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Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy
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Verses on tragic love
AUTHOR/CREATOR
Calligrapher: Shah Muhammad al-Mashhadi
CREATED/PUBLISHED
968/1560-1
NOTES
Dimensions of Written Surface: 10.4 (w) x 23.5 (h) cm
Script: nasta'liq
This calligraphic fragment includes three bayts (verses) of poetry that use the tragic love story of Laylah and Majnun to describe the magic and pain of love. With an initial invocation to God in the upper right corner ("He is the Glorified," or huwa al-mu'izz), the verses then read:
Qudsiyan kin pardaha-yi sabz-i gardun basta-and / Mahd-i 'aysh-i 'ashiqan zin parda birun basta-and / in fusun khwanan ka dar tanha bi-afsun jan damand / Pish-i an la'l fusun khwan lab za afsun basta-and / Nu 'arus-i husn-i Layla-ra bi-khalvatgah-i naz / Gushvar az danha-yi 'ashq-i Majnun basta-and
The holy angels that fastened these veils of the green firmament / That placed the cradle of the lovers' joy outside of this curtain / Those magicians that blow life into bodies by sorcery / They shut the mouths of magic in the presence of the garnet (lip) of the enchanter / New bride of Laylah's beauty in the empty place of coquetry / They placed (on her) the necklace from the tears of Majnun
The verses are executed in black nasta'liq script in diagonal and horizontal lines on a beige paper decorated with bird and flower motifs painted in gold. The right and left vertical sides of the text panel are framed by a green border bearing gold flecks. The calligraphic specimen is pasted onto a larger sheet of light yellow paper decorated by interlacing pink arabesques and animals.
Between the diagonal and lower horizontal lines on the text panel appears a triangle (or thumb piece) inscribed by the calligrapher Shah Muhammad al-Mashhadi, who notes that he wrote (mashaqahu) the verses and requests forgiveness from God for his sins. Between the first and the second bayt of poetry written in diagonal, Shah Muhammad al-Mashhadi also specifies that he wrote the work during the months (fi shuhur) of the year 968/1560-1. Shah Muhammad al-Mashhadi was a calligrapher originally from the holy city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran who migrated to India. As a calligrapher in the nasta'liq script, his work recalls the style of his more famous contemporary, Mir 'Imad al-Hasani (see 1-84-154.3, 1-84-154.43, 1-85-154.72, 1-85-154.77, 1-87-154.160, 1-90-154.162)
SUBJECT
Arabic calligraphy
Poetry
Nasta'liq
Islamic manuscripts
Islamic calligraphy
Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
Arabic script calligraphy
MEDIUM
19.3 (w) x 30.2 (h) cm
CALL NUMBER
1-87-154.161
REPOSITORY
Library of Congress, African and Middle Eastern Division, Washington, D.C. 20540
DIGITAL ID
ascs 181
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.amed/ascs.181
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