(Translation)

“Once again a passion has entered my head; again my heart inclines
in a certain direction.
He is of Royal birth, I am of the dust; he is a King, and I am
portionless.
One tall of stature, with locks like lassoes, an autocrat descended
from Sulṭán Ḥusayn:
One with eyebrows like bows and slender waist, one unkind, fair and
deceitful.
Such a charmer of hearts, such a graceful cypress-tree, such a shower
of oats and seller of barley! *
Without him the sun gives no light; without him the world has no
lustre.
Wherever his ruby-lip smiles, there sugar is of no account.
Everywhere the heart holds with his vision pleasant speech and
sweet discourse
Thou wouldst say that I come to the house of a physician, that perhaps
I may procure a remedy for my heart.
Everyone else complains of a foe, but our complaint is of a friend.
Should the eyes of 'Ubayd not look their fill upon him, then his eyes
do not regard any other misfortune!”

Another fine manuscript of the works of 'Ubayd-i-Zákání, bearing the class-mark Suppl. persan 824, is in the possession of the Bibliothèque Nationale at Paris. It was transcribed in Muḥarram, 834 (Sept.—Oct., 1430), comprises 111 leaves, and contains besides the poems, serious and flippant, the “Book of Lovers” ('Ushsháq-náma), in verse and partly in dialect; the “Ethics of the Aristocracy” (Akhláqu'l-Ashráf), the “Book of the Beard” (Rish-náma), and the “Ten Chapters” (Dah Faṣl). The most striking feature of the serious poems is the constant references to Fárs and its capital Shíráz, which evidently held the affection of the poet far more than his native city Qazwín. Thus, to quote a few examples, he says (f. 13^b):

“By the auspicious justice of that King who is so gracious to his servants the region of Shíráz has become an earthly Paradise.”

So again he says (f. 23^a):

“By the favour of the Creator the Kingdom of Párs hath become pleasanter than the Courts of Paradise and gayer than the Spring.”

And again (f. 28^a) he says:

“The victorious standard of the King who is so gracious to his servants hath reached with glee and happiness the region of Shíráz:

Shaykh Abú Isḥáq, that world-conqueror of youthful fortune, our liege-lord who slayeth opponents and maketh the fortune of his loyal supporters.”

The following verse, again (f. 35^b), is strongly reminiscent of, and was probably inspired by, a very well-known verse of Sa'dí's occurring in a poem quoted in vol. ii of my Literary History of Persia, p. 535, lines 13-15:

“The gentle breeze of Muṣallá and the stream of Ruknábád cause the stranger to forget his own native land.”

The following verse occurring in a poem in which 'Ubayd bids farewell to Shíráz affords further testimony of his attachment to that place:

<text in Arabic script omitted>

“I leave the region of Shíráz, being in peril of my life:
Alas, how full of anguish is my heart at this inevitable departure!”

As in the case of Ḥáfiẓ so also in 'Ubayd's Díwán we find one disparaging allusion to Hurmuz (Ormuz) in the Persian Gulf which would seem to show that our poet had once visited that place:

“I am thus cast away in Hurmuz in grief and sorrow, isolated from the companionship of friends and patrons.”

Amongst the serious poems is one (f. 30^b) in praise of the Ṣáḥib-Díwán 'Amídu'l-Mulk, while amongst the satires are two (ff. 54^b and 55^a) directed against Kamálu'd-Dín Ḥusayn and Shihábu'd-Dín Ḥaydar. * One of the religious poems at the beginning of the volume (f. 1^b), containing the praise of God, the Prophet, and the Four Orthodox Caliphs, indicates that 'Ubayd was a Sunní, but, apart from his disreputable facetiœ, the following verse shows clearly enough that he neither claimed nor desired to lead a virtuous life:

<text in Arabic script omitted>

“God, of Thy grace one special hope I nourish,
That Thou wilt cause my pleasure-realm to flourish,
And turn from me the Doom of Abstinence,
And save me from the Plague of Penitence!”

As regards 'Ubayd's facetiœ (hazaliyyát), which are practically the only poems contained in the Constantinople edition of his works, they are, as already stated, almost without exception unfit for translation, and are regarded with disapproval or disgust by all respectable Persians at the present day. Their only point, moreover, lies in the skilful turning to base uses of the serious verses of earlier or contemporary poets, who are thus held up to ridicule and made to afford material for ribaldry by the unscrupulous 'Ubayd-i-Zákání. Amongst the lighter poems which are unobjectionable, however, the following may be cited:

<text in Arabic script omitted>

“Something at least from my small property
Was wont to reach me in the days gone by,
And when friends came to cheer my loneliness
A crust of bread they found, a dish of cress,
And sometimes wine withal, when some new flame
Or some old crony me to visit came.
But now, alas! all that I reckoned on,
Solid or liquid, from my table's gone,
And only I am left, nor would remain
If my removal were another's gain!”

That poverty and debt were our poet's usual lot appears from other verses, such as the following:*

<text in Arabic script omitted> <text in Arabic script omitted>

“Others rejoice in merriment, while I am afflicted with debt;
Everyone has his affairs and business, while I am in the misfortune
of debt.
My duty towards God and my debts to His creatures bow my neck;
Shall I discharge my duty towards God, or my debts?
My expenses are more than usual, and my debts beyond bounds:
Shall I take thought for my expenses or for my debts?
I complain of no documents save summonses for debt,
And I fear no one save the witnesses to my indebtedness.
I have debts in the town and debts in the suburb,
Debts in the street and debts in the store.
From morning until evening I continue in anxiety
As to where I may incontinently beg a loan.
Other people flee from the hands of debt, while I,

After prayer and supplication, pray for a loan from God. *
My honour, like that of beggars, is cast to the winds,
So often have I sought a loan from the door of every beggar.
If the Master does not bespeak for me the King's favour
How can poor 'Ubayd finally discharge his debts?—
Master 'Alá'u'd-Dunyá wa'd-Dín, except whose hand
None other in the world hath given Debt its deserts!”

Other poems to the same purport will be found on pp. 58 (ll. 18-23) and 61 (ll. 16-20) of the Constantinople edition, and whether or no the well-known story * about 'Ubayd-i-Zákání's death-bed practical joke on his children be true, it certainly accords alike with his character and his circumstances.

The following epigram on a physician is worth quoting:

<text in Arabic script omitted>

“To this fool-doctor no man need apply
For treatment if he does not wish to die.
At last to him the Death-Angel appears
Saying, ‘Buy now the goods you've sold for years’!”

“The Mouse and the Cat” (Músh u Gurba) is a short mathnawí poem of 174 verses, and in the Bombay lithographed edition, with the numerous quaint woodcuts which illustrate it, comprises only 18 pages. It opens with a description of the voracious, keen-eyed, “lion-hunting” cat, with eyes like amber and sharp claws, feet like a scorpion, a forehead like an eagle, a belly like a drum, a breast of ermine, eyebrows like bows, and sharp teeth:

This cat, being in need of a meal, goes to a wine-tavern and conceals itself behind a wine-jar. Presently a mouse appears, leaps on to the edge of one of the jars, and begins to drink the wine, until, filled with the arrogance engendered by alcohol, and ignorant of the proximity of its formidable foe, it begins to boast its prowess, saying: “Where is the cat, that I may wring its neck and bear its head to the market-place? In the day of my munificence at the time of conferring benefits I would distribute the heads of a hundred cats! Cats are but as dogs in my sight, were I to meet them in the open field!”