Mtmoh's of Ilafet^ 
a Persian Poet* 
3i7 
master of the baths; gave another 20,000 
for the purchase of some glasses of a 
hind of beer called Sakha, and distri¬ 
buted the remaining 20,000 in alms. 
Afterw-ards lie concealed himself in the 
town of Gazna, and, having obtained, by 
means of the librarian of Mahmoud, the 
copy of the Schah-nameh, which he had 
offered, he inserted in it some verses, 
which contained a satire upon the sultan. 
Among the verses were these : “ I have 
employed many years in the composi¬ 
tion of this poem, and I expected, from 
the magnificence of the sultan, that a 
crown and a treasure would be the re- 
con^pence of my labour. If the king had 
been the son of a king, he would have 
put a crown upon my head; but as he 
IS not of noble origin, he cannot bear the 
names of heroes.” lie staid four years 
concealed at Gazna; and afterwards se¬ 
cretly staid some time in the liouse of 
Aboulmaali, a bookseller. Mahmoud 
having sent some persons to look for 
Ihm, and these people having published 
in every town the subject of their com¬ 
mission, Ferdoussi departed to Tooss, 
with mpch difiiculty and inquietude; and, 
as he saw that he was no longer in safety, 
lie bade adieu to his relatives and family, 
aiid took refuge in Rostamdar. The lieu¬ 
tenant of the province of Djordjan, for 
Minotchehr, son of Cabous, was then 
governor of Rostamdar. Ferdoussi hav¬ 
ing fled to him, he received him kindly, 
and offered him 160 mithcals (a mithcal 
is If drachma) to delete from Schaii-na~ 
inch the satire which he had composed 
against Mahmoud. Ferdoussi agreed to 
it, and returned to Touss, where he lived 
in oblivion, and so remained till his old 
age. 
Notwithstanding, Mahmoud, in the 
course of one of his Indian expeditions, 
upon writing a letter to the king of Del¬ 
hi, turned towarris Ahmed ben-IIassan 
Meimendi, and said to him, “ If this 
Indian does not submit to my orders, nor 
conform to my wishes, what resolution 
must I taker” Meimendi answered him 
in a verse from the Schah-nameh. The 
sultan, then recollecting with regret the 
injustice wiiich he had committed to 
Ferdoussi, asked what was become of 
him ? Meimendi seized the opportu¬ 
nity, and told him, that the poet was 
become old and infirm, and lived in po¬ 
verty and oblivion, at Touss, his native 
place. The sultan immediately ordered 
that tliey should load twelve camels with 
indigo, for a present to Ferdoussi. When 
the camels arrived at the gate of Touss, 
which is upon tlie side of the river, the 
body of Ferdoussi was carrying out at the 
same gate, for interment. They took 
the presents to his sister, but she re¬ 
fused them, saying, “ I have nothing t© 
do with the riches of kings.” 
Ferdoussi died in the year 411 of the 
Ilegita, 1020 1 of the Christian era? 
his tomb is in the town of Touss, near 
the place named Mezar Abbassia ; it is 
now a place frequented by pilgrims. It 
is said, that the Scheik Ahoulcasseai 
Korkani refused to make the accustomed 
prayers for Ferdoussi, because that poet 
had celebrated the praises of the Magi; 
but the night following saw Ferdoussi in 
Paradise, elevated to a great degree of 
glory. He asked him, how he l.ad 
merited such a distinguished lank ? The 
poet answered, on account of a verse in 
which he had celebrated the glory and 
unity of God. 
LIFE OF KHODJA HAFEZ SCHIRAZT. 
AFEZ is generally considered a. 
prodigy of eloquence. His works 
include a multitude of things, which are 
beyond the understanding of man. He 
always affects enigmatical expressions, 
and his style bears the stamp of the sen¬ 
timents of 0 fakir ; hence he was deno¬ 
minated Lessan al^aib, i. e. mysterious 
tongue. His style of writing is simple,, 
and without constraint; but it always 
conceals a grand sense, and profound 
and sublime thoughts. Poetry was the 
least of the talents of Hafez; lie excel¬ 
led in a circle of sciences, in knowledge 
of the Koran, and all the exterior and 
interior branches of learning, The Seid 
Cassemalanwair, himself a Library, lieid 
Hafez in the highest esteem, and read his 
poetry without intermission. It has al¬ 
ways been the delight of tlie greatest 
men, and most distinguished literati. 
The proper name of Rliodja Hafez is 
Scliemseddin Mohammed, lie wms ce¬ 
lebrated in tiie province of Pars, and at 
Schiraz, in the reign of the family of 
Mozaffer : but he iiad always the greau 
est contempt for the world, and its good 
things. He lived without ambition and 
constraint, as lie says himself, “ O thou, 
who art intoxicated with wine, and robed 
in a dress which glitters all over vvitlj 
gold, when you pass by me, give a salu¬ 
tation to Hafez, who wears only a hnbin; 
of woollen.” The usual society tifliafcz 
was that of dervises and monks; some¬ 
times, however, lie mixed with persons 
of rank and quality, and, by means of 
the amenity and suppleness of his cliu- 
racter, 
