EN T C O N T S . CHAPTER PAG E PREFACE I U L E O F ER A RY . O T IN S P SI N HISTO II A E OF ER A L ERA URE . SK TCH P SI N IT T III THE REA ER O E : . G T P TS FIRDAUSI NIZAMI JALAL -UDDIN RUMI ’ SA DI-AL SHIRAZI JAMI LESSER POETS RUDAKI ASADI ’ UMAR KHAYAM HAKIM SANAI — RASHID UDDIN WATWAT KHARANI HAKIM AZKARI ' ' ‘ SHAIKH FARID- UDDIN AIIAR AMIR KHUSRO O F DEHLI SHAIKH KAMAL -UDDIN KHUJANDI KATIBI AMIR 3m m OF S ABZWAR HATIFI v N i CON TE TS . CHAPTER PAG E SHAIKH FAIZI SA’IB PERSIAN POETRY 1 THE AZAL . GH 2 THE AS A . K ID 3. THE MES NEVI 4 THE UA RA . Q T IN ALE AND R E v. T S STO I S KALILAH AND DIMNAH ANWAR- I SURELI ‘ ’ ‘ ’ AYAR- A O R U E OF WLE E D NISH, TO CHSTON KNO DG THE GULISTAN THE BAHARIS TAN THE NIG ARIS TAN THE BOOK O F S INDIRAD THE BAKHTYAR-NAMA ’ THE TUTINAMA O R ‘ AL E O F A ARR , T S P OT THE SHAMS AH-VA- QUHQU HAH THE ADVENTURES O F HATIM TAI ’ THE BA AR - A O R AR E O F W H I D NISH, G D N KNO LEDGE VI MES MA ER AND U M . DO TIC NN S C STO S ABOUT PERS IAN WOMEN TREATISE O N HOSPITALITY ETIQUETTE OF EATING AND DRINKING ‘ THE DARISTAN VII L AL LU . PO ITIC CONC SIONS A P R E F C E . FOR n al schola r or erson s w the Orie t , for p ell versed in n b ook ha s n ot n w n . Orie tal literature, this bee ritte A very hasty perusal of it will Show them that it ‘ ’ c n n n n n e w a n d m a n o tai s othi g , y be take as read, a form frequen tly adopted in the case of reports at m n m n in public eeti gs . But there are a y people this c n who n w a n d n al ou try k o little, care less, about Orie t n l a nd n t literature ge era ly, Persia literature par icularly . They have n ot the time or the in clin ation to turn n n t of a n d their atte tio to li erature the sort, so remain in complete ign oran ce of what is really both useful a n d in terestin g. It ma y be that the subject has n ot been placed m n ot n before the properly, that the dish has bee s u in a n n wa w n u erved p appetizi g y , or the i e po red out in f n n m n n hi a su ficie tly sparkli g a er. T s has with m t n n ow m t w w all hu ili y bee atte p ed . The ork, ho ever v iii PREFA CE. m ma wa n n in t a n d n w uch it y be ti g s yle la guage , ill be foun d to con tain a good deal of in forma tion col lect ed a n d m w of u collated fro the orks vario s authors, A n n t n w c such as tki so , Beale , Clous o , Costello , East i k , n z a f S ir W m Falco er, Fit ger ld , Forbes, Gri fith, illia n n Kn at chbull S ir n m Jo es , Kee e , , Joh Malcol , Mark ha m O usele S ir W a m O usele , De Mohl , Sir Gore y, illi y , Reha tsek n n S Redhouse , , Robi so , De acy, Scott, De Vamber n n n W n W n Tassy, y, Va s Ke edy, ari g, ollasto , — a n d Zimmern from man y of whom copious extracts h n n a n d w w ave bee take , to hose orks a further refe ren ce can be made by such readers as m ay be n i terested in the subject . a n int n n a n d Persi itself is a eresti g cou try, has had f w n a past history full of varied ortun e . O i g to her geographical position she lies open to an historical u a n d m m a m n w n f ture , the ti e y co e , soo er or later, he a good deal ma y be heard about Persia a n d her In m n m w on politics. the ea ti e a light ork her litera m a on the n a n ture y be acceptable , pri ciple that as n wn n n wn i dividual , a to , or a cou try is better k o , so are they sometime s all t he more appreciated . A who v m n a nd w n traveller has isited a y places, a dered — everywhere on the surface of this small plan et for ‘ — stea m a n d electricity have uc l such PREFA CE. ix a traveller is far more in terested in the n ews from all its parts than on e who has n ever left his home or . In m wa n a al of a n hearth the sa e y, the , perus E ster ma w a n d literature y het the appetite , lead the seeker of kn owledge a n d the pursuer of n ovelty t o fresh ’ w a n d s n e w w w s m oods pa tures , here there is al ays o e t n t o n a n d m n n ew t o hi g fresh be fou d, so ethi g be picked up . The prospect of the future of Orien tal literature in n n n m . w E gla d at prese t looks gloo y There is , ho ever, a proposal on foot t o attempt t o resuscitate the old O n tal n n n d a n d n rie Tra slatio Fu , it is to be si cerely n wa s hoped that the a ttempt will succeed . This Fu d n in 1 824 a n d w n origi ally started , the Society orki g it was n established by Royal Charter, their first Preside t in of n be g the Earl Mu ster . They published their first — work in 1 829 The Travels of Ibn Batuta an d con tin ued stea dily t o brin g out n e w tran slation s of m n n a n o various books for a y years . Fi lly The Chro ’ i Al - n w in 1 879 and log es of Biru i ere published , the ’ m of n m n ow in Me oirs I dia, by the sa e author, are of l n an d wi m course pub icatio , this ll co pletely exhaust un of whi are n o the f ds the Old Society, to ch there n lon ger a y subscribers . A revival or reorgan ization of this Fun d would be x R A P EF CE. m a a ost excellen t thin g for Orien tal literature gen er lly. was i a n n n n n m It qu te i depe de t body, though i ti ately n n t w A i . co ec ed ith the Royal siatic Soc ety If revived, m w A S w it ight be orked by the siatic ociety, hich is still fairly flourishin g ; but the subscription s an d don ation s to the Tra n slatio n F un d should be kept n t a nd i e irely separate , devoted exclus vely to the pro n of n n n w ductio the tra slatio s of Orie tal orks , both a n n a n n cie t d moder . En glan d has greater interests in the East than any unt in an d h wa other co ry Europe , oug t to lead the y in keepin g the world in formed on all subjects con u m has seted with Oriental literature . S urely the ti e n ot yet arrived for her to ta ke a back seat on that an d n n a w w h coach , to let other atio s do ork hic she in i ought to do herself. Perhaps th s Jubilee year somethin g will turn up in favour of a revival of the u n ow n i n T n n very usef l , but exti ct , Or e tal ra slatio n Fu d . For assistan ce in the preparation of some parts of t his work my best than ks are due to Mr . Edward Re ha tsek un n n m n n ow din in , a H garia ge tle a resi g mb A a n d n h a n d Bo ay, a good rabic Persia sc olar, a r on r n con stan t contributor of a ticles O ie tal subjects , “AA -fi rn als v w n .