The Hidden Treasure (Pata Khazana) A Biography of Pashtoon Poets by Mohammad Hothek Edited, annotated and translated into Persian by Abdul Hay Habibi (1944) Translated from the Pashto and Persian by Khushal Habibi 1997 The Hidden Treasure Preface The Hidden Treasure (Pata Khazana) hands down to posterity Pashto poetry of a thousand years and illustrates the work of eloquent Pashto poets and poetesses. A hand-written manuscript, transcribed in 1886, was discovered by the late Professor Abdul Hay Habibi in 1944. He edited, annotated and translated it into Persian and it was published in Kabul by the Pashto Academy of Afghanistan. This relic of immense value provides a rare insight into the obscure history of ancient Pashto literature. It sheds light on classic Pashto poetry and introduces us to eminent men and women of letters whose work has been lost through the centuries. My intention to translate Pata Khazana into English is to avail its inspiring poetry to sholars interested in the subject to enable them to visualize the evolution of the Pashto language through the annals of history. It also provides a source in English to those who are interested in the culture and language of the Pashtoons but are unable to read about it. In order to provide the reader with a fair idea of the of the conceptual spirit of the original poems, the thoughts and ideas of the poets have been preserved as far as rhythmic translation permitted. No attempt has been made to edit the work so that it may not be tainted with the exuberance of translation. Thus in some instances the translation appears inelegant, but to faithfully adhere to the original and not to impose my individuality on the work, that was unavoidable. Great care has been taken to faithfully interpret the thoughts and expressions of the poets as far as the exigencies of translation permitted. The 1944 edition of the book contains detailed footnotes and annotations. All the annotations have been translated. The shorter footnotes relevant to the English text are presented with the annotations. In the original text, comments on the prose and poetry 2 The Hidden Treasure 3 The Hidden Treasure 2 The Hidden Treasure are presented at the end of the book. Here they follow the introduction, together with Professor Habibi's remarks on the skeptics of Pata Khazana which appeared as a commentary in the fourth edition of the book, published in 1977 by the Faculty of Letters and Humanities of Kabul University. In the course of translating the book I came across an Italian translation of Pata Khazana. In the bibliography of Il Tesoro Nascosto Degli Afghani, it was noted that a version of the book had been translated into English in 1979 and published by the International Center for Pashto Studies, Academy of Science of Afghanistan. In the preface of the book it is not stated from which edition of Pata Khazana the translation was done. The annotations, introduction and notes on the prose and poetry, as they appeared in the first edition, are not included. These are essential for scholars in understanding the background, etymology and historical context of the subject. To clarify the doubts raised by various skeptics, Professor Habibi's annotations, notes and commentary have been included here together with the translation of the full text of Pata Khazana. In my rendering of the poetry I have tried to follow the exact pattern of rhyming of the Pashto verse. I do not claim to be a versifier, but to distance myself from a literal translation, in which the imaginative configuration and spirit of the poems is often lost, I have tried to present the poetry as a semblance of English verse. I am neithert a poet or a scholar of the Pashto language. However, my admiration for this collection of our national heritage encouraged me to translate this renowned book. It is a labor of love for me and I leave it to the reader to decide how well I have succeeded in this self-imposed task. Khushal Habibi, East Lansing, Michigan 3 The Hidden Treasure 4 The Hidden Treasure 3 The Hidden Treasure The following transliteration has been adopted for the Pashto alphabet: ey ﺉ f ﻑ d ډ a ﺍ à ﺯﺑﺮ q ﻕ r ﺭ ã ﺁ é ﺯﻳﺮ k ﮎ rr ړ b ﺏ u ﭘﻴﺶ g ﮒ z ﺯ p ﭖ ê ﺯﻭﺭﮐﻰ l ﻝ zh ﮊ t ﺕ û ﻭ m ﻡ z ږ t ټ o ﻭ n ﻥ s ﺱ ç ﺙ h ﻩ ñ ڼ sh ﺵ j ﺝ w ﻭ s ښ ch ﭺ h ﻩ s ﺹ h ﺡ y ﻯ z ﺽ kh ﺥ hamza ﺀ t ﻁ dz ځ î ﻱ z ﻅ ts څ ë ﯤ à ﻉ d ﺩ ay ۍ gh ﻍ z ﺫ 4 The Hidden Treasure 5 The Hidden Treasure 4 The Hidden Treasure Introduction Among the important relics our national literature which I have submitted to my countrymen I am forwarding a book, which without any doubt is a testament of our national heritage and an eloquent work of literature in the Pashto language. This magnificent book entitled Pata Khazana (The Hidden Treasure), was written in Qandahar in 1141-1142 H. (1728-29 A.D.) by Mohammad bin Daud bin Qader Khan Hothek under the patronage of the young emperor Shah Hussain Hothek who was keenly interested in the promotion of culture and of Pashto literature. The author of the book was a distinguished literary personality of the court. He was an outstanding scholar of the Pashto language and dedicated this work to Pashto poets. The book is composed of three parts. The first treasure is dedicated to the life and work of past poets, from 100 H. (718 A.D.) to one thousand Hejira. The second treasure concerns with contemporary poets and the third treasure refers to poetesses of the Pashto language followed by a conclusion. In the end of the book the author talks about his life and literary works. Fortunately, the learned author had a gifted style and a strong base for his work. Throughout the book, the author gives references to published material, words of other people and tradition. In the spring of 1944, I obtained a copy of this book, which contains the history of the Pashto literature, and provides a profile of 50 poets dating from 100 to 1100 H. (718 to 1688 A.D.). Once I realized its importance I presented it to other personalities in the Afghan literary circles. They were all overwhelmed by the finding and its significance as a relic of national heritage. Most distinguished among them was Sardar Mohammad Nàim, the Minister of Education who takes a keen interest in national literature. He and other literary personalities urged the publication of the book. 5 The Hidden Treasure 6 The Hidden Treasure 5 The Hidden Treasure Recognizing the strength of public interest for the book, I began to edit, annotate and translate it into Persian and am now presenting it to all the enlightened people of our country who are deeply interested in our literature. I am happy and honored that as a continuation of my published work in Pashto literature an occupation of many years, I finally succeeded in discovering this treasure and after editing and researching, to present it as a historical document. For the reader to understand the text better, every page of the original Pashto is presented with Persian translation on the opposite page. Where changes have occurred in the spelling of words, the actual word, as found in the manuscript is described in the footnotes together with the change and its meaning. The Persian translation of both the prose and poetry is literary so that the originality of the text is safeguarded. If it is tedious reading I hope that the reader will forgive me for this. In the footnotes I explain the meaning of some of the rare and difficult to understand words and present them together with their syntax and roots. Reference is also made to names of certain locations and places mentioned in the manuscript which have either changed or are not well-known. The end of the book contains a detailed explanation of rare words, places and people which are mentioned in the text. A complete index of people's names, places and sources is also included. While researching rare words a large volume of reference material was used. The pages and exact citation of the reference material is presented for ease of access. With regard to the finding of the original manuscript and its importance I have a lot to say that does not fit in this short introduction. The style of the poetry and the prose is discussed in the following sections. Kabul, Khwabgah, Hamal 1322 H. (March 1944). Abdul Hay Habibi 6 The Hidden Treasure 7 The Hidden Treasure 6 The Hidden Treasure The Book's Prose In the notes and annotations of the book attention is drawn to the qualitative significance of some words and historical background. These explanations enables the readers to appreciate the significance of the book from the point of literature and history and to recognize its benefits. Here, I would like to dwell with the prose style of the author and to clarify the importance of the book from the point of view of literary prose. To clarify the issue, it would be fruitful to glance shortly at the history of Pashto prose first, and later discuss its historical significance. Pashto prose before 1000 H. (1592 A.D.) The oldest document available in Pashto prose is the few pages of Tazkerat-al-Awlia (Memoirs of Saints) of Sulaiman Maku, written in 612 H.