78 



A brief notice of th 



[July 



that he merely wrote it on a scrap of paper, which he sealed up and 

 gave to Jyaz, whom he had long, with reason, suspected of being his 

 chief traducer; assuring him that it contained a pleasant story, and de- 

 sired him to give it to Mahmud, at a time when any business of import- 

 ance, or bad success, should irritate his temper. However, after the 

 completion of the satire he fled from Ghdzneh by night, on foot, and 

 passed into Zolustan, where he was receiv ed w ; ith marked hospitality by 

 Mesr Mulk Motasham, governor of the province. Of this nobleman 

 Firdousi solicited, with much earnestness, permission to inscribe the 

 Shah-nameh to him, as the exploits of his ancestors were therein cele- 

 brated : the governor, however, fearful of Mahmuds resentment, would 

 not accede to his request, saying that he was but a vassal of Mahmud? s t 

 and offered Firdousi a handsome present, provided he would not publish 

 the satire. This, it is said s the irritated poet at last consented to. But the 

 Persian proverb declareth, " speech is a bird, and a bird whose pinions 

 are not to be broken"— the satire got wind, and for point and bitterness 

 has been, rarely, if ever, excelled, by the composition of any other Per- 

 sian writer. In an article, contained in the Asiatic Journal for Novem- 

 ber 1829, purporting to be taken from an extended analysis, by M. de 

 Sacy, of the Tuzktrat-us-Shoara of Doulet Shah alSamarcandi, is the fol- 

 lowing translation of this satire so celebrated among oriental writers : — 



" But what virtues can be expected from Mahmoud, whose soul is barred against gene« 

 rosity, 



What can be hoped for from a king without judgment, morality, or religion ? 

 The son of a slave, (a) though adorned with a diadem, eventually reveals the baseness of 

 his origin. 



Plant, even in the garden of paradise, a tr.ee whose fruit is bitter, 



"Water it with the streams from the fountain of Eternity, and bedew its roots with honey, 

 Its natural qualities will always appear, and bitter, after all this care, will still be its fruit 

 Place beneath the heavenly peacock the egg of a raven formed in infernal darkness, 

 When it is hatched, feed the young one with fig-seeds from the fig tree of Eden, 

 Cause it to drink of the water of Salsebil, and let the angel Gabriel breathe upon it ; 

 All this will not avail : a raven's egg will produce nothing but a raven. 

 Put a young viper upon a bed of roses, and nourish it with drops from the fountain of life ; 

 It will, notwithstanding, never become tame, and will infect you with its venom. 

 Transport an owl from the forest to the charming retreats in your garden, let it perch, 



during the night, upon rose-trees and sport amongst hyacinths ; 

 When the day expands its radiant wings, the owl will stretch out its own pinions to return 



to its native forest. 

 Consider these words of our prophet : every thing returns to its source. 

 Pass the shop of a perfumer, and your habit will imbibe the scent of ambergris. 

 Approach the forge of a blacksmith, and the smoke of the fire will soil your dress. 

 Be not surprised, then, at the evil deeds of a wicked man : can night change her hue ? 

 Look not for liberality from a base mind : can the face of an Ethiop become white ? 

 Far better it is to cast dust into your own eyes than to praise an avaricious prince. 

 O king, if thou hadst been noble and generous, and hadst walked in the path of virtue, 

 Thou hadst not thus overturnedmy hopes, but regarded m& with a different aspect." 



( a) Mahmud was the son of Sebekhtagia, a Turkish slave, the property of AlptegMa 

 governor of Ghazneh. 



