Nuskha-i násikha-i mathnawiyyát-i saqíma (Rieu, Catalogue of Persian MSS, in the British Museum, vol. II, p. 589; Ethé, Catalogue of Persian MSS. in the India Office Library, Nº 1088) by ʿAbdu ʾl-Laṭíf b. ʿAbdalláh al-ʿAbbásí of Gujrát (ob. circa A. H. 1048 = A.D. 1638).
ʿAbdu ʾl-Laṭif, who also edited the Ḥadíqa of Sanáʾí [1], wrote two commentaries on the Mathnawí[2] and compiled a glossary of the rare words which occur in it[3].The edition of ʿAbdu ʾl-Laṭíf al-ʿAbbásí. He states that his recension of the poem was based on more than eighty MSS. Unfortunately the abundance of his sources has only increased the depravation of his text; the portion covering Books I and II includes about 800 verses over and above those comprised in the text of this volume, so that, roughly speaking, one verse in every ten is interpolated. My present acquaintance with the Nuskha-i násikha does not encourage belief that the time needed in order to examine it thoroughly would be well spent.
What has been said will, I hope, convince the reader that this new edition of the Mathnawí is justified by the result. I am aware of its limitations and defects, but against these can be set three main points of advantage:
(1) The original, or at least the older, form of the text has been restored in many places.
(2) Interpolations have been reduced to a minimum. Some remain, no doubt, but a much greater number have been exterminated.
(3) The understanding of the poem has been made easier by means of vocalisation and other orthographical aids designed to remove ambiguity in regard to spelling, grammar, and syntax.
It is perhaps unnecessary to say that my text does not claim to
- ↑ See the Introduction to The First Book of the Ḥadiqatu ʾl-Ḥaqiqat of Sanáʾí, ed. and tr. by Major J. Stephenson (Calcutta, 1910).
- ↑ Laṭáʾifu ʾl-maʾuawi min ḥaqáʾiq al-Mathnawí (Lucknow, A. H. 1292) and Mirʾátu ʾl-Mathnawí (Ethé, Catalogue of Persian MSS. in the India Office Library, N° 1102).
- ↑ Laṭáʾifu ʾl-lughát (Lucknow, 1877; Cawnpore, 1905).
