ornate borders and illuminated by seventy-two small miniatures. It carries the narrative to the end, including the circumstances following the death of Yazdagard, and gives also Firdausi's Epilogue. Of the Preface only the last page containing the Kst of kings from Faridun to Yazdagard III has been preserved ; the preceding ten folios are missing. The manuscript is contemporary with the close of the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, and in style it belongs to the group of Indian manuscripts of the Mughal period. Size. — 13! X 8i in. (35.5 X 21.5 cm.). Height and width of written page, respectively, 8 X 4^ in. (20.3 X 11.5 cm.). Folios 581. There are errors in the Persian numbering that is inserted between the lower left-hand columns. Two leaves are lost between fol. 2 and 3, and the first ten foKos of the Preface are missing. The number of couplets in the manuscript is about 57,000. Binding. — Heavy Oriental leather binding of a golden brown color, richly embossed in gilt on the outside, with a mahog- any red leather finish on the inside and ornate tooling in various colors. The pressed leather work on both the inside and outside of the covers, with medallions and paneled borders, is very fine. The codex has been bound a second time and subjected to a very slight trimming. Writing and Paper. — Written in a handsome Nasta^liq char- acter, rather small in size, 25 lines to a page in four gold- ruled columns with rubric section-headings. The paper is of the finest quality and each written page is inset. The decorative margins which form the borders are of a salmon- FIRDAUSI 15 pink color and are embellished in highly ornate fashion, with varied designs of animals, birds, and flowers, outlined in gold. No two pages are exactly alike, and the grouping as a whole is different in each of the four subdivisions of the codex. The three fly-leaves at the front and the back of the codex are of a different quality from the body of the work, and are of a later date, though one in each case is rather old. Date and Scribe. — The date is in the colophon on fol. 581a as * Saturday, the first day of Muharram, ion a.h. [= June 21, 1602 A.D.].' The copyist's name is likewise given in this colophon as Kamal ad-Din bin Ibrahim. On fol. i86(i, in a small colophon at the end of the first subdivision is given a date, * the seventeenth of the month Shawwal,' but no year is added. Memorandums. — At the top of the first older fly-leaf is a memo- randum in Persian stating that the work * contains seventy- five [sic] illustrations.' Below this is another Persian entry in the same hand stating that * Farhad, the son of the Crown Prince, duly purchased this on the 25 th of Rabi* as-Sani, 1296 a.h. [= April 18, 1879 a.d.].' A third memorandum in Persian in still the same cursive hand adds a comment on the miniatures as follows : ' The painting in this book is Chinese work; in that territory the beard is very scanty, and for that reason the artist has everywhere drawn Rustam without a beard ; it is absurd to paint Rustam as beardless.' It may be noted, however, that on fol. 349a and 354^, Rustam has a beard. Subject and Arrangement. — The great epic poem of Persia in nearly sixty thousand couplets, including Firdausi's Epilogue (cf. tr. Mohl 7. 407-409 ; tr. Pizzi, 8. 472-474) and the end of the ^ Older Preface,' the portion devoted to a list of the kings from Faridun to Yazdagard III, the preceding ten foKos that probably contained the ' Baisunghar Preface ' being 1 6 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS missing. In this copy four subdivisions are marked, each introduced by an ^unwan, or illuminated head-piece. The beginnings of these different parts are as follows: a {iol. la). Close of a Preface. — I(fol. ib-iS6a). The opening of the poem. — II (fol. 1866-309^). The story of Bizhan and Mamzhah. — III (fol. 3096-45 7a). The Reign of Gushtasp. — IV (fol. King Anushirwan the Just. Illuminations and Illustrations. — In addition to the ornate bor- ders described above and the illuminated page-headings as introductions to the four separate subdivisions made in the manuscript, there are seventy-two small miniatures, which are called ^ Chinese work ' in the Persian memorandum on the first older fly-leaf, as noted above. In style, however, these paintings seem to show a strong Indian influence and are perhaps the work of a Mongolian or Turkistan artist who was in Northern India, though he knew Persia as well. They all seem to be the work of a single brush, and are delicate in form and in execution. Each miniature occu- pies about one-third of the page, and the shape is not square, but in three panels, usually with the middle section consid- erably larger than the side sections. On fol. 786 and 418a, near the miniatures, the text is embellished by setting some of the verses in ornamental squares, a feature more com- mon in other manuscripts. Somewhat unusual in illustrat- ting the Shah-namah is the introduction, at the close of each of the first three subdivisions of the work, of a painting representing a conventional scene between two lovers. Particularly noteworthy are the beautiful designs in gilt on the salmon-pink margins of each page, because they show the greatest variety in conception, no two being exactly alike. Up to fol. 4470^ the outline of the figures is given sharpness by a black ink pen-line. FIRDAUSI 17 (a) fol. la. Small illuminated bird design below the list of the Persian kings at the end of the Preface. (b) fol. 2a. Illuminated title-piece to the Shah-namah. 1 fol. 2(Z. King Kaiumar§, the first of the line of Persian kings. 2 fol. 36. Jamshid, the ruler of the Golden Age, sitting on his throne. (In the upper part of the picture, the divSj 'demons,' murgh, 'birds,' and parts j 'fairies,' are shown as his servitors.) 3 fol. 6a. Dahhak, the tyrant of Babylon and Arabia, from whose shoulders serpents grew, and whose cruel sway over Persia lasted a thousand years. 4 fol. 27a. Iraj, the son of Faridun, slain by his own brothers Salm and Tur. 5 fol. 35a. King Mintichihr on his throne. 6 fpl. 37a. Zal is restored by the fabulous bird Simurgh, to his father, Sam, who had abandoned him on account of the child's having been born with white hair. 7 fol. 42a. Zal woos the beautiful Rudabah. 8 fol. 52a. The birth of the hero Rustam through an inci- sion made in his mother's side. The fabulous bird Simurgh appears with timely help. (The Caesarian operation is illustrated in the picture.) 9 fol. 64a. In a battle between the Iranians and Turanians, in the time of Kai Qubad, the heroic Rustam, though still a mere youth, lifts Afrasiab, the leader of Ttiran, from his saddle by the girdle; but the foeman escapes, as the belt breaks. 10 fol. jga. Kai Ka'us attempts to fiy to heaven by fastening young eagles to his throne. The eagles try to reach the haunches of meat which he caused to be fastened above on spear-points, and thus they raise the throne to the sky ; but King Ka'us (the first aviator) comes to grief. 1 fol. 93a. Rustam in combat kills Suhrab, being unaware that he was slaying his own son. 2 fol. 107a. Siawush sends a message to Afrasiab of Ttiran by Sangah of Shavaran. i8 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 13 fol. 120^. Gurwi Zirah puts to death Siawush, whom he has captured, and causes the blood to be caught in a basin to send to King Ka'us of Iran. 14 fol. 1356. Kai Khusrau sitting in state. 15 fol. 1426. Farud in battle slays Zarasp, the son of Tus. 16 fol. isoa. Battle between Gudarz and his followers and Piran of Turan. 17 fol. 167a. Rustam in battle with Ashkabus. 18 fol. 176a. The Ruler of China taken prisoner by Rustam with his lasso. 19 fol. 185a. The demon Akwan Div throws Rustam into the sea. 20 fol. iS6a. Conventional scene between lovers at the close of the first subdivision of the work. (See comment above.) II (c) fol. 186&. Illuminated title-piece to the second subdivision of the work, beginning with the Story of Bizhan and Manlzhah. 21 fol. 1986. Rustam rescues Bizhan from the well. 22 fol. 200a. Rustam in battle with Afrasiab of Turan. 23 fol. 234&. Killing of Pilsam by Rustam. 24 fol. 237&. Battle between Barzu, the grandson of Rustam, and Afrasiab of Ttiran. 25 fol. 248a. Human slain by Bizhan. 26 fol. 261a. The Turanian leader Piran killed by Gudarz in combat. 27 fol. 2726. King IChusrau of Iran slays Shidah of Turan in combat. 28 fol. 274a. Battle between Kai Khusrau and Afrasiab. 29 fol. 290a. Khusrau kills Garsiwaz and likewise Afrasiab as the latter comes out of the water. 30 fol. 309a. Conventional scene of two lovers at the close of the second subdivision of the work. (See remark above.) Ill (d) fol. 3096. Illuminated title-piece to the third subdivision of the work, beginning with the Reign of Gushtasp. 31 fol. 309&. King Gushtasp (the patron of Zoroaster) on his throne. 32 fol. 319&. Gushtasp throws his son Asfandiar into prison. FIRDAUSi 19 33 fol. S26b. Asfandiar kills a wolf on the first stage of his seven adventures. 34 fol. 3266. Asfandiar kills a lion and lioness on the second stage of his seven adventures. 35 fol. S2'ja. Asfandiar kills a dragon on the third stage of his seven adventures. 36 fol. 328a. Asfandiar kills a sorceress on the fourth stage. 37 fol. 3286. Asfandiar kills the Simurgh on the fifth stage. 38 fol. 330&. Asfandiar kills Gurgsar of Turan on the seventh stage. [The sixth stage is not illustrated.] 39 fol. S4ga. Rustam slays Asfandiar with a two-pronged arrow shot into his eyes. 40 fol. 3516. Funeral of Asfandiar. 41 fol. 354a. Rustam, though near death, transfixes his treacherous half-brother Shaghad through a tree behind which he had taken refuge. 42 fol. 307a. Faramarz executed by Bahman. 43 fol. 366a. Alexander over the corpse of Dara (Darius III), who has been slain by his own faithless vizirs. 44 fol. 367a. Alexander on the throne of Persia. 45 fol. 373a. Battle between Alexander and Poros of India. 46 fol. 38 Khi^r, the Sage of Eternal Youth, at the Foun- tain of Life — (a part of the legend of Alexander). 47 fol. 3846. Alexander returning from China. 48 fol. 389a. Story of Ardawan and Ardashir. 49 fol. 391^. Ardawan put to death by Ardashir. 50 fol. 3956. Ardashir Babagan on the throne. 51 fol. 406(1. Shaptir Dhu'l-Aktaf II, the Sasanian king (309- 379 A.D.). 52 fol. 4146. Yazdagard on his throne. 53 fol. 416&. Bahram Gur hunting in company with his mistress, Fitnah, 'Mischief,' called also Azadah, ' Noble-born ' — the familiar story of how he trans- fixed the gazelle's hoof to its ear by an arrow, as a proof of his skill in archery. 54 fol. 418&. Yazdagard killed by the kick of a horse that came up from the lake in the region of Nishapur. 55 fol. 420a. Bahram Gur congratidated on ascending the throne. 20 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 56 fol. 4216. Bahram Gur as king, 57 fol. 425^. Story of Bahram Gur and the chief of the village, who mastered a lion. 58 fol. 431a. Story of Bahram Gur and the jeweler whose daughter he took as spouse. 59 fol. 444&. Bahram Gur kills a dragon. 60 fol. 456&. Mazdak the Heretic, executed by Anushirwan. 61 fol. 457a. Conventional scene of lovers at the close of the third subdivision of the work. (See comment above.) IV (e) fol. 45 7&. Illuminated title-piece to the fourth subdivision of the work, beginning with the Reign of Anu- shirwan. 62 fol. 457&. Anushirwan the Just on the throne. 63 fol. 4S^a, The origin of the game of chess. 64 fol. 490&. Battle between Giv and Talkhand ; the latter is slain on the back of his elephant. 65 fol. 512a. Battle between Bahram Chubin and Sawah- Shah, and death of the latter. 66 fol. 530&. Bahram Chubin sits on the throne at Ctesiphon. 67 fol. 5485. Death of Bahram Chubin by the hand of Qalun. 68 fol. 556^. Khusrau, out hunting, meets Shirin. 69 fol. 55965. King Khusrau and the minstrel Barbad, who, unknown to the King, sang hidden between two cypress branches and thus became court bard. 70 fol. 5686. Khusrau Parwiz slain by Mihr Hurmazd. 71 fol. 572a. Yazdagard III on the throne. 72 fol. 578^. Yazdagard assassinated. 3 Firdausi : Shah-namah. — An illuminated manuscript of the Shah-namah belonging to the beginning of the . seventeenth century (being dated 1605-1608 a.d.). It has an intro- FIRDATJSI 21 duction (the so-called ' Older Preface ') and carries the epic narrative to the end, including the death of Yazdagard III. It inserts Firdausi's lament over the death of his own son in place of the ordinary Epilogue. This handsome manu- script is adorned by eighty-five large miniatures. Size. — 14! X 9! in. (37.4X25.0 cm.). Width of written page 5I in. (13.0 cm.) with large margins, height iif in. (29.6 cm.). Folios 571. One folio is missing between fol. 429 and 430; and there is a slight misbinding between folios 225-232, where the proper order would be fol. 225, 231, 227, 228, 229, 230, 226, 232. The number of distichs is somewhat under 45,000. Binding. — Old lacquer covers with floral designs, including a large bunch of flowers on an orange background, and with dehcate marginal gold decorations. The inside leather is of a dull green. The stitched head-binding is in the Shirazi style; and small silk tabs are attached to the margin of the folios that contain illustrations. Writing and Paper. — Handsome Nasta'liq hand, 21 lines to the page in four columns with marginal rulings of gold, blue, red, and green. The paper is of a rich cream tint and varies considerably as to weight and quality in different parts of the codex. Date and Scribe. — The date of the manuscript is found in two different places (fol. 309a and fol. 57 ic^) and shows that the copying of the codex occupied a period of more than two years, possibly four. On fol. 309a, the colophon says: * Finished the first volume, by the help of God, in the year 1014 A.H. [= 1605 A.D.].' On the last folio (fol. 571^?), in a longer colophon, the date of completion is given as 1016 A.H. = 1608 A.D., together with the name of the scribe, and reads as follows : ^ The book was finished by the help of God, the Lord of Mercy and Grace, on the twelfth day of the 22 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS month of Sha'ban in the year 1016 a.h. [= Dec. 2, 1608 A.D.] ; written by the poor and sinful servant and solicitor of pardon from God, Master Muhammad, the son of Mulla Mir, al-Husaini (may God forgive him, and forgive the artist and whosoever does any work with it !). The request I ask from my friends is a prayer that God may accept it as a means for my salvation.'^ Memorandums. — On each side of the last folio is an impression of a large square seal, but in it only the name Muhammad can be deciphered, the rest being indistinct or obliterated. On the middle of the last page is a Persian jotting, ' He is God the ^Most High.' Below it is a nearly erased memoran- dum of no importance, but it is possible to make out a few words, ' eighth of Jumadi II, [year illegible], Isfahan.' Subject and Arrangement. — The great epic of Firdausi complete with an introduction on the life and work of the poet. The introduction (fol. ib-'ja) corresponds to the so-called * Older Preface ' and includes Firdausl's Satire against Mahmtid (fol. 5. Illuminated title-piece introducing the second part of Shdh-ndmah. 55 fol. 316a. Gushtasp slays a wolf. 56 fol. 320a. Gushtasp fights with Ilias and slays him. 57 fol. 3336. Gushtasp imprisons his own son, Asfandiar. 58 fol. 344a. The first stage — Asfandiar killing two wolves. 59 fol. 344^. The second stage — Asfandiar killing two lions. 60 fol. 345&. The third stage — Asfandiar killing a dragon. 61 fol. 3466. The fourth stage — Asfandiar killing a witch. 62 fol. 3476. The fifth stage — Asfandiar killing the Simurgh. 63 fol. 374^. Rust am transfixes Shaghad through the plane tree by his arrow. (Shaghad was the son of Zal by a slave wife, and was consequently a half-brother of Rustam.) 64 fol. 378a. Bishutan, the Minister of Bahman (Ardashir), son of Asfandiar, admonishes his lord Bahman, after the latter had impaled Faramarz in revenge for the death of Shaghad, to stop the pillaging of the country. Bahman repents of his act. 65 fol. 388a. Alexander discovers that Dara (Darius III) has been assassinated by two of his own treacherous vizirs. 66 fol. 3916. Rushanak, the daughter of Darius, in the presence of Alexander. 67 fol. 397a. Alexander at the gate of the Ka'ba in Mecca. 68 fol. 418a. Ardashir recognizes Ormazd, the son of Shapur I, as the boy is playing polo. 69 fol. 425a. Crowning of Shapur II while yet a small boy. FIRDAUSI 27 70 fol. 429a. Shapur attacks by night the camp of the Romans and takes captive the Roman emperor. 71 fol. 432Z>. Bahram Gur shows his skill in archery by trans- fixing the hoof of the deer to its ear. His mistress Azadah (elsewhere called Fitnah, * Mischief) is playing on the harp. (The episode has already been alluded to.) 72 fol. 4366. Bahram Gur killing lions. 73 fol. 448a. Bahram wrestles with a champion in the court of Shangil, king of India, and shows his prowess. 74 fol. 450&. Bahram marries Sapinud, the daughter of Shangil. 75 fol. 460b. The court of Anushirwan the Just. 76 fol. 46ya. Buzurjmihr interpreting the dream of Anushirwan. 77 fol. 475^. Anushirwan marries the daughter of the Khaqan of China. 78 fol. 497&. Bahram Chubinah cuts off the head of King Sawah and sends it to Hurmuzd. 79 fol. 509a. Chubinah humbled before Khusrau Parwiz. 80 fol. 534&. Bahram Chubinah killing a dragon. 81 fol. 551a. Khusrau and his attendants. 82 fol. 555&. Qubad Shiru'i, the son of Khusrau Parwiz, ascends the throne and puts the crown upon his head and is honored by the heroes of Iran. 83 fol. 561a. Rustam slain in a combat with Sa'd, the son of Waqqas, an Arab. 84 fol. 5666. A miller, by the order of Mahwi Suri, kills King Yazdagard III and throws the body into the water. 85 fol. 569^. Bizhan tortures and kills Mahwi Suri in revenge for Yazdagard's murder. 28 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 4 Firdausi : Shah-namah. — A handsome, large, and very fully illuminated and illustrated manuscript belonging to the middle of the seventeenth century (being dated 1 663-1 669 A.D.) and carrying the epic narrative down to the death of Rustam and the events preceding the death of Yazdagard III. ' It contains Firdausi's Epilogue and is introduced by the two Prefaces described below. The codex has forty- two beautiful miniatures and is part cularly interesting because of the signatures of the different artists attached to most of the paintings. The lacquer covers show much taste. Size. — i8i X iii in. (46.5 X 28.5 cm.) ; written surface, 13! X 6| in. (34.0 X 17.5 cm.). Folios 460. Total number of couplets about 55,000. There are no folios missing. Binding. — Persian lacquer covers of about a century ago, when the manuscript appears to have been rebound, if we may judge by the date of the introduction which was added in 1255 A.H. = 1839 A.D. Both covers are tastefully decorated within and without. The outside covers are of a ruby tinge with a rich ornamentation of flower and bird designs. In the center, moreover, of the outside of the front cover there is portrayed one of the Persian kings seated upon his throne with a youth, probably his son, standing by him. On the king's right is seated a warrior, presumably Rustam, if we may judge from his mace and cap, and from the general portraiture of that hero in Shah-namah manuscripts. To the left of the king there is seated a white-bearded hero, but there is nothing to identify him or the monarch himself. The shape of the king's crown and of the swords and shields betrays the more modern style of this binding, and the same is true of the two little scenes in the small panels above and FIRDAUSI 29 below the centerpiece, one of which shows a bridge and a building, while the other shows two houses. In the center of the outside of the back cover is another picture, apparently by a different artist, representing likewise a royal personage on his throne, attended by a prince, a warrior, and two pages, but there is nothing by which to identify these personages. Above and below are small vignette scenes similar in style to those on the front cover. The inside covers are of olive- green lacquer with ruby medallions and borders, the field in each case being enriched by a graceful design of golden flowers, garlands, and the tips of peacock feathers; the whole finish shows workmanship of the highest order. The manuscript was received in an old Oriental case of heavy dark leather. Writing and Paper. — Elegant Nasta'liq hand of a medium size, 31 lines to the page in four columns, with marginal ruHngs of gold, blue, red, and green. The paper of the codex is of a hght cream color and of an unusually fine quality; the screen-marks are very close together. The paper used in the Preface, which has been added, and that of the fly-leaves is of much later date. In rebinding, the margins of the foHos have been somewhat trimmed, so that in a number of instances the catchwords have been cropped off; occa- sionally these are suppHed in a later hand. Date and Scribe. — The date of the manuscript, 1663-1669 a.d., and the name of the copyist. Bin Shams ad-Din Shaikh Muhammad, are both given. A comparison of the different parts of the codex shows that its preparation was the work of over six years. The date at the end of the first sub- division, fol. 238a, is given as * the month of Safar, 1074 A.H. [= Sept. 1663 A.D.]' ; and the date at the end of the second, or last subdivision, fol. 460a, is recorded as ' the last day of Shawwal, 1079 a.h. [= April 2, 1669 a.d.]' ; the 30 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS entire sentence which contains this latter date and the scribe's name reads as follows : * The book of Shah-namah was finished by the help of God the Most High and under His kind guidance, on the last day of Shawwal, the month of merit and success, the year of the Hijrat of the Prophet one thousand and seventy and nine, 1079 [sic] a.h. [ = April 2, 1669 A.D.] ; it was written by the most humble serv- ant Bin Shams ad-Din Shaikh Muhammad ; may God for- give him on this account [i.e. through the merit accrued by copying it].' Memorandums. — There are several seals of different owners into whose possession the manuscript came ; three of these, for example, are impressed upon the back of the last foHo (4606) . The largest of these three seals on f ol. 460b is that to the left of the page, bearing the inscription, ^Shah Jahan sanah ahad Tayyib Khan fidawi/ ^ Above the seal there is the following memorandum in Persian : * Shah-namah, copied by Shams ad-Din Muhammad ; the paintings in it are the work of Aqa Nuyan and other artists, [a word cut of] five pictures; price one hundred and ten tumans; it was presented in the month of Shawwal, year . . . [the figures cut of in rebinding].' The seal next in size, towards the right of the page, is indistinct in regard to the name, which is different, however, ^The two words sanah ahad, 'first (regnal) year,' might possibly suggest that this large seal may have been a signet connected with the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, who ruled over India 1628-1658 and died in 1666 — or three years before this manuscript was finally completed — but if so, the seal would have to be explained as having been affixed by one of Shah Jahan's officials when the copy came into the royal library after his death. It might be possible to venture a conjecture that this Tayyib Khan was the same as Shah Tayyib, a prince who was also a poet, belonging to this period, as mentioned by Pertsch, Verzeichniss der Handschrifien der kgl. Bibl. zu Berlin, Persische Handschrifien, p. 606, no. 39, Berlin, 1888. FIRDAUSI 31 from the preceding and appears to be ' Muhammad bin . . . Tayyib Khan/ and above it in the body of the seal is the date 1128 A.H. = 1715 A.D. ; furthermore, above it is written in Persian : ^ Illustrated Shah-namah, the work of Aqa Nuyan and other artists ; it was presented on the tenth of the month of Rajab, year . . . [the figures are illegible].^ Between these two is a small seal, the signet of * Muham- mad Hashim bin Husain al-HusainL' Above it is a Persian jotting : * Shah-namah, which was bought for three hundred and twenty tumans in 1251 a.h. [= 1835 A.D.].' Near the top of fol. ga is a more recent seal, the official signet of the Amir Nizam (his personal name being Hasan ^Ali), who was Governor of Adharbaijan in 1894 and for several years afterwards. An accompanying Persian memorandum in five fines of large script by this high digni- tary reads as follows : * In the period of my administra- tion in Adharbaijan, while I was residing at Tabriz, the seat of government, I bought this book, the Shah-namah, from the honorable and august Aqa Nur Muhammad Husain, who is one of the true-born princes [of the house of ^Ali] and who is one of the greatest merchants of Tabriz . . . for three hundred tumans in the month of Rabi*a§-§ani 131 2 A.H, [= October, 1894 a.d.] — [signed] God's servant Hasan ^Ali.' On the upper margin of fol. 48a there is a small part of a seal-impression, but it is not legible. Throughout the course of the manuscript there are numer- ous marginal jottings, some of which are of special value because they relate to the miniatures, as will be described below; others are merely ordinary memorandums, like the supplying of a verse or verses omitted in the text. It will be noticed, for example, that in the upper left-hand 32 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS corner of folios 223a, 230a, and 242a there is a note in Persian — ^ something must be written ' — referring prob- ably to some omission in the text. Some one began to number the folios in the lower left-hand corner in Persian figures as far as f oL 476, but this was carried no farther ; and up to 47^ the sections headed by gold bands were num- bered sometimes in the margin and sometimes between the columns, but not systematically, and this also was aban- doned. In some instances where the catchwords have been clipped in rebinding, they are supplied in a small hand between the gold rulings. Figures in a minuscule hand are added beneath the miniatures so as to number them, but two of them were accidentally overlooked in numbering. For the other jottings as to the miniatures see below. Subject and Arrangement. — The great epic of Persia, practically complete, and preceded by an introduction containing ^ the Baisunghar Preface ' and ^ the Older Preface ' (cf. Rieu, Cat. Pers. Mss. in British Museum, 2. 534). This particular introduction was copied and added two centuries after the manuscript was prepared, as is shown by the date given at its close as 1255 A. H. = 1839 a.d. ; it occupies six and a half folios. The first part of the introduction (fol. 1^-3^) contains a hst of the early kings of Iran in the order of their dynasties, Pishdadian, Kaianian, Ashkanian, and Sasanian, together with tables of their reigns and other data, such as their titles, characteristics, capitals, or cities founded, and the like. One column in the table of the Kaianian rulers, on fol. 2fZ, gives a list of the names of the prophets contemporary with their reigns. The paragraph that follows this table is devoted to a summary of the interregnum of Alexander the Great. The so-called ' Baisunghar Preface ' begins near the top of fol. 3a with a doxology and with the special FIRDAUSi 33' line that is recorded in the second instance by Rieu, 2. 536 (Ms. 27. 302) as follows: — An account is given of Firdausf s life and of the circum- stances that led him to undertake the composition of the Shah-namah. Firdausi's celebrated Satire on Sultan Mahmud occupies the larger part of fol. 4a-46 and com- prises 60 couplets. After this comes the notice of the deg- radation of the Vizir Maimandi. The so-called ' Older Preface ' begins four lines from the bottom of fol. 4&, with the Kne It contains a briefer account of Firdausf s life and of the great epic and is followed (5a) by a list of the Kings of Persia, with the duration of their reigns. After this comes a vocabulary of old or obsolete Persian words that occur in the poem (fol. 5^-76). As above noted, when this in- troduction was prefixed to the codex, which was already nearly two centuries old, a colophon, containing the date 1255 A.H. (= 1839 A.D.), was appended. The entire next folio (Sa-b) is blank, and so is the first half of ga, except for the memorandum noted above. The poem begins on fol. gb and continues unbroken, down to the events preceding the death of Yazdagard III. The Epilogue of Firdausi shows some slight variations from the ordinarily received ver- sion (compare tr. Mohl, 7. 407-409; tr. Pizzi, 8. 472-474). The two subdivisions into which this manuscript divides the poem are very unequal. The first subdivision (I) covers fol. 96-238(1, the next two pages being left blank. The second subdivision (II) begins on fol. 2396, with the * Reign of Luhrasp,' and carries the epic to the events just preceding the fall of the Sasanian empire. 34 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS Illuminations and Illustrations. — The manuscript is an ornate one ; the embellishment of the title-page is particularly rich, and a number of the pages in the vicinity of miniatures are interlined with gold. The captions of the sections throughout are of gold and inscribed with red ink. In a few instances the verses before or after an illustration are written diagonally in square spaces to give a decorative effect. In regard to its miniatures (forty-two in number) the manuscript is a specially fine example of the general type of Shah-namah illustration, and most of the paintings are signed. It is possible to recognize five different artists, perhaps the finest being ^Ali Naqi, whose signature, in minuscule hand, is attached to three miniatures as follows : on fol. 24&, in the space between the columns, it is written as ^ 'All Naqi, the son of Shaikh, 1014 ' ; on fol. looa, upon a brick, it appears as ' 'Ali Naqi, [the son of] Shaikh 'Abbasi, year 1014,' and again on fol. 102a, upon a vase, as ' *Ali Naqi, [the son of] Shaikh 'Abbasi, 1014.^ The year 1014 A.H. would be equivalent to 1605 a.d., but possibly we should read 1104 = 1692 a.d., which is found in the repeated memo- randum below the signed miniatures of another artist on fol. 170&, 2445, as well as (erased but legible) on 230a, and, with the figures misplaced (1140 for 1104) on fol. 422^1. Yet the whole matter is very uncertain. 'All Naqf s work is particularly fine in its detail, as is shown by the beautiful miniature on fol. 24^. Next in order may be mentioned the miniatures, pre- sumably by Aqa Nuyan, on fol. 736, iio^>, 151&, as his name is mentioned in the Persian memorandum jotted on the last page, as noted above. In each of these three paint- ings there is found, apparently as an artist's motto, the phrase ' 0 Lord of Time/ i.e. God. FIRDAUSi 35 A third artist, but anonymous, appears to have prepared the miniatures on fol. 36a, 47a, and 58^^. Fourth, and quite distinct in style, is the work of Ghulam Parmak, whose signature is found in the columns below the painting on 436. From Parmak's brush come also the miniatures on fol. 11, 31, 51, 53, 55, 64, 69, 71, 84, 91. Noticeable is his use of blue coloring and his method of indicating rocks. Fifth, but most numerous, are the miniatures by Fadl 'All ; he styles himself ' the humble Fadl 'Ali ' and regularly signs his pictures. To him are due twenty-two miniatures as follows: fol. 106, 116, 129, 138, 162, 170, 176, 184, 193, 203, 214, 230, 244, 278, 282, 292, 299, 331, 338, 347, 354, 422. Striking in his work is the use of pink, bright orange, and white, and all his figures are large and boldly drawn. (a) fol. lb. Illuminated title-piece to the Preface. (b) fol. gb. Illuminated title-page to the first subdivision. 1 fol. lib. The condition of things at the time of Kaiumarg, the first king of Persia, when the people used to wear leopard-skins and the hides of animals. 2 fol. 246. Iraj slain by Salm and Tur, his brothers ; their father, Farldun, with his courtiers, laments as the head of Iraj is brought before him. This beautiful miniature, so full of expression, is signed **Ali Naqi, the son of Shaikh, year 1014,' as noted above. 3 fol. 316. Sam seeking Zal, his son, who is found in the nest of the fabulous bird Simurgh with its young. 4 fol. 36a. The meeting of Zal and Rudabah, with dancing girls and music. 5 fol. 436. Zal displays his prowess before Minuchihr, in piercing through the trunk of a large tree with his arrow. Signed in the column below the picture, 'Ghulam Parmak, 1019.' 6 fol. 4ya. Rustam kills the white elephant. PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 7 fol. 51&. The third battle between Naudhar and Afrasiab. 8 fol. 536. Naudhar slain at the hand of Afrasiab. 9 fol. 55a. The court of Zav, the son of Tahmasp. 10 fol. 58a. Pashang making merry in his court at the moment when his son Afrasiab brings the fearful news of Rustam's martial prowess. 11 fol. 64b. Rustam killing the white Div in the cavern and releasing Ulad, who had been made a prisoner by the Div. 12 fol. 6gb. Rustam fights with Arzhang, the king of Bar- baristan, and takes him captive. 13 fol. 71a. Kai Ka'us attempts to fly to heaven by eagles fastened to his throne and shoots at an angel. 14 fol. 736. Pilsam in battle against the Iranians. (On the top of the picture are the words ' O Lord of Time,' i.e. God. This phrase may be a motto used by the artist Aqa Nuyan, as already remarked.) 15 fol. 84a. Rustam kills Suhrab. (On Suhrab's arm is shown the amulet which was bound there as a talis- man by his mother.) 16 \ fol. gib. Siawush going through the fire-ordeal to prove his innocence of the accusation of a guilty love for Sudabah, his stepmother. 17 fol. lood. Siawush displays his skill in the chase, and arouses the envy of Afrasiab and the Turks. Signed by 'All Naqi, 1014. 18 fol. 102a. Siawush marries the daughter of Afrasiab. Signed by 'Ali Naql. 19 fol. 106a. Garslwaz slandering Siawush before Afrasiab. Signed by Fadl 'All. 20 fol. 110&. A meeting of Afrasiab and Garslwaz. (Over the picture are the words 'O Lord of Time,' i. e. God. See above, fol. 736.) 21 fol. ii6a. Battle of Pilsam against the Iranians, and the death of Pilsam. Signed by Fa(}l ^Ali. 22 fol. 129&. Kai Khusrau rides on an elephant as he reviews his army. Signed by Facjl *Ali. 23 fol. 138^*. Battle between the Persians and the Turanians. 24 fol. i5i^>. Rustam comes to the help of the Iranians against FIRDAUSI 37 the Turanians. (Again the words Lord of Time.' See above, fol. 735.) 25 fol. 162a. Rustam before Kai Khusrau after his capture of the Khaqan of China. Signed at top and bottom by Fadl 'All. 26 fol. 170&. Rustam in his sleep carried off by Akwan Div, and thrown into the sea. Signed Fadl 'All. 27 fol. ijGb. Bizhan imprisoned in a pit is fed by Mamzhah the daughter of Afrasiab. Signed Fadl 'AlL 28 fol. 184a. Bizhan taken out of the pit by Rustam. Signed Fadl 'All. 29 fol. 1936. Human killed by the hand of Bizhan. Signed Fadl 'All. 30 fol. 203a. Gudarz, the son of Kishwad, fights with Piran. Signed Fadl 'Ah. 31 fol. 214a. Kai Khusrau wrestles with Shidah, and Shidah is slain by him. 32 fol. 230^. Garsiwaz begs Kai Khusrau for mercy, but Kai Khusrau orders him to be cut asunder by the executioner and commands that his brother Afrasiab be put to death. — Not signed, but evidently by Fa41 'All. II (c) fol. 239&. Illuminated title-page to the second subdivision of the Shah-namah, beginning with the story of Luhrasp. 33 fol. 244&. Gushtasp killing a dragon. Signed by Facjl ^Ah. 34 fol. 278a. A meeting of Asfandiar and Rustam, after their combat. Signed Facjl 'Ali. 35 fol. 282^1. Rustam falls into a spiked pit dug in the hunting- ground by his half-brother Shaghad, the king of Qabul; but from the pit he transfixes Shaghad through the trunk of a tree, behind which the latter had taken refuge. The signature appears to be missing, but the work is plainly that of Fadl 'Ali. 36 fol. 292a. The death of Darius, and the lament of Alexander. Signed Fadl 'All. 37 fol. 299^. Alexander and Khicjr at the Fountain of Life. (In the picture Alexander rides a white mare accom- 38 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS panied by her foal ; and Khi(Jr is mounted on a mule ; to be observed also are the flag-bearer and torch-carrier.) 38 fol. 3316. Bahram Gur in company with his mistress Fitnah, or Azadah, who plays on the harp while he trans- fixes the gazelle's hoof to its ear. Signed Facjl 'Ali. 39 fol. 338a. Bahram Gur hunting lions. Not signed, but plainly the work of Fa(Jl 'Ali. 40 fol. 347a. Bahram Gur kills a dragon. Signed by Fa(}l 'All. 41 fol. 354a. Bahram kills another dragon. Signed by Fadl ' 'All. 42 fol. 422a. Combat between Khusrau and Bahram Chubinah. Signed Facjl 'All, 1140 (for 1104; see page 34). Firdausi : Shah-namah. — A large-sized copy of the great epic, belonging possibly to the latter part of the sixteenth cen- tury, or to the early seventeenth century, and carrying the heroic story down through Alexander's death. It is hand- somely illuminated and is illustrated by twenty-eight miniatures. The embossed covers of the binding are worthy of mention. Size. — iSf X 12I in. (46.6 X 31.6 cm.). Height and width of written page, respectively, 12 X 7I in. (30.5 X 19.3 cm.). Folios 579. The .manuscript comprises about 47,500 couplets. One leaf is missing between folios 392 and 393. Binding. — Strongly bound in olive-brown leather, apparently camel's hide, with flap-cover, and heavily embossed with designs in gold. The covers are the original ones, although the manuscript has been bound a second time, and the workmanship on both covers is alike in all respects. Faridun's Grief at the Murder of his Sox, Iraj Painting by 'Ali Naqi, Ms. No. 4, fol. 246 (see page 35) FIRDAUSI 39 The outside covers are stamped with a double border that incloses a scene representing trees and shrubs in bloom, with various animals and birds, such as lions, gazelles, deer, foxes, a wild boar, storks, and jackdaws. One of the lions is in the act of killing a wild ram ; there is also a brook with a duck and a crane. The marginal borders show panel designs with flowers, birds, and heads of lions impressed in gold. The inside covers have a highly ornate arabesque design, rich in gold and color, in a setting of dark red leather. The central field is oblong in shape, with gold tooled circular designs upon a background of various colors, green, orange, deep blue, and white. The outer border has paneled work of a similar nature and like colors, except the orange ; the inner border is a broad gold band with a running design. The flap-cover is ornamented inside and out in such a way as to match exactly the respective designs on the exterior and interior binding. On the back of the flap, handsomely inscribed in gold panels, is the following quatrain : — * Blessings upon the soul of Firdausi, Who was of sacred and happy origin ! He was not a mere teacher and we his pupils ; He was a lord and we his servants! * In a golden brooch-shaped panel between the two halves of this quatrain is added the invocation, * The mercy of God (be upon him) ! ' Although the manuscript has undergone rebinding, the edges of the pages have not been especially trimmed, except the first foKo, which was slightly cut down when it was repaired by a sheet pasted on the back of it, as explained below. The fact that the edges of the folios are gilded — a feature not common in Persian manuscripts — is worth 4P PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS mentioning, and this may well be a later addition. For the purpose of protecting the miniatures, thin paper inserts have been pasted between the folios that contain illus- trations, but some of the paintings had previously been slightly marred. For convenience in finding the pictures, tabs with small ribbons attached have been added to the margins of the folios concerned. Writing and Paper. — Written in a beautiful Nasta'liq hand of a rather large size, 21 lines to the page in four columns, with marginal rulings of gold and blue. The paper is of an excellent quality and of a light cream color, with a dull finish, slightly resembling parchment. In composition, the paper is exceptionally even, and might be placed approxi- mately at a sixty-five pound basis. The wire-marks usually show a wide sweeping curve. The two heavy fly-leaves at the front and back are pink on the outer side and are outlined by broad gold rulings. The other two thin fly- leaves front and back, due also to rebinding, are of fight- weight European paper. The first folio has been repaired by a sheet pasted on the back. This can be clearly seen hy holding the leaf up to the light. It contained the conclusion of a lost Preface, at the end of which was a flowered design similar to those on fol. 167a, 539a. Date and Scribe. — No name or date is given, and there is no colophon at the end of the work ; but judging from the style of the writing and the old cover bindings, the manuscript probably belongs to the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. In either case the date can hardly be far removed from 1600 A.D. Memorandums. — There are no Persian seals or memorandums ; their absence may possibly be accounted for in part by the loss of the Preface, as noted in the next paragraph. There is, however, a marginal jotting in Turkish on fol. 39a record- FIRDAUSi 41 ing that the order in a couplet, which is wrongly repeated on the next page, would be better if reversed ; there is also a variant reading inserted on the margin of fol. 56^ and the restoration of a verse omitted at the top of fol. sya. On the fly-leaves there are pencil-notes of no importance. Subject and Arrangement. — The epic down to the death of Alexander the Great. The manuscript once had a Preface, the conclusion of which can still be seen on the back of the first folio, which has had a page pasted over it, as ex- plained above under ^ Writing and Paper,' but the preced- ing part of this introduction has been lost. There are four great divisions of the poem, marked by illuminated half title-pages, as follows: I (fol. ih-i^'ja). First part. — II (fol. 1676-452^). * Book of Kai Khusrau.' — III (fol. 452&- 539a). ^ Book of Bahman.' — IV (fol. 5396-579(2) . ^ Book of Alexander.' Illuminations and Illustrations. — There are four heavily adorned 'unwans, or title-pieces, to introduce the several divisions of the poem, the predominating decoration being in gold and blue. The numerous small caption-bands that head the different sections of the epic narrative and occupy the space of two couplets in the two middle columns, are left uncolored, but are inscribed in gold letters, with the ex- ception of the introductory one (fol. ih) which is gold and is inscribed in light blue characters. Particularly graceful are the flowered designs at the close of the first division (fol. 167a) and the third division (fol. 539a) ; another one of these (fol. la), at the end of the practically lost Preface, occupied the back of the opening page, but has been pasted over, as explained above under ' Writing and Paper.' Gold sprinkling has been applied as an added embellishment on the two opening pages of the first two divisions of the poem (fol. ih-2a\ 1676-168^), as made in this manuscript. 42 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS There are twenty-eight large miniatures, each occupying most of the page. Their general style resembles that of the period to which the manuscript has been assigned above, and the Mongolian touch is still easily recognizable. No artist's name is found on any one, but a large number of them are plainly by the same painter, who in eight cases has added two banneret flags in the margin above the picture; a possible exception to such identity in manner of workmanship in the paintings so marked is found in the miniature on fol. 306a, which, although it has two banners, differs somewhat in style. In the case of the only two paint- ings which run over the side margins, namely fol. 220a, 375(z, the work appears to be the execution of a single brush, though of still another artist ; further proof of this is given by the beardless portrait of Rustam, as contrasted with all other representations of that hero in the book. (a) fol. lb. Illuminated title-piece. 1 fol. 4b. Kaiumars, the first ruler of Iran. 2 fol. 156. Faridun overcomes Dahhak, the fiendish ruler of Babylon and Arabia, and imprisons him in chains on Mount Alburz. 3 fol. 22b. Iraj slain by his brothers Tur and Salm. 4 fol. S2b. The fabulous bird Simurgh brings back the youthful hero Zal to his father Sam. 5 fol. 52a. The identification of this miniature is not quite certain. Apparently it represents a scene of anger between Mihrab and his wife Sindukht, when he learned of their daughter's love for Zal (Vullers, I. 180-184 ; tr. Warner, i. 284-287) ; but if so, the miniature is somewhat misplaced, as it is located in a passage describing a later incident, namely the birth of their daughter's child, the hero Rustam (Vullers, i. 223-224 ; tr. Warner, i. 320-321). If the subject be Rustam's birth, the representation seems inadequate in certain details. riRDAUSI 43 6 fol. 6ga. 7 fol. 80a. 8 fol. 106a, 9 fol. ii6a. lO fol. i45 ^ The chief details as to the subjects are as follows : — I (a) fol. la. Ornate title-page with a medallion in the center, containing the names of Ni?ami's five works; there are four angels at the corners of the page, as if making offerings. (b) fol. ib-2a. Two illuminated title-pages in blue and gold, the first giving the name of Nizami's earliest work, Makhzan al-Asrdr^ and the second containing an invocation of blessing upon the author. 1 fol. 4a. Miniature illustrating Muhammad's ascent to heaven in a vision. 2 fol. 15a. Anushirwan the Just (King Chosroes I, 531-579 A.D.) and his Vizir, who teaches the Kling a lesson from the talk he overheard between two owls. II (c) fol. 336. Illuminated 'unwan, or title-piece to Nizami's second work, Khusrau and Shirin. 3 fol. 56a. Khusrau II (590-628 A.D.) kills a lion in Shirm's presence. 4 fol. Khusrau victorious over Bahram Chubin. 5 fol. 76^. Shirin and her horse carried on the shoulders of her sculptor lover, Farhad. 6 fol. 87a. Khusrau arrives at Shirm's palace as she stands in the balcony. (The Arabic inscription under the balcony refers to the King.) 7 fol. 104a. Khusrau and Shirin united in wedlock. Ill {d) fol. 1 186. Decorative title-piece to Laild and Majnun. 8 fol. 1306. Laila and Majnun as children neglected their lessons to indulge in love-making. 9 fol. 135a. Majnun's father takes the lovelorn youth on a pilgrimage to Mecca in hopes to restore his reason. ^Angles < > are used to indicate that the matter so inclosed is based on published material by Martin or by Valentiner that became accessible after ' copy ' was ready to go to press. 52 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 10 fol. 142a. Naufal, the Arab chieftain, champions Majnun's cause in battle. 11 fol. 147^. Majnun gives himself as a prisoner to an old woman in order to release a man who was her captive. 12 fol. 1546. Majnun mourns his father's death. 13 fol. 163a. Majniin's mother visits him in the wilderness shortly before she dies. 14 fol. 173&. Laila and Majnun, long separated, swoon when they meet. 15 fol. 178a. Majnun mourning at Laila's tomb. 16 fol. 181&. Laila and Majnun united in Paradise, as seen in a vision by Zaid. IV (e) fol. 183&. Decorative head-piece to the Haft Paikar. 17 fol. 2026. Bahram Gur transfixes a deer's foot to its ear with an arrow in the presence of his sweetheart Fitnah, who plays the harp. (Reference has been made above to this story also in Firdausi.) 18 fol. 2ocih. Bahram and the Indian Princess in the Black Palace on Saturday. 19 fol. 217a. Bahram and the Chinese (?) Princess in the Yellow Palace on Sunday. 20 fol. 220&. Bahram and the Khwarazmian (?) Princess in the Green Palace on Monday. 21 fol. 224&. Bahram and the Russian Princess in the Red Palace on Tuesday. 22 fol. 228(Z. Bahram and the Persian Princess in the Tur- quoise Palace on Wednesday. 23 fol. 234^. Bahram and the Moorish ( ?) Princess in the Sandal Palace on Thursday. 24 fol. 240a. Bahram and the Byzantine Princess in the White Palace on Friday. V-^ (/) fol. 254&. Decorative head-piece to the First Section of the Book of Alexander — the section being here entitled Sharaf-ndmah. 25 fol. 270^. Battle between Alexander and the ZangTs (Ethio- pians or Egyptians). 26 fol. 2946. Alexander and the daughter of Darius III united in marriage. NIZAMI 53 27 fol. 322a. Discussion in Alexander's presence about the difference between Occidental and Oriental art. The Byzantine and Chinese painters vie in a trial of skill, and the former use mirrors (shown in the side panels of the picture) to reflect the art of the latter. 28 fol. 3325. Alexander's combat against the Russians. 29 fol. 3426. Alexander visits the Land of Darkness in search of the Fountain of Life. (g) fol. S46b. Decorative title-piece to the Second Section of the Book of Alexander J here called Iqbdl-ndmah. 30 fol. 3586. Alexander and the Seventy Wise Men of Greece. 31 fol. 384a. Alexander's return from the East to the North and his^shutting out Gog and Magog by a wall. Nizami : Khamsah, * Quintet,' or works complete. A handsome manuscript of the beginning of the sixteenth century, being dated 1509-15 10 A.D., with richly illuminated introductory pages and title-pieces and with nineteen miniatures. Size. — ii| X 7 in. (29.2 X 17.8 cm.) ; written space, 7f X 4 in. (19.6 X 10.4 cm.). Folios 357 ; one leaf is missing between folios 164 and 165, and one between folios 311 and 312. Binding. — Original Persian flap-binding of dark maroon leather heavily embossed with gold. The ornamentation on both of the outer covers is alike and shows a field decorated with an elaborate tendril design impressed upon the leather and gilded. This is framed by a border of flowered panels and is inclosed by a narrow gold band in the style of a Grecian border. In two long gilded panels above and below the inner field there is beautifully stamped a quotation from Nizami's dedication of his Makhzan aUAsrdr to Fakhr ad- 54 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS Dm Bahram-Shah (see fol. 8a of the manuscript). They re- late to the mystic power of the Word, or Divine Revelation : — 'There is nothing superior to the Word (Revelation). The fortune of this world depends only upon the Word ; As long as the sound of a word exists, May Ni?anii's name remain fresh through the word.' The inner covers present a good example of the typical combination of cut-out leather work and blind pressing common in ornamental Persian bindings. The main design is given by a figure of dull red leather laid upon a blue ground, the central feature being a large medallion with a pendant above and below it, and outlined with an artistic and intricate pattern of gold and black tracery. The corner angles and side-pieces are similar, and the whole has a double gold cording as a border. The flap cover is identical with the other two in all details. Writing and Paper. — Small Nasta'liq hand of fine quality, 21 lines to a page in four gold-ruled columns, with gold and blue outline. The paper is of medium weight, cream- colored, and has a slight sheen. The fly-leaves are of a different quality and are modern, being due to a repairing of the binding. Date and Scribe. — The two dates given by the scribe show that the copying of the manuscript occupied more than four months. At the end of fol. 31a, when the transcribing of the Makhzan al-Asrdr was completed, he noted the date as ' the twentieth of Jumada II in the year nine hundred and fifteen [ = Oct. 5, 1509 a.d.].' In the colophon on fol. 357a he gives the day of completing the work as 'Salasa 24 Shawwal in the year nine hundred and fifteen [ = Tues- day, Feb. 4, 1 5 10 A.D.].' He adds his name as Na'im ad-Din, the Scribe. No place is mentioned, but undoubtedly this is the same person as Na'im ad-Din, the Scribe, of Shiraz, Naufal, the Arab Chieftain, championing the Cause of Majnun Ms. No. 7, fol. 130a (see page 56) NIZAMI 55 who nine years earlier (August 7, 1501) finished copying another manuscript of Nizamfs Khamsah, cf. Sachau and Ethe, Cat. Pers. Mss. Bodl. Lib., col. 490, no. 587. Memorandums. — On the blank side of the first folio near the top there is a Persian memorandum taken from the illu- minated head-line of the next page, * the method of string- ing of pearls/ and thus indicating that the work is a poetical one. Below is a memorandum in Arabic recording that the book was * owned by Isma^il 'Asim, son of Chalabi Zadah, the Governor, who had a valiant, brilliant, pure, and victori- ous administration. May God Almighty maintain his rank, and respect his justice !^ Some obhterated Persian words in another jotting indicate that the name of a former owner has been erased. On p. 8 is impressed a seal con- taining the imperial monogram and date of ' Sultan Ahmad, 1115 A.H. [= 1703 A.D.],' showing that the book once belonged to that Turkish ruler. A small oval seal on the last page has been obliterated so that it cannot be read. Subject and Arrangement. — The five poetic romances of Nizami as described above: — I. Makhzan al-Asrdr, fol. ib-^ia. — II. Khusrau u Shlrin, fol. 31&-108&. — III. Laild u Majnun, fol. 1096-164&. — IV. Haft Paikar, fol. 165^^ (preceding fol. lost)-228a. — V. (a) Book of Alexander, first portion, here entitled Shar of -ndmah, fol. 229&-311&. — (b) Second portion of same, or Iqbdl-ndmah, occupies fol. S^ib-^sja, but the decorative title-piece is missing, owing to the loss of the folio between 311 and 312. Illuminations and Illustrations. — In addition to the richly illuminated title-pieces introducing the separate books, there are decorative bands as captions to the sections of each poem with numerous ornamental floweret designs and nineteen fine miniatures in the style of the Safavid period to illustrate the work. They seem, as a whole, to PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS be the work of a single artist, and in size they average about three-quarters of a page. < Miniature no. 7 has been selected for reproduction by Valentiner, Bull. MetropoL Museum of Arty 8. 83. > The subjects are as follows : — (a^-a?) fol. ib-$a. Two exquisitely illuminated introductory pages to Makhzan al-Asrar with rich colors of blue and gold, and showing four ornate medallions that give the name of Ni?ami as author and praise him in highest terms. 1 fol. 16a, An old widowed woman complains to Sultan San jar of ill-treatment by one of his officers. {h) fol. 316. Illuminated title-piece to i^L^w^mw ^/ffrm. 2 fol. 466. King Khusrau catches sight of Shirin bathing in a pool. 3 fol. 72&. ShMn goes to see the wonderful rock- carvings (near Kirmanshah) by the sculptor Farhad, her admirer. (In the tiny pictures on the rocks in the painting is the rimed couplet : *If you had real love for Shirin, you would not see her picture in the eyes of men.') 4 fol. 81&. Khusrau comes to the Palace of Shirin as she stands in the balcony window. (The arabesque inscription over the doorway calls him *the Just King.') 5 fol. 95&. Khusrau and Shirin united in wedlock. (The arabesque over the door is the same as the preceding.) ic) fol. 1096. Illuminated title-piece to Laild and Majnun. 6 fol. 1 20a. As children Laila and Majniin neglect their studies to devote their hearts to each other. 7 fol. 130a. Naufal, the Arab chieftain, champions in battle the cause of the love-distraught Majnun. -> 8 fol. 1335. An old woman leads in chains the lovelorn Majnun, who has sacrificed himself to free a man whom she had taken prisoner. King Khusrau seated on his Throne Painting by Mirak, Ms. No. 8, fol. 64a (see page 65) NIZAMI 57 9 fol. 1566. The chaste meeting of Laila and Majnun. Both swoon at seeing each other after their long separation. IV 1(d) fol. between 164 and 165 missing. Decorative title-page to Haft Paikar is thereby lost.] 10 fol. 180&. BahramGur saves his crown by killing two lions. 11 fol. 1846. Bahram Gtir's sweetheart, FitnahC Mischief '), performs the feat of climbing a ladder with a cow on her shoulder. (This incident is a familiar story in the Persian accounts of Bahram.) The inscription on the door calls him ' the Just King.' 12 fol. 196a. Bahram visits the Princess of the Yellow Palace on Sunday. 13 fol. 202(Z. Bahram visits the Russian Princess in the Red Palace on Tuesday. (The title 'the Just King' is seen in the inscription over the doors.) 14 fol. 2216. Bahram learns a lesson about his unfaithful vizir from the action of an old shepherd who punished his sheep-dog that was unfaithful to the charge of the flocks. V-^ (e) fol. 228^. Decorative head-piece to the First Section of the Book of Alexander J here called Sharaf-ndmaM Iskandari. There is no title-piece to the Second Section (or Igbdl), as the folio that con- tained it is missing between folios 311 and 312. 15 fol. 2586. Death of Darius III (Dara) in the presence of Alexander, who then leads to execution the two treacherous assassins of the monarch. 16 fol. 2716. Alexander, disguised as a legate, visits Queen Nushabah, who recognizes him and proves the fact by his portrait, which she had. 17 fol. 291 J. Alexander's visit to the Khaqan of China. [(/) The decorative title-piece to the Second Section of the Book of Alexander is missing through the loss, already noted, of a folio between 311-312.] 18 fol. 318a. Alexander learns from a shepherd the gate by which to enter the city. (*The Just King' is inscribed over the door.) 19 fol. 330a. Alexander consulting the Seven Wise Men. 58 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 8 Nizami : Khamsah, or works complete. A magnificent manu- script of the early sixteenth century, being dated as com- pleted in 1525 A.D., and copied by the famous calligraphist Sultan Muhammad Ntir ; it is adorned with fifteen exquisite miniatures, specimens of the finest workmanship of the contemporary Bahzad school. < These masterpieces are now assigned by Martin, Miniature Painting, vol. i, p. 52, to the renowned Mirak, ^ the Carpaccio of the East,' who ranks highest among all Persian painters except Bahzad, and appears to have been a pupil of that teacher. Regarding this superb codex, which came from the library of the Saf avid kings of Persia and was among the treasures of the later Shahs, Dr. Martin writes that it ' is second to none of the same period; there are certainly larger ones in existence, but none of finer quality, with such a profusion of archi- tecture and such charming colouring ; furthermore, it is in perfect condition, and in a splendid contemporary binding.' Cf. also Martin, op. cit., i. 116. > Particularly noticeable also is the gold-frosted paper with a different marginal color for each of the five romantic poems. The original flap-cover binding furnishes a fine example of Persian art in that line of production. Size. — i2f X 8f in. (32.6 X 22.4 cm.) ; written space, 7X4! in. (17.8 X 12.0 cm.). Folios 368. There are missing one folio between 89 and 90 and two folios between 176 and 177. Binding. — Original Persian flap-binding of brown leather highly decorated. The outside covers, and the flap to match, are gilded and elegantly embossed with scenes com- prising trees, deer, hares, monkeys, storks, wild ducks, a dragon, and the fabulous Simurgh bird. The inside covers, including the interior of the flap, are equally beautiful, and 59 furnish, for the period to which the manuscript belongs, a fine example of the Oriental bookbinder's art in applying exquisitely cut-out leather designs upon a background of color. In each case the inner field presents a rich blue basis embelKshed by a delicately perforated central medallion of gilded and bronzed leather, with smaller vignettes of similar traceries above and below it ; and surrounding this is a pressed leather design of a deep red color, set off by corner angles filled with a network of kindred gold and brown traceries cut out of the leather. The whole inner field in these is framed by a narrow gold border with a run- ning tendril design. The outer margin of the field is pecu- liarly ornate, as it consists of a series of light blue panels interrupted by oHve green vignettes, and each of these panels contains a Persian verse most delicately tooled in the leather and gilded. The contents of these verses in the panels beginning at the upper right-hand corner of the front cover and reading to the left and then down is as follows : — Front cover (beginning in the upper right corner). Panel i. 'This book is an ornament of the page of time. Panel 2. The merit of the book is suited to the quality of the reader. Panel 3. For each small detail of it the artist has procured limpid gold. Panel 4. The sky became mother of pearl, the sun was made Saturn, Panel 5. By the cover bound upon its soft face. Panel 6. For lovers each leaf (of the book) is a new chapter. Panel 7. Its composition is a Treasury of the Secrets of Wisdom — {Makhzan al-Asrdr). Panel 8. In wisdom the book is deeper than the pearl of pure water. Panel 9. It is the perfect verse of an intimate friend. 6o PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS Panel lo. It brings a hundred ideas, but speaks only that which is true. Back cover (beginning at the top). Panel ii. Sometimes the tongue of the lovelorn lover {i.e. KJhusrau) speaks; Panel 12. At other times a charming word from the lips of the beloved {i.e. Shirin) is unveiled ; Panel 13. It scatters sweetness over the memory of Khusrau and Shirin. Panel 14. It describes the story of Laild and MajnUn as a pearl of pure water. Panel 15. It gives a description of Iskandar (Alexander the Great), Panel 16. And of how he ultimately left this ruined world ; Panel 17. Finally it explains his kindness and virtues. Panel 18. Beyond measure and great is the amount Panel 19. Of the beautiful writing on its rose leaves ; Panel 20. It is a rare picture delineated, as it were, by the pen of Providence upon the water. Flap cover — side (beginning in the lower right corner). Panel 21. May these beautiful pages and their unparalleled script Panel 22. Grant light to the pupil of the eye of the Writer ; Panel 23. And with it sweet virtues and comfort. Panel 24. The veil is raised from his face, in hope Panel 25. That from the Asaf of the time he may obtain a glance and may gain Flap cover — back. Panel 26. From that glance everlasting joy. Panel 27. By the gift of God may the prosperity of his fortune be everlasting ; Panel 28. And may the prayers from the lips of the people be accepted.' Writing and Paper. — The writing is a beautiful Nasta^liq of • a medium size and is worthy of the renown of the eminent calligraphist Sultan Muhammad Nur, who executed it, as stated below. It may be worth noting that the letter jim is written throughout instead of chlm. The paper is of a remarkable quality, heavy in weight, and the portions of KlN(} KlIUSRAU AND HIS BkIDE SlIIRlN raintiiig by Mirak, Ms. No. 8, fol. lOU (see page NIZAMI 6l the pages containing the writing are so skilfully inset into the borders as almost to defy detection, yet the fact that they are inset is proved by such a foKo as 143. At basis both insets and borders are a laid paper, pressure having probably been apphed to give the smooth finish ; the borders are slightly heavier and more opaque than the inset page. For each poem a different colored paper, always in perfect harmony with the miniatures, has been employed : (i) rich cream, (2) salmon pink, (3) saffron yellow, (4) delicate blue, (5) light cream. The whole is richly sprinkled with flakes of gold, the written portion of the page being sprinkled more delicately, so as not to interfere with the writing. Date and Scribe. — The date of completion of the copying is given in the colophon as 931 a.h. = 1524-1525 a.d. The same year, Rajab 931 a.h. = April-May, 1525, is found also inserted in the inscription across the miniature on fol. 104^, as noted below. The name of the scribe is given in the colophon, where the copyist speaks of the work as being ' finished with God's help by the hand of the poor and obscure Sultan Muhammad Nur.' This well-known callig- raphist was the son of the famous penman Mashhadi, and was a pupil of his father, who lived at the court of Tamer- lane's great-grandson, the Sultan Husain Baiqara (who ruled at Herat, 1469-1506). Muhammad Nur was a con- temporary of the celebrated miniaturist Bahzad and is known to have copied a poem by Jami in 900 a.h. = 1494 A.D., and was himself something of a poet. Furthermore, it is important to add that the name of still another famous penman, Mahmud, is inserted in an inscription in a miniature, on fol. 213a, referring to the gilding and the handwriting in the miniature on that particular page as being ' entirely the work of Mahmud.' This Mahmud was likewise one of the pupils of Mashhadi and was an eminent master of 62 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS calligraphy and gilding, in the time of the Safavid monarch Shah Isma'il (d. 1524). Shah Isma'il, on going to war with the Turkish sultan Salim I, is stated to have left Mahmud and Bahzad at home, saying, ' If I am conquered I do not wish Shah Mahmud of Nishapur (his court calligraphist) and Master Bahzad (the miniaturist) to fall into the hands of the enemy/ Mahmud's death occurred about the year 1545 A.D. For some account of the persons mentioned see Huart,. Les Calligraphes et les miniaturistes de V Orient mu- sulman, p. 221-226, Paris, 1908; cf. also Sachau and Ethe, Cat. Pers. Mss, Bodl. Lib., col. 623, no. 918; < com- pare now likewise Martin, Miniature Painting, i. 41; the reference, moreover, which Martin {op. cit., 1. 117, 11. 3-6) makes to a manuscript written in 1 502 by Shah Mahmud may well be connected with the Mahmud who has been mentioned already as signing his name in the arabesque inscription on fol. 2i3a.> Memorandums. — On the back of the first folio is a memoran- dum in Persian stating : * This book, the Khamsah of Nizami, is the gift of his Majesty, my father ; it came into the Hbrary of his Highness, the noble Shahzadah Sultan Husain Mirza, in the month of Zihajjah 1260 a.h. [ = Dec, 1844 A.D.].' Below this, twice repeated, and also on the last folio is stamped the oval seal of Sultan Husain. This governor-prince, Shahzadah Sultan Husain Mirza, must have been (judging from the date) Prince Husain 'All Mirza, a son of the Persian monarch Fath 'Ali Shah, and Governor of the Province of Shiraz (consult Ker Porter, Travels in Persia, 1. 692 ; 2. 508, London, 1821-1822). The seals of other owners are obliterated, as is also the stamp of a round seal (probably of the first owner) which had been impressed at the top of every folio throughout the book. NIZAMI 63 On fol. 178a is a small square seal, the signet of Hidayat, who combines in his seal the Arabic phrase min hudd, ^from [God's] guidance/ choosing the latter word as akin to his name Hidayat. It may be noted that there was a Persian literary historian named Hidayat Rida Quli Khan who died in 187 1 A.D., according to Ethe, Neupersische Litteratur, in Geiger and Kuhn's Grundriss der iranischen Philologie, 2. 314. Furthermore, on the margin of fol. 114a are two brief phrases of benediction where the name of Muham- mad occurs in the text. There are also marginal correc- tions or additions of omissions in the text on fol. 162a, 197a, 221&, 222a. Subject and Arrangement. — The complete works of Nizami, arranged as follows : — I. Makhzan al-Asrdr, fol. 1&-326. — II. Khusrau u Shirin, fol. 33&-ii6a. — III. Laild u Majnun, fol. iiyb-i'jSa. — IV. Haft Paikar, fol. 179&-2466. — V. Book of Alexander, the sections being entitled {a) Kitdh-i Iskandar-ndmah, fol. 2476-3 285, and {h) Khirad-ndmah-i Iskandari, fol. 3296-368^?. Illuminations and Illustrations. — The two elegantly illuminated first pages, or 'unwans, with headlines and f ootlines in Kufic style of script, are particularly fine, as are also the ornate smaller headings of the separate books with titles in Persian script. To lend a decorative effect, as in other Persian manuscripts, the writing is often done at an angle and inclosed in parallelograms. Throughout the work there are likewise chapter captions in gold. The fifteen exquisite miniatures in the codex are in the finest style of the contemporary school of Bahzad, of the early sixteenth century. < They are now decisively assigned by Martin, i. 52 (see above), to Mirak, the greatest pupil of Bahzad, it is believed. Mirak came from Isfahan and began his work at Herat, in Bahzad's later years ; and as 64 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS a painter, peerless in his way, he is considered to be the founder or reformer of the school of art that is now called after the city of Bukhara. His miniatures, though few exist, are recognized to be supreme of their kind. His wonder- ful skill of execution, his balance in grouping, his sense of color, and his specially refined touch in all that relates to architecture, entitle his deHcate paintings to praise of the highest kind. The date when this master lived was ap- proximately 1475-1545. Five plates from the manuscript here described are to be found in Martin, 2. pi. 96-99. >^ Originally our present codex had sixteen miniatures, as shown by the Persian number given to each, but one of them (No. 5) is missing. The two illuminated introductory title-pages, or ^unwans, with headlines and footlines in Kufic style of script, are particularly fine, as are also the superb smaller headings of the separate books with titles in Persian script. Throughout the work there are chapter captions in gold. Details are as follows : — I {a-h) fol. ia-2h. Two ornate title-pages to the work and forming the introduction to the Makhzan al-Asrdr. 1 fol. 1 7(1. An old woman complains to Sultan San jar about an injustice committed by one of his oflficers. II (c) fol. 336. Illuminated title-piece to Khusrau and Shirin. 2 fol. 50a. Khusrau catches sight of the fair Shirin as she is bathing in a pool. * Bahram Gur in the Sandal Palace Painting b}^ Mirak, Ms. No. 8, fol. 230& (see page NIZAMI 3 fol. 6^a. Khusrau seated upon his throne. 4 fol. 74a. Shirin goes to see the wonderful mountain sculpture of her artist admirer Farhad, who has turned the course of a stream from out of the rocks. [5 fol., with miniature, missing, between fol. 89-90. Judging from the context this picture must have related to the coming of Khusrau to the castle of Shirin.] 6 fol. 104b. Marriage of Khusrau and Shirin. (The Persian inscription beautifully written in white letters across the upper part of the miniature reads as follows: — 'This inscription was written in Rajab 931 a.h. [ = April-May, 1525 A.D.]. This soul-refreshing, delightsome, and • most perfect vaulted recess is neither small nor large, but it is a lofty chamber of nuptial bliss, a soul-inspiring recess, a heart-entrancing man- sion, a place of delightsome air, a most perfect abode ; the roses in this palace have blossomed out as Shirin; the mole on her cheek is like rosewater and sugar.* Below this, in the center, above the window, is an invocation to God, *0 thou Opener of Doors!') ni (d) fol. 1 1 76. Illuminated title-piece to Laild and Majniin. 7 fol. 129a. Laila and Majntin in love with each other at school. (Note the two boys playing ball in the court outside the school in the lower left- hand panel.) In an arabesque verse written in white letters over the portal are the lines : — 'O teacher, give no instruction of an unjust kind to that fairy-faced girl (i.e. Laila), Nor anything but good; for nothing else is worthy of that beauteous face.' IV (e) fol. 179&. Illuminated title-piece to Haft Paikar. 8 fol. 207a. Bahram Gur in the Dark Palace on Saturday. The white arabesque inscription reads : — * Happy is that assembly where the royal seat is 66 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS placed. And bright is that mansion over which the moon is passing.' (The reference is respec- tively to Bahram and the Princess.) 9 fol. 213a. Bahram Gur in the Yellow Palace on Sunday. The arabesque inscription is interesting as containing an allusion to the delineator Mahmud, as mentioned above in connection with the scribe. It reads in substance as follows : 'The command regarding this gold-encrusted dome has been obeyed, and the inscription, which is added, is altogether the work of Mahmud.' (The lower left-hand figure in the picture is probably a dancing-boy with curls). 10 fol. 216&. Bahram Gtir in the Green Palace on Monday. The inscription over the doorway reads : ' Over the emerald portico is inscribed in gold : "Noth- ing but the goodness of the generous remains." ' 11 fol. 220a. Bahram Gur in the Red Palace on Tuesday. Over the left-hand doorway is an invocation to God, 'O thou Opener of Doors ! ' 12 fol. 224b. Bahram Gur in the Turquoise Palace on Wednesday. Over the pavilion is written : 'The foundation of this turquoise dome they have laid and have made a place to entertain the lovers together.' 13 fol. 230&. Bahram Gur in the Sandal Palace on Thurs- day. 14 fol. 2356. Bahram Gur in the White Palace on Friday. The inscription reads: 'My eye had slight ambition and that even has been washed away by tears. I have therefore made this house for thee plain white throughout.' (/) fol. 247&. Illuminated title-piece to the First Section of the Book of Alexander, here entitled Kitdh-i Iskandar-ndmah. NIZAIH 67 15 fol. 279a. Battle between Iskandar and Dara, or Alexander the Great and Darius III. 16 fol. 3216. Alexander receives the booty on the day of battle. < Now reproduced in Bulletin Metropol, Mus. of Art, 8. 85. > {g) fol. 329&. Illuminated title-piece to the Second Section of the Book of Alexander, here entitled Khi- rad-ndmah-i Iskandari, or 'Alexander-Book of Wisdom.' Nizami: Khamsah, or works complete as a * Quintet.' A manuscript of about the middle of the sixteenth century, illuminated by five finely executed double title-pages to the separate poems, including the two subdivisions of the last romance, all of them being of full size ; there is likewise a single introductory title-page of half size, belonging to a later date. The manuscript is illustrated by miniatures, mostly three-quarter-page in size. Size. — iij X 8 in. (29.2 X 21.3 cm.) ; written space, 8f X 5i in. (22.5 X 14.5 cm.). Folios 279; the last page, fol. 2796, is left blank. There are six folios missing at the beginning, the Makhzan al-Asrdr here opening with the praise of the Word, or Divine Revelation (cf. ed. Bland, p. 21) ; the upper half of this first page has been re-pasted and a new 'unwan, or title-piece, prepared for it. Binding. — Red Persian morocco covers of a later date, pressed and with decorative gilt stamping. In rebinding the pages have been trimmed so that many of the catchwords at the bottom of the folios have been cut off. 68 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS Writing and Paper. — Medium-sized Naskhi style of writing, 25 lines to a page in four gold-ruled columns, with gold and blue outlinings. A peculiarity of the scribe is occasionally to extend the tail of the Persian letter for / to a distance considerably beyond the marginal ruling of the left side of the page. Worthy of mention is the elegant use of the Kufic script in all the title-pages except the first, which is of a later date, as already explained. The paper is of a rather heavy quality, creamish in color, and has considerable sheen. Date and Scribe. — Neither is given, but the date of the manu- script is approximately the middle of the sixteenth century. Memorandums. — On the back of the last fly-leaf is a Persian jotting which states that the copy was ^ bought on the fourth day of the week {i.e. Wednesday), the second of the month of Sha'ban, year 9 {erasure} ' ; and adds : ' Ours till it passes ( ?) to you (?).' On folio 115a there is the seal of an owner" 'Salih . . . 1177 A.H. [= 1763-1764 A.D.].* Subject and Arrangement. — The five romantic poems of Nizami, previously described, arranged as follows: — I. Makhzan al-Asrdr, fol. ib-2oa. (Owing to the loss of six folios at the beginning, this portion opens with the praise of the Word, cf. ed. Bland, p. 21.) — II. Khusrau u Shtrtn, fol. 2ob-S4a. — III. Laild u Majnun, fol. 846-1 2 7a. — IV. Haft Paikar, fol. 12 76-1 79a. — V. (a) First portion of the Book of Alexander, here entitled Kitdb-i Sharaf-ndmah, fol. 1796-244^. — (b) Second portion of the Book of Alexander, here entitled Kitdb-i Iqbdl-ndmah, fol. 2446-2 79a. Illuminations and Illustrations. — The ^unwans (except the first, which is of later date, as already noted) are double pages throughout, and are particularly fine in design and execution. Note has already been made of the Kufic style of writing in which the title or subject of the special poem is recorded on these pages. There are also frequent illuminated cap- ■ Alexander the Great receiving Booty on the Day of Battle Painting by Mirak, Ms. ]^o. 8, fol. 3216 (see page 67) NIZAMI 69 tions, with gold lettering, as headings to dilfferent sections. The miniatures, eighteen in number, generally occupy three- quarters of a page, though some are smaller, and show strong evidence of the Mongol influence. In style they resemble those in the manuscript of Nizami's Haft Paikar (No. 5), but belong to an earlier period. They appear to be the work of a single artist, or possibly two, though no name is mentioned. Details as to the subjects are as follows : I (a) fol. lb. Half-page illuminated title to Makhzan al- Asrdr, with a foliated design. As previously observed, this half-page introductory decora- tion differs in size and style from the double title-pages of the other four books and is in- ferior to them, having been added when that upper half of the page was repaired, as is shown by the pasting. 1 fol. Sa. Sultan Sanjar is appealed to by an old woman to redress a flagrant injustice inflicted by one of his olB&cers. II (b-c) fol. 2ob-2ia. Two illuminated title-pages to Khusrau and Shirin. 2 fol. Khusrau's picture presented to Shirin. (The painter is peeping from the background above, as the maid presents the portrait.) 3 fol. 346. Khusrau catches sight of Shirin bathing. 4 fol. 406. Khusrau and Shirin playing polo — he on his famous steed 'Black as Night,' she on her palfrey * Rose-roan.' 5 fol. 64^. Khusrau and Shirin meet in her bower. 6 fol. 75&. Khusrau and Shirin united in wedlock. 7 fol. 79&. Death of Khusrau by treachery. HI {d-e) fol. 846-8565. Two flluminated title-pages to Laild and Majniin. 8 fol. 946. Laila and Majnun, in love at school, devote themselves to each other. (In the picture is shown how Majnun has left the boys and has come over to the girls' side of the school.) 70 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 9 fol. 104&. Combat between Majnun^s friend Naufal, the Arab, and the tribe of Laila. 10 fol. 111&. Majnun gives himself as a prisoner to an old woman in order to release a captive of hers. IV {f-g) fol. 1 2 76-1 28a. Two illuminated title-pages to Haft Paikar. 11 fol. 1366. Bahram Gur hunting. (The lion's chap is pierced by the arrow.) ^ 12 fol. 143a. Bahram Gur exhibits his skill with the bow to his favorite, Fitnah {' Mischief ') , by transfixing the deer's foot to its ear. (This familiar story has been referred to above.) 13 fol. i^6a. Bahram Gtir and the Princess of the Green Palace. V-^ (/f-f) fol. lygb-iSoa. Two illuminated title-pages to the first section of the Iskandar-ndmah, or Book of Alexander, the title being here given as Kitdh-i Sharaf-ndmah, 14 fol. 192&. Alexander in combat with the King of the Zangis (Egyptians or Ethiopians). 15 fol. 2096. Alexander weds the daughter of Darius III. 16 fol. 2i6a. Alexander, disguised as an envoy, before Queen Nushabah. 17 fol. 219a. Alexander in search of the Fountain of Life in the Land of Darkness, meets Klii(}r, the Sage of Eternal Youth, (y-^) fol- 2445-245^. Two illuminated title-pages of the sec- ond section of the Iskandar-ndmahj here called Kitab-i Iqhdl-ndmah. 18 fol. 260&. Alexander and the circle of the Seven Sages. NIZAMI 71 10 Nizami : Haft Paikar, or * Seven Portraits,' the fourth of Nizami's five romantic poems, and comprised in a manu- script of great interest and value. This particular copy is a royal volume, as it was specially presented to the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great and belonged later to his grand- son Shah Jahan. The colophon is dated 1580 A.D., This book from the library of the Mughals is handsomely illuminated, and is adorned by five beautiful full-page miniatures < signed by Bahzad, the most famous Persian artist, who Uved about i46o-i525.> From Akbar's chronicles it is known that the poetic romances of Nizami, of which this volume forms a part, were among the favorite books of that great emperor.^ Size. — II X 7 in. (28.0 X 18.0 cm.) ; written space, 7! X 4i in. (19.7 X 12.0 cm.). Folios 56, numbered in Persian figures at the top of the right-hand columns, and recorded also in a memorandum in Persian on the last page near Shah Jahan's seal ; but foHos 29 and 35 are missing. Binding. — Lacquer covers, adorned both inside and outside with scenes introducing wild animals, birds, flowers, and trees. There are evidences of rebinding and repair. Writing and Paper. — Elegant Nasta^liq hand, 25 lines to a page, in four gold-ruled columns with outlinings in gold and blue. All the pages are inset, or rather have been re-inset, in a pink-hued paper, the insets being of a heavier and better quality than the borders, and having a cafe au lait tinge. * See Abu'l FadI, AHn-i Akbari, or Institutes of Akbar, translated by F. Gladwin, i. 113, London, 1800. 72 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS Date and Scribe, — The colophon is plainly dated in fig- ures as 988 A.H. = 1580 AJD., and the name of the copyist is included as Azhar, who humbly describes himself as ' a poor miserable sinner that craves God's pardon.' He is termed Maulana Azhar in a memorandum {B) to the left of Akbar's seal ; and it should be added that, if the signature be authen- tic, he must be another scribe than the Maulana Azhar of Herat, who lived a century earlier and died in 880 a.h. = 1475-1476 A.D., according to Huart, Les Calligraphes et les miniaturisteSj p. 208, 215, 221, 225.^ 2 Possibly more light may be thrown later on Azhar. * NIZAMI 73 older age and the date in the colophon.^ After carefully weighing all the possibilities and the presumable facts, the most likely explanation is that the date * year 988 ^ (a.h.) in the colophon, if not the entire colophon itself (see re- mark in footnote below), was inserted when the copy was arranged to be presented to Akbar.^ But, as stated above, the whole problem is a difficult one.> Memorandums. — The inscription in the illuminated medal- lion on the front page, supplemented also by memorandums on the last foHo, shows that the manuscript was presented to the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, of India, by Mun^im Khan, his trusted minister and governor-general (Khan-Khanan). The complimentary dedication in the medalHon itself reads in Persian : ^ May this beautiful book be presented by Mun'im Khan (may God prolong his Hfe !), whose power is extensive, and [who is] a lord of lords, to the Vicegerent of the Universe {i.e. to Akbar the Great].' The name of Mun^im is mentioned likewise in a memorandum jotted down in Persian on the last page. From the court records of Akbar it is known that Mun^m was appointed by the Emperor to his high office in the Panjab as early as 1560 A.D. (see Elliot, History of India, 5. 267; 6. 41). Still further proof of the imperial ownership of the book ^ 2 < There appears in fact to be a slight difference discernible between the ink in the colophon and that in the body of the text. [Renewed examina- tion makes this difference still more noticeable.] More technical skill may yet serve to help toward the solution of the entire question.> 74 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS is furnished by the seals on the last page, containing the name of Akbar and his grandson Shah Jahan, and by the memorandums adjoining these signets. The chronologi- cal order of these appears to be as follows : — The seal (i) of Akbar (combined with the name of Muhib *Ali) is stamped near the lower right-hand corner of the last page ; it reads : * Akbar Shah — his servant Muhib ^Ali/ This person appears to be the same as the Muhib 'Ali who was the son of Mir Khalifah and was one of Akbar's trusted commanders (cf. Elliot, History of India, 5. 338; 6. 71-76). Above this seal is written a memorandum {A) in Persian, * Allah Akbar (God is Most Great) — this was inspected {^ard-didah shud),^ the day of Asman, 27th of the month presided over by Ardabahisht, of the Divine Reign, 24 ( ?) [i.e. in April, 1580 a.d. ?] at Lahore.' ^ To the left of the same seal is another Persian memoran- dum (B)j written in a different hand and running along the lower part of the page ; it is a note describing the book as follows: ^ Allah Akbar (God is Most Great) — the Haft Paikar of Shaikh Nizami, copied by Maulana Azhar, containing seven [sic] pages of illuminated illustrations, the work of experts, for Mun'im Khan, the Khan-Khanan; 9000 single verses ; five hundred rupees.' ^ ^ As to the meaning of ^ard-didah, see below, p. 112, note i. 2 There is some uncertainty as to the decipherment of the signs here read as ^24/ located at a slight distance from the words for 'Divine Reign/ and somewhat below. If correctly deciphered, the year 24 appears to have been written, by an oversight, for 25 (a not unnatural slip to make, as the twenty-fifth year of the reign had begun but shortly before, and mistakes of a similar nature are to be found elsewhere, cf. Elliot, 5. 403 > n. I ; 408, n. i ; 410, n. i). The date (if the interpretation be correct) would correspond to April, 1580 a.d. (or the year when the manuscript was finally arranged), at which time Akbar was in the Panjab, as we know from his chronicles, cf. Elliot, 5. 411 and 5. 246. ' <0n the question of the identity of Maulana Azhar, see above. The allusion to 'the work of experts' {kdr-i ustadan) refers alike to artist, copy- NIZAMI 75 The next memorandum in point of time, so far as can be judged, is the short Persian note (C) near the left-hand margin, above the large seal, which has been partly stamped over it. It reads: * Allah Akbar (God is Most Great) — this was inspected {^ard-dldah shud) on the 13th of Adar, year Alf [i.e. in March, 1582 a.d., reckoned according to Akbar's 'Era of the Thousand' ; cf. Elliot, 5. 151, 159, n. I, 534] The memorandum next in order (D), judging from the evidence, is the one immediately over seal 2, which is im- pressed somewhat higher than Akbar's signet, though by an official, on the right of the page. This seal (2), however, is only partially stamped, so that, except for the word ikUds, ^ loyalty,' and some individual letters, the name can not be read ; but even though it was certainly not Akbar's name, the seal must positively have been impressed in the latter part of his long reign, as shown by the date in the Persian note directly above it. This memorandum {D) reads : ' Allah Akbar (God is Most Great) — it was in- spected Qard-dtdak shud) on the date, ninth of the month of Bahman, year 42 [i.e. about January, 1598].' The last seal (3), the large one impressed on the left hand of the page, contains the name of Akbar's grandson. Shah Jahan, combined with that of an official ; it reads : ' Shah Jahan — his servant I^timad Khan.' ^ ist, gilder, illuminator, and possibly binder. The content of the memoran- dum indicates that the copy finally was especially arranged for Mun'im Khan as a gift to be presented to his sovereign.> ^ The identity of the I'timad Khan named in this seal, is not certain. Two possible suggestions might be made. The first suggestion is that he may have been the same person as Sarmad I'timad Khan, an author and scholar, who was a devoted friend of Shah Jahan's son Dara and was put to death by Aurangzib in 1660 a.d., after the execution of Dara, as men- tioned by Manucci, Storia do Mogor, transl. by Irvine, i. 384, n. i ; i. 76 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS The final memorandum {E), on the last page, is a note accompanying this latter seal and running in a narrow- column between it and the colophon ; it is written in a cur- sive Persian hand and reads as follows : ' On the 19th of Sha^ban, year 31 after the King's accession, [this book] was intrusted (tahwil) ^ to Khwajah Hilal; 56 folios, 25 lines to each page, two couplets to a line; value 1300.' (This same figure is found also on the first page near the medaUion.) This date (19th Sha^ban, year 31 of Shah Jahan's reign) would correspond with May 22, 1658, or a month before Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzib (cf. Manucci, Storia do Mogor^ i. 294, n. i). A memorandum on the first page (fol. la) is simply a jotting in Persian to the effect that the work is * the Haft Paikar of Nizami, illustrated; 1300/ On the first of the fly-leaves which have been added at the front is likewise in Persian the title ^ Haft Paikar ' and a note that the copy ' passed to Jamaji Mobedi from Mir Salman Khan Saman/ On the top of the last folio is the signature of ^ Cha- Stuart Calcutta, March 24*^, 1766'; and on the last of the fly- leaves added at the back, is written the name of ' Alex. Lord Blantyre.' There is an error in the pencil memoran- dum giving the date as 'a.h. 977 ' instead of 988, Subject and Contents. — The romantic story of Bahram Gur and the Seven Princesses, as described above. 223 ; and 4. 427, London, 1906. Another possibility would be to regard him as the same as I'timad ad-Daulah, whose full name was Muhammad Amin Khan and who enjoyed the favor both of Shah Jahan and Aurangzib down to the time prior to his death in 1 721 a.d. (cf. Elliot, History of India, 7. 108-109, 442, 517). 1 On the meaning of tahml, see below, p. 112, n. i. NIZAMI 77 Illuminations and Illustrations. — On the front page is a rich medallion in blue and gold with a dedicatory inscription to Akbar (as described above) in white letters. Then fol- lows the opening of the poem on two richly illuminated full pages, with ornamental Kufic titles. There are likewise nine decorated small section-headings, ornately embelUshed, at different places in the poem, and there are numerous gold-lettered captions. The painted miniatures are in the best style of the six- teenth century, recalling the characteristics of Bahzad's day. The original number of seven paintings has been reduced to five by the loss of foKos 29 and 35. The sub- jects of the five miniatures in this noted manuscript illus- 78 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS trate incidents in the life of Bahram Gur, his fondness for hunting, and some of the stories told to him by the different princesses. (a) fol. la. Illuminated medallion described above. (b) fol. lb. Illuminated full-page title with ornamental Kufic headings. (c) fol. 2a. Second title-page similarly illuminated. 1 fol. loa. Bahram Gur on the chase. (The fondness of Bahram, Hhat Great Hunter,' for the chase was proverbial.) 2 fol. ijb. Bahram Gur's skill with the bow. (The famiUar story of how Bahram exhibited his skill to his sweet- heart Fitnah, 'Mischief,' by transfixing with an arrow the hoof of a deer to its ear.) 3 fol. 23&. Bahram Gur and the Indian Princess in the Dark Palace on Saturday. 4 fol. 335. How a hunter was drowned in a well. (To illus- trate the story told to Bahram about the hunter drowned in a well that was covered with an earthen jar so as to decoy animals that came to drink. A wayfarer uses the branch of a tree in tr)dng to find the missing man's body.) < Signed near lower right-hand corner by Bahzad.> 5 fol. 47a. The eavesdropper. (Illustration of the story told to Bahram of the fate of the eavesdropper who NIZAMI 79 peeped from the lattice window. The eavesdropper is represented in the picture, and above the lattices is an arabesque inscription containing praises of the King, and along the cornice runs an Arabic couplet, *God is without equal, and Him alone we will wor- ship.' Over the doorway in a conventionalized Kufic is, 'O Thou Opener of the Door [i.e. God]!') A Persian Anthology — Nizanu abridged ; Selections also from other well-known Persian Writers. — An early nineteenth century illuminated manuscript containing the five poeti- cal works of Nizami in an abridged form, and selections from thirty or forty works by other writers, mostly poets, including Firdausi, Farid ad-Din 'Attar, 'Umar Khayyam (?), Sa'di/ Jalal ad-Din Rtimi, Hafiz, Jami, and others. The selections are handsomely written on the margins as well as in the body of the manuscript, the entire compilation having been made at one and the same time. The copy is illuminated by sixteen full-page miniatures and five mar- ginal paintings, all being in the style of the period. Size. — loj X 7 in. (26.5 X 17.7 cm.) ; written surface, 9! X 6 in. (24.7 X 15.3 cm.). Folios 163. A number of folios are miss- ing ; there are lacunae, for example, after 256, 48^, 106&, 1086, 109&, 112&, ii65, 1206. The manuscript breaks off abruptly, and the last page is left blank, as if the copyist had been interrupted in the midst of his work. Binding. — Black leather Oriental binding (not original) with gold ornamentation on the outside and with reddish leather on the inside. 8o PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS Writing and Paper. — Small, clear Nasta'liq in a fair hand ; 27 lines to a page in five gold-ruled columns; the prose selections are likewise written 27 lines to the page. The writing in the case of the marginal selections is slightly smaller, but is by the same hand throughout as the body of the text. The paper is of a good quality with a slight ivory gloss. The side margins of all the pages had become VvTorn by usage and have been skilfully repaired throughout. Date and Scribe. — Despite its much-used appearance, which gives to the manuscript the semblance of being older than it is, the copy must belong to the first part of the nineteenth century, if we may judge by the date 123(0] a.h. = 18 15 A.D., recorded by the scribe on two different pages. First on fol. 1 1 76 (margin), at the end of the selections from Sa^di's Bustdn, there is a memorandum' by the copyist, written in black ink, overscored with red, as follows: * Here end the selections from the Bustan of Shaikh Sa^di (upon whom be mercy!) ; dated, month of Rajab, in the year i23[o] a.h. [= June, 1815 a.d.] ; written at the com- mand of his lordship Aqa Husain (whom God protect!).' Second, on fol. 127& (in the body of the text, and written a month earlier than the marginal note just described) there is a similar memorandum, but by a different hand and in a cursive style that is difficult to decipher ; it occurs in a panel following the Ghazals of Salman of Sawah, and is written in red ink ; the substance is as follows : ^ At the command of his lordship . . . Aqa Muhammad Husain (whom God protect 1) and with his support and suggestion as to some of the marginal selections, this book was prepared (?) by me, Qadi Ahmad [. . .], the student, in hopes that when it comes to his glorious presence, it may meet with the acceptance of that dignitary; dated Jumada II, i23[o] A.H. [= May, 181 5].' Although the memorandum is diffi- NIZAMI 8 1 cult to decipher and the sense is not clear in every detail, the import of the passage is plain, namely, that the scribe (Ahmad . . .) had received suggestions from his patron in regard to some of the selections chosen to be copied. It may be inferred, furthermore, from the dedication in the vignettes on the title-pages that this patron designed the manuscript as a gift to the Persian grandee whose name is there duly mentioned. Simply by way of record it may be added that there is no special bearing on the date of this manuscript in the colophon that concludes the selections from Salman himself (fol. 127&), ' Jumada I, 814 a.h. [ = August, 141 1 A.D.],' because that colophon is merely a ver- batim reproduction of an older colophon, even including the name of the earlier scribe, ^ Mahmud Murtada al-Husaini.' Dedication. — The two large circular medallions on the illu- minated title-pages of the manuscript show that the book was personally dedicated by its donor to an Ottoman merchant prince, if we may so localize the attribute ' Rumi ' in his title. The inscriptions in these dedicatory medallions read respectively as follows : (i) ^ The owner, and whatever is his, belongs to God. The honorable Khwajah, prince of merchants of the world.' (2) 'Kamal ad-Din Mahmud , . . [lacuna] Rumi (may God grant him peace!) From what has been noted above we may presume that the book was presented to this gentleman, who was a man of culture as well as a man of business. Memorandums. — On the front fly-leaf is a memorandum in Armenian, * M 63/ i6th,' evidently the number of the manu- script in a book-list ; there are also two pencil notes of no importance. On fol. la there is an Arabic quotation and one in Persian. The Arabic citation is Qur'anic, from the chapter entitled Surat al-A'raf (7. 55) as follows: ' Verily your Lord is God, He who created the heavens and 82 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS the earth in six days. He then ascended to His throne. He causeth the night to cover the day — it succeedeth it swiftly. He created likewise the sun and the moon and the stars, which are subject to his command. Is not creation and its command His! Blessed be God, the Lord of the Worlds ! ' The Persian quotation on this page gives the name of a former owner of the book and cites a verse of a personal nature : ' In the words of the owner, a Sa)^id, the Sayyid Aqa Ja'far — may God^s mercy be upon him ! ' Let three of the four seasons be thine, and spring alone be mine ; Let the face of the whole earth be thine — but let union with the Beloved be mine.' There is a further jotting on this fly-leaf in Persian with regard to the title and contents, ' Makhzan al-Asrar of Nizami and two other books,' but this statement is both incomplete and inadequate, as shown below. On the back of the last fly-leaf there is penciled a note in English : ' Nizami's Khamsah, etc.,' together with a memorandum in ink, ' 12 large and 5 small miniatures.' Either there was an error in this statement or the manuscript has lost a miniature since the memorandum was made, as the copy at present contains 11 (not 12) large and 5 small miniatures. Subject and Arrangement. — The contents of the manuscript are miscellaneous, as is shown by the Persian title-pages, even though not every title there given appears to be represented in the copy in its present form ; and some of the selections that do occur appear to be missing in the title list. More than half of the body of the work is devoted to selections from Nizami. Specimens also are given from Firdausi, Sa'di, Hafi^, and other writers, the passages in the margins sometimes being from the same author as in the body of NIZAMI 83 the text. In the list of authors mentioned on the first illuminated page is the name of *Umar Khayyam. No special section is assigned to him in the manuscript, but it may be remotely possible that the fifteen Ruba'is on the margin of fol. 1 266-1 2 7a are wandering quatrains of his, as they re- semble his verses in tone ; but it has not been possible thus far to identify these stanzas with any of those generally ascribed to 'Umar. For the sake merely of comparison and reference a record is here made of the imperfect list of authors (fihrist) as it is given in the illuminated circles placed around the two medallions on the first two title-pages ; but it must be remembered that in a number of instances this table does not agree with the actual contents of the manuscript ; the names of Hafiz and Sa^di, for instance, are not included in the list, although a section of the volume is actually devoted to selections from their works. I. First page list of titles. 1. Book of Fragments of Ibn-i Yamin. 2. Book of Rubd'is of 'Umar Khayyam. 3. Book of the great Maulana 'Abd ar-Rahman Jaim. 4. Book of Darvish Hasan Qalandar [latter half of the sixteenth century — see Ethe, Grundriss, 2. 359]. II. Second page list of titles. 1. Selections from the Khamsah of Nizami. 2. A book on the science of chemistry. 3. A book on perforating crown pearls [i.e. on writing poetry]. 4. Selections from the Tawdrikh-i Nizam, on poetic dates. 5. A book on medical subjects. 6. Selections from the NataHj al-Afkdr, or about the results of taking thought. 7. Ghazals, or odes. 8. Qastdahs, or panegyrics in verse. 9. Selections from 'Attar's Mantiq at-Tair, or * Language of Birds.*, 10. Artificial and unartificial Qastdahs. 11. Selections from Firdausi's Shah-ndmah. [They relate to Rum, or Byzantium.] 12. Tarjl'dt, poems with refrains. PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 13. Selections from Rumi's Masnam. 14. Miscellaneous Qasldahs of adjuration. 15. Selections from Sana'i's Hadiqah, or 'Garden.* 16. Poems of advice and admonition. 17. Nasir Khusrau's Raushana'l-namah. 18. A book on stringing pearls [i.e. on writing poetry]. 19. The book of Nisdb as-Sibidn. 20. Introduction to astrological poetry. 21. The book of Abkdr al-Afkdr, or 'Maiden Thoughts.' 22. Ten treatises by Auhadi of Kirman. 23. About the oneness of God the Most High. 24. In praise of the Prophet and his incomparableness. Texts in the body fol. 2b-i$a. fol. i36-34<^. fol. 346-486. fol. 4ga-64a, fol. 646-81(1. fol. 816-956. fol. 956-io2(Z. fol. 102^-103^. fol. 1036-1066. fol. 107^1-1 i3(z. fol. 1 136- 1 186. fol. 1186-1216. of the book. A portion of Nizami's Makhzan al-Asrdr. A selection from Nizami's Khusrau and Shirin. From Ni?ami's Laild and Majnun. [Several pages are missing at the end owing to a lacuna in the manuscript.] Selections from Nizami's Haft Paikar. From the First portion (a) of Ni?ami's Book of Alexander, here entitled Sharaf-ndmah. From the Second portion (6) of Nizami's Book of Alexander J here entitled Iskandar- ndmahf though more often called Khirad-ndmah. From Firdausi's Shdh-ndmah. [The selections relate to King Gushtasp and the Princess of Rum ; of. ed. Vullers and Landauer, 3. 1451-1496.] Selections from Sa'di. Selected Qasidahs in praise of the unity of God by various authors (Fakhr ad-Din 'Iraqi, Anwari, Saraj ad-Din Qamari, Adib Sabir, 'Abd al-Qadir of Na'in, Sayyid Jalal 'Acjud, Shaikh Sa'di. Ghazals of Maulana Salman of Sawah (c. 1300-1376 A.D. ; cf. Muqtadir, Cat. Pers. Mss. at Bankipore, vol. i. p. 219-227). Ghazals of Hafi?. Ghazals of Muhammad Shirln Maghrib! of Na'In (d. 1406 a.d. — see Rieu, Cat. Pers. Mss. British Museum 2. 633 and Supplement, p. 181 ; NIZAMI 85 Ethe, Neupers. Litt., p. 304; Muqtadir, Cat, Per S.J vol. 2. p. 6-9). fol. 1216-123&. Qasidahs and Tarji^dt of Saif ad-Din Isfrangi (d. 1267 or 1268 A.D.). fol. 124^-1276. A collection of artificial acrostic verses by Salman of Sawah (c. 1300-1376 a.d., see above), whose name appears in the head-band (fol. 124&), one page after the beginning. [In these selections the syllables of the words that contain artificial devices are indicated by red ink in contrast to the black ink ; and red ink is used in the marginal columns to give the precise name of each meter that is involved in the versification.] fol. 1286-134&. The Lama' at of *Iraqi of Hamadan (d. 1287 or 1289 A.D., see Rieu, Cat. Pers. Mss. Brit. Mus., 2. 594). — [A treatise in verse and prose on mystic love.] fol. 135(1-1366. *Iraqf s mystic work headed by the phrase as title * Allah is the Lord of Success ^ — [mainly in prose]. fol. I37a-i54a. ^Iraqi's mystic work headed by the titular phrase *God of Assistance and Guidance* — [mainly in prose]. fol. 1 546-1 566. Prose selections containing mystic specula- tions, or the AHn al-Qtiddt of Abu'l Ma'ali *Abdallah b. Muhammad b. *Ali al-Miyanji, a native of Miyanah, east of Lake Urumiah, and a mystic writer, who died in 1130 or 1138 a.d. (cf. Rieu, op. cit., i. 411). fol. I57a-i63 The main points regarding the illuminations and illustra- tions are as follows : — 1-2 fol. ib-2a. Two frontispiece miniatures representing scenes from the chase. I (a) fol. 2b. Illuminated *unwan, or title-piece, to Book One. This page and fol. 3a have also the gold interlin- eation between the verses, as described above. II (b) fol. 58^. Illuminated title-piece to Book Two, with gold interlineation on this and the following page. III (c) fol. Illuminated title-piece to Book Three, with simi- lar gold interlineations oh both pages. 3 fol. 172a. Miniature painting of two persons listening to readings by two poets to the accompaniment of music. [Possibly the gray-bearded man may repre- sent Rumi, and the person seated on his left may, perhaps, be Ilasan Husam ad-Din, his favorite pupil and amanuensis.] IV (d) fol. i72^>. Illuminated title-piece to Book Four. V (e) fol. 2346. Illuminated title-piece to Book Five. 4 fol. 296^. Miniature of a youthful king seated upon a pavilion throne on a terrace overlooking a garden, and served by two attendants. VI [(f)] [The 'unwan to Book Six is missing, owing to the loss of a leaf between folios 296 and 297.] IV SA'DI SA*Dl (1184-1291 A.D.) Sa'dl, poet and moralist, and generally conceded to be the most popular writer in Persian literature, was born about the year 11 84 a.d. in Shiraz, Southern Persia, where his father appears to have held an official position under the Atabek rulers of Fars. After his father's death he received educational aid for a long time froiji the Atabek prince, Sa'd bin Zangi, in honor of whom he assumed the literary name Sa'di by which he is known to fame. This patronage enabled the young man to study at Baghdad until 1226 a.d., and among his teachers was the eminent Shams ad-Din Abu'l Faraj ibn al-Jauzi, whose portrait with the youthful Sa'di is depicted in the first minia- ture in manuscript No. 13, described below. For the next thirty years of his life, or from 1226 to 1256, he traveled as a dervish pilgrim through many lands, visiting Northeastern Iran, India, Arabia, Abyssinia, Syria, Northern Africa, and Asia Minor. In 1256, when over seventy years of age, he returned to his native city and devoted the rest of his long life to the literary pursuits which he had begun in his early days. In the next year he had finished his poetic work, the Bustdtij in ten cantos of verse, and in the following twelvemonth, 1258, he had completed his still more famous Gulistdn, a Persian classic in prose and verse, upon which his greatest renown rests, especially as an ethical teacher. He was the author likewise of a large number of lyric and miscellaneous compositions, as is shown by the contents of the manuscript No. 13, described below, which contains his works complete, except the Pand-ndmah, the authenticity of which is doubtful. Sa'di's death occurred in 1291 a.d. For further details regarding Sa'di's life and works, consult Browne, Literary History of Persia^ 2. 525-539; Ethe, Neupersische Litteratur, p. 292-296 ; Horn, Geschichte der persischen Litteratur, p. 168-175 ; and compare Jackson, Persia Past and Present, p. zzz-zZS- lOI I02 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 13 Sa^di: KuUiyyat, or works complete. This large manuscript contains the collected works of Sa^di, and belongs apparently to about the middle of the sixteenth century. It is em- belHshed by a full-page illuminated frontispiece and nu- merous half-page title-pieces, besides other ornamenta- tions; and it is illustrated by twelve miniatures, two of these preceding the frontispiece as full-page paintings, and two of them, likewise full-page, following the close of the book. All the miniatures except the first one are from the brush of a single artist, who remains anonymous. Size. — i6j X 8J in. (41.5 X 21.5 cm.) ; written surface, qJ X 5 in. (25.2 X 13.0 cm.). Folios 480. There are missing three folios — one each between folios 99-100, 140-141, 474-475 — but otherwise the codex seems to be complete, even though a few catchwords have been accidentally omitted. A Persian memorandum on the back of the last folio, four times repeated in words and in figures by two different hands, gives the number as ^ four hundred and eighty-seven folios ' or ^ 487 folios ' ; but, as the pages were not numbered, the count may not have been quite exact, as such mistakes have been found in Persian countings in other manuscripts that are complete. Binding. — Persian binding of black leather with blind-pressed designs in gilt. These gilded patterns on the exterior of the covers comprise a large oblong medallion with double pendants above and below; the corner angles harmonize in style, and there is a running flowered border of gilt to frame the field. On each of the two small oval pendants directly above and below the central medalHon of both outer covers, and thus four times repeated, is tooled in raised Persian letters : ^ The work {'amal) of Hasan ibn Recitation of Poems to the Accompaniment of iMusic Ms. No. 12, fol. 172rt (see page 98) sa'di 103 al-Husaini Muhammad.' This seems to refer to the name of the binder who executed the work ; but if another inter- pretation should be given, namely that it referred to the calligraphist who copied the work, the conjecture might be made that it was the famous penman Hasan ibn Muham- mad, of Larissa, who transcribed a manuscript in 161 1 a.d. ( = 1020 A.H.), according to Huart, Les Calligraphes et les miniaturistes, p. 263. The interior of the covers is of a dark tan leather without gilding or color, but ornamented with blind-pressed corner angles and a central medallion offset by four pendants that form a cross. The pages have not been trimmed, but the folios have been remounted when the binding was repaired; the re- pairing may account for the loss of the three missing folios. Writing and Paper, — The writing is in a good bold Nasta^iq hand. The prose portions are written in a single broad column and in a narrower marginal column; the verse portions, in a double column and in a marginal column of the same size as before. The body columns run 16 lines to a page; the marginal columns run 12 lines to a page. Broad gold rules divide the columns, and heavy outlines in colors frame the written part of the page, the whole being then enclosed by a thin double ruling of black near the edge. There are numerous words written in rubrics in the Preface and in the Gulistdn. The paper is of a rather heavy quality with an ivory finish and runs fairly even. The first two folios with double illuminations and paintings are of an extra heavy paper. Date and Scribe. — The manuscript gives neither the name of the scribe nor the date, but, judging from the style of the miniatures and illuminations, it belongs approximately to the middle of the sixteenth century. Compare also the I04 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS possibility referred to above, under ^ Binding/ The quality of the scribe's handwriting has already been mentioned. Memorandums. — There are memorandums on the margins of a half dozen or more folios, but they are not of special im- portance — for example, a chance jotting on foL 410a 'Jahan- gir Khan ^Alamgir ' ; on fol. 217a an explanation of an allusion to the Avesta and its Commentary Avasta u Zand ') ; in- cidental marginal references to Amir Khusrau ; also a few others, not worthy of particular notice. On the back of the last page, as mentioned above, there is a Persian memo- randum in regard to the number of folios and one also as to the purchase of the book. There are seal impressions on several of the folios. An oval one on fol. 3136 bears the motto, * O God, blessings be upon Muhammad ! ' ; this is likewise twice stamped on fol. 318&. On fol. 318&, besides this motto-seal, there is an oval signet bearing the name of Muhammad Sadiq, and a small square motto-seal, twice impressed, ' 0 Muham- mad, help me to understand.' On fol. 389a is a double impression of a small square signet bearing the name Ghu- 1am 'All. Subject and Arrangement. — The manuscript, as already stated, contains the collected works of >Sa'di arranged as follows : I. Preface, by 'Ali bin Ahmad, fol. 26-46. — II. Six Risalahs, or Treatises, thus arranged : (a) First Risalah, fol. 46-9^ ; (Z>) Second Risalah (though not numbered so in this copy) containing the five majlises, or homilies, fol. 9^-28^; (c) Third Risalah (here numbered as second), fol. 28^-296; (d) Fourth (third) Risalah, fol. 296-3 2a; (e) Fifth (fourth) Risalah, fol. 32^-426 ; (/) Sixth Risalah, consisting of three short tracts, fol. 426-47^.^ — III. Gulistdn, fol. 476-130^. — * The order of these Risalahs and the beginnings of the subdivisions is the same as that given by Muqtadir and Ross, Catalogue of Arabic and sa'di IV. Bustdn, fol. i30&-230(r. — V. Arabic Qastdahs, fol. 2306- 239a. — VI. Persian Qastdahs, fol. 239&-2646. — VII. MdrsHydt, or Elegies, fol. 26^h-26gb. — VIII. Tarji^dt, or Refrain Poems, 2 696-2 7 5a. — IX. Tayyibdl, or Pleasant Odes, 2756-362^. — X. Badd'i\ or Artificial Odes, 3626- 403a. — XI. KhawdHntj or Signet-rings, 4036-41 9a. — XII. Ghazaliyydt-i Qadimah, or Early Odes, fol. 41 96-42 7a. — XIII. Sdhibiyyahj or Epigrammatic Poems in Muqatta^di form, dedicated to Shams ad-Din, Sahib-Diwan, fol. 4276- 450a. — XIV. Mutayyibdty or Jocular Poems, fol. 4506-459(1. — XV. Mudhikdtj or Facetiae, fol. 4596-467a. — XVI. RubdHydt, or Quatrains, fol. 467^-4766. — XVII. Fardiydt, or Detached Distichs, fol. 4766-479^. Illuminations and Illustrations. — The codex, as stated above, is particularly rich in illuminated ^unwans, or title-pieces to the numerous works it contains. In addition to these, each page has gilt section-headings adorned with flower patterns and inscribed in white ink, with corner angles that correspond in design. There are twelve illustrative minia- tures, usually half-page in size, but two of these which precede the frontispiece and two which follow the last folio are whole-page paintings. All the pictures except that on the first folio are the work of a single artist, whose name, however, is not given. In style these miniatures recall the general characteristics of the Transoxianian school of art; and in certain details, especially the projecting turbans of the women, they remind one of the paintings by an artist named Mahmud in a manuscript copied at Bukhara to- wards the middle of the sixteenth century, as reproduced by Blochet, Peintures des manuscrits per sans, pi. 19; compare likewise two of the sixteenth-century miniatures Persian Manuscripts in the Library at Bankipore, i. 133-136, 145, although the numbering is slightly different. io6 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS from Firdausi's Shdh-ndmah (polo-match) and Sa^di's Gulistdn (Anushlrwan) in D'Allemagne, Du Khorassan, compte rendu, Paris, 191 1. This would be in accord with the probable date of the introductory full- page painting (fol. i5) by a different artist, also anonymous, as the style of that painting recalls an earlier type of the work represented by ^Ali Naqi, whose three miniatures in the Shah-namah Ms. No. 4 (fol. 246, looa, 102a) have been alluded to above. A list of the miniatures and illumi- nations follows : — 1 fol. ih. The youthful Sa^di and his teacher Abu'l Faraj ibn al-Jauzi. This is in accordance with the Persian note in minuscule hand at the bottom of the painting, which reads 'The Sage and Sa'di of Shiraz.' (The ornamental borders on this and the next page are worthy of special notice.) 2 fol. 2a. A ruler in his palace. The ruler represented is probably Sa^dl's patron, Sa'd bin Zangi, the Atabek of Fars, from whom Sa'di took his poet- ical name, and who died in 1226 a.d. (In the illuminated head-piece above the picture are given the titles of three of the Risdlahs, or prose treatises, that follow. The ornamental borders match those on the preceding page.) I (a) fol. 2b, Illuminated full-page title, with an ornate border containing the names of most of the works in the codex. II (b) fol. 4&. Inscribed ornamental band and corner angle as titles to the collection of Risdlahs. Ill (c) fol. 476. Illuminated title-piece to the Gulistdn, 3 fol. 89a. The head of a village thanks the king for accepting his humble hospitality over night. (To illustrate a story in Sa'di's Gulistdn, 3. 20.) sa'di 107 4 fol. 99^. A youth in an ordinary station of life, who had lost his heart to a princess, dies at her feet , when she speaks to him as she is out riding. (To illustrate a story of youth and love in the Gul- •istdn, 5. 4.) IV (d) fol. I sob. Illuminated title-piece to the Bustdn. 5 fol. 1 526. The servants of one- of the monarchs of Ghur make obeisance before him in joy when they find him after he had been lost all night. (To illus- trate a story in Sa'df s Bustdn^ i. 678-753.) 6 fol. 204&. A man complained to Da'ud of Tai that a Stifi mystic was drunk and had fallen in the street ; as a rebuke to the informer, for not con- cealing the faults of another, Da'ud bade him bring the man to him on his own back. (To illustTSite BustdUy 7. 117-133.) V (e) fol. 230&. Illuminated title-piece to the Arabic Qastdahs, VI (J) fol. 239^>. Illuminated title-piece to the Persian Qa^idahs, 7 fol. 252a. A lover falls before the feet of his beloved in a wood and praises her. (To illustrate a passage in the Persian Qasfdahs.) VII [(g) fol. 264^. The title-band to the Elegies is outlined on the margin, but left blank.] VIII (h) fol. 2696. Illuminated title-piece to the Refrain Poems. IX (i) fol. 2756. Illuminated title-piece to the Tayyihdt, or Pleasant Odes. 8 fol. 343. A garden scene. (To illustrate one of the ' Signet-ring ' poems.) XII (/) fol. 4r9&. Illuminated title-piece to the Early Ghazals. XIII (w) fol. 4276. Illuminated title-piece to the ^Sdhibiyyah Poems. XIV (n) fol. 450&. Illuminated title-piece to the Jocular Poems. I08 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS XV (o) fol. 4596. Illuminated title-piece to the Mudhikat. XVI {p) fol. 467a. Illuminated title-band to the RuhdHyat. XVII iq) fol. 4766. Small ornamented marginal band to the Fardiyat. 11 fol. 4796. Preparing a noonday meal on an outing. (This miniature is directly connected in subject with the one on the next page.) 12 fol. 480a. A part of the preceding out-of-door scene ; two of the persons are playing chess while the others are differently engaged. 14 Sa'di: Bustan, or ' Garden of Perfume.' An illustrated and illuminated manuscript, of not later date than the second quarter of the seventeenth century, very beautifully written and embellished by highly ornate borders. The copy is particularly interesting because, as is known from the seals and memorandums, it was a much-read volume in the royal library of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and of his son Aurangzib. Size. — 9i X 6| in. (24.7 X 16.5 cm.) ; written surface, 6| X 3^ in. (16.5 X 8.7 cm.) ; the covers are not the original ones and they measure considerably larger than the pages. Folios 158, the last page being blank. There are no folios missing ; in two instances, however (fol. 13& and 57^), the catchword is wrongly taken from the beginning of the second line on the following page instead of from the first line, but nothing is wanting. Five folios are misbound between folios 43 and 49 ; the proper order should be fol. 45, 44, 48, 46,^47, instead of the present arrangement. sa'di 109 Binding. — Recased in ordinary Oriental flap-covers of red leather. The original binding must have been different, for it is spoken of in a Persian memorandum (see F below) on the last page, made by one of the royal librarians and dated in 1649 A.D., as ^ a cover of smooth {raughanl, lit. * oleose, oily, or glossy ') leather.' Writing and Paper. — The handwriting is an extremely hand- some Nasta^liq, and is particularly mentioned in the royal librarian's memorandum {F), as noted below. The copy is written 14 lines to a page in two gold-ruled columns. The paper is of a heavy quality, and the written part of each folio is inset with perfect skill in a highly ornate broad border described below. Date and Scribe. — The manuscript is not dated in the colophon, but, judging from the seals and memorandums, the earliest one (see A below) being dated in 1647 a.d., it probably belongs to the earlier half of Shah Jahan's reign, or the second quarter of the seventeenth century. The name of the scribe is given in the colophon asPayandah Muhammad. Memorandums. — The front and back folios are covered with seals and memorandums in Persian which show that the manuscript belonged to the library of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and of his son Aurangzib. Two of these seals on the first page and three on the last bear Shah Jahan's name, joined each time with that of a different court official ; and Aurangzib 's signet on the first page and on the last is each time combined also with a different official's name. The seals appear to have been stamped at various times (the intervals sometimes being short), and the memoran- dums added, by custodians of the Imperial Library, as noted below. The probable order in which the signets were im- pressed, so far as can be judged from their position and certain dates in memorandums nearby, is as follows : — no PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS Seal I. (First page, lower large seal.) This seal reads: 'Shah Jahan — Salih was his Murshid [i.e. preceptor and spiritual guide].' ^ This Salih was one of the preceptors at court, as his name is mentioned by the Venetian physician Manucci as the tutor of Shah Jahan's son, Aurangzib. He had received a pension from Shah Jahan and had expected a larger stipend when his former pupil, Aurangzib, came to the throne. He was rebuffed, however, and was sent off in disgrace because Aurangzib remembered his teaching only with dissatisfaction (see Manucci, Storia do Mogor, or Mogul India J translated by G. W. Irvine, 2. 29-33, London, 1906; possibly compare also Sachau and Ethe, Cat. Pers. Mss. Bodl. Lib. J col. 683, no. 1094). Seal 2. (Last page, lower left seal.) This reads: 'Shah Jahan, Padishah of Divine Sovereignty. The devoted Murid, Sayyid ( ?) Ahmad/ The title murid for a divinity student is explained in the footnote below. Seal 3. (Last page, upper left seal.) This is the same as seal i and reads: 'Shah Jahan — Salih was his Murshid.' Seal 4. (Last page, upper right seal.) * Shah Jahan's Murshid [i.e. preceptor] was Muhammad 'AlL' ' Seal 5. (First page, upper right seal.) This seal reads ' Shah Jahan — 'Inaiat Khan, 1068 a.h. [= 1658 a.d.].' This 'Inaiat Khan was doubtless the same one who, as is known from the contemporary court records, was employed in the office of the Imperial Library of Shah Jahan. He was the author of a history of Shah Jahan's reign, the Shdh-Jahdn-ndmah, as well as of other works ; and a notice of him says: 'He was witty and of agreeable manners, and was one of the intimate friends of Shah Jahan; latterly he retired from office and settled in Kashmir, where he died, 1077 a.h. [= 1666 a.d.].' (See Elliot, History of India, 7. 73-74; compare likewise Beale, Oriental Biographical Dictionary, p. 179, London, 1 The word murshid, 'leader, instructor, spiritual guide, monitor,' is a title given to a member of a higher religious order, especially of the Sufis. The word murid, lit. 'one who is desirous,' denotes a pupil or disciple of such a spiritual guide, a divinity student, or aspirant for higher reUgious knowledge in the advanced order to which his superior belongs. sa'di III 1894; also Sachau and Ethe, Cat. Pers. Mss, Bodl. Lib., col. 457, no. 513.) Seal 6. (Last page, middle left seal.) Illegible, but beside it is a memorandum (/, as given below), dated Dhi'l-Hajjah 18, 1068 A.H. = Sept. 16, 1658 A.D., or three months after Shah Jahan had been shut up in his palace as a prisoner by his son Aurangzib. Seal 7. (Last page, middle right seal.) The darkly inked signet, containing the name of Aurangzib, who was called also 'Alam-gir, * World-controller,' reads: ^ 'Alam Gir, Padishah. . . . [illegible] Khan.' Seal 8. (First page, upper left seal.) This likewise contains Aurangzib 's name and a co-signature, and reads: ' 'Alam Gir, Padishah. — Sayyid *Ali al-IJusaini, Murid [i.e, the divinity student].' Seal 9. (First page, lower left.) This smaller dark seal is illegible as regards the name, but contains the title ^ the Servant of the Court,' showing that it was stamped by a royal official. Seal 10. (First page, center seal.) This pear-shaped seal of apparently later date is so badly stamped that too few letters are legible to allow it to be deciphered. Seal II. (Last folio, 158a, near colophon.) A small oval seal bearing the name of Shukr Khan — twice repeated. Two other seals near it have been obliterated. Seal 12. (Front fly-leaf, upper left seal.) This small octagonal seal is dated in the last quarter of the eighteenth century and contains a verse from the Qur'an (14. 7), 'If ye be thankful I shall give you increase — 1203 a.h. [= 1788- 1789 A.D.].' There are a large number of special memorandums, mostly adjacent to the seals ; they were doubtless added by the custodians of the Imperial Library in connection with the intrusting or transferring (tahwU) of the manuscript from the keeping of one official to that of another, either at the time of a change of office or for some special consignment. Further notes as to the inspection of the book at such times 112 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS or its perusal on particular occasions ('ard-didah) are still more frequently added, sometimes in connection with the seal, but sometimes without any signature or seal, although the date is always recorded.^ In several instances the handwriting in these memorandums is by one and the same individual. The order of these notations, judging from the dates, is approximately as follows : — A. (Memorandum, first page, bottom, below seal i of Shah Jahan.) This memorandum reads: 'Bustan was intrusted (tahwil) to Khwajah Shihab, for the use of the divinity students (munddn)^ first day of Dhi'l-Hajjah, year 20th of the Blessed Reign, cor- responding to the year 1056 Hijri [i.e. Jan. 8, 1647 a.d.]. — Value one hundred pieces [i.e. rupees].' This Khwajah Shihab is the same person to whom the book was again intrusted three years later (year 23d of the reign), as is recorded in a memorandum near the top of the last page, and he is probably the Shihab whose name appears on a seal dated with Hhe year 23,' mentioned in the catalogue of Pertsch, Handschriften der kdniglichen Bibliothek zu Berlin, Pers. Ess., p. 857-858, Berlin, 1888. One might pos- sibly suggest that this Shihab was the same as Shihab ad-Din Ahmad Talish, who wrote a history of Aurangzlb in 1662 a.d., cf. Beale, Oriental Biographical Dictionary, p. 360. B. (Memorandum, last page, to right of seal 2 of Shah Jahan.) This memorandum reads: ^Intrusted {tahwil) to Muhammad Man§ur, 25th of the month Safar, year 21 [i.e. 1057 a.h. = April i, 1647 A.D.]. Value one hundred pieces and fifty [i.e. 1 50 rupees]. * C. (Memorandum, first page, to left of illegible seal 10.) * In- spected [or perused] {'ard-didah shud) 22 of Jumada a§-§am, year 21 [i.e. 1057 a.h. = July 25, 1647 a.d.].' D. (Memorandum, last page, bottom, under seal 2 of Shah Jahan.) 'Inspected [or perused] {'ard-didah shud) ... of Rabi' al-Awwal, year 22 [i.e. 1058 a.h. = March-April, 1648 a.d.].' 1 Such appears to be the usage of the terms tahwil and 'ard-didah. Pro- fessor Edward G. Browne, of Cambridge, England, in a letter kindly com- municated on the subject, rightly observes that these terms are peculiar to India and to manuscripts of Indian origin. SA^DI E. (Memorandum, last page, left top, over seal 3 of Shah Jahan.) * Inspected [or perused], the second of the blessed (month) of Ramadan, in the year 22 [i.e. 1058 a.h. = Sept. 20, 1648 a.d.].' F. (Last page, top right, near seal 4 of Shah Jahan.) This is a palimpsest inscription, the former writing having been prac- tically erased. The memorandum as preserved contains a double item, the first being a brief description of the book; to this is added a second note as to its being consigned or in- trusted. The whole reads as follows: 'Bustan, in elegant script, white paper, margins inlaid, cover of smooth leather . . . [illegible]. — It was intrusted (tahwtl) to Khwajah Shihab for the divinity students (muriddn) on the ... of Dhi'l-Hajjah, the year 23 of the Blessed Reign [i.e. 1059 a.h. = Dec. — , 1649 A.D.]. Value one hundred rupees.' On Shihab see above, memorandum A. G. (Memorandum in center of last page.) * Inspected [or perused], 24th of the month Sha'ban, the year 25 of the Blessed Reign [i.e. 1061 a.h. = Aug. 12, 1651].' H. (Memorandum, last page, lower right-hand corner.) 'In- spected [or perused], 23d of Dhl-Hajjah, year 26 [i.e. 1062 a.h. = Nov. 25, 1652].' I. (Memorandum, first page, lower right.) 'Inspected [or pe- rused], 17 (? or 7) of Rabf al-Awwal, year 30 [i.e. 1066 a.h. = Jan. 14 (? or 4), 1656 a.d.].' /. (Memorandum, first page, upper right, below seal $ of Shah Jahan.) 'Inspected [or perused], 23d of Jumada a§-§ani, year 32 [i.e. 1068 a.h. = March 28, 1658].' K. (Memorandum, last page, right hand margin, below seal 7 of 'Alam-gir.) 'Was intrusted {tahwtl) to Mun'im Beg, 9th of Rajab, year 32 [i.e. 1068 a.h. = April 12, 1658].' (It might be hazardous to try to connect this Mun'im Beg with the poet- soldier Mun'im Shaikh, who is recorded as fighting in a battle the next year, Dec. 1659; cf. Beale, Or. Biog. Did., p. 279.) L. (Memorandum, last page, middle left, near illegible seal 6.) 'Inspected [or perused] {'ard-didah shud) i8th of Dhi'l-Hajjah, year 1068 = 32 (reign) [i.e. Sept. 16, 1658].' M. (Memorandum, first page, lower left margin, near seal 9.) 'Inspected [or perused], 17th of Rabi' a§-§am, year 1069 a.h. [ = Jan. 12, 1659].' 114 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS X. (Small memorandum, last page, lower right, just above mem- orandum H.) 'Inspected [or perused], i6th of Safar, year 7 (?) [i.e. probably of Aurangzib's reign, or about Sept. 8, 1664 a.d.].' Y. (Memorandum, last page, middle right, or slightly below and to the left of Aurangzib's seal 7.) 'Inspected [or perused], 12th of Rajab, year 13 [probably of Aurangzib's reign, i.e. 1082 a.h. = Nov. 14, 167 1].' Z. (Memorandum, last page, below seal 2.) The dates are obliterated so that the year can not be determined. The mem- orandum, so far as it can be deciphered, reads: 'It was in- trusted (tahwtl) to . . . Value, one himdred rupees.' Fly-leaf, On the fly-leaf, in addition to the seal (12) described above, there are three incidental jottings by later hands. That to the right has six verses from a Persian mystic love poem. The one to the lower left is another Persian memorandum stating : ' The book of Bustan was purchased from Karim Khan Qanbarali through the kindness of . . . for . . . [price obliterated].' The third note, just below the small seal, contains a prayer in behalf of some one who has died ; it reads: ' Then the Hand of Provi- dence carried the poor servant . . . [name erased] to his destina- tion ; may God establish his honor! ' Other memorandums. There are a few memorandums of no importance written by a later hand in black ink at the top of four or five pages, for example, the title of the chapter in only two cases, fol. 6ya, Sib, and the title of the poetic story in merely two or three instances. Subject. — The celebrated poetic work of Sa^di, written in 1257 A.D., in ten chapters, as follows : — (a) Introduction, fol. ib-Sb. — I. First Chapter, On Justice and Government, fol. Sb-4Sb. — 11. Second Chapter, On Benevolence, fol. 4Sa-66b. — III. Third Chapter, On Love, fol. 67^-81^. — IV. Fourth Chapter, On Humility, fol. 8ia-io26. — V. Fifth Chapter, On Resignation, fol. 102&-110&. — VI. Sixth Chapter, On Contentment, fol. iio^-ii5&. — VII. Seventh Chapter, On Education, fol. ii55-i33a. — VIII. Eighth Chapter, On Gratitude, fol. 133(1-143^. — sa'di "5 IX. Ninth Chapter, On Repentance, fol. 143(1-1 54a. — • X. Tenth Chapter, On Prayer, fol. 154^-1 58a. Illuminations and Illustrations. — The copy is noteworthy for the elaborate decoration of its inlaid borders. The broad margins are ornamented with gold flowered designs of the greatest variety, no two pages being exactly alike, though similar in effect. Colored vignettes of different patterns and varying shades of yellow, blue, and green are then inset, five vignettes to a page, and adorned with gilded traceries. The section-headings, one or more on each folio, are written in red ink and heightened by gold filigree work. There is also a small 'unwan at the beginning of the book. The three miniatures which illustrate the manuscript are the work of a single artist, but no name is given. In the point of the expression of the faces they are better than in the matter of execution or design; in certain traits they recall features of the Transoxianian style, but in many respects they are unique. Especially noteworthy is the delineation of the nose, particularly on fol. 47a. The sub- jects illustrated are as follows : — I {a) fol. ih. Small illuminated title-piece to the Bustdn. 1 fol. 30&. A religious devotee, who was summoned to pray for the king's recovery, says that his prayer will do no good unless the king releases all prisoners and provides alms for the poor. 2 fol. 47a. A Fire-worshiper was received at the board of Abraham the Patriarch, but as the Gabr began to eat without first giving thanks to God, Abraham ejected him from the house. (The figure of Abraham is recognizable by the nimbus around the head.) 3 fol. 94&. King Salih of Syria entertaining two dervishes in his palace. (For King Salilj see d'Herbelot, Bihliotheque orientaUj 3. 173, The Hague, 1778.) V THE INDO-PERSIAN POET AMIR KHUSRAU OF DELHI Baiikam (tvr in the Red Palace Ms. No. 15, fol. 159a (see page 123) AMIR KHUSRAU OF DELHI (1253-1325 A.D.) Amir Khusrau of Delhi, India's greatest Persian poet, was an imitator of Ni?ami, the romantic poet of Persia, and lived at the court of the Khalji Monarch, 'Ala ad-Din, of Delhi, India, where he died, Nov. 6, 1325, and where his tomb is still shown in the environs of the older city. Amir Khusrau's Khamsah, or 'Quintet,' is modeled on the work of his famous Persian romantic predecessor, though with an individuality still his own. The titles and dates of these five works are as follows : I. Matla^ at- Anwar, or 'Rising of the Luminaries,' corresponding to Ni?ami's Makhzan al-Asrdr, and written by Amir Khusrau in 698 a.h. = 1298 A.D. — 2. Shirin u Khusrau, an imitation of Nizami's romantic epopee on the love of King Khusrau of Persia and the fair Shirin, written by Amir Khusrau, 698 a.h. = 1298 a.d. — 3. Majnun u Laild, also an imitation of Nizami's poem of the same name, and finished in 698 a.h. = 1 298-1 299 a.d. — 4. AHnah-i Iskandari, or 'Mirror of Alexander the Great,' parallel with Ni?ami's Iskandar- ndmah, and finished in 699 a.h. = 1299 a.d. — 5. Easht BahisU, or 'Eight Paradises,' the eight love-romances of the Sasanian King Bahram Gur, written in 701 a.h. = 1302 a.d. All of these works, with the exception of the Hasht Bahisht, were dedicated to the Khalji ruler of India, Sultan 'Ala ad-Din (i 296-1316 a.d.). Amir Khusrau was the author likewise of several other poems, notably a collection of lyrics that antedate IJafi? in point of time, and of poems on historic and romantic events connected with his own contemporaries in high positions. In the present manuscript the order of the last two of the five romances is inverted and follows Nizami's arrangement rather than the chronological order of Amir Khusrau's work.^ * In this particular copy, moreover, the date of composition is included in only three of the poems, namely in Shirin and Khusrau, on fol. 102 ft, 119 I20 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 15 Amir Khusrau of Delhi : Khamsah, or ^ Quintet/ five romantic poems modeled upon Nizami. A very beautiful small manuscript in Indian-Persian style, not dated, but belong- ing to the latter half of the seventeenth century, the period of the later Mughal court. The seventeen exquisite minia- tures which adorn the work are, for the most part, signed, and the majority of them are by a single artist, Muhammad Salim, who appears to have been a painter at the court of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzib; three others bear the signatures of two different artists. Size. — 7f X 5 in. (19.6 X 12.5 cm.) ; written surface, 6f X 3I in. (16.2 X 9.2 cm.). Folios 246, including a blank page or even two and more after each of the five poems. Three foHos are missing, one each after fol. 149, 151, 211. Binding. — Rebound in old red morocco, bordered with a flowered band of gilt ; the inside covers are of a simple dark green leather, requiring no special comment. Writing and Paper. — Written in a handsome small Nasta^liq script, 19 lines to a page in four columns, gold- ruled and containing frequent rubric captions together with pink interlineations in the verses above and below the miniatures. The paper is of, an exceptionally fine Indian quality and has the effect of vellum; a heavier weight paper is used for the pages containing the miniatures, except in the case as 698 A.H. = 1298 A.D. ; in Majnun and Laild, on fol. 1380, as the same year (698 A.H.) although there is a mistake in the copying of the wording, 'six hundred and ninety sixty/ the last Persian word shast, 'sixty/ having been erroneously copied instead of hasht, 'eight'; finally, in A'tnah-i Iskandan, on fol. 24sa, in words as 'one less, than nine ( ! ) hundred,' an error for one less than seven hundred, i.e. 699 a.h. = 1299 a.d. AMIR KHUSRAU OF DELHI 121 of the first picture. The written surface of all the pages is lightly sprinkled with gold. Date and Scribe. — Not mentioned in the body of the text, al- though it may be reasonably gathered from external and internal evidence that the manuscript was written in the latter half of the seventeenth century and by MuUa Muhammad Amin, as explained in the footnote below.^ Memorandums. — As observed in the footnote below, there is on the back of the first illuminated page a Persian memo- randum, ^ Khamsah (Quintet) of Khwajah Khusrau in the handwriting of Mulla Amin,' and similarly on the label on the back of the binding. The title of each poem is ^ The evidence, which seems plausible, is as follows : Seven out of a dozen miniatures, which are practically identical in style, are signed by the artist Muhammad Salim, as already noted and as will be further explained below ; one (134&) is signed as 'by a substitute for Muhammad,' the artist giving only Muhammad's name and remaining himself anonymous. The style of all of the paintings by Muhammad Salim recalls directly that of the minia- tures made by an artist Muhammad for the Venetian Nicolao Manucci, who was court physician to Aurangzib (reigned in 1 659-1 680), and who left India in 1690, carrying with him a collection of portraits from this painter's brush. Of him Manucci says : 'The artist was a friend of mine, Mir [i.e. the noble] Muhammad, an official in the household of prince Shah 'Alam' (see Manucci, Storia do Mogor, or Mogul India, translated by G. W. Irvine, i. p. liv, London, 1906; and compare Blochet, Peintures de manuscrits araheSj per sans, et turcs, p. 26, Paris, 191 1). It seems plausible to conjecture, especially from the style, that the artist is the same as the one referred to by Manucci, and the time would thus be in the reign of Aurangzib. The scribe's name appears to have been Mulla Muhammad Amln, if the name be correctly given in the Persian memorandmn on the back of the first illumi- nation, fol. la, as 'by the handwriting of Mulla Amin' and then repeated on the label on the back of the binding as 'by the handwriting of Muhammad Amin.' There may be some possibility that this was the same as the Mulla Muhammad Amin to whom is ascribed the compilation of the Dabistan, shortly before Aurangzib came to the throne (cf. Rieu, Cat. Pers. Mss., I. 142). If so, it would accord with the date assigned; but the point is not strongly urged. 122 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS jotted in Persian on the blank page before it begins. On the last folio (246a) is a small oval seal of an owner whose name was Shah Rukh. Subject and Arrangement. — The ' Quintet ' already described, arranged as follows: I. Matla^ al- Anwar (fol. i&-44a). — II. Shirln u Khusrau (fol. 466-1026). — III. Majnun u Laild {io\. 1036-1386). — IV. Easht Bahisht (fol. 1396- 185a). — V. A^lnah-i Iskandarl (fol. i866-246a). Illuminations and Illustrations. — There are two beautiful 'unwans as frontispieces to the manuscript and also smaller ones, equally fine, as title-pieces to the five books. The frequent rubric letterings and pink interlineations have been already referred to. The miniatures, seventeen in number, are par- ticularly fine, especially the portraits, which are character- istic of the period of Mughal art. Seven of these paintings (fol. 46, 54^?, 68a, 94a, 128a, 1776, 200a) are signed by the artist Muhammad Salim; a conjecture has been made in the footnote above as to the possibility of identifying him with the artist at Aurangzib's court who did the miniatures for Manucci ; it is likewise probable that this Muhammad painted also the miniatures on fol. 8ia, ma, 120a, 156a, and 1 5 9a, though the signature is missing. The miniature on 1346 is marked as the work of ' a substitute for Muham- mad,' but the artist's own name is not given; he may possibly have painted 172a, though that has been retouched. Two other miniatures, 165a and 2066, are signed by another artist whose name was Lachin. The subjects of the minia- tures are as follows : I {a-h) fol. ih-2a. Illuminated title-pages to Matla^ al-Anwar. 1 fol. 46. Muhammad's ascent to heaven in a vision. Signed in the crown by Muhammad Salim. II {c) fol. 466. Title-heading to Shirin and Khusrau. 2 fol. 54a. Khusrau beholds a portrait of Shirln, which AMIR KHUSRAU OF DELHI 123 had been drawn by a Chinese artist. Signed near the bottom by Muhammad Salim. Shirin goes on horseback to see the marvel- ous carvings on the rocks by her sculptor- admirer, Farhad. Signed above the rock by Muhammad Salim. Khusrau's skill in hunting. Khusrau and Shirin in the palace. Signed at the bottom by Muhammad Salim. Title-heading to Majnun and Laild. Laila and Majnun in love as school-children. Majnun, the distraught lover, as a recluse. Laila visits Majnun in the wilderness. Signed near the bottom by Muhammad Salim. Death of Laila. Signed at the bottom by a 'substitute for Muhammad.* Title-heading of Hasht Bahisht. Bahram Gur in the Green Palace. Bahram Gur in the Red Palace. Bahram Gur in the Purple Palace. Signed on the vase by Lachin. Bahram Gur in the Sandal Palace. Bahram Gur in the Camphor-colored Palace. Signed on the steps by Muhammad Salim. Title-page of A'inah-i Iskandart. Alexander in battle with the Kipchaks of China. Signed at the bottom by Muhammad Salim. 16 fol. 2066. Alexander breaks the arm of the Ruler of the Kipchaks of China. Signed near the lower right-hand corner by Lachin. 17 fol. 2336. Alexander and his ship on the 'Western Sea near Damascus.' 3 fol. 6Sa. 4 fol. 8ia. 5 fol. 94a. III (d) fol. 1035. 6 fol. ma. 7 fol. 1 20a. 8 fol. 128a. 9 fol. 134&. IV (e) fol. isgb. 10 fol. 156a. II fol. 159a. 12 fol. i6$a. 13 fol. 172^7. 14 fol. 177&. V (/) fol. 1866. 15 fol. 2QOa. VI « / HAFIZ (C. I325-C. 1389 A.D.) Hafi?, Persians famous lyric poet and one of the great lyrists of the world, was born in Shiraz, a city in Southern Persia that had given birth to his renowned predecessor Sa'di. The real name of Uafiz was Muliammad Shams ad-Din, but he is known to fame by the title of Hdfiz^ an attribute which signifies * having a retentive memory,' and which was bestowed upon him as a student *who knew the whole Qur'an by heart.' So talented a scholar would naturally win, as did Hafiz, the cultured patronage of the princes and rulers of the line that held sway in Shiraz and over Southern Persia. A number of them are mentioned in his odes ; among them (see below) were Shah Shuja' and Shah Man§iir, but especially the former ruler's able vizir, Khwajah Qiwam ad-Din (d. 1363), who was the poet's particular friend and benefactor. This last-named patron founded a Muhammadan theological academy in honor of ^Jafi?, and in this institution the poet held a professorial chair for a time. His severance from that position appears to have been owing, on the one hand, to his anacreontic, or amatory and convivial, tendencies, and on the other, to his outspoken denunciation of the hypocrisy which characterized some of the Muslim priests in. his day. But gifts like those of Hafi? stood in no danger of being overlooked. His poetic fame in due time called forth flattering invitations from dig- nitaries abroad, one of them being royal solicitation from Mahmud Shah II, of the Bahmanid dynasty in India, to make a sojourn at his court. So high a compliment could not be declined, and IJafi? set out for Hindustan. A part of the journey, however, involved a voyage by sea, and at the outset occurred so violent a storm that the poet turned back, abandoned his planned visit, and returned to his home in Shiraz, which he never afterwards left. It should be added, however, that in graceful recognition of the favor of his would-be patron, he wrote an ode apologizing for not having finally been able to accept the distinguished call. 127 128 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS IJafi? was married and there is a mention of sons in his verse. He appears to have lived to a ripe old age, and his de^th occurred about the year 1389 a.d., although that date is not wholly certain. His tomb lies in a beautiful garden in the environs of his beloved city of Shiraz, with whose charms his odes are so closely linked. Love and wine, and the nightingale and the rose, form the burden of his lyric songs; but there is considerable difference of opinion, especially in the Occident, regarding the manner in which these tender, passionate ejffusions are to be interpreted. Hafiz is often called 'the Persian Anacreon,' and there can be no doubt that there is much that is anacreontic in his verses ; at the same time considerable weight must justly be given to the common Oriental interpretation of them, by the mystic Sufis, as symbolic or allegorical expressions of Divine Love under the guise of human passion. The view, therefore, that is probably nearest the truth is that which holds the mean between the extremes in interpreting the odes of this profoundly human and ideally poetic master of lyric song. Translations of Hafiz have been made into many languages and he has influenced the poets of many lands (compare the bibliography in Ethe, Neupersische Litteratur, p. 303-305). Mos^ valuable and complete in its scope is the English version, with commentary, by H. Wilberforce Clarke, The Diwdn-i Hafiz, London, 1891 ; consult also Bicknell, Hafiz, London, 1875 ; Robinson, Persian Poetry for English Readers, p. 384-507, London, 1883; McCarthy, Ghazals of Hafiz, New York, 1893; Bell, Poems from the Divan of Hafiz, London, 1897 ; Leaf, Versions from Hafiz, London, 1898 ; and especially Payne, Hafiz, 1901 ; see furthermore, Pizzi, Storia delta poesia persiana, i. 302-347, Turin, 1894; Horn, Geschichte der persischen Litteratur, p. 1 14-122, Leipzig, 1901 ; F. Veit, Platens Nachbildungen aus dem Diwan des Hafiz, Berlin, 1908. HAPI? 129 16 Hafiz: Diwan, or complete poetical works of Hafiz, the great lyric poet of Persia. An interesting small manuscript belonging approximately to the end of the eighteenth or the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is rich in mini- atures, seventy-five in number, painted in one of the typical styles of Persian art. The white-bearded man that figures in almost all the illustrations appears to represent Hafiz in his older years. Size. — 7i X 4} in. (= 18.0 X 10.7 cm.) ; written surface, 5} X 2I in. (= 13.9 X 7.4 cm.). Folios 365, numbered in Persian figures. To this count should be added the seven folios of the Preface, which are not numbered, though apparently copied by the same hand. Binding. — Rebound in a very dark brown Oriental leather, with stitched woven bands in Shirazi style, and with tissues bound in opposite the illustrations. The inner covers are overspread with a plain dull crimson leather. Writing and Paper. — Good, clear Nasta^liq, 1 1 fines to a page, in two columns separated by an ornamental tendril band and framed in rulings of gold, green, red, and blue, with a marginal line of gold and black beyond ; a powdering of gold-dust heightens the written surface. The name of Hafiz in the various poems is always written in red ink. The paper is of a very fine light quahty ; the fly-leaves are of a slightly heavier texture. Date and Scribe. — No date or name of copyist is given, as there is no colophon, but the manuscript appears to belong to the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century (more prob- ably the latter), and it may have been copied at Shiraz, if an inference may be drawn from the general style. I30 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS Memorandums, — On the three introductory fly-leaves are verses in Persian, by a later hand, on Tamerlane (1333-1405), on Fatih, and onHafiz's patron, Shah Shuja' of Shiraz (d. 1384). On the first page (and obliterated on next to the last fly- leaf) is stamped in carmine ink the seal of an owner, whose name was Shafi^ On the top of the last page is a Persian memorandum that the manuscript contains ' seventy-five (75) miniature paintings.' This number is correct. Subject and Arrangement. — The Dtwdn, or Collected Lyric Poems, of Hafiz, introduced by the Preface of Gulandam (cf. Rieu, Cat. Pers. Mss. Brit. Mus., p. 627-628), and ar- ranged as follows: (i) Gulandam's Preface to Hafiz's works, fol. ib-viib. — I. Ghazals, or Odes, five hundred and ninety-seven in number, fol. 15-31 65; among these are poems in praise of several rulers or notables in the time of Hafiz, for example of Shah Mansur Muzaffar (d. 1392), fol. ii6a-ii66 ; of Hafiz's own patron Shah Shuja' (d. 1384), on fol. 186^-187^ ; of Yahya ibn Muzaffar (1353-1430 a.d.), ruler of Shiraz, fol. 196^-1976 ; of Mansur ibn Muhammad of Shiraz, fol. 2iO(Z-2ii&; of Khwajah Turan Shah (d. 1385), who was vizir to the patron of Hafiz, fol. 2336-2346 ; again of Shah Shuja^, fol. 249&-2515; of Nusrat ad-Din Yahya, of Shiraz, fol. 265^-266^; and of the same, fol. 2706-2716; of Muhammad ibn ^Ali, fol. 2986-300^; again of the above-mentioned Khwajah Turan Shah, fol. 305a- 3056; and lastly of Khwajah Qiwam ad-Din, fol. 345a and 350a. — II. Three Masnawls, or Poems in Rimed Couplets, beginning Ala ai dhu-i, fol. 3166-3246. — III. Mughannl- ndmah, or Singer's Book, beginning Biyd Sdql, fol. 325^^- 3316. — IV. Tarji'-band, or Refrains, beginning Ai dddah ba-bdd, fol. 3316-3346. — V. Qasidahs, or Panegyrics, begin- ning MdM chu tu, fol. 3346-33 7a. — VI. Mukhammas, or Quintuple Rimes, fol. 337a-3386. — VII. Muqatta'dt, or HATIZ Miscellaneous Fragments, fol. 3386-351^. — VIII. Rubd'iydt, or Quatrains, one hundred and twelve in number, arranged in nearly alphabetical order, fol. 35ia-365&. Illuminations and Illustrations. — The Preface is introduced by a less ornate title-piece; the Dlwdn itself opens with two highly embellished full-page 'unwans, gold and green pre- dominating in the decoration. Throughout the work there are flowered bands and countless small floral panels marking the end of each ode, quatrain, or series of verses. The seventy-five miniatures which illustrate the various sub- jects of the poems are nearly full-page in size, and are the work of a single artist in a strongly marked Persian style. The white-bearded man who appears throughout in the illustrations, as noted above, may be assumed to represent a conception of Hafiz in his older years. To be observed also is the frequent occurrence of the slender dark cypress tree and of the rose bush and the nightingale in pictures illustrative of the lyric verses. The main details as to the illuminations and paintings are as follows : — i {a) fol. ih. Simple illuminated title to the Preface to 5afi? by Gulandam. I {h-c) fol. ib-2a. Double illuminated title-page and introduction to theGhazals, or Odes ; in these two embellishments, gold and green combine as predominant colors. 1 fol. 4a. Ascent of Muhammad to heaven in a vision. 2 fol. sa, 'Look into the Cup of Jamshid and the Mirror of Alexander in order to have an insight into the Kingdom of Darius ' — so says 5afiz to his friend. 3 fol. 6a. ' Why turn to Mecca when our venerable sage turns to the wine-house ? ' 4 fol. Sb. God's providence saves after tribulations, as shown in the lives of the Patriarchs of old. 5 fol. 12b. If IJafiz has his friend he cares not, though he be crucified like Man§ur. 6 fol. 136. It is the hour of pleasure, the beloved friend joins 132 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS in the wine-drinking, and the musicians are play- ing. 7 fol. 156. IJafi? meets his sweetheart, who is on horseback. 8 fol. 17&. Sultan Mahmud and his favorite Ayaz; also Laila and Majnun. (All four are mentioned in the Ode.) 9 fol. 20a. Pafiz's sweetheart departs with her handmaidens. 10 fol. 21a. 5afi? grieving for his absent sweetheart. 11 fol. 24&. !Hafi?'s loss of his beloved is likened to the loss of Solomon's seal. 12 fol. 26a. 5afiz, a student of love, is no more to be blamed than the Shaikh of San^an who pawned his cloak in the wine-shop but still praised God. 13 fol. 276. 5afi? likens the shadow of his cypress-like sweet- heart to the reflection of the Divine Spirit. , 14 fol. 296. The happy night of imion with the beloved. 15 fol. 31&. IJafi? says: 'The time of Majnun the lover has passed ; it is now our turn.' 16 fol. 386. 'Shirin is the only subject of Farhad's talk, and Laila's curl is the abode of Majnun.' (These four lovers are portrayed in the picture.) 17 fol. 4ifl. The beloved of Hafiz kneels by his pillow at night. 18 fol. 45{i. 'Do not rely on the wind; even though now it blows the way you wish — soaring like Solomon on his throne by the aid of the dlvs (demons) — it may later lead to destruction.' 19 fol. 47a. Hafiz apostrophizing the deserted throne of Jamshid. 20 fol. 53(Z. yafiz's advice — 'Beware! the beloved, while attentive to thee, may smile behind the veil at another.' 21 fol. 57^. 5afi?'s sweetheart forsakes him. 22 fol. 616. 'Miss not your opportunity for joy: for no one will open the door for you if you lose your key.' 23 fol. 62,h. Hafi? fears that his excessive love may make others jealous of him, as Joseph's beautiful coat aroused the envy of his brethren. 24 fol. 65^. Love may be fatal. — Farhad, the sculptor-lover of Shirin, was beguiled to leap to death from the crag BAEIZ when the old woman at the King's behest told him the false story of Shirm's death. 25 fol. 67a. Hafiz and Fakhr ad-Din 'Abd a§-Samad. — 'Trust Fate, and fear not the deceits of the beloved.' 26 fol. 72^. Hafiz prefers wine to fasting as a means for cleans- ing the heart from sorrow. 27 fol. 766. Fortune may come, just as Joseph, in spite of his brethren, attained to the pinnacle of success. 28 fol. 796. Why be blamed, when Jamshid and Kai Khusrau drank wine ? 29 fol. 85^. Why be downcast ? — ' The hoopdo, like the zephyr, may bring good tidings.' (The hoopoo bird was the messenger of love between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. To be noted in the picture are the divs, or demons, as Solomon's servants.) 30 fol. SSb. My beloved is for me alone. — ' I would not touch King Solomon's seal if Abraham's hand had touched it.' (Again to be noted in the miniature are the divs as servants of Solomon, who is crowned with a nimbus.) 31 fol. g2b. Hafi? realizes his hope. 32 fol. 93&. Love's mischances. — 'Lightning flashed from Laila's tent and struck Majnun's threshing-floor.' 33 fol. gya. 5afi?, like Iskandar (Alexander the Great), employs a mirror to find his beloved. 34 fol. 99<2. 'All that you hold in your hand is air.' 35 fol. looa. Laila's burdened camel passing Majnun's way.- 36 fol. lo^a. There may be risk in twos — two high domes, two Turks, two sailors, two mystics in a wine-house, two highwaymen, two lion-hunters, two seafarers, and two mischief-makers after IJafiz's heart. 37 fol. io6b, "Tis said the burden of the song injamshid's company was this: "Bring wine, for Jamshid will not live for ever." ' 38 fol. 111a. 5afi? complains of his beloved's inconstancy. 39 fol. ii6b. Praise of Shah Man§ur Mu?affar (d. 1392) for his victory over thousands. 40 fol. iiSa. ^afiz likens his beloved to his contemporary, the beneficent Shaikh Abu Isliaq of Shiraz (d. 1357), 'under whose feet the earth became a garden,' 134 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS and to Mahmud, * the flash of whose eye burned up his enemies.' 41 fol. 122a. 'Few love stories stir us; they are those of Farhad and Shirm.* 42 fol. 128b. IJafi? proposes to drink to the memory of Solomon's vizir Asaf. 43 fol. 132a. 'O Lord, put into the heart of Elhusrau and Shirln to be considerate of Farhad.' 44 fol. 142a. 'Not every polished face can catch the heart; not every mirror-maker knew Alexander's art.' 45 fol. 147&. gafi? gives to the east wind a message for kings about the charms of his beloved. 46 fol. 149&. On the transitoriness of love; it is passing. — 'You may have the beautiful and brilliant turquoise seal of Abu Ishaq (d. 1357), but his sway was short.' 47 fol. 159&. 'Set not your heart upon the world; ask the intoxicated about the virtue of the Cup and also about Jamshid, the pleasure-seeker.' 48 fol. 162a. 'Despair not; for Joseph, though lost, will return again to Canaan, and his prison-cell will become a garden of roses.' 49 fol. i6Sa. Sultan Malimud loved his favorite Ayaz simply for his beauty. 50 fol. 173a. 'If you aspire to sit as co-assessor of Khicir (who enjoyed eternal life at the Fountain of Youth) you must retire into concealment (as he did) from Alexander's eye.' 51 fol. 179a. 'Throw Bahram's lasso around Jamshid's cup, for in this Wilderness (of life) I see neither Bahram nor his wild ass.' 52 fol. 183a. 'The turbaned Censor breaks the jar of wine.' 53 fol. 1866. Shah Shuja' (1357-1384), the patron of ^afiz. 54 fol. 196a. Yahya ibn Muzaffar (1353-1430), ruler of Shiraz. 55 fol. 199&. Hafi? in praise of Asaf, the vizir of Solomon. 56 fol. 207&. Hafi? praises Kai Qubad and Jamshid. 57 fol. 210&. Man§ur ibn Muhammad of Shiraz. 58 fol. 224a. Hafi? praises the patience of Joseph. 59 fol. 22gb, IJafi? mentions Mafemud and his favorite Ayaz. HAFIZ 60 fol. 233^- 01 101. 242^. 62 fol. 245a. 63 fol. 250a. 64 fol. 260&. 6s fol. 2636. 00 lOl. 67 fol. 270&. 68 fol. 2726. 69 fol. 277&. 70 fol. 287a. 71 101. 294^* 72 101. 290c?. 73 fol. 305^- 74 lOi. 3066. 75 fol. 311^- Khwajah Turan Shah (d. 1385), subject of 5tafi?'s panegyric. Pashang's son, Afrasiab, a Turanian hero in the Shah-namah. Farhad's death mentioned by 5afi?. Shah Shuja' (d. 1384). 'Give me Jamshid's Cup and not the treasure of QarQn.' (Qarun of the Qur'an, answering to Qorah of the Old Testament, represented the classic idea of Croesus and his wealth.) Joseph mentioned with praise. Nu§rat ad-Din Yahya, ruler of Shiraz. Nu§rat ad-Din Shah Yahya, above mentioned. *To be king you must have the genius of Jamshid and of Faridun ; to be a lover like Majnun you must follow the dangerous path of Laila.' 'Many would be like Majnun of the Tribe of Amir, if a Laila would come out of the Tribe of KEai.' The bountiful EEatim Tai. 'Whoever exchanged the treasure of economy for the treasure of the world, sold Joseph of Egypt cheap ! ' Muhammad ibn 'Ali. Tiiran Shah, mentioned above. 'Through this palace have passed a hundred thousand like Ka'tis, Caesar, Jamshid, and (other) kings.' 'As Majnun followed the heart-ravishing Laila, so my heart should follow its sweetheart.' 1 VII JAMi (1414-I492 A.D.) Jami, the last classic poet of Persia, is renowned for his historic, romantic, and mystic compositions. He took his name from his birthplace, the small town of Jam, near Herat, in what is now called Afghanistan ; yet he himself plays upon his name as emblematic of the 'cup,' jam, from which, with the mystic Sufis, he quaffed the divine love of God. See above, under Rumi, p. 93. Jaml's seven longer poems are often collected together under the title Haft Aurang, or 'Seven Thrones,' after the name of the constella- tion of the Great Bear. A list of these poems is given below, in con- nection with the manuscripts. One among the number, and the best known, the Yusuf u Zulaikhdj written in 1483 a.d., was probably inspired in title and subject by Firdausi's poem on the love of Poti- phar's wife for Joseph; two others, namely the Laild u Majnun and the Khirad-ndmah-i Iskandari go back to Ni^aml's romantic poems by the same name, telling of Majnun's tragic love and of Alexander's fame for wisdom. Jami's short lyric poems, which were composed approximately between 1460 and 1491, are later grouped in the manuscripts into three diwdns. His prose work, Bahdristdn, or 'Abode of Spring,' containing short stories with apt illustrations of Eastern thought and wisdom, was composed about 1487. Jam! traveled considerably during a part of his lifetime, making the pilgrimage to Mecca, and visiting Aleppo, Damascus, and other well-known cities, where he was received with the honor due to his literary attainments and with the recognition appropriate to his renown for mystic devotion. He died at Herat in 1492. For details and references consult, among other books, Ethe, Neupersische Litteratur, in Grundriss, 2. 305-307 ; S. Robinson, Persian Poetry, p. 510- 642, London, 1883 ; F. H. Davis, The Persian Mystics: II, J ami, London, 1908; Jackson, art. 'Jami,' in C. D. Warner, World^s Best Literature, 14. 81 10-81 16, New York, 1897. 139 149 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 17 Jami: Diwan, an early collection of the lyric and mystic poems of Jami. This very valuable manuscript was writ- ten in the poet^s own lifetime, as it can be assigned to the third quarter of the fifteenth century (see below), and it represents a compilation made prior to the time at which he grouped all of his lyric compositions into three dlwdns. The copy is in the handwriting of the celebrated callig- raphist ^Abd al-Karim of Khwarazm, whose brother tran- scribed, in 1463 A.D., another precious manuscript of Jamf s Diwan, which is most closely allied to this copy, and which is now in the British Museum (see below). Besides being richly illuminated, the present manuscript is adorned by sixteen beautiful miniatures, which show strongly the in- fluence of Mongol art. Size. — loX 6 in. (25.5X 15.2 cm.) ; written space, 6f X 3 J in. (16.2 X 8.0 cm.). Folios 328 ; the last page is blank. Binding. — Maroon Oriental leather, apparently camel's hide, deeply pressed with a medalHon figure, pendants, and a panel border, gilded and with a tendril pattern in relief. The inside covers show a lighter brown leather, bhnd-pressed, and with elongated gold medalHon, pendants, and corner angles, cut out and embelHshed by filigree work upon a blue background. The whole of the field is framed by a double gilt cording. The covers are the original ones, but have been slightly repaired. Writing and Paper. — Written in a very beautiful Nasta'liq, 15 lines to a page in two columns, lightly outlined by gold ruKng. The couplets in which Jami's name occurs in the poems are blocked off between horizontal ruled fines. The paper is of a heavy quafity and of a creamish hue with a slight sheen. JAMI 141 Date and Scribe. — The date of the manuscript is not given, but can be determined, from the time of the scribe and from internal and external evidence, as being between 1463 and 1479 A.D., former date being probably nearer the actual one. The determining factors as to the date are the fol- lowing : — The scribe gives his name in the colophon, on fol. 328a, as *Abd al-Karim of Khwarazm. This copyist, as we know through other sources, was one of the two noted sons of the famous calligraphist *Abd ar-Rahman of Khwarazm, who flourished in Jami's own lifetime and enjoyed the patronage of Sultan Ya^qub, ruler of the White Sheep Turkomans. The father and his two sons are accredited with having trans- formed, between the years 1456 and 1476, the style of Nasta'- liq writing (see Huart, Les Calligraphes et les miniaturistes^ p. 257-258). As already stated, the other son was named *Abd ar-Rahim, and he was the copyist who transcribed, in the year 1463 a.d., the similar early Diwan of JamI, which is now in the British Museum (see Rieu; Supplement, p. 188, no. 288). The two copies by these celebrated brothers are closely related, although there are some differences be- tween them. The British Museum manuscript has no preface, but the copy in the present collection has a preface (fol. 1&-56), the close of which corresponds to what forms an epilogue at the end of the Museum copy, fol. 168 (see Rieu, Supplement, p. 189, for details regarding the latter). In a personal quatrain in the present preface (fol. 56), moreover, Jam! speaks of himself as being then in his fiftieth year, i.e, 1463 A.D. ; exactly the same date is found in the epilogue (fol. 168) of the British Museum copy, the date of which is given as 1463. This year (1463) therefore forms the lower limit in determining the date of the manuscript. The upper limit is furnished either by the year 1476, when the trans- 142 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS formation in the style of writing instituted by the father and his two sons was regarded as complete, as noted above ; or it is given by 1479, the time when Jami began to revise or rearrange his poems into a form that ultimately became fixed as Three Dvwdns (cf. Ethe, Neupersische Litteraturj p. 306). The present copy, like the British Museum copy, antedates that event, and they resemble each other in agree- ing largely in contents with what was later called the First Diwdn. It is not impossible that the two brothers Karim and Rahim were engaged in making their respective tran- scripts almost at the same time. Memorandums, — On the back of the binding, in a later Persian • hand, is given the title with a note on the caUigraphy, as ' The Diwdn of Jami, in beautiful handwriting.' On the first fly-leaf, which has been pasted together with the first folio, is a similar note, ' The Diwdn of Jam!,' jotted by the same hand. To the right of this memorandum, in a different hand, there is a note erroneously calling the work by the name Silsilat adh-Dhahah, ^ Chain of Gold,' as that is the title generally given to the first book of Jami's Haft Aurang. There are two small oval seals on this page, but they have been obliterated and are illegible. On the last fly-leaf is a pencil note in English regarding the author and possible date, as follows : ' Jami, Diwan, 1480-1500,' and a note as to the number of miniatures. Subject and Arrangement. — An early Diwan, or collection of Jami's lyric and mystic poems, made prior to the time when they were grouped as three separate diwans. As already remarked, this copy agrees largely in contents with what was later called the First Diwdn (cf. Sachau and Ethe, Cat. Pers. Mss. Bodl. Lib., col. 612-614; also Muqtadir, Cat. Arab. Pers. Mss., 2. 40-42 ; and especially Rieu, Supplement, p. 187-189, nos. 287, 288). JAMI The arrangement, which is almost identical with that of the British Museum copy (Rieu, Sup.^ no. 288), runs as fol- lows : I. {a) A short personal Preface beginning in prose with (5^^^(Jr^y> ^))y^ (the same as in Rieu, p. 187, no. 287), then adding some verses in Masnawi form eulogizing the reigning sultan, Abu Sa'id, furthermore continued by five lines of prose, and concluded by two quatrains (fol. 56), in the first of which Jami states that he was then in the fiftieth (lunar) year of his age {i.e. 1463 a.d., see above). — {h) A group of five Qasidahs in praise of God, followed by five Tarji'dt in praise of Muhammad, and by a succession of Tarkib-bands and Qasidahs (fol. 5^-3 9a) ; this whole latter group corresponds to what is generally called the second part (b) of the First Diwdn. — II. Ghazals, or odes, in alphabetical order (fol. 39&-291&). — III. Tarji'dt, or poems with a refrain (fol. 2916-300^) ; the same as in Rieu, Supplement, no. 288. — IV. Two Marsiyyahs in Tarkib- band form, one being an elegy on Maulana Sa'd ad-Din of Kashghar (d. 1455 a.d.), the other an elegy on Jamfs own brother (fol. 3006-3046). — V. Muqatta'dt, fragmentary poems (fol. 3046-3096). — VI. Rubd'iydt, or quatrains (fol. 3096-320(1). — VIII. Mu^ammaydt, or enigmas, longer and shorter ; the first of these (fol. 320a) is a riddle on the name of Shah Babar (d. 1457),^ beginning W as in an- other copy of the Diwan described by Rieu, Sup., no. 288 ; the second enigma, also in four lines, on Hasan (fol. 3206) ; then seven other enigmas, each in two lines (fol. 3216), followed by a series of single-line {fard) riddles, the name ^ This Babar is the one called Babar Sultan ; he was the great-grandson of Timur Lang, and after the death of *Abd al-Latif he established himself as ruler of Khurasan in 1452, and died at Mashhad, on March 27, 1457; cf. Beale, Oriental Biog. Did., p. 92. He is to be distinguished from the later Babar who founded the Mughal Dynasty. 144 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS of the person being given above each in a beautiful illu- minated brooch (fol. 3 2 16-3 28a). Illuminations and Illustrations. — Two richly ornate full pages, in blue and gold, form the opening of the Preface; and there are throughout the manuscript, especially towards the end, highly decorated head-bands and caption-brooches. The miniatures, sixteen in all, many of them full-page, are fine specimens of art, strongly under the influence of the Mongol style ; they appear to be the work of a single brush. The first two miniatures, occupying a double page before the two illuminated frontispieces, portray scenes of the chase ; the other paintings, likewise often full-page, represent the subject of some particular verse or theme in the poem which they are chosen to illustrate. Details are as follows : — 1 fol. ih. Hunting-scene. 2 fol. 2a. Another scene from the chase. I {a-h) fol. 26-3^. Exquisite double title-pages in blue and gold. 3 fol. 21a. 'The young man who wishes to gain knowledge must dip deep like the diver to bring up the pearl.' II {c) fol. 39&. Illuminated title-piece to the book of Ghazals. 4 fol. 866. Convivial scene in spring, with a king sitting upon his throne in an orchard. 5 fol. 99a. A bard playing on his guitar, for a prince and his company out of doors. 6 fol. 113a. A feast of love. 7 fol. 132a. 'The student of thy love sets not his feet on the steps of the pulpit of the mosque.' 8 fol. 138&. The shepherd takes Majnun to the tent of Laila, his beloved. 9 fol. 162a. Illustration of a verse referring to Majnun as devotedly following Laila. The verse reads: ' When the camel-driver carries Laila away from IJai, who can restrain Majnun from following her? ' 10 fol. i8ia. Illustration of Shirin and her sculptor-lover, JAMI Farhad. The verse reads: 'My breast is shat- tered by the axe of thy love.' 11 fol. 202a. Spring scene — 'In the springtime, why give up the cup and social intercourse ? ' 12 fol. 2186. Scene of love-making — 'My love for thee has torn away the veil.' 13 fol. 228a. Polo scene — the lover chases his beloved like a polo ball. 14 fol. 2320. Hunting-scene — The beloved fears that her lover has come out to hunt her heart as in the chase. 15 fol. 2636. ' Seek thou for Jamshid's Cup in the wine-glass, and for the water of life in the grape lees.' 16 fol. 2846. Jam! would rather be the captive-game of his beloved than be a student. 18 Jami : Yusiif and Zulaikha. — A beautiful early sixteenth-cen- tury manuscript of Jami's romantic and mystic poem, Yusuf and Zulaikha. It is copied in the exquisite hand- writing of the famous calligraphist Mir 'Ali, and is dated 1 5 23-1 5 24 A.D. The illuminations, especially the sumptu- ous decoration of the margins, are particularly fine; and the three miniatures are in the style of the contemporary Bahzad school of painting. In its general style and char- acter, it is to be closely associated with the great manu- script of Nizami (No. 3) in the present collection, and it was finished one year earlier than that codex. Size. — io| X 7 in. (27.5 X 17.7 cm.) ; written surface, 5f X 2f in. (14.3 X 6.7 cm.) ; the space covered by the writing is small in comparison with the wide margins. Folios 139, the first 146 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS and last pages being blank, but especially embellished. A number of leaves are misbound, and some twelve in all are missing. Binding. — Rebound in a heavy black Oriental leather, with blind-pressed designs in red, dark green, and gilt. Both the outside covers are alike, and show an inner field of black grained leather, set off by an inlaid red leather medallion, pendants, and corner angles, all these being stamped with a foliated pattern. The smaller panels around this field are of a dark green leather, with a similar pressed design, and a Httle gold and colored vignette at the top and the bottom heightens the effect. A running flowered border of gold serves to frame the whole. The inner covers are overlaid with a cloth of rich red color, with a floral pattern, but of ordinary quality. Writing and Paper. — Written in an exquisite Nasta'liq hand by one of the most famous Persian calligraphists, Mir ^Ali (see below) . The text runs 14 lines to a page in two columns, separated by a double ruHng and framed by a broad band of different colors, with floral traceries in gold. The whole page is then inset in a richly embelhshed wide margin, each border being painted in a different color from the next (thus giving the greatest variety) and being covered with gold flowered designs. The paper of the inset pages is of a heavy quality, but that of the borders is of a still heavier weight. Date and Scribe. — Given in the colophon (fol. 137^^) as, ' Written by Mir 'Ali al-Husaim, year nine hundred and thirty [i.e. 930 A.H. = 1 5 23-1 5 24 A.D.].' The name of this famous scribe is recorded also in a later memorandum on the first page (fol. la). Mir 'Ali was the most celebrated penman of his day, and some idea of the value of his work may be gained from the statement of a European authority, R. JAMI 147 Murdock Smith, who mentions the fact of * a single line of the writing of Mir selling for two or three pounds sterling ' (see Major R. M. Smith, Persian Art, p. 79, in Handbooks of the South Kensington Museum). Mir ^Ah was indirectly, if not directly, the pupil of the renowned calligraphist Mashhadi. He was born at Herat, but educated at Mashhad, and was later (1539) brought, much against his will, from Herat to the court of the Uzbeg ruler at Bukhara, where he was forced to employ his art of beautiful penmanship. He was also somewhat of a poet, and some verses, in which he laments his lot, have been preserved. He died in 1558 or 1559 A.D., or, according to another account, in 1544 a.d. (see Huart, Les Calligraphes, p. 227-228, and cf. Sachau and Ethe, Cat. Pers. Mss. Bodl. Lib., nos. 816, 859, 863). Memorandums. — The only memorandums are found on the first page (fol. la) and belong to a later date. At the top of this page is a note in Persian giving the title and author of the work as * Yusuf and Zulaikhd by Jami.^ In the middle of the page is a small oval modern seal containing the name of the owner, Fadl Allah, and the date 1324 a. h. = 1906 A.D. Above this seal is jotted, in a small neat hand, a memorandum stating that the manuscript ^ was written by the renowned Mir ^Ali, and was later acquired by Fadl Allah, of Rai, in the year 1326 a.h. [= 1908 a.d.].' (The difference between this date and the one preceding is, of course, in such a case a matter of no importance.) Rai is located about six miles southeast of Teheran. Subject. — As already stated, the subject is the mystic and ro- mantic poem of Yusuf and Zulaikhd, or Joseph and Potiphar's wife, written by Jami in 1483 a.d., and dedicated to Sultan Husain Mirza, ruler of Khurasan, who resided at Herat. Illumifiations and Illustrations. — Attention has been called above (under * Writing') to the sumptuously illuminated 148 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS margins and borders, and to the variety and alternation in the colors employed. There are two splendid 'unwans to serve as a double frontispiece ; and the head-bands, which form the captions to the different sections, are inscribed in rubric letters, set off by a tendril design in gold. The manuscript is illustrated by three full-page miniatures, which belong in style to the contemporary Bahzad school. No artist's name is given, but they are seemingly the work of a single painter, the last miniature (fol. gia) being the finest of the three. The subjects, are as follows : — I (a-b) fol. ib-2a. Two full-page introductory pieces, highly em- bellished. 1 fol. $Sb. Joseph arriving in Eg5^t and leaving the ship in the Nile. 2 fol. 69a. Joseph tending the flocks. 3 fol. 91a. Zulaikha seizing the skirt of Joseph's robe. 19 Jami : Yusuf and Zulaikha, or the Story of Joseph and Potiphar's Wife. A fine Persian manuscript, not dated, but belonging to a period not later than the middle of the sixteenth cen- tury (see below), handsomely illuminated and containing four full-page miniature paintings after the best manner of the Bahzad school. Among its various owners were two of the Kings of Golkonda in Southern India. Size. — 10 X si in. (25.3 X 14.6 cm.) ; written surface, 6f X 3 in. (16.8 X 7.5 cm.). Folios 162, the last page being blank ; one leaf is missing after fol. 53, and one after fol. 78. Embellished Introductory Page ('Unwan) Ms. No. 18, fol. 2a (see page 148) JAMI 149 Binding. — Rebound in plain dark-red Oriental leather, with blue sheets tipped in opposite the illustrations. Some of the pages have been slightly repaired. Writing and Paper. — Written in a beautiful Nasta^liq of a rather large size, 12 lines to a page in two gold-ruled columns, with orange, blue, and green outlines on tan-colored paper, gold-sprinkled, the pages being inset. Date and Scribe. — The date is not given, but the manuscript may properly be assigned to the middle of the sixteenth century, or approximately to the year 1550 a.d., as may be judged not only from its general characteristics, but also from the time of the copyist. This scribe gives his name in the colophon as Muhammad Qiwam of Shiraz, and is the same person as the Muhammad Qiwam of Shiraz who, in August, 1556, finished copying a Kulliyydt of Jami upon which he had worked for four years ; he completed also in 1556 a beautiful transcript of Jami's Yusuf and Zulaikhd; he is known also to have been the copyist of a manuscript of Jami's Haft Aurang (see Sachau and Ethe, Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, nos. 895, 898, 905) ; see also next paragraph. Memorandums. — The copy contains a number of seals together with some memorandums. On the back of the title-page (fol. I a) are half a dozen signets, the oldest of which is apparently the small oval seal near the bottom and at the top, again repeated on the last folio ; it is the signet of one Rida, who terms himself ^ the humble servant of the descendants of Muhammad.' Near it is a Persian memoran- dum which records : ' This (book) was brought by the Dervish Beg on the 7th of the blessed month of Ramadan in the year Alf (1000) from Dar-mahal [District Library?].' The reckoning of the year Alf, * Millennium,' was introduced by Akbar the Great, and was counted, not from the flight PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS (Hijra) of Muhammad in 622 a.d., but from his death, which occurred in 632 a.d. The date of the memorandum would correspond to Sept. 25, 1582. The small oblong seal in the middle of the same page (fol. la) is the signet, with date, of ' Zain al-^Abidin, year 1190 a.h. [= 1776 a.d.].' Above it is a large round seal with a crest, bearing the name of Sultan Muhammad, one of the rulers of the later Qutb Shah dynasty of Golkonda in Southern India, together with the date 12 10 a.h. = 1795 a.d. A small seal near the edge, but partly clipped off, is the same as one on the last folio and can be read as that of * Mahdi Quli, the servant of Shah Hamzah.' The three other oblong seals on fol. la are obhterated. On the first fly-leaf is the large seal of Muham- mad Quli, who was another of the Qutb Shahs of Golkonda. A small square seal near the top is obhterated, but below it is written in Persian in a bold hand : ' With the acknowl- edgment of Mir Kazim, on the sixth of Ramadan, in the year 1122 a.h. [= Oct. 29, 17 10 a.d,].' The two seals on the last folio have already been described. Subject and Contents. — Jami's poem on the story of the love of Potiphar's wife for Joseph, comprising approximately 3544 rimed couplets. Illuminations and Illustrations. — The manuscript is introduced by two beautiful 'unwans, that form a double title-page, and contain, in medallions, the opening couplets of the book Yusuf and Zulaikhd. In addition to these there are throughout the poem, as captions to the different sections, large gold bands, lettered in white and deHcately flowered. There are four highly finished miniature paintings, of the most dehcate workmanship, the portrait of Joseph being recognizable in each case by a painted golden nimbus. They furnish fine examples of the art of the Safavid period. The subjects of the illustrations are as follows : — JAMI I {a-h) fol. ib-2a. Illuminated double introductory pages. 1 fol. 38a. Zulaikha with her handmaidens in the palace, after she has dreamed of Yusuf the second time. 2 fol. 73(Z. Yusuf, offered for sale, is purchased by Zulaikha for double the price bid. 3 fol. 1026. Yusuf summoned by Zulaikha to serve at feast. The Egyptian ladies who are present are so overcome by his beauty that they cut their fin- gers instead of cutting the pomegranates they are peeling. 4 fol. 1396. Yusuf and Zulaikha united in wedlock after Potiphar's death. 20 Jami : Haft Aurang, or * Seven Thrones,' named after the constellation of the Great Bear. An illuminated manu- script of about the middle of the eighteenth century, con- taining Jaml's seven longer poems complete, and illustrated by seventeen miniatures. Size. — II J X 7} in. (29.7 X 18.5 cm.) ; written surface, 7! X4f in. (20.0 X 11.8 cm.) ; folios 257, numbered in Persian figures. Between each of the seven poems the scribe has left blank a page, or, in some cases, two pages. Binding, — Strong modern Persian binding of dark brown calf ; the covers are blind-pressed and slightly gilded ; the stitch- ing of the head-band is in Shirazi style. Writing and Paper, — Fair and clear Nasta'liq, 21 lines to a page, in four columns, separated by gold rulings and framed in gold and blue lines. The paper is of ordinary weight, creamish in hue, and without sheen. Small gilt paper tabs PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS are added on the margin of the pages that have miniatures and illuminations. Date and Scribe. — The date is not given and the scribe does not add his name ; but the date must be about the middle of the eighteenth century a.d., if we may judge from a Persian memorandum on the first page and on the last page containing the year 1178 a.h. = 1764 a.d. (see below). Memorandums. — On the outer margin near the top of the first page (fol. I a) is a memorandum in Persian by the owner, over his (later effaced) seal, as follows : * My courteous and sincere friend Aqa Muhammad Rabi' Sahib (may the peace of God be ^pon him!) granted (this book) to me in the month of Jumada al-Awwal . . . The year is erased, but was probably 1178 a.h. = 1764 a.d., as below. In another hand underneath this seal, and again near the top of the page, is * 450 ' {i.e. 450 tumans, as value). Practically the same memorandum over the same seal (likewise effaced), but in another hand, is found near the bottom of the last page (fol. 2576) , namely : ^Aqa Muhammad Rabi' Sahib (may the peace of God be upon him!) presented (this book) to me as an offer- ing and gift in the month of Jumada al-Awwal, year 11 78 A.H. [= October, 1764 a.d.],' and the number ' 450 ' is added by the tertia manus that placed those figures twice on the opening page to denote the value. The seal is identical with that at the opening, but, as stated, it has been erased ; a seal nearby has also been obliterated. A Persian memoran- dum at the top of fol. la notes that the book is ' the seven (poems) of Jami complete.' In the decoration on the upper left-hand corner of this first page is the number * 257 folios,' referring correctly to the number of leaves contained in the manuscript. On fol. 66a, which is blank, there is a large octagonal seal, apparently of a person of high rank, but it is defaced and can be only partially deciphered as the JAMI signet of ^Muhammad Farrukh Mir . . . Zain al-*Abidm. . . On a fly-leaf tipped in near the beginning of the book is a Persian memorandum giving the names of the seven books of Jami contained in the manuscript. All the other memo- randums on the fly-leaves are in English, fly-leaf 4 giving a table of contents and a list of the illustrations, and fly- leaf 7 giving a similar enumeration of the seven poems con- tained in the copy, together with a memorandum as to the Persian jotting translated above. The same English hand has noted on the margins opposite the miniatures the subjects they illustrate. Subject and Arrangement. — The Haft Aurang, or Seven Thrones, of Jami, arranged as follows : I. Silsilat adh-Dhahahj fol. ih-$oa. — II. Saldmdn u Absdl, fol. 51&-65&. — III. Tuhfat aUAhrdr, fol. 666-88&. — IV. Suhhat al-Ahrdr, fol. 896-126&. — V. Yusuf u Zulaikhdj fol. 127&-177&. — VI. Laild u Majnun, fol. 1 786-2 26a. — VII. Khirad- ndmah-i Iskandari, fol. 2276-2576. Illuminations and Illustrations. — There are seven illuminated 'unwans as title-pieces to the seven books, and there is also an ornate medalUon page in colors as an opening to the work (fol. la). The captions to the various sections in the different poems are written alternately in gold and in red. One special page (fol. 43a) which contains a ref- erence to Majnun's freeing a deer from a hunter because of his lovo for Laila is extra-iUuminated with gold inter- lineations and an ornate floral border. The miniatures in this manuscript are seventeen in number and appear to be by three or four different artists in the general style of the period; that on fol. 171a seems to show traces of Indian influence, which is not the case with the others. I {a) fol. I a. Ornamental medallion page. (6) fol. 16. Illuminated title-piece to the Silsilat adh-Dhahab. 154 PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS 1 fol. 2ga. Zahid knocks at the door of his sweetheart as she is entertaining 'Arif . 2 fol. 37a. The wicked man and the woman with the two skins filled with melted butter. II (c) fol. sib. Illuminated title-piece to Saldmdn and Absdl. 3 fol. 58a. Salaman and Absal playing polo. III (d) fol. 666. Illuminated title-piece to Tuhfat al-Ahrdr. IV {e) fol. 896. Illuminated title-piece to Suhhat al-Abrdr. V (/) fol. 1276. Illuminated title-piece to Fw52// Zw/aiy^M. 4 fol. 137a. Zulaikha dreams of Joseph and afterwards tells her attendants the story of her love. 5 fol. 153&. In order to tempt Joseph, Zulaikha enthrones him in a beautiful garden and surrounds him with fair damsels. 6 fol. 161a. The Egyptian ladies, overcome by Joseph's beauty, cut their fingers instead of the pome- granates which they are peeling. 7 fol. 171a. Joseph marries Zulaikha after Potiphar's death. VI ig) fol. 1 786. Illuminated title-piece to Laild and Majnun. 8 fol. 197&. King Naufal while out hunting sees the love- distracted Majnun and takes pity upon him. 9 fol. 2046. The Caliph sends for Majnun, who comes into his presence. 10 fol. 209&. Majnun becomes a hermit in the wilderness after hearing of Laila's marriage. 11 fol. 2176. Laila pays a visit to Majnun in the desert. 12 fol. 224a. Laila's cofiin is carried to burial. VII (h) fol. 2275. Illuminated title-piece to Khirad-ndmah-i Iskandan, or Book of Alexander. 13 fol. 243&. Iskandar, or Alexander the Great, and his Court. 14 fol. 241b. Alexander and the foolish sage. 15 fol. 243^1. Alexander destroying an idol- temple. 16 fol. 2486. The sage alone is saved when the boat is wrecked, as he lets everything go. 17 fol. 2536. Death of Alexander. TURKISH MANUSCRIPTS Ornate Lacquer Binding Ms. No. 21, outside of cover (see page 160) VIII MlR 'ALT SHIR NAWA'I MIR 'ALL SHiR NAWAl (1441-1501 A.D.) Mir *Ali Shir Nawa'i, or Nawa'i for short, a distinguished poet and eminent man of affairs, was born at Herat, February 9, 1441 (17 Ramadan, 844 a.h.), studied at Mashhad and at Samarqand, and then returned to his native city, where honored preferment awaited him at the court of the ruling sultan, Husain ibn Baiqara, to whom he became grand vizir. Among the high offices of trust which he discharged was that of Secretary of Finance, and, for a year, the Governorship of Jurjan, on the Caspian Sea. His own preference, however, was for private life, into which he finally withdrew, employing his large wealth in the patronage of letters and in charity, as well as devoting himself to writing poetry, an occupation that appears to have been ever nearest to his heart. Nawa'i's poetical works in Jaghata'I, or Eastern Turkish, entitle him to the foremost rank among Turkish writers, although he was an equal master of verse in Persian as well. The first collection of his youthful compositions appears to have been made by his admiring friend Prince Muhammad Sultan, who died in 1484 a.d. (889 a.h.), and his works in all comprise nine volumes of verse and twelve of prose. His lyric poems show strongly the influence of igafi?. Nawa'i's death occurred in his sixtieth year at Herat, 12 Jumada II, 906 A.H. = Jan. 3, 1 501 A.D. Consult Rieu, Catalogue of the Turkish Manuscripts in the British Museum^ p. 273, London, 1888 ; Rieu, Cat, Pers. Mss. Brit. Mus., i. 366 ; and especially Gibbs, History of Ottoman Poetry , i. 127-129, et passim; compare also Berezin, Beschreihung der turkisch-tatarischen Handschriften in den Peter sburger Bibliotheken, in Zt. d. deutsch. Morgenldndischen Gesellschaft, 2. 248-256, Leipzig, 1848 ; Belin, N-otice sur Mir Ali-Chir-NevdU, in Journal Asiatiqm, cinquieme serie, 17 (1861), p. 175-256, 281-357. 159 l6o TURKISH MANUSCRIPTS 21 Mir 'All Shir Nawa'i : A Diwan.^ This very valuable manuscript, dated 1499-1500 a.d., contains a collection of lyric poems in Jaghata'i, or Eastern Turkish, by Nawa'i, and was copied during the author's own lifetime, a year or two before his death, by the famous calligraphist 'Ali Mashhadi, his special protege. The manuscript is richly illuminated and has fifteen miniatures besides the two lacquer paintings on the inside of the covers. Size. — 9I X 6 in. (24 X 15.1 cm.) ; written surface, 7J X 4 in. (19.2 X 10.4 cm.). FoHos 254, the first and the last leaf blank; a folio is missing after each of the following: fol. 108, 148, 183, 226, and 250. Binding. — Ornate lacquer binding with lacquer paintings on the inside of the covers, the manuscript having probably been rebound about the end of the sixteenth century. The field of both of the outer covers is identical and has a foHated design, chiefly of a golden yellow color, with a sort of cruciform medalHon set off by pendants of black and gold, the entire panel being then framed by a triple border of black, red, and black, ornamented by a running flower pattern. The inside of the front cover (a) has a lac- quer painting presenting a scene at the court of a ruler before whom an old woman makes a petition; the inner back cover {b) gives in lacquer a scene at an academy of learning. The details in both of these pictures are well worthy of observation. When the manuscript was re- bound (as already noted), the edges of the foHos were slightly trimmed and then gilded. Writing and Paper. — Exquisite Nasta^iq by the hand of the famous 'All Mashhadi ; the writing runs 1 5 lines to a page Lacquer Painting on a Manuscript Cover Ms. No. 21, inside of back cover (see page 160) MIR 'ali shir nawa'i i6i in two columns separated by double rulings of gold, and heavily bordered by lines of blue, gold, orange, and red. The paper is a fairly Ught laid paper of regular texture and a comparatively high finish, with somewhat of an ivory shade, the written part of the page being dusted with gold so as to lend additional elegance to the copy. Date and Scribe. — Both the name of the scribe and the date of the manuscript are given in the colophon, which runs as follows : * Written by the poor Sultan 'Ali al-Mashhadi (may his sins be forgiven!) in the year nine hundred and five [905 A.H. = 1499-1500 A.D.] at the capital, Herat.' 'All Mashhadi, v/ho was called ' Sultan ' from his mastery of penmanship, is acknowledged to have brought the art of Nasta'liq handwriting to its highest perfection, and he enjoyed the special favor and protection of Nawa'i as a patron. He is known to have co-operated with the famous miniaturist Bahzad in preparing a royal manuscript of the History of Tamerlane, which formed a part of the collection of works in the library of the Mughal Emperor Humayun and which afterwards passed into the possession of Akbar the Great. Mashhadi's death occurred in 15 13 a.d., and he was buried in his birthplace, the city of Mashhad. For further details regarding him see Huart, Les Calligraphes et les miniaturistes de V Orient musulman, p. 221-222 ; likewise Sarre and Martin, Meisterwerke Muhammedanischer Kunst^ I. plates 23, 31, Munich, 1912. Memorandums. — On the first page is a Persian memorandum giving the title of the book and noting that it is composed in Turkish. On fol. 28a is another Persian memorandum in badly faded ink, saying : This book is the property of Muhammad Nuyan ; any one that steals or sells it will be arrested.' The miniatures have been numbered later in Persian figures on the margins. l62 TURKISH MANUSCRIPTS Subject and Arrangement. — A Diwan of Nawa'i, containing a collection of more than eight hundred ghazals, or odes, to- gether with some other short poems, gathered into a group one or two years before his death, and arranged as follows : I. Ghazals (8i6 in number; 53 of which rime in Alif), fol. 3&-234&. — II. Badd'i' verses, or cunning odes (five in num- ber) , fol. 234^-23 7a. — III. Tarjl^dtj or poems with a refrain, fol. 237a-25oZ>. — IV. Rubd'is, or quatrains (33 in number), together with three hemistich Fards, fol. 250^-254^.^ Illuminations and Illustrations. — The two front pages are occupied by full-sized illuminations of elaborate design. There are ornate caption-bands to each of the eight hundred and more odes contained in the book. All the pages are gold-besprinkled, and those opposite the miniatures are richly set off by gold interlineations, which are added likewise in the text above and below the paintings. Besides the two illustrations on the inside of the lacquer covers, described above under ^ Binding,' there are fifteen fine minia- tures to illustrate the text. These miniatures are nearly of full-page size, and they show in style the high art of the Herat school at the time. They are all the work of one artist, but no name is given. Their subjects are conven- tional, chosen to match the special theme of the ode that is illustrated. The portrait of the king who is represented is the same throughout, with the exception of fol. 2b, 17&, 125^3^, 2ogb. It is possible to conjecture that the younger ruler represents Sultan Husain Baiqara, the Timurid ^ This manuscript bears no special title-heading to show which of the four diwans it is, into which the poems were finally grouped before the poet's death, and it has no preface, but it has the same beginning as one of the diwans of Nawa'iin the British Museum (Add. 7910) described by Rieu, Cat. Turkish Mss. Brit. Mus., Add. 7910, p. 296, London, 1888, the opening of the first ghazal in both copies being, ^Jh.y^ ^^J^U^ yyJ^ ^) MIR 'aLI shir NAWA'i 1 63 monarch of Khurasan, to whom Nawa'i was minister. His royal consort was Khadijah Begiim Aqa ; possibly she is represented, as indicated, in four of the miniatures noted below. The elder king (four times represented) may possibly be Husain's father, Manstir. These miniatures, in addition to the lacquer paintings, are as follows: — I {a-i b) fol. ib-2a. Two full pages illuminated as frontispieces. I fol. 2b. A king pronouncing sentence; his son is stand- ing near him. 2 fol. 3(Z. Convivial scene in a king's harem. (c) fol. sb. Illuminated head-piece to the collection of poems. 3 fol. I'jb. A king with his attendants by a stream in a garden. 4 ' fol. 276. The king and his consort enjo)dng music in a garden. 5 fol. 51a. The king listening to a court poet. 6 fol. 74a. The king seated beneath a tree and about to partake of wine. 7 fol. 85a. A scene in the king's royal chamber. 8 fol. loSa. The king and his consort under a pavilion out of doors. 9 fol. 125a. A king under a pavilion surrounded by his courtiers. 10 fol. 1416. The king out riding meets with his consort and her handmaiden on horseback. II fol. 1536. The king and his son listening to women musicians. 12 fol. 171a. A levee by the king under the trees. 13 fol. 2096. Female musicians playing before a king and his consort in their tent. III 14 fol. 2376. The cupbearer hands wine to the king. IS fol. 245a. The king giving orders to his officers of state. i64 TURKISH MANUSCRIPTS 22 Mir 'All Shir Nawa'i : Second Diwan, entitled Nawddir ash- Shabdb, or ' The Choice Things of Youth/ This manuscript, belonging to the last quarter of the sixteenth century (being dated 1580 a.d.), and written in Jaghata'i, or Eastern Turkish, contains a collection of ghazals, or odes, and Other short poems, by Nawa'i; it is ornately illuminated and is adorned by five full-page miniatures, two of them occupying the front and the last page respectively. Size. — lof X 7 in. (27.3 X 17.8 cm.) ; written surface, 6| X 4 in. (17.6 X 10.2 cm.). Folios 224; a folio is missing after fol. 77, 133, 169 ; not however after fol. 201, where the catch- word is erroneously taken from the second Hne of the next page, instead of from the first Hne. Binding. — Rebound in the original Persian flap-covers of dark leather embelhshed by designs after the style of the period. Both covers are identical in model. The pattern and colors are best preserved on the flap, which coincides precisely with the covers in design, and shows a panel of pressed black leather with gold stamping and tendril pattern, surrounding a central medallion of blue, orange, and green, forming a pendulum between two corresponding smaller pendants above and below, offset again by decorative angles at the corners of the field. The whole is bordered by a framework of panel-bands, all of which, like the other patterns, exhibit the remains of filigree work finely cut out of the leather, even though the tooling is less skilfully done than in some ,of the bindings already described. The inner cover is overspread with a plain red leather, such as is often used in Persian bindings, and has the stitching of the two head- bands done in the style called Shirazi. MIR *ALI SEOR NAWA'i Writing and Paper. — The writing is a medium-sized Nasta^liq, by a beautiful hand, 14 Hnes to a page in two columns separated by a heavy bar of gold and green with a running flower design in black ; the border lines that surround the written surface are of green, orange, gold, white, and blue. The paper, tinted a dull pink color, is of a laid base and is somewhat uneven in composition; in some cases the laid marks are hardly distinguishable. Date and Scribe. — The date in the colophon (where the title is repeated as Nawddir ash-Shabdh, or ^ Second Diwan ') is fully written out in words as ^ nine hundred and eighty- eight,' i.e. 988 A.H. = 1580 A.D. The scribe's name is added as ' Qasim ^Ali of Shiraz.' Memorandums. — There are two small oval seals stamped on fol. 224a ; one is that of a person named Musa, but the other has been partly destroyed in rebinding and cannot be deciphered. There are no memorandums except some unimportant pencil jottings of numbers recently made on the last fly- leaf, and some marginal notes, in ink, of the Persian equiva- lents for Turkish words on fol. 141a, 141^, 142&. Subject and Arrangement. — I. Ghazals, or odes, about six hundred in number (37 of them riming in Alif), fol. 16- 192a. — II. Mustazdd, or distichs with a supplement, fol. 192^-1 93a. — III. Mukhammas, or quintuple verses, fol. 193^-1 97a. — IV. Sdqt-ndmah, a book of verses on wine, fol. igja-20ia. — V. Masnawts, or rimed couplets, 20ia-2o6b. — VI. Muqatta'dt, or miscellaneous short frag- ments, 2o6b-2i^a. — VII. Rubd'iydt, or quatrains, 213a- 224a. Illuminations and Illustrations. — The manuscript is sumptu- ously illuminated. Besides the embellished frontispiece and a half dozen smaller title-bands, there are also two ornamental framework designs with floweret wreaths at the i66 TURKISH MANUSCRIPTS beginning of each of the six hundred odes ; there are like- wise similar ornamental triangles adorning the entire series of quatrains. A heavy interlineation of gold embellishes the page opposite each miniature. The miniatures them- selves are apparently the work of a single artist, of the Safavid period, but not named; and in subject they rep- resent themes referred to in the odes. 1 fol. I a. Out-of-door scene with preparation being made for a noon-day meal. I (a) fol. lb. Illuminated title-piece to the Ghazals. 2 fol. 15&. A contest of skill in archery on horseback. 3 fol. 59^>. Hunting-scene. 4 fol. 1 865. A tournament at arms. VII 5 fol. 22^b, A scene of conviviality at court. ARABIC MANUSCRIPTS IX QUR'AN QUR'AN The sacred book of the Muhammadan religion, containing the utter- ances of the Prophet as a direct revelation from Allah through the angel Gabriel. These varied discourses, extending over a period of more than twenty years down to Muhammad's death in 632 a.d., are comprised in 114 chapters, called surahs , of different lengths; and they are arranged in general according to the length, the longest first and the shortest last, and not according to the subject-matter or the time of their utterance. Earliest in the point of time are the surahs delivered at Mecca, between 610 and 622 a.d. ; those which were de- livered at Medina, after the Flight (Hijra) in 622 a.d., form a later group. The contents of the Qur'an may briefly be summarized as com- prising Muhammad's teachings regarding the unity of God and the divine nature of the prophetic mission, the doctrine of a future life, heaven and hell, other special tenets of the faith and rites to be observed by true believers, together with much narrative material of a didactic character drawn from antiquity. The earliest redaction of the work as a sacred book was made in 633 A.D., a year after Muhammad's death, by his secretary, Zaid ibn §abit, at the command of the Caliph Abu Bakr. A second redaction was made nearly twenty years later, in 650 a.d., under the supervision of the same scribe, at the bidding of the Caliph Ogman; and this became the recognized standard of the canon. The veneration in which the Qur'an is held led naturally to the bestowal of the greatest care and lavish expense on the preparation of copies of the text. Religious merit was believed to accrue to one who transcribed a manuscript of it ; and even kings and princes showed their religious devotion by accomplishing the task, as in the case of the manuscript described below. 171 172 : ARABIC MANUSCRIPTS 23-24 Qur^an. — A very beautiful and interesting copy of the Qur'an bound in two volumes and bearing the date Fourth of Ramadan 830 a.h. = June 29, 1427 a.d. The manuscript is especially valuable because it was copied by the hand of Ibrahim Sultan, the grandson of Tamerlane, and passed down through the line of the Great Mughal Rulers, as it contains a long memorandum (given below), which was made more than two centuries later, on the back of the last folio, by the Emperor Aurangzib, then a prince in his twentieth year, thus showing that he also personally used this copy. Size. — 8 X si (20-3 X 14.0 cm.) ; written surface, 5I X 3J in. (13.7 X 8.7 cm.). Folios: in the first volume, 267 folios; in the second volume, 268 folios. This latter volume begins five verses before the end of Surah 18, entitled The Cave. Binding. — Rebound in old Oriental leather covers of a maroon color, with medallion and pendants blind-pressed, but with no special ornamentation. Writing and Paper. — The writing is a very elegant Naskhi hand which does full credit to its princely copyist ; and the text is vocalized throughout. It runs 10 lines to a page and is inclosed by gold, orange, and blue rulings. The blackness of the ink is made the more noticeable by the rich gilding between the lines, while all the chapter-titles are written in a blue ink, the last few alternating with gold. The punctuation between the verses is marked by a large gold period. There are also numerous rubrics both in the body of the text and on the margins, as well as marginal annotations in black by different hands. These anno- tations, of a critical and technical nature, were probably added by scholars at the court of Shah Rukh, the father of Sultan Ibrahim Mirza, after the prince had finished copying A King listening to a Court Poe Ms. No. 21, fol. 51a (see page 163) qur'an 173 the book, because the illuminations on the borders were painted after the notes were made, as is proved by the careful manner in which they are traced to avoid interfering with the writing.^ The paper in both volumes is of the same quality, medium in weight, and has a dull finish; its texture has become shghtly brittle with the lapse of time. The fly-leaves are of a later date and belong to the time when the two volumes were rebound. Date and Scribe. — Both are given in the colophon in the second volume (vol. 2, fol. 267a), the date of the completion being Ramadan 4, 830 a.h. = June 29, 1427. The scribe, as already stated, was a grandson of Tamerlane and son of Shah Rukh, and gives his name in full as Ibrahim Sultan bin Shah Rukh bin Timur Gurgan. This Ibrahim Sultan was a renowned patron of letters, and under his personal supervision was prepared the well-known history of his grandfather's achievements, entitled the Zafar-ndmah, or * Book of Tamerlane's Victories/ which was compiled by his teacher Sharaf ad-Din 'Ali Yazdi. Ibrahim was famous for his six different styles of handwriting, and it is related that a specimen of his penmanship which he purposely signed with the name of a famous calligraphist, whose style he could imitate, was so perfect that it was taken ^ The nature of these annotations is masoretic ; they consist of comments on the orthography of the text, variant readings, and the pauses to be ob- served in reciting it ; they are often marked with a letter to denote the particular Reader (Qdri) or Traditionist (Rdwi) upon whose authority they are based. A list of these ten Readers and twenty Traditionists is given on the last folio (fol. 268a) of the second volume (compare also Noldeke, Geschichte des Qoran's, pp. 287-298, Gottingen, i860). The Thirty Divisions (Ajzd') and the Sixty Subdivisions (Ahzdb), into which the Qur'an is divided for convenience in recitation, are regularly indicated on the margin in red letters. The names of the Surahs are marked in black ink in a minuscule hand on the upper left-hand corner of the folios. 174 ARABIC MANUSCRIPTS for an original and was sold in the market-place for a very high price. He died in 1430 or 143 1 a.d., about six years after he finished transcribing the present manuscript; see also Huart, Les Calligraphes et les miniaturisteSj p. 96-97 ; and compare Elliot, History of India, 3. 391. Memorandums. — As already noted, there is, on the back of the last folio of the second volume, a memorandum which is of the greatest interest and value, as it is by the hand of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzib, then a prince in his twentieth year, or more than two centuries after the manuscript was written. It is in Arabic, as suited to the language of the Qur'an, though in the Persian style of handwriting ; and one of the court artists has gilded the page around it. The memorandum reads verbatim as follows : — ' God the Most High. In His Name — Praise be to Him. This Excellent Book and Discourse, which speaks the truth, namely the Venerated Qur'an, the Exalted Scripture, in the hand- writing of the grandson of the greatest of the sultans of time and the sublimest of the kings of the ages [i.e. in the handwriting of Tamerlane's grandson]. Sultan Ibrahim, son of Mirza Shah Rukh, son of Amir Timur Sahib Qiran ^ — (may [God] cause them to dwell in the highest gardens of Paradise!) — which book has been intrusted to me, and the keeping of it is an obligation upon me. I — who rely upon the assurance of His universal grace and upon the intercession of His Prophet, when He shall resuscitate the bones and rebuild ( ?) the body (?) — am Aurangzib, the son of the sultan of sultans and most just king of kings, Shihab ad-Din Muhammad Sa^ib Qiran the Second, Shah Jahan the Victorious Emperor,^ may his kingdom and empire be everlasting ! In the months of the year one thousand and forty- * These last four words, giving Tamerlane's name as a help towards understanding the long titles, are added by Aurangzib himself in the margin. 2 Aurangzib adds in the margin the words ' Shah Jahan the Victorious Emperor' so as to make clearer the application of the long titles in his memorandum. qur'an 175 eight from the Flight of the Prophet [i.e. 1048 a.h. = 1638-1639 a.d.]. Upon its Lord be most copious blessings and benedictions! ' The only other memorandum is of a later date ; . it is on the last fly-leaf and consists of two lines of a prayer in Arabic invoking the blessing of God. Subject. — The Qur'an, or Sacred Book of Islam, complete in one hundred and fourteen Surahs (chapters) . Appended after the colophon, and still in the same hand of Sultan Ibrahim, is a prayer in eleven lines (found also in other copies of the Qur'an) to be repeated after reading the sacred book ; it begins, * O Allah, benefit and uplift me, etc' Following this, in a different hand, but with illumination around it, is the brief list of the ten ' Readers ' and twenty ' Traditionists,' as explained in a previous footnote. Illuminations. — The manuscript is ornately illuminated with two introductory medallions (described below), three rich title-pieces, and with highly decorated borders. These borders have delicate foliated designs painted in gold ; and thirty-one of them have extra adornment consisting of a very artistic flowered pattern traced in different colors upon a background of gold. The main details as to the illuminations are as follows : — (a-b) fol. ib-2a. Two octagonal rosette medallions illuminated with gold and blue designs and centered in the midst of foliated ornamentations which are similar to the general decorations of the borders throughout the manuscript. Within these medallions is inscribed, in white ink, the following appropriate quotation from the Qur'an itself (17.90): 'If mankind and the genii came together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce its like, even though the one of them should assist the other.' ARABIC MANUSCRIPTS Two illuminated full-page titles including the opening Surah of the Qur'an. Illuminated title-piece for the second Surah. Thirty-one extra-illuminated borders, men- tioned above ; these are found at the places marking the majority of the Divisions, called Afezab ; they are mostly in pairs on"opposite pages, and occur on the following folios: First volume, fol. 19^, 2od, 546, S5a, 906, 91a, 143&, 144a, 178&, 179a, 213&, 214a, 247^, 248(2. — Second volume, fol. i6b, 17a, 51a, 856, 86a, i2oa, 121ft, 1556, 156a, 191ft, 225a, 228ft, 266ft, 267a, 267ft (Prayer), 268^ (List of Readers and Traditionists). Arabic Memorandum in the Handwriting of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzib Ms. No. 24, fol. 2686 (see page 174) INDEX INDEX In the alphabetic arrangement of names in this index the prefix al- has been disregarded. Dates (a.d.) are given whenever possible to facilitate identification. Names of works are printed in italics. *Abbasi, Rida, artist (fl. 1640), xvii n., xxiv *Abd al-Karim of Khwarazm, scribe (fl. 147s), 141 *Abd al-Qadir of Na'in, author, 84 *Abd ar-Rabim, scribe (fl. 1475), 141 *Abd ar-Ratiman of Khwarazm, scribe (fl. 1450), 141 *Abd ar-Rabman Jami, Maulana, author, 83 Abkdr al-Afkdfy 84, 86 Abu'l Faraj ibn al-Jauzi, Shams ad-Din, teacher of Sa'di, loi, 106 Abu Ishaq, Shaikh, of Shiraz (d. 1357), 133; 134 Abu'l Ma'ali 'Abdallah, author (d. 1130 or 1138), 85 Abu Sa'id, Sultan, 143 Adib Sabir, poet (d. 1147), 84 Af(Jal ad-Dm Kirmani, author, 86 Ahmad, Qa(Ji, scribe (181 5), 80 Alimad, Sayyid ( ?), a Murid, no Abmad, Sultan, Turkish ruler (1703), owner, 55 A^in al-Quddt of Abu'l Ma'all _*Abdallah,'85 A Hnah-i Iskandart of Amir Khus- rau, 122, 123 Akbar the Great, owner, 71, 73-75 *Alam-gir, name of the emperor Aurangzib (q.v.) *Ali bin Ahmad, author, 104 *Ali al-Husaini, Sayyid, in *Ali (al-)Mashhadi, called Sultan, scribe (d. 1513), 61, 147, 160, 161 *Ali Naqi, artist (17th cent.), xxiii, 34, 35, 36, 106 Amir Khusrau of Delhi, author (d. 1325), 104, 119-123 Amir Ni?am, owner (1894), 31 Anwari, poet (fl. 1175), 84 Aqa — names beginning with Aqa must be sought under one of the other components A§ir ad-Din Akhsikati, poet (12th cent.), 86 *Attar, Farid ad-Din, author (fl. 1200), 83, 85, 86, 88, 89 Au^iadi, Rukn ad-Din, author (d. 1337), 84, 86 Aurangzib, Mughal emperor, 109, no. III, 112, 174-175 179 i8o INDEX A?har, Maulana, of Herat, scribe (d. 1475-6), 72 A?har, Maulana, scribe (1580), 72, 74 B Babar, Shah (d. 1457), 143 Bada'i' verses, 105, 162 Baha'i, Shaikh, author (d. 1620- i), 87 Bahdristdn of Jami, 139 Bahrdm-ndmah of Ni?ami, see Haft Paikar Bahzad, artist (fl. 1500), 63, 71, 72-73, 77-79, 98, 161 Baiqara, Husain Mirza ibn, Sultan, Timurid ruler (d. 1506), 61, 147, 162-163 Baisunghar Preface of the Shdh- ndmah, 32 Bin Shams ad-Dln Shaikh Mu- hammad, scribe (1669), 29, 30 Blantyre, Alex. Lord, owner, 76 Bustdn of Sa'di, xvii n., 86, 105, 107, 108-115 C Churchill, Sidney I. A., owner, 50 Cochran, A. S., donor of the col- lection, xvii D Diwdn of IJafi?, 129-135 Vlwdn of Jami, 140-145 Diwdns of Mir *Ali Shir Nawa'i, 160-166 F Fa^l 'All, artist, 35, 36, 37, 38 Fa(Jl Allah, of Rai, owner (1908), 147 Fakhr ad-Din 'Abd a§-Samad, 133 Fakhr ad-Din 'Iraqi, author (d. 1287 or 1289), 84, 85, 87 Fakhr ad-Din Ra'is Maljmud, author, 86 Fardiyat (Fards), 'detached dis- tichs,' 105, 162 Farhad, son of the Crown Prince (1879), IS Farid ad-Din al-Ahul, author, 86 Farid ad-Din 'Attar, author (fl. 1200), 83, 85, 86, 88, 89 Fatih, 130 Firdausi, epic poet (fl. 1000), 5- 44, 83, 84, 86, 89-90 G Ghazals, odes, 83, 84, 86, 130, 143, 162, 165 Ghulam 'Ali, owner, 104 Ghulam Parmak, artist, 35 Gulandam, author, 130 Gulistdn of Sa'di, 85, 104, 106 H Hadiqah of Sana'i, 84 5afiz, poet (d. 1389?), 84, 127- 135 Haft Aurang of Jami, 151- 154 Haft Paikar of Ni?ami, 47, 50, 52, 55, 57, 63, 65-66, 68, 70, 71-79, 84, 89 IJasan 'Ali, Amir Ni?am, owner (1894), 31 3asan Ghaznavi, Sayyid, author (nth cent.), 86 5asan IJusam ad-Din, pupil of Rumi, 98 INDEX l8l ^asan ibn al-lfusaini Muham- mad, binder or scribe, 102-103 ^asan ibn Muhammad, of La- rissa, scribe (fl. 161 1), 103 5asan Qalandar, Darvish, author, 83 Hasht Bahisht of Amir Khusrau, 122, 123 Hidayat, owner, 63 Hidayat Rida Qui! Khan, lit. his- torian (d. 187 1), 63 Hilal, Khwajah, official (1658), 76 Hodson, Laurence W., owner, 50 IJusain, Aqa (181 5), 80 ^usain *Ali Mirza, son of Fath 'All Shah, prince, 62 5usain Mirza ibn Baiqara, Sultan^ Iimurid ruler (d. 1506), 61, 147, 162-163 IJusain Mirza, Shahzadah Sultan, owner (1884), 62 I Ibn-i Yamin, poet (d. 1344-5), 83 Ibrahim Sultan, son of Shah Rukh, prince and scribe (d. 1430-1), 172, 173-174, 175 ^Inaiat Khan, official of Shah Jahan (d. 1666), no Iqhdl-ndmah of Ni?ami, part of the Iskandar-ndmah (q.v.) ^Iraqi, Fakhr ad-Din, author (d. 1287 or 1289), 84, 85, 87 Isfrangi, Saif ad-Din, poet (d. 1267-8), 8s Iskandar-ndmah of Ni?ami, 48, SO, 52-53, 55, 57, 60, 63, 66-67, 68, 70, 84, 89, 139 Isma'il, Shah, Safavid ruler (d. 1524), 62 Isma'il *A§im ibn Chalabi Zadah, owner, 55 I'timad ad-Daulah, Muhammad Amin Khan (d. 1721), 76 n. I'timad Khan, official of Shah Jahan, 75 I'timad Khan, Sarmad, author (d. 1660), 75 n. J Ja'far, Aqa, owner, 82 Jahangir, Mughal emperor, xxiv Jahangir Khan 'Alamgir, 104 Jalal 'Adud, Sayyid, author, 84 Jalal ad-Din Rumi, poet (d. 1273), 84, 85, 93-98 Jamaji Mobedi, owner, 76 Jami, poet (d. 1492), 86, 87, 90, 139-154 Jauzi, Shams ad-Din Abu'l Faraj ibnal-, teacher of Sa'di, loi, 106 K Kamal ad-Din bin Ibrahim, scribe (1602), 15 Kamal ad-Din Maljmud . . . Rumi, owner, 81 Karim Khan Qanbarali, owner, 114 Khadijah Begum Aqa, wife of Sultan 5usain Baiqara, 163 Khamsah of Amir Khusrau, 120- 123 Khamsah of Ni?ami, 47, 49-70, 82, 83 Khaqani, poet (d. 1185), 86 l82 INDEX Khawatim, * signet-ring ' poems, 105 Khirad-ndmah-i Iskandart, poem of Jami, 139, 153, 154 Khirad-ndmah-i Iskandari, poem of Nizami, part of the I skandar-ndmah (q.v.) Khusrau u Shirin of Ni^aml, 47, 50, 51, 55, 56, 60, 63, 64-65, 68, 69, 84, 88 Khwajah Hilal, official (1658), 76 Khwajah Qiwam ad-Dln, vizir (d. 1363), 127, 130 Khwajah Shihab (1647), i^^, 113 Khwajah Turan Shah, vizir (d. 1385), 130, 135 Kitdb-i I skandar-ndmah of Ni- zami, see I skandar-ndmah Koran, see Qur^dn L Lachin, artist, 122, 123 Laild u Majnun of JamT, 139, 153, 154 Laild u Majnun of Ni?ami, 47, 50, 51-52, 55, 56-57, 60, 63, 65, 68, 69-70, 84, 89, 139 Lama^dt of 'Iraqi, 85 M Maghribi, Muhammad Shirin, of Na'in, poet (d. 1406), 84 Mahdi Quli, ' servant ' of Shah IJamzah, 150 Mahdi Quli Mirza, donor of a MS. (1843), 96 Matimud, artist (i6th cent.), 105 Mahmud, Sultan, of Ghazna (d. 1030), 132, 134 Mahmud of Nishapur, scribe (d, about 1545), 61-62, 66 Mahmud, Shaikh-zadah, artist (1539), xviii, 106 Mahmud Murtacja al-Qusaini, scribe (141 1), 81 Majnun u Laild of Amir Khusrau, 122, 123 Makhzan al-Asrdr of Ni?ami, 47, 50, 51, 53-54, 55, 56, 59, 63, 64, 67, 68, 69, 84, 88 Man§ur ibn Muhammad, of Shi- raz, 130, 134 Man§ur Mu?affar, Shah (d. 1392), 130, 133 Mantiq at-Tair of * Attar, 83, 85, 89 Marg'iyat (Mar§iyyahs), elegies, 105, 143 Martin, F. R., quoted, xxii, 58, 62, 72, 78 Mashhadi, *Ali (al-), scribe (d. 1513), 61, 147, 160, 161 Mashriqi, author, 87 Masnawl of Jalal ad-Din Rtimi, 84, 85, 94, 95-98 Magnawis, rimed couplets, 130, Matla^ al- Anwar of Amir Khus- rau, 122 Mir 'All al-Husaini, scribe (1524), xviii n., 146-147 Mir *Ali Shir Nawa'i, Turkish poet (d. 1501), 64, 159-166 Mir Ka?im (17 10), 150 Mir Salman Khan Saman, owner, 76 Mirak, artist (1525), 58, 63-64 s INDEX 183 Mu'ammayat, enigmas, 143 Mu^hikat, facetiae, 105 Mughannl-ndmah of 5afiz, 130 Muhammad of Sabzavar, called Shah, scribe (1587-8), 9 Muhammad, Sultan, of Golkonda, owner (1795), 150 Muhammad 'All, Murshid of Shah Jahan, no Muhammad Amin, Mulla, scribe (17th cent.), 121 Muhammad AmIn Khan, I'timad ad-Daulah (d. 1721), 76 n. Muhammad Farrukh Mir . . . Zain al-'Abidin, owner, 153 Muhammad Hashim bin Husain al-Husaim, owner (1835?), 31 Muhammad IJusain, scribe (fl. 1600), 22 n. Muhammad EEusain, Aqa (181 5), 80 Muhammad Husain ibn Mu- hammad Ibrahim, owner, 49 Muhammad ibn 'All, 130, 135 Muhammad ibn Mulla Mir al- IJusaim, scribe (1608), 22 Muhammad Man§ur (1647), 112 Muhammad Nur, called Sultan, scribe (1525), 60, 61 Muhammad Ntiyan, owner, 161 Muhammad, Payandah, scribe (1647), 109 Muhammad Qiwam of Shiraz, scribe (1556), 149 Muhammad Quli, Qutb Shah of Golkonda, owner, 150 Muhammad Rabi* Sahib, Aqa, donor of a MS. (1764), 152 Muhammad Sadiq, owner, 104 Muljammad Saif ad-Din, owner (1785), 9 Muhammad Salim, artist, 121, 122, 123 Muhammad Shah, Persian ruler (1844), 96 Muhammad Shirin Maghribi of Na'in, poet (d. 1406), 84 Muhib *Ali, official of Akbar, 74 Mukhammas, quintuple verses, 130, 165 Mun'im Beg (1658), 113 Mun'im Khan, minister of Akbar, donor of a MS. (1580), 73, 74 Mun'im Shaikh, poet-soldier (1659), 113 Muqatta'at, fragmentary poems, 130-131, 143, 165 Musa, owner, 165 Mustazad, distichs with supple- ment, 165 Mutayyibat, ' jocular poems,' 105 N Na'im ad-Din, scribe (15 10), 54 Nan u Halwd of Shaikh Baha'i, 87 Nasir Khusrau, author (fl. 1050), 84, 86 Natd'ij al-Afkdr, 83, 87 Nawddir ash-Shabdb of Mir 'Ali Shir Nawa'i, 164-166 Nawa'i, Mir /Ali Shir, Turkish poet (d. 1501), 64, 159-166 Nisdb as-Sibidn, 84 Ni?ami, poet (d. 1203), 47-90? 119 i84 : Nur Muhammad 9usain, Aqa, merchant (1894), 31 Nu§rat ad-Din Yahya, of Shiraz, 130, 135 Nuyan, Aqa, artist (17th cent.), 30, 31, 34, 36 O Omar Khayyam, see 'Umar P Panj Ganj of Ni?ami, see Kham- sah Parmak, Ghulam, artist, 35 Payandah Muhammad, scribe (1647), 109 Q Qa(Ji Ahmad, scribe (181 5), 80 Qamari, Saraj ad-Din, Maulana, author, 84, 86 Qa§idahs, panegyrics, 83, 84, 105, 107, 130, 143 Qasim *Ali of Shiraz, scribe (1580), Qiwam, Muhammad, of Shiraz, scribe (1556), 149 Qiwam ad-Din, Khwajah, vizir (d:i363), 127, 130 Qur'dn, 1 71-176 R Rafi' ad-Din Abhari, author, 86 Raushana'i-ndmah of Na§ir Khus- rau, 84, 86 Rida, owner, 149 Rida 'Abbasi, artist (fl. 1640), xvii n., xxiv INDEX Risalahs of Sa'di, 104 Ruba'is (Ruba'iyat), quatrains, 83, 87, 105, 131, 143, 162, 165 Rukn ad-Din Auhadi, author (d. 1337), 84, 86 Rumi, Jalal ad-Din, poet (d. 1273), 84, 85, 93-98 S Sa'd ad-Din, Maulana, of Kash- ghar (d. 1455), 143 Sa'd bin Zangi, Atabek of Fars (d. 1226), loi, 106 Sa'di, author (d. 1291), xvii n., 84, 85, 86, 90, loi-iis Sahib-Diwan, Shams ad-Din, 105 Sahibiyyah, epigrammatic poems, 105 Saif ad-Din Isfrangi, poet (d. 1267-8), 85 Saldmdn u Ahsdl of Jami, 153, 154 SaUh, owner (1763-4), 68 Salih, Murshid of Shah Jahan, no Salim, Muhammad, artist, 121, 122, 123 Salman of Sawah, Maulana, poet (d. about 1376), 84, 85 Sana'i, poet (fl. 1131), 84 Sdqt-ndmah of Mashriqi, 87 Sdql-ndmah of Mir *Ali Shir Nawa'i, 165 Saraj ad-Din Qamari, Maulana, -author, 84, 86 Sarmad I'timad Khan, author (d. 1660), 75 n. Shafi', owner, 130 INDEX Shah Isma'll, Safavid ruler (d. 1524), 62 Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor, xxiv, 30, 71, 75, 76, 109, no Shah Man§ur Muzaffar (d. 1392), 130, 133 Shah Mutiammad of Sabzavar, scribe (1587-8), 9 Shdh-ndmah of Firdausi, 5-44, 83? 84, 86, 89-90 Shah Rukh, owner, 122 Shah Shuja' of Shiraz (d. 1384), 130, 134, 135 Shah Tay5db, prince and poet (17th cent.), 30 n. Shahzadah Sultan IJusain MlrzS, owner (1844), 62 Shaikh-zadah Mahmud, artist (1539), xviii n., 106 Shams ad-Din Abu'l Faraj ibn al-Jauzi, teacher of Sa'di, loi, 106 Shams ad-Din, Sahib-Diwan, 105 Shams ad-Din, Bin, Shaikh Mu- Ijammad, scribe (1669), 29, 30 Sharaf ad-Din ^Ali Yazdi, author (d. 1454), 173 Sharaf ad-Dln Bukhari, Mulla, author (1303), 86 Sharaf-ndmah of Nizami, part of the Iskandar-ndmah (q.v.) Shihab, Khwajah (1647), 112, 113 Shihab ad-Din Ahmad Talish, author (1662), 112 Shirin u Khusrau of Amir Khus- rau, 122-123 Shuja', Shah, of Shiraz (d. 1384), 130, 134, 135 Shukr Khan, owner, in Silsilat adh-Dhahab of Jami, 153- ■154 Smith, R. Murdock, quoted, 146- 147 Stuart, Chas., owner (Calcutta, 1766), 76 Subhat al-Abrdr of Jami, 153 Sultan Ahmad, Turkish ruler, owner (1703), 55 Sultan ^usain Mirza ibn Baiqara, Timurid ruler (d. 1506), 61, 147, 162-163 Sultan Muhammad Nur, scribe (1525), 60, 61 Sultan Ya'qub, Turkoman ruler, 141 T Tamerlane (d. 1405), 130 Tarji'at (Tarji'-band), ' refrain poems,' 83, 105, 130, 143, 162 Tarkib-bands, strophe-poems, 143 Tawdrikh-i Nizam, 83 Tay)db, Shah, prince and poet (17th cent.), 30 n. Tdiyyih Khan, official, 30 Tayyibat, ' pleasant odes,' 105 Timur Lang (Tamerlane), Amir (d. 1405), 130 Tuhfat al-Ahrdr of Jami, 153 Turan Shah, Khwajah, vizir (d. 1385), i3o» 135 U *Umar Kliayyam, astronomer- poet (d. 1123), 83, 87 ^Ushshdq-ndmah of 'Iraqi, 87 l86 : V Valentiner, W. R., quoted, xxii, 50-51, 77 - Y Yahya ibn Mu?affar, ruler of Shiraz (d. 1430), 130, 134 Yamin, Ibn i-, poet (d. 1344-5), 83 Ya'qub, Sultan, Turkoman ruler, 141 Yunis, Shah Zadah, 9 Yusuf u Zulaikhd of Jami, 86, 139, 145-151, 153, 154 Z Zain al-*Abidin, owner (1776), 150 Zangi, Sa'd bin, Atabek of Fars (d. 1226), loi, 106 Zarin Qalam, title of Muhammad lJusain, scribe (fl. 1600), 22 n. LIST OF SCRIBES AND ARTISTS This list includes not merely the calligraphists and miniaturists represented in the manuscripts of the collection, but also those incidentally referred to in this volume. For page references and further details see the Index. Scribes *Abd al-Karim of Khwarazm *Abd ar-Rahim *Abd ar-Rahman of Khwarazm Ahmad, Qa(Ji *Ali (al-)Mashhadi, called Sultan A?har, Maulana, of Herat (d. 1475-6) A?har, Maulana (1580) Hasan ibn al-Husaini Muham- mad (binder ?) Hasan ibn Muhammad, of La- rissa Ibrahim Sultan, son of Shah Rukh Kamal ad-Din bin Ibrahim Mahmud of Nishapur Mabmud Murta(}a al-3usainl Mir 'All al-IJusaini Muhammad of Sabzavar, called Shah Muhammad Amin, MuUa Muhammad ELusain, called Zarin Qalam Muhammad ibn Mulla Mir al- Husaini Muhammad Nur, called Sultan Muhammad Qiwam of Shiraz Na'im ad-Din Payandah Muhammad Qasim *Ali of Shiraz Shams ad-Din, Bin, Shaikh Mu- hammad Artists 'Ali Naqi Mirak Bahzad Muhammad Salim Fadl *Ali Nuyan, Aqa Ghulam Parmak Ri(}a 'Abbasi Lachin Shaikh-zadah Ma^unud Mahmud 187 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY INDO-IRANIAN SERIES Edited by A. V. Williams Jackson Professor of Indo-Iranian Languages in Columbia University Volume I. A Catalogue of the Collection of Persian Manuscripts (including also some Turkish and Arabic) pre- sented to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, by Alexander Smith Cochran, prepared and edited by A. V. Williams Jackson and Abraham Yohannan, Ph.D. New York, 1914. Cloth, 8vo, pp. xocd-\-i87, ill., $1.50 net The collection of Oriental manuscripts catalogued in this volume was presented to the Metropolitan Museum in March, 1913. All of the manu- scripts, a number of which are in certain respects unique, are handsomely illuminated and adorned with beautiful miniatures. The catalogue records the technical details, as well as matters of literary and historic importance connected with the volumes. Volume 2. Indo-Iranian Phonology, with special refer- ence to the Middle and New Indo-Iranian languages, by Louis H. Gray, Ph.D., sometime Fellow in Indo-Iranian Languages in Columbia University. New York, 1902. Cloth^ 8vOf pp. xvii + 264, $1.50 net A brief statement of the phonetic developments undergone by the prin- cipal Indo-Iranian languages from the Sanskrit, Avestan, and Old Persian through the Pali, the Prakrits, and Pahlavi down to the Hindi, Singhalese, New Persian, Afghan, and other Indo-Iranian dialects. Volumes. A Bibliography of the Sanskrit Drama, with an introductory sketch of the dramatic literature of India, by Montgomery Schuyler, Jr., A.M., sometime Fellow in Indo-Iranian Languages in Columbia University. New York, 190^- Cloth, 8vo, pp. xi-\- 105, $1.50 net The design of this bibliography is to give as complete a list as possible of all printed and manuscript Sanskrit plays and of articles and works re- lating to the Hindu drama. The introduction furnishes a convenient epit- ome of the whole subject. 2 Volume 4. An Index Verborum of the Fragments of the Avesta, by Montgomery Schuyler, Jr., A.M. New York, 1901. Cloth. 8vOf pp. xiv-\- 106, $1.50 net This index collects and cites all examples of each word found in the hitherto discovered fragments not included in Geldner's edition of the Avesta. Volume 5. Sayings of Buddha : the Iti-vuttaka, a Pali work of the Buddhist canon, for the first time translated, with introduction and notes, by Justin Hartley Moore, A.M., Ph.D. (Columbia), Instructor in French in the College of the City of New York. New York, 1908. Cloth^ 8vo, pp. xx-i- 140, $i.jo net This volume presents a Buddhistic work not hitherto accessible in trans- lation. The introduction treats of the composition and general character of the work, the authenticity of certain of its sections, and the chief features of its style and language. Volume 6. The Nyaishes, or Zoroastrian Litanies. Avestan text with the Pahlavi, Sanskrit, Persian, and Gujarati versions, edited together and translated with notes, by Maneckji Nusservan^i Dhalla, A.M., Ph.D. (Khordah Avesta, Part I.) New York, 1908. Cloth ^ 8vOf pp. xxii + 235, $1.50 net The Pahlavi text, here edited and translated for the first time, is the result of a collation of seventeen manuscripts and forms an addition to the exist- ing fiind of Pahlavi literature. The introduction gives an account of the MS. material and discusses the relation of the various versions, their char- acteristics, and their value. Volume 7. The Dasarupa, a treatise on Hindu dramaturgy by Dhanamjaya, now first translated from the Sanskrit, with the text and an introduction and notes, by George C. O. Haas, A.M., Ph.D., sometime Fellow in Indo-Iranian Lan- guages in Columbia University. New York, 19 12. Cloth, 8vo, pp. xlv -f i6q, $1.50 net This work, composed at the court of King Munja of Malava in the last quarter of the tenth century, is one of the three most important treatises on the canons of dramatic composition in India. The translation here pre- sented is prefaced by an introduction dealing chiefly with the style and characteristics of the work and its native commentary. The notes include, as a special feature, references to parallel passages in all available Hindu dramaturgic and rhetorical treatises. 3 Volume 8, Vasavadatta, a Sanskrit Romance by Su- bandhu, translated, with an introduction and notes, by Louis H. Gray, Ph.D. New York, 1913. Cloth, 8vo, pp. xiii-\-2i4, $1.50 net This romance is one of the best examples of the artificial and ornate style in Sanskrit prose. Besides the translation, the volume contains also the transliterated text of the South Indian recension, which differs to a note- worthy degree from that of Hall, and a bibliography. The relation of the Sanskrit romance to the Occidental, especially the Greek, is discussed in the introduction, and the notes include parallels of incident in modern Indian and other folk-tales, as well as points of resemblance with other Sanskrit romances. VOLUMES IN PREPARATION The Sanskrit Poems of Mayura, edited with a translation and notes and an introduction, together with Bana's Candi- sataka and Manatuhga's Bhaktamarastotra, by G. Payn QuACKENBOS, A.M., Instructor in Latin, College of the City of New York. This volume presents the works of a Sanskrit poet of the seventh cen- tury. Besides the Siirya^ataka it includes also the Mayurastaka, printed for the first time from the unique birch-bark MS. in the Tubingen Uniyer- sity Library. The introduction gives an account of Mayura's life and works, and the appendixes contain the text and translation of the sup- posedly rival poems by Bana and Manatunga. Priyadariika, a Hindu Drama ascribed to King Harsha, translated from the Sanskrit and Prakrit by G. K. Nariman and A. V. Williams Jackson, with notes and an introduction by the latter. This romantic drama on the adventures of a lost princess was supposedly written by Harsha, king of Northern India in the seventh century, and is now to be published for the first time in English translation. Besides giving an account of the life and times of the author, the introduction will deal also with the literary, linguistic, and archaeological aspects of the play. 4 Yashts, or Hymns of Praise, from the Khordah Avesta : Avestan text with the Pahlavi, Sanskrit, Persian, and Gujarati versions, edited together and translated, with notes, by Maneckji Nusservanji Dhalla, A.m., Ph.D. This volume is a continuation of the edition of the Khordah Avesta be- gun with the Nyaishes in volume 6 of the series and will be uniform with that volume in plan and arrangement. A Sanskrit Grammar for Beginners. With graded exer- cises, notes, and vocabulary. By A. V. Williams Jackson. The aim of this work is a practical one ; it is designed to furnish a book for the study of the classical Sanskrit in American and English colleges and universities. The following volume ^ not in the Indo-Iranian Series^ is also published by the Columbia University Press : Zoroaster, the Prophet of Ancient Iran. By A. V. Wil- liams Jackson. New York, 1899. This work aims to collect in one volume all that is known about the great Iranian prophet. The story of the life and ministry of Zoroaster is told in twelve chapters, and these are followed by appendixes on explana- tions of Zoroaster's name, the date of the Prophet, Zoroastrian chronology, Zoroaster's native place and the scene of his ministry, and classical and other passages mentioning his name. A map and three illustrations ac- company the volume. Cloihy Svo, pp. xxiii + Ji^, $3.00 net COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS SALES AGENTS NEW YORK: Lemcke & Buechner 30-32 West 27th Street LONDON: Humphrey Milford Amen Corner, E.G. TORONTO: Humphrey Milford 25 Richmond Street, W. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS Columbia University in the City of New York The Press was incorporated June 8, 1893, to promote the publication of the results of original research. It is a private corporation, related di- rectly to Columbia University by the provisions that its Trustees shall be officers of the University and that the President of Columbia University shall be President of the Press. The publications of the Columbia University Press include works on Biography, History, Economics, Education, Philosophy, Linguistics, and Literature, and the following series : Columbia University Contributions to Anthropology. Columbia University Biological Series. Columbia University Studies in Cancer and Allied Subjects. Columbia University Studies in Classical Philology. Columbia University Studies in Comparative Literature. Columbia University Studies in English. Columbia University Geological Series. Columbia University Germanic Studies. Columbia University Indo-Iranian Series. Columbia University Contributions to Oriental History and Philology. Columbia University Oriental Studies. Columbia University Studies in Romance Philology and Lit- erature. Adams Lectures. Carpentier Lectures. Julius Beer Lectures. Hewitt Lectures. Blumenthal Lectures. Jesup Lectures. Catalogues will be sent free on application. LEMCKE & BUECHNER, Agents 30-32 WEST 27th ST., NEW YORK 5 GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE 3 3125 01201 8293