[IO Islamic 2914] مثنوئ كج كُلاه

Mathnawî-i-Kajkulâh

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 1725 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 2914 here with notations and hyperlinks].

1725

Mathnawî-i-Kajkulâh (مثنوئ كج كُلاه).

The second volume (دفتر دويم) of a mystical mathnawî in imitation of Jalâl-aldîn’s famous mathnawî, containing stories of a theosophical and Ṣûfic tendency, by Ânandghana (آنندگهن, ‘cloud of happiness,’=ابر سرور, see fol. 56a, l. 12), with the takhalluṣ Khwush (خوش, see ib., l. 11), who completed this second volume in the month of Ṣafar, A.H. 1209 (A.D. 1794, September).

The mathnawî bears the title of Kajkulâh or Kajkulah, ‘the fop who wears his cap awry’ (a designation often given to the mystic ‘lover of God,’ the advanced Ṣûfî), see ff. 30a, l. 9; 43b, l. 12; 49b, l. 11; 56a, ll. 5, 16, and 18, etc.; and was to contain seven volumes, see fol.56a, l. 9; the forthcoming third volume is announced in the last bait of this copy.

This copy contains the following stories:

1.قصّۀ حضرت ضيا الحقّ و فرّخ شاه, disputation between Ḍiyâ-alḥaḳḳ and Farrukhshâh, on fol. 1b, beginning:

بشنو از طوطى حكايت ميكند

شكر گوید نه شكايت ميكند

2.حكايت سكندر پادشاه ذو القرنين , the story of Alexander Dhû-alḳarnain, and the four advices he gave to his sons and wazîrs in his last hour, on fol. 27a, beginning:

اى عزيزان اين حكايت بشنويد

اين نصيحت را بگوش جان دهيد

3.حكايت نانك شاه درويش و پادشاه, the story of the Darwish Nânakshâh and the Pâdishâh, on fol. 30a, beginning:

بشنويد اى دوستان قصّه عجيب

اين سوانح نيك مرد پر غريب

4.حكايت آن دهقان كه ارادۀ كُشتن ديگرى كرده بجاى آن پسر خود را كُشت, story of the Dihḳân, who wanted to kill another one and instead of that killed his own son, on fol. 33b, beginning: بشنويد اى دوستان قصّه غريب الخ.

5.قصّۀ پير مصرى و حضرت موسى, the story of the old Egyptian and Moses, on fol. 35a, beginning: بشنويد اى دوستان اين داستان الخ.

6.حكايت دارا شكوه بى اندوه وشاه لال درويش حقّ كيش, the story of prince Dârâ Shukûh and the Darwish Shâh Lâl, to whom the former puts three questions, on fol. 42b, beginning:

اين حكايت پادشه هندوستان

گوش داده بشنويد اين داستان

بود يك شه نام آن دارا شكوه

در تحمّل بردبارى هم چو كوه

Prose-treatises, containing a debate of prince Dârâ Shukûh with Bâbâ La’l (لعل), on questions of Hindû theosophy, are described in Bodleian Cat., col. 758, No. 14; Rieu ii. p. 841b (where the Hindû sage is called La’ldâs, لعلداس), and iii. p. 1034a (where he is called, as here, Bâbâ Lâl); similar disputations of the prince are noticed in W. Pertsch, Berlin Cat., p. 45, No. 50 (where the Shaikh Muḥibb-allâh Allâhâbâdî is interviewed), and p. 1028, No. 2.

7.واعرابى (afterwards عيسى) حكايت حضرت موسى, the story of Moses (or rather of Jesus, as he is called in all the following headings) and the Bedouin and his wife, on fol. 43b, beginning: بشنويد اى دوستان در گوش جان. At the end the story is called قصّۀ مرد اعرابى و زن بدكار او’.

8.حكايت سليمان پير و سليمان پيغمبر, the story of old Solomon (the wood-merchant, هيزم فروش, as he is called) and Solomon the prophet (king Solomon), on fol. 49b, beginning:

بشنويد اى دوستان اين داستان

بهر حق جويان و مردم راستان

A certain laxity in the metrical treatment, omission of Iḍâfas, etc., is conspicuous throughout the poem.

This copy was transcribed by Bholanâth in the very year of composition, A.H. 1209, and finished the 16th of Rabî’-alawwal (A.D. 1794, Oct. 11). A large picture on fol. 1b.

No. 2914, ff. 56, 4 coll., each ll. 23; Nasta’lîḳ; size, 121/2 in. by 91/8 in.