[IO Islamic 550] كلّيّات اهلى شيرازى

Kulliyyât-i-Ahlî-Shîrâzî.

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 1432 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 550 here with notations and hyperlinks].

1432

Kulliyyât-i-Ahlî Shîrâzî (كلّيّات اهلى شيرازى).

An extremely valuable MS., the original copy of the poetical works of Maulânâ Ahlî of Shîrâz, who died in his native town, A.H. 942 (A.D. 1535, 1536), written by the poet himself for his patron Sulṭân Isma’il Ṣafawî, A.H. 920 (A.D. 1514), see the colophon: قد كتبه الفقير المتخلّص بالاهلى هذه الكلّيّات للسّلطان اسمعيل الصّفوى فى سنة عشرين و تسع مائة هجرى’, and a second one of the same contents on the margin. Ahlî Shîrâzî must not be confounded with Ahlî Tûrânî, a pupil of Jâmî, who died A.H. 902 (A.D. 1496, 1497), see Safînah, No. 4 (col. 212 in the Bodleian Cat.), or Ahli Khurâsânî, who died A.H. 934 (A.D. 1527, 1528). See A. Sprenger, Catal., pp. 319 and 320, or Ahli of Îrân, who flourished under Ṭahmâsp, see Safînah, No. 75 (col. 214 in the Bodleian Cat.). On Ahlî Shirâzî and copies of his poems comp. Bodleian Cat., Nos. 1027 and 1028, and col. 769; Rieu ii. p. 657 sq.; A. Sprenger, Catal., p. 320 sq.; G. Flügel i. pp. 585-587; Cat. des MSS. et Xylographes, p. 391; W. Pertsch, Berlin Cat., p. 57 (No. 2); Bland, Century of Persian Ghazals, No. 7; and Erdmann in Zeitschrift der D.M.G. xv. pp. 775-785; see also Haft Iḳlîm, No. 213 (col. 394 in this Cat.), and Âtashkada, No. 644 (col. 284 in the Bodleian Cat.), the only tadhkirah which gives a wrong date for the poet’s death, viz., A.H. 933 (A.D. 1526, 1527).

The present autograph contains:

I.Centre-columns:

1.Ḳaṣâ’id-i-maṣnû’ (قصائد مصنوع), three highly artificial ḳaṣîdas in honour of Mîr ‘Alîshîr, Sulṭân Isma’îl Ṣafawî, and Sulṭân Ya’ḳûb Âḳ-ḳoyunlû (who died A.H. 896=A.D. 1491), or rather, as Rieu states, Ya’ḳûb’s brother, Yûsufshâh, respectively; they are very close imitations of the artificial ḳaṣîdah of Salmân of Sâwa, described in detail in No. 1241 above; see for a full explanation of the manner of taushîḥ, practiced in these three ḳaṣîdas, Bodleian Cat., coll. 652 and 653. Each of the three ḳaṣîdas is preceded by a dibâća in prose.

Beginning of the first dibâća, on fol. 3b: بسم الله الرّحمن الرّحيم ‘حمدى از حدّ افزون و سپاسى از قياس بيرون سزاوار صانع بيچون الخ.

Beginning of the first ḳaṣîdah (مصنوع قصيدۀ اولى ), on fol. 6b:

نسيم كاكل مشكين كراست چون تو نگار

In the Bodleian copies) شميم سنبل پر چین کجاست

مشك تتار (again كراست

Beginning of the second dîbâća (the third in the Bodleian copies), on fol. 19a: حمد و سپاس بی قیاس صانعی را که فهرست قصیدۀ موجودات و دیباچۀ جریده الخ.

Beginning of the second ḳaṣîdah (مصنوع قصيدۀ ثانى , the third in the Bodleian copies), on fol. 21a:

هواى گلشن کویت نسیم باد بهار

گدای خرمن مویت شمیم مشک تتار

Beginning of the third dibâća (the second in the Bodleian copies), on fol. 35b: بعد از حمد بيحدّ و سپاس بيقياس مر حضرت عزّت را جلّت نعماؤه و عظمت كبرياؤه الخ.

Beginning of the third ḳaṣîdah ( مصنوع قصيدۀ ثالث , the second in the Bodleian copies), on fol. 36b:

هواى جنّت كويت نسيم عنبر بار

فداى نكهت مويت شميم مشك تتار

2.Ḳaṣidas and tarjî’bands, without any order, beginning, on fol. 50b:

الهى بسر دفتر حكمت الله – بنى آدم آئينۀ قدرت الله

3.Sâḳînâma (ساقى نامه), a series of rubâ’îs, with a dibâća in prose; beginning of the dibâća, on fol. 187b:

بعد از حمد و ثناى جان آفرين و درود بر روان سيّد المرسلين وآله الطّيّبين الخ.

Beginning of the Sâḳînâma itself, on fol. 188b:

ساقى قدحى كه كارسازست خدا

وز رحمت خود بنده نوازست خدا

4.Risâla-i-muḳaṭṭa’ât (رسالۀ مقطّعات), a series of ḳiṭ’as and ta’rikhât, beginning, on fol. 203b:

اى دل زخود بمير كه گردى خلاص از آنك

تا زندۀ مقيّد اين دام ماندۀ

5.Rubâ’iyyât-i-ganjifa (رباعيّات گنجفه), another series of rubâ’îs, written for a pack of cards, with a dîbâća in prose; beginning of the dîbâća, on fol. 229b:

بسم الله تيمّنا بذكره الاعلى پوشیده نماند بر ارباب صورت و معنی که این بندۀ کم بضاعت اهلی الشّيرازى روزى برسم خدمت در صحبت صاحبدلان بود و يكى از اجلّۀ آن قوم گنجفۀ در کمال تكلّف ترتیب داده بود الخ.

Beginning of the first rubâ’î, on fol. 231a:

اى سرو سهى خاك رهت وقت خرام

كى صورت مه بود چو حسن تو تمام

II. Margin-columns:

6.Siḥr-i-ḥalâl (سحر حلال), or lawful sorcery, the wonderful mathnawî which has a double rhyme, and can be read in two different metres, a clever combination of the two artifices, practiced separately in Kâtibi’s مجمع البحرين and ده باب or تجنيسات (see above, Nos. 1290-1292); it contains the love-story of prince Jam princess Gul, and has a short dibâća in prose.

Beginning of the dibâća, on fol. 4b: حمد نا محدود و شکر نا معدود سزاوار صانعيست كه بيك امر كن نسخۀ دو کون پرداخت الخ.

Beginning of the mathnawî, on fol. 5a:

اى همه عالم بر تو بى شكوه

رفعت خاك در تو پیش کوه

At the end, on fol. 17a, a ghazal.

7.Sham’ n Parwâna (شمع و پروانه), or candle and moth, another mathnawî, composed A.H. 894 (A.D. 1489), and dedicated to Sulṭân Ya’ḳûb Âḳ-ḳoyunlû; it begins, on fol. 17b:

بنام آنكه مارا از عنايت – دهد پروانۀ شمع هدايت

8.Short poems, partly in the form of ḳaṣîdas, partly in that of mathnawîs; the first, on fol. 40a, is styled كتاب خيمۀ همايون , and begins:

اى همايون خيمه يا رب روضۀ از جنّت است

يا نمودارى مگر از كارگاه قدرت است

9. A series of riddles, on the names of Muḥammad and the twelve Imâms( معمّا باسم دوازده امام ابتدا (صلوة بر محمّد, on fol.44b.

Beginning:

آب حيوان خوش بود آن لعل لب زان خوشتر است

در صفا آن لعل فاش از جوهر جان خوشتر است

10.Kitâb-i-ghazaliyyât (كتاب غزليّات), the book of ghazals, in alphabetical order, beginning, on fol. 50b:

اى حيرت صفات تو بند زبان ما

انگشت حيرتست زبان در دهان ما

11.Rubâ’iyyât (رباعيّات), a third series of rubâ’îs beginning, on fol. 257b:

درد تو كشيم و از دوا محروميم

خلقى همه محرمند و ما محروميم

This copy was purchased for 300 rupees.

No. 550, ff. 277, 2 centre-coll., each ll. 8-10, and 2 margin-coll., each ll. 24; Nasta’lîḳ; this copy is throughout illuminated and adorned in the most magnificent manner; splendid vignettes in gold, red, blue, and other colours, on ff. 1b, 2a, 3b, and 4a; two large pictures on ff. 2b and 3a; the first 4 centre-columns written on gilt ground; all the other pages highly embellished with beautiful margin-corners, ornamental headings, miniature paintings, etc.; rich Eastern binding with pictures on the inner sides; size, 14 in. by 9¼ in.