38 TAJU'S-SALATIN. 



Ibrahim as a court panegyrist under the Seljukian princes, Malik- 

 shah (1152), Muhammad (1153-1160), Sulaiman Shah and Arslan 

 Snah bin Tughrul (1161-1176), who wrote an epic called Hikayat 

 -i Amir Ahmad u Mahisti. But to judge from references to books 

 in the Taju's-Salatin, this man lived too early co be our author. 



Tihe introduction to the Taju's-Salatin acknowledges indebted- 

 ness to many sources. These sources have Arabic titles, but some 

 are well-known Persian works found also in Arabic, and some 

 Persian translations from the Arabic. One of the sources given is 

 the Akhlaq-i-Muhsini, written in 1494 by Hnsain bin Ali alwaiz al 

 Kashifi. 



On page 43 (van Eysinga's text) the author quotes from the 

 Tanhibu'l-Ghafilin; probably an Arabic religious tract translated 

 into Persian — there are several works of that name, Persian, one 

 Hindustani and at least one in Malay (van Konkel's " Catalogus "' 

 of MSS. at Batavia, p. 412 : and a Malay version has been printed 

 at Mecca, and is on sale in Singapore). The Sijar ul Muluk, a 

 well-known Persian work composed by the famous Vizier Xizam 

 u'l Mulk, born in 1017. is referred to on pp. 65 and 203. A 

 Persian ethical treatise (Ethe p. 347) is cited on p. 116. A Persian 

 verse is quoted on p. 117 out of the 'Secrets of Attar,' a Persian 

 work by the famous mystic and poet, Abu Hamid Muhammad bin 

 Abibakr Tbrahim Farid n'd Din Attar, a dealer in perfumery who 

 died 114 years old in 1230. On p. 151 is mentioned the famous 

 Persian romance of Mahmud and Ayaz : the oldest version is by 

 Fashru'd Din Ali Sail (died 1532), but there are others by Anisi 

 (died 1605), Zulali (composed 1593-1615), Mirza Muhammad Ali 

 Saib (d. 1677) and later by Mir Abu Talib. On the same page 

 are mentioned the " Arab story " of Laila wa Majnun and the 

 ''Persian stories" of Khnsrau wa Shirin. and of Yusof and 

 Zulaikha. The story of Khusrau and Shirin is told in verse by 

 Fashnrd Din Asad Nizami and by many later writers. Firdausi 

 and earlier authors have told the story of Yusof and Zulaikha. 



The introduction to the Taju's-Salatin, the type of book, the 

 names of princes and ministers are all Persian. In Persian more 

 than in Arahic ethical treatises one finds verses, stories and texts 

 from the Koran introduced. 'The verses in the book are all in 

 forms of Persian prosody, the mathnawi, ruba'i. ghazal: they are 

 mostly didactic or sing the praises of the first four khalifs or of 

 the merits of the author's work. On p. 47 Kayomarz the first of 

 the old kings of Persia is mentioned as a son of Adam. Of. also p. 

 102. 



Sometimes a Persian word is explained, e.g. on p. 134, by a 

 later hand. The Persian word for the New Year is used. 'There 

 are Persian forms of the genitive : e.g. Omari- Abdul- Aziz. 



The chronogram in the introduction gives 1012 A.H. (1603 

 A.D.) as the date of composition. 



Though no Persian original has been discovered, clearly the 

 book is of Persian origin and, considering there was no direct 

 Persian influence on the Malays, probably was derived from India. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



