THE LAMENT OF BABE B EI N G T H E ‘ RUBA IYAT OF BABE TAHIR, HAMADANI T H E P E RS I A N E ! E I E A N O A E A N D A SL A E B Y T T D T D , N T T D TR N T D EDW A RD H E RO N - A L L EN A N D R E NDE R E D I NT O E N GL I SH VE R SE B Y EL IZA B ETH CURTIS B REN TO N LONDON B E RN A RD QUA RIT CH 1 5 P IC C D I L L Y W . , A , L O N DO N P I E B Y GIL B E IVIN G O N R NT D RT R T , ’ S T JO H N S H O USE C L E K E W E L L . , R N P A G E IN T RO D U CT I O N T H E L A M F B B TAH IR r n re d i nto E n li h EN T O A E. e de s e e , g v rs by E liz a beth Curtis Brenton ‘ T H E RUB E IYAT of B aba Tahir H a ma dani T h e o ri in a l di e t ext with th e Persia n e i en g al ctal , qu val ts , PRO S E T RAN SL AT I O N of I N T R O D U C T I O N . T o i e i d i th e em a n d e n wr t an ntro uct on to po s , to d ea vour to give information about th e life of a n author of whom th e only thing that can b e said with p erfe ct is t i i i s him accuracy tha pract cally noth ng known of , suggests the brick - making industry as practis ed by th e ‘ e in th e a i at B abs a i J ws Egypt . Though rub y of T h r a re chaunted a n d recited to th e pre se n t d a y all ove r e i th e m ime th e ee - i e d V i P rs a, to acco pan nt of thr str ng ol e th e Sih - tar e e - in a n d or lut , known as Thr str gs fe w colle ctions of poems have b ee n publishe d in that i d e ed in th e e i e i e th e country (or n P rs an languag ) , s nc i d i th e i i e d o ntro uct on of l thograph c pr ss, that not i me e ime his in e in conta n so sp c ns of quatra s , conc rn g th e e im e few e i e d e i i i po t h s lf pr c s ta ls , b ograph cal or me i e i e e et . oth rw s , hav y co to l ght T h e only published a ttempt to lift th e veil of mystery that shrouds th e p ersonality of B ab s Tahir is ‘ ’ to b e found in th e M aj ma u l - fusa h a of Rig a- Quli Kh an viii INT RO DUCTION 12 5 i e e ih n A H . a . 9 . (T r , vol , p wh r , by way of ‘i a B ab s a i th e introd uction to t en rub a y t of T h r , compiler ex pre sse s himself as follows ‘ “ H is me B abs a i a m d a i . T h r, Ury n , Ha a n na was a i H e o n e th e m emi e m i h is T h r . was of ost n nt yst cs of ra T h e i i e x e e d me i e h e e . op n on pr ss by so wr t rs that was contemporary with th e Seljuq Sultans is e rroneous . th e e ie th e i a n d i ed d e H e was o n e of arl st of Sha khs, l v un r H e i ed A . H . 4 10 th e D a ylemite dyn asty . flour sh about ‘ so affix» , O a n d d ied e e i F ird a wsi ( ) ; J ) , b for Unsur , , or ie H e is th e a any of their contemporar s . author of rub ‘ i th e i e e h iyat of gre at e x cellenc e n anc nt languag ( u ) ; i id e e i fi i a re i ex . s r ) , wh ch st ll tant It also sa that th r a re ex e i e him a n d e tant tr at s s by , that scholars hav ” m a i em co posed comment r e s upon th . ’ ‘ T h e me u in e th e Ri a u l- A i in sa a thor a lat r work , y z r f i a A H 1 05 e B abs a i di d . 3 . e (T hr n . , p stat s that T h r - in th H 4 1 i A D 10 1 9 20 w “ " o e e A . 0 e . y ar . ( . A? j ) , a n d tha t cons e que ntly h e cannot have b een a ‘ ’ contemporary of A ynu l - Quzat - i - Hamadani (who iii die d A H 52 5 52 6 di a i i . or , accor ng to H j Khal fa, , ’ 45 mi a fa 4 5 9 53 6 o f a N at . 7 p . , [ also J s h , pp or ’ N a si ru d - din u i died A H e d of T s (who . as stat by 3k me wri er i a - li a d e so t s . Unfortunately R z Qu Kh n o s not Vida E B m o n . G . o wn S o N o o e of th e i n r e, e tes the P try Pers a ” D i in Jo r a l o h Ro a u n t e l A si a tic S oc iet O o 189 5 . alects, the f y y, ct ber, INT RO DU CTION ix e m e e h e e ed i i m i stat fro wh nc gath r th s nfor at on , though ‘ in th e late r work he cite s twenty - four of th e ruba iyat a a a i i d e A H if it d b e of B b T h r . Th s at ( . coul e ied i d e m th e eed r l upon (wh ch , as woul app ar fro succ in e e em b e th e e d m e e g not , s s to cas ) , woul ak our po t a contemporary of F ird a wsi a n d an imme diate pre cursor ‘ m am of O ar Khayy . m I a m i d e ed m . e Mr E G . Brown , to who n bt for ost e i e in th e e i i um e valuabl ass stanc pr parat on of th s vol , adds th e following very important a n d hitherto um publish ed information to th e above “ I have com e across mention of B abs Tahir in a i e i th e Sel u s i th e o n e un qu h story of j q , of wh ch known is in th e S c h e fe r e i in i s id e e MS . Coll ct on Par s ( not , ‘ ’ i i i is e d Ra a tu - du w a xi . p . ) Th s h story call h s Su r ’ ’ - A a tu s u i ll rm ”dis — l T h e m y Sur r (”J J ” ) Co fort of ’ Breasts a n d Sign al of Gladness a n d is by N aj mu d ‘ Din A bil Bakr Muhammad bin Al i bin Sulayman bin Muhammad bin A hmad bin a l- Husayn bin Hamat ’ - Rawa n di e it th e Sel u e A ar , who wrot for j q rul r bu l ‘ ’ ’ ‘ ’ Fath Kay - Khusraw bin Al a u d - Dawla Iz z u d - Din ‘ a i a Qilij A rslan b in Mas ud b in Qilij A rsl n b n Sulaym n . 5 600 A D 1 202 h n A H 9 9 . T e book was writte n i . or ( d 6 3 5 D d A H A . n h i e is e . a d t e MS . ts lf at ( i o ld a n d e i s 123 7 so its e vid ence s valuabl .