[IO Islamic 114] ديوان ثابت

Dîwân-i-Thâbit

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 1701 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Hermann Ethé, Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, 2 vols. (Oxford: India Office, 1903): volume 1, number 114 here with notations and hyperlinks].

1701

Dîwân-i-Thâbit (ديوان ثابت).

Lyrical poems by Mîr Muḥammad Afḍal (or Afḍal-aldin Muḥammad), with the takhalluṣ Thâbit, who was born at Dihlî and died there the 13th of Rabî’ I, A.H. 1151 (A.D. 1738, July 1); see Rieu ii. p. 709b; A. Sprenger, Catal., pp. 154 and 578.

Contents:

Three short mathnawîs in honour of God, the prophet, and ‘Ali. Beginning of the first (در توحيد و اظهار شوق و عرض نياز بدرگاه بى نياز ):

خداوندا دلم را سادگى ده – زقيد ما سوا آزادگى ده

Ghazals, in alphabetical order, preceded by a ḳaṣidah in honour of ‘Alî and followed by some mathnawî-baits.

Beginning of the ḳaṣîdah, on fol. 151b:

گر شبى خيز زغم آه از دل شيداى من

بگذرد از نه فلك آهنگ شيون را يمن

Beginning of the first ghazal, on fol. 152a:

هست تا نام خوشت در دل غم پيشۀ ما

نيست جز ذكر تو بر دفتر انديشۀ ما

Dated the 24th of Shawwâl in the 30th year of Muḥammadshâh’s reign (=A.H. 1160, A.D. 1747, Oct. 29).

This full dîwân, of which this copy only represents a small portion, was collected by Thâbit’s disciple Band-i-’Alî. Thâbit’s son, Mîr Muḥammad ‘Ażim Thabât, who died A.H. 1161 (A.D. 1748), is likewise renowned as poet, see A .Sprenger, loc. cit.

No. 114, ff. 149-162, 2 coll., each ll. 19-20; very careless Nasta’lîḳ; size, 8¼ in. by 4½ in.