Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate World

RSPA 54 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

India Office Library

Jones Collection

Royal Society Arabic and Persian

Dīvāns of ʿUrfī, Shāpūr and Naẓīrī

Contents

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of Dīvān-i ʿUrfī by Muḥammad ʿUrfī Shīrāzī; 1 copy of Dīvān-i Naẓīrī by Naẓīrī Nīshāpūrī; 1 copy of Dīvān-i Shāpūr-i Tihrānī by Shāpūr-i Tihrānī

Language(s): Persian

1.
Incipit: خداوند دلم بینور تنکست *** دل من سنک و کوه طور سنکست
Explicit: مجموعه طراز صنع یا رسخش گفت *** اول دیوان عرفی شیرازس
Colophon: تمت الکتاب بعون الملک الوهاب فی وقت العصر یوم الاربعا شهر شوال ختم بالخیر والاقبال المنتظم فی سلک سنه التاسعه وسبعین بعد الالف من الهجره بید الفقر اضعف عباد الله و اخو جهنم إلی دحمه الله الصابر علی نقی ابن عبد القادر عصر دلوهم.

Between ff1-14r, the text is ʿUrfī's Khusraw va Shīrīn, followed by the Majmūʿ al-Akbar until f58v, whereafter the dīvān is composed of qaṣīdahs (ff58-133), ghazals (ff133-192) and rubāʿiyyāt (ff192-201).

The seal of Aẓhar Khān Sayyid ʿAlī is present on f1r. This seal is also present on several other manuscripts in the Jones collection (MSs RSPA 5, 19, 42, 52). Above this, as on the other manuscripts, are the words "المالک القایض". There are two other seals, which have been effaced.

The scribe of all three texts is ʿAlī Naqī Ibn ʿAbd al-Qādir.

There is a small blue and gold three-cupola headpiece on f1v.

2.
Incipit: اذا ما شئت ان تحیی حیوة حلوة المحیا

The poems are written in the margins around the Dīvān-i ʿUrfī.

This is the only one of the three texts which does not have a colophon. The hand is the same as that of the Dīvāns of ʿUrfī and Shāpūr.

Explicit: باشم مردم تا کی صبور باشم
3.
Incipit: ای راه زن خیال نگاه تو خواب را
Explicit: مشتاق ترم اذا آنچه وانا کردی
Colophon: تمت الدیوان بعون الملک المنان تحریرا فی غزی محرم الحرام سنه ۱۰۸۰ در دار الملک داشت کتابت شدید الفقر الحقیر علی نقی ابن عبد القادر

The poems are written in the margins around the Dīvān-i ʿUrfī.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Mixture of thick cream woven paper and thick blue woven paper. Most of the paper is blue.
Extent: ff.ii+201+iv
Dimensions (leaf): 235 × 170 mm.
Dimensions (written): 220 × 110 mm.
Foliation:

European numerals in pencil.

Condition

The manuscript is largely in good condition. Guards and supports.

Layout

Inside the columns, there are 17 lines per side with 23 half lines in the margin.

Hand(s)

Neat black ink nastaʿlīq.

Decoration

Additions:

Occasional marginal notes in Persian.

Binding

Standard India Office half-leather binding with wine-coloured marbled endpapers.

Accompanying Material

History

Origin: Muḥarram_1080 AH; June 1669 CE ; India

Provenance and Acquisition

RSPA 1-118 were presented to the Royal Society in January 1792 by Sir William and Lady Jones. This manuscript was presented by Sir William Jones.

The Royal Society's collection of 280 Persian and Arabic, and 86 Sanskrit manuscripts were transferred to the India Office Library in 1876.

1876

India Office Library

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on E. Denison Ross and E. G. Browne, Catalogue of two collections of Persian and Arabic manuscripts preserved in the India Office Library (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1902), p.47 no. LIV

Availability

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures contact British Library, Registering for a Reader Pass. Contact apac-enquiries@bl.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript. For information on catalogues and ordering manuscripts see Finding and ordering Persian manuscripts in the British Library.

Funding of Cataloguing

BL


Comments

Comment on this record

Please fill out your details.

How are we using your feedback? See our privacy policy.

See the Availability section of this record for information on viewing the item in a reading room.

TO TOP