defcriptions. There is fcarce a leffon of morality or a tender fentiment in any European language, to which a parallel may not be brought from the poets of Asia. The verfes of eleven fyllables, which are used in the great Perfian poems, always rhyme together in couplets. It is unneceffary in this fection to give an example of the Perfian o or elegy, as it differs only in its length from the Js or ode, except that the Casfideh often turns upon lofty subjects, and the Gazal comprises for the moft part the praifes of love and merriment, like the lighter odes of Horace and Anacreon. The most elegant compofers of these odes are Ş↳ Jâmi and Lil Hafiz, each of whom has left an ample collection of his lyrick poems. I may confidently affirm that few odes of the Greeks or Romans upon fimilar fubjects are more finely polished than the fongs of these Persian poets: they want only a reader that can see them in their original dress, and feel their beauties without the disadvantage of a translation. of a translation. I fhall tranfcribe the firft ode of Hafiz that offers itself, out of near three hundred that I have paraphrafed: when the learner is able to understand the images and allufions in the Persian poems, he will see a reason in every line why they cannot be tranflated literally into any European language. با شل بي رخ یار خوش نباشد بي باده بهار خوش نباشد طرف چمن و طواف بستان بي صوت هزار خوش نباشد رقصیدن سرو و حالت گل لاله عذار خوش نباشد بي The rofe is not sweet without the cheek of my beloved; the spring is not sweet without wine. The borders of the bower, and the walks of the garden, are not pleasant without the notes of the nightingale. The motion of the dancing cyprefs and of the waving flowers is not agreeable without a mistress whose cheeks are like tulips. The presence of a damfel with fweet lips and a rofy complexion is not delightful without kiffes and dalliance. The rofe-garden and the wine are sweet, but they are not really charmof my beloved. ing without the company of my All the pictures that the hand of art can devise are not agreeable with out the brighter hues of a beautiful girl. VOL. II. I I Thy Thy life, O Hafiz, is a trifling piece of money, it is not valuable enough to be thrown away at our feast. The laft diftich alludes to the Afiatick cuftom of throwing money among the guests at a bridal feast, or upon any other extraordinary occafion the Perfians call this money nifar, and him who collects it .nifar cheen نثار چین I shall conclude this grammar with a tranflation of the ode quoted in the fection upon the Perfian letters; fee P. 143. If that lovely maid of Shiraz would accept my heart, I would give for the mole on her cheek the cities of Samarcand and Bokhara. Boy, bring me the wine that remains, for thou wilt not find in paradise the sweet banks of our Rocnabad, or the rofy bowers of our Mofellâ. Alas! these wanton nymphs, these fair deceivers, whofe beauty raises a tumult in our city, rob my heart of reft and patience, like the Turks that are feizing their plunder. Yet the charms of our darlings have no need of our imperfect love; what occafion has a face naturally lovely for perfumes, paint, and artificial ornaments ? Talk Talk to me of the fingers, and of wine, and feek not to disclose the fecrets of futurity; for no one, however wife, ever has difcovered, or ever will discover them. I can easily conceive how the inchanting beauties of Jofeph affected Zoleikha so deeply, that her love tore the veil of her chastity. Attend, O my foul! to prudent counfels; for youths of a good disposition love the advice of the aged better than their own fouls. Thou haft spoken ill of me; yet I am not offended; may Heaven forgive thee! thou hast spoken well: but do bitter words become a lip like a ruby, which ought to fhed nothing but fweetness? O Hafiz ! when thou composest verses, thou seemest to make a string of pearls come, fing them sweetly: for Heaven feems to have shed on thy poetry the clearness and beauty of the Pleïads. The wildness and fimplicity of this Perfian fong pleafed me fo much, that I have attempted to tranflate it in verfe: the reader will excuse the fingularity of the meafure which I have ufed, if he confiders the difficulty of bringing so many eastern proper names into our stanzas. I have endeavoured, as far as I was able, to give my translation the easy turn of the original; and I have, as nearly as poffible, imitated the cadence and accent of the Perfian measure; from which every reader, who who understands mufick, will perceive that the Afiatick numbers are capable of as regular a melody as any air in Metastasio. * A PERSIAN SONG. Sweet maid, if thou wouldst charm my fight, And bid thefe arms thy neck infold; That rofy cheek, that lily hand Would give thy poet more delight Than all the gems of Samarcand. to do a melted ruby is a common periphrafis for wine in the Perfian poetry. See Hafiz, ode 22. |