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NOTE XXV. 'UMAR-I-KHAYYAM i 135
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Persian and Arabic Sources of Information arranged chronologically.
\. The Chahar Maqala.
This present work, the author of which was perspnally acquainted
with
'Umar^
and wrote some or^ly thirty yejirs after his death, contains
the oldest account of him yt Discovered.
*
1 >
2. The Kharidatu'1-Qasr.
VThis book, composed by
(Addition to Persian notes, p. v\ )
'Imadu'd-Din al-Katib al-Isfahani in
572/1176-7, contains a notice of 'Umar i-Khayyam amongst the poets
of Khurasan. Two MSS. of this work exist in the Leyden library (see
Dozy's Catalogue, vol.'ii, pp. 208-288), viz. Warner 348, f. 185, and
Gol. 2ib, f. 238.
3. khaqani.
*
A single reference to him occurs in a verse of the Persian poet
Khaqani, who. died about A.H. 595 (A.D. 1198-9).
4. The Mirsadu'l-'Ibad.
The Mirsddu I-''Ibdd of Shaykh Najmu'd-Dfn Daya, composed in
A.H. 620 (A.D. 1223-4), contains a passage in which 'Umar is denounced
as an atheist, and two of his quatrains are cited with disapproval. The
text of this important passage is quoted by Mirza Muhammad (Persian
notes, p. 211) from Zhukovski's article. I have collated this with a fine
old MS. of the Mirsdd transcribed in A.H. ,768 (A.D. 1367), which
presents the following variants, generally improvements.
211, i, inserts j& after j*^sut>; reads 'j^lj^ for Ij^U-jj 3;
inserts ^JU after Oj^o; and reads ^)l. for .Ja\.. 211, 5, inserts
3 before *A*JJ-O- : 1. 6 after jkyj substitutes for ^jlj
the following words :
>
at the end of the lihe
211', 8, for C-Jjjco* reads ^ v_5^jjt*. 21 1, 9, substitutes A.J ji for
before^' and inserts, ij^^ after oJ"j)Lo ; and after C^AS adds U
i^crJ j^fc. ,JU,o. 211, 10, inserts jj^ at beginning of line. 211, 12,
omits [Lojl j]. 211, n, ^jaO. Of the passage thus emended the
translation is as follows:
"And it will become apparent for what reason this pure, celestial
and luminous spirit was* drawn into the form of this lowly earthen
mould, and also it why must part therefrom, why the spirit must sever
,its connectio'n with this mould, why the form must perish, and what is
the reason for the restoration of this mould at the Resurrection and the
reinve&titure of the spirit therewith. Then will he the [i.e. enquirer]
come forth from the company of 'these are like cattle, nay, they are yet
1
more wrisgutded ,' attain to the rank of [true] humanity, escape from the
1
Qur'dn, xxv, 46.
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