King's Pote 151 (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

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Summary of Contents: The "Garden of Truth", a collection of poems by Sanāʼī with a prose introduction entitled Mirʾāt al-Ḥadāʾiq and a running commentary by ʻAbd al-Laṭīf ʻAbbāsī (d.1639 or 1640) known as Laṭāyif al-ḥadāyiq.
Author: Sanāʾī al-Ghaznavī, Abū al-Majd Majdūd ibn Ādam, d. ca. 1150 سنايى غزنوى، ابو المجد مجدود ابن آدم
Author and Commentator: (of Introduction) ʿAbbāsī, ʿAbd al-Laṭīf, -1639 or 1640 ‏عباسى، عبد اللطيف
Author and Commentator: ʿAbbāsī, ʿAbd al-Laṭīf, -1639 or 1640 ‏عباسى، عبد اللطيف
Title: Ḥadīqat al-Ḥaqīqah (with Introduction, Mirʾāt al-Ḥadāʾiq, and commentary, Laṭāyif al-ḥadāyiq)
Title: حديقة الحقيقة
Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: 14 Rabīʿ I 1102 / 16 Dec 1690 Scribe: Saʿd Allāh Ibrāhīm-ābādī سعد الله ابراهيم آبادى .

Colophon further notes: Copied from a copy of the original ms of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Laṭīf.

Note concerning manuscript: A high quality manuscript in terms of production, textual content and provenance.

Note concerning work: Composed in 524-5/1130-1.

ff. 1-7
Title: Mirʾāt al-Ḥadāʾiq
Title: مرآت الحدائق
Title: Introduction to Ḥadīqat al-Ḥaqīqat

First preface ending with a note stating the title and author and the date of it's composition and copying as 1038.

Author: ʻAbbāsī, ʻAbd al-Laṭīf, -1639 or 1640 عباسي، عبد اللطيف
ff. 7v-13r
Title: fihrist
Title: Table of contents

with folio numbers, created by the same hand who wrote the Preface

f. 13
Title: Poem

a note saying this is not found in many manuscript but is added here.

ff. 14v-18v
Title: Second preface, about commentary

f. 18v. completed 1040.

ff. 19r
Title: Note by ʻAbd al-Laṭīf introducing the preface by Sanāʼī.
ff. 19v-26v
Title: Preface of Sanāʼī with interlinear commentary by ʻAbd al-Laṭīf.
ff. 27r-30r
Title: fihrist

Another detailed table of contents

in red with folio numbers in black.

ff. 32v-456
Title: Ḥadīqat al-ḥaqīqah
Title: حديقة الحقيقة
Author: Sanāʼī al-Ghaznavī, Abū al-Majd Majdūd ibn Ādam, d. ca. 1150 سنائی الغزنوی، ابو المجد مجدود بن آدم
ff. 32v-456
Title: Laṭāyif al-ḥadāyiq
Title: لطاىف الحداىق
Title: Commentary on the Ḥadīqat al-Ḥaqīqat
Author: ʻAbbāsī, ʻAbd al-Laṭīf, -1639 or 1640 عباسي، عبد اللطيف
Language(s): Persian

References

Browne no. 394
Palmer no. 151
Persian Literature: a bio-bibliographical survey C. A. Storey 1927–39 V.2 p.530 (1102H)
Mughals in India: a bibliographical survey. Vol. 1. Manuscripts D.N. Marshall 1962 p.15 (commentary Laṭāyif al-ḥadāyiq)

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Chickpea coloured paper, well-burnished.
Extent: 456 folios.
Dimensions (leaf): 25.9 × 15 cm.
Dimensions (written): 18.0 × 7.9 cm.
Foliation: Foliated with Roman numerals throughout and with Persian numerals in red only in the main text (starting on f.32, marked in red f.1). The final folio (f.456) is marked f.425 in red.

Condition

Moderate worm damage and staining. The first few folios and some later have been repaired.

Layout

19 - 21 lines per page.

The prefaces are not ruled. The main text is ruled in sparkling gold with a lapis outer. Red rubrications.

Hand(s)

Script: Indian nastaʿlīq. Quality: Beautiful. (Qur’anic verses are in naskh. The hand of the main text seems to be the same as that of earlier parts of the codex.). Scribe: Saʿd Allāh Ibrāhīm-ābādī سعد الله ابراهيم آبادى.

Decoration

Illuminated heading ( sarlauh ) at start of main text (f.32v).

Additions:

Marginal comments throughout (mostly marked لط – presumably for ʿAbd al-Laṭīf).

Binding

Dark red leather. Doublures: reddish plain leather. Decorations: Pressure moulded designs. A rectangular frame containing floral designs; a central turanj with 2 pendants above and 2 below, and corner pieces, all decorated with flowers (the inner pendants contain inscriptions: عاقبت بخير باد). The upper and lower boards are identical. The doublures have silver rulings. Dimensions: 25.8 × 14.3 × 4.5 cm. Unboxed. Polier's number: 322.

History

Origin: 14 Rabīʿ I 1102 AH; 16 Dec 1690 CE

Provenance and Acquisition

The "Pote Collection" arrived in England from India in 1790 and was divided between the Colleges of Eton and King's, Cambridge, with the first half alphabetically going to King's. Both halves of the collection are now housed in Cambridge University Library on permanent loan. Most if not all of the manuscripts had previously been owned by Colonel Antoine-Louis Henri Polier (1741–1795).

Gift of Edward Ephraim Pote (d.1832) in 1788.

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on E. G. Browne, "A supplementary hand-list of the Muhammadan manuscripts, including all those written in the Arabic character, preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge", Cambridge, 1922 and E. H. Palmer, "Catalogue of the oriental manuscripts in the library of King's College, Cambridge", J.R.A.S. v.3 (1867), pp.105-131 enhanced with additional descriptions and corrections by Shiva Mihan.

Availability

All manuscripts of the Pote Collection are on permanent loan at Cambridge University Library. Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures consult Cambridge University Library. Contact near_eastern@lib.cam.ac.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript

Funding of Cataloguing

King's College Cambridge

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