Page:A Grammar of the Persian Language.djvu/61

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OF NUMBERS.

80. We often find mention of a ياࢨ مُتکلِّم‎, a يof the first person, in the native Grammars; as in قِبْله کاهِي‎, my place of worship; meaning my father. Where ي‎ is supposed to have this power; so, خُدا يگانِي‎, my only deity; مُشْفِقِي‎, my friend, خُدَاونْدِي‎, my Lord, &c.


OF NUMBERS, اعْداد‎.

81. The Persian plural is formed by adding اَن‎ or هَا‎ to the singular: but these terminations are not wholly arbitrary; on the contrary, they are regulated with great precision. The names of animals generally form their plural in اَن‎, as,

گُرْگ gurg, the wolf. گُرْگان gurgāṅ, wolves.
پلنْگ palaṅg, the tiger. پلنْگان palaṅgān, tigers.

82. But, words which signify things without life, make their plurals by adding the syllable ها‎; as,

بال bāl, the wing. بَالْها balha, wings.
ساحِل sāhil, the shore. ساحِلْها sāhilhā, shores.

Both these plurals occur in the following elegant distich:


شب تارِیکُ و بِیِم مَوْجُ و گِرْدابي چُنِین هائل
کُجا داننْد حالِ ما سبُکْبارانِ ساحِلْها

The night is dark; the fear of the waves, and a whirlpool, so dreadful! How should those, who bear light burdens on the shore, know our situation?