584 Some Remarks on the Origin of tlie Afghan people. [No. 6. 



and according to the account given of himself in one of his odes, he 

 was acquainted with Afghani, Arabic, Tiirki, Persian, Hindi and 

 a little English. He has devoted one entire ode to the abuse of 

 the English, just arrived in India, whom hec alls "a nation of shop- 

 keepers, who in Hindustan have turned into soldiers." 



The romantic and interesting poems of Saif-ul-Muluk and Badri 

 Jamal, by Gulam. Muhammed, and Bahrain Gur, by Ey'az, must 

 not be overlooked. The authors who are but little known, are said 

 to have nourished in the seventeenth century, which appears to 

 have produced most of the Pushto authors. 



The other poetical works most generally known are, The Tale of 

 Sultan Jumjumah by Emam-ud-Din, Mseraj Nam eh by Gulam Mu- 

 hammed, Bashid-ul-By'an by Akhund Eashid, Mukhammas of Abd- 

 ul-Kadir, Majmuseat-i-Kandahari, and some others of less note. 



The prose writings are numerous, but with the exception of the 

 romantic story of Adam Khan and Durkhaui mentioned by Mr. 

 Elphinstone in his "Account of Kabul," and a few others, they are 

 mostly on divinity. The principal are, the Eawa'id-ush-Sharri'sea, 

 written by Akhund Kasim in 1560 ; Makhzan Afghani by the cele- 

 brated Akhund Darwezah* who lies buried at Pesh'awer ; the works 

 of Babii Jan, said to have been a converted Seah Posh Kaffir who 

 again relapsed ; the Jung Nameh containing the history of Hussan 

 and Hussain, by Gulam Muhammed ; Nur Nameh by Jan Muham- 

 med ; Gulistan-i-Kahmat by Nowab Muhammed Mustajib Khan in 

 1800 ; Tafzir — a translation from the Koran ; Hazar Masa'il ; Hiyat- 

 ul-Mummm ; Akhir Nameh : and several others. 



Besides the original Afghan writings, there are also numerous 

 translations from Arabic and Persian authors, both poetical and prose. 

 Amongst those which have come under my own observation are, the 

 Gulistan of Saadi, translated by Amir Muhammed, Ansari ; Yiisuf 

 and Zulikha of Jami, by Abd-ul-Kadir ; Majniin and Laila of Jami, 



* Professor Dorn in his Chrestomathy states that Akhund Darwezali was the 

 first author who composed in the Afghan language, but he neither states how he 

 has arrived at this conclusion, nor his authority for such a statement. In the same 

 manner he considers Khushhal Khan to be the author of Adam Khan and Durkha- 

 ni, but neither the one nor the other is actually known. 



