Persian Manuscripts : Dīvān-i Shams-i Tabrīzī

Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, Mawlana, 1207-1273جلال الدين رومى

Persian Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'> The <i>Dīvān-i Shams-i Tabrīzī</i> (Dīvān of Shams of Tabriz, also known as the <i>Dīvān-i Kabīr</i>, or 'Large Dīvān') contains primarily ghazal lyric poems by famed medieval poet Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (1207–1273) named in honour of his friend, Shams Tabrizī (d. 1247), whom he frequently invokes in place of his own pen name in the final lines. Jaykishan Dās (1832–1905), who subsequently participated in the Aligarh educational reform movement and ultimately served as secretary then co-President of the Scientific Society, completed this large volume in Wazirabad, Punjab at the behest of Colonel George William Hamilton on 5 August 1859. The text appears to include all of the minor poems; however, many feature variant lines in comparison with critical editions. This volume also bears a delicately illuminated headpiece with similar floral decoration painted on the exterior covers. </p>