Or 16219 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

The collected poems of Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfiẓ Shīrāzī (d. ca. 791/1389), one of the greatest masters of Persian lyric poetry. In the recension of Aḥmad (sometimes referred to as Muḥammad) Sūdī Busnavī (d. ca. 1000/1592-3), together with his commentary in Ottoman Turkish, with paraphrases, on the poems.

Sūdī, a native of Foča in Bosnia, composed commentaries on several Persian classics. See K. Burrill, “Sūdī, Aḥmed”, in EI2 IX, p. 762; ‘OM I, pp. 323-4. Both his recension of the Dīvān and his commentary were acclaimed and widely used. On Ḥāfiẓ see, inter alia, the series of articles s.v. ‘Hafez, Šams-al-Dīn Moḥammad’ in EIr XI, pp. 461-507, and other works referred to therein.

The present manuscript represents the second volume of a copy that originally comprised two volumes. Since it begins in the middle of a ghazal rhyming in rā’ and the binding is a modern replacement, the entire commentary may originally have been contained in a single volume. The present manuscript is incomplete at the end and in a few places the iron-gall ink has damaged the folios.

Begins: Va lah ayẓan fī ḥarf al-rā’ Alā ay ṭūṭī-i gūyā-yi asrār * mabādā khālīyat shakar az minqār. Maḥṣul-i beyit: H̲vāce nefs-i şerīfine veyā ḳalemine hitāb ve nidā i̲d...b buyurur

Ends: Maḥṣūl Ol ‘aḳīḳ lebden ‘isvesinden hunīn-dilim. Eger şikayet idersem razdarım olasın. Ya‘nī bu ma‘nāyı da d...n yarısında d...ş...mde görem-mi. Chū Khusravān madḥat

Undated. Ottoman Empire, ca. 12th/18th century.

Nasta‘līq, with riq‘a elements. 21 lines. Red headings and overlinings. Illuminated headpiece, f. 1v. Thin, brownish paper with some ink damage (see above). 264 folios. 221 x 152 mm.; text area 150 x 82 mm. Half orange-brown calf binding with raised bands, lettered: “Commentary on the Diwan of Ḥāfiẓ. Persian MS.” Formerly MS. 99 in the library of C.S. Mundy.

Purchased from A Leverton, January 2006