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298
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[OCTOBER, 1875.
حکایت میکند بشنو از نی چون
میکند شکایت جدائیها وز
It may be seen that in these verses the 'great "Delayed was this Lesnávi for a time. Chief" and the 'dome of Islam' is Jellál-al. Respite was needed blood to milk to change." din Rûmi, whilst the ragged mendicant After that no interruption of any length and heretic robber is Shams-al-din.
appears to have taken place, till the whole work Jellal-al-din Rumi's successor, Chelebi Hisâm. was brought to a termination. That Hisam-alal-din, whose full name is Sheikh Hisâ m. din must have been an enthusiastic admirer of al-din Hasan Ben Muhammad Benthis book appears from the following words he Alhasan Ben Akhi Turk. Becoming uttered :-" When the Meşnúvi is being read the successor of a Pir or Sheikh, i.e. spiritual aloud, all who are present get drowned in its guide, implies also the acceptance of all his light, and I behold a company of spirits from the duties and the allegiance of his pupils; and if the invisible world who cut off with their words the Pir was a man of great authority, learning, &c. roots and branches of the faith of all those who his successor is also expected to be one. It do not listen with complete sincerity, and graappears that Hisâm-al-din got tired of the many dually drag them into hell-fire." But Jellal-alGhazals composed by his teacher Jellal-al-din, din replied :and requested him to write a connected and large "Of verses mine the toes you see poem ; hereupon the latter pulled out a piece of Headlong dragged to flames of fire. paper from his turban containing the first twenty
Hisâm-al-din, saw you their state ? eight distichs of his Mesná vi, beginning with Their acts has God revealed to you?" the words
The above words of Hisâm-al-din imply that as apparently many sentiments contrary to the strict laws of Islâm are uttered, --unless listened
to with great and sincere attention, the hearing "Hear how yon reed in sadly pleasing tales
of the Mendvi will lead to infidelity, and conseDeparted bliss and present woe bewails !" quently to eternal perdition; whilst the answer and ending with the words
of his master is conceived in that tolerant spirit which permeates the whole Mesnivi, and which
veatures to condemn no one rashly. “Here pause my song, and thou vain world,
No doubt the Meşnávi contains also many farewell."
strictly orthodox and even bigoted pieces; it Jellal-al-din said, "Before you ever thought
must, however, be allowed that there are many of it, the idea of composing a work of this
which can never meet with the approval of kind had been instilled into my heart from
strict Musalmans of any sect. Such a piece is on high." The last piece in the Meşnávi itself
“Moses and the Herdsman” (Ind. Asit. vol. III. contains an account of the manner in which this
p. 90, March 1874), at the end of which the celebrated work was commenced, and brought
author even disclaims to be a religious guide, to an end by Hisâm-al-din, who wrote down
and openly avows that the religion of love is the every word of it as it fell from the lips of his
only true one :master. Sometimes Jellal-al-din was so full of his subject that from the beginning of the night till the next morning dawned he dictated to Hisam-al-din, who was in the habit of again reading in a loud voice to the Mullâ all he lad written. When the first volume was completed the wife of Chelebi Hisâm-al-din died, and the "You must not guidance seek from the work was interrupted, as alluded to in the first inebriate; distich of the second volume :
Who rend their clothes, can they be asked to
mend? From all religions differs love's belief; The lovers' sects and rites are God alone.
سخن کوتاو باید و السلام
پس
تو زسر مستان قه رزی مجر جامه چا کانرا چہ فرمای رفر ملت عشق از همه دينها جداست عاشقا نرا مذهب و ملت خداست
تاخير شد
مثنوي مدتی این
تا خون شیر شد بایست مهلتی
* This piece was translated by Sir W. Jones; but since his time nothing further has been attempted.
+ Though fully aware of my numerous imperfections both
as an Engiish and a Persian scholar, I have during the last two years given selections from this great poet, who has not yet met among Europeans with the attention and study
