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chapter fifteen
the commentator explains that while he was suffering from an unmerited exile in the fortress of Limni [Limnos] his brother was able to give him a mecmūʿa with mystical prose and ilāhīyāt, compiled by their father [Laʿlā Shaykh Meḥmed Efendi] when the latter had been sixteen years old. While he was busy reading the uplifting work for three months, on 1 Muḥarrem 1129 [16 december 1716] he came across the ḳaṣīde written by his grandfather which directly addressed his soul. In the middle of the same month, he received a letter from his brother, asking him to write a commentary on the poem; this he did. The work itself consists of the subsequent distichs of the poem in red or gold, alternated by prose commentary, especially on the mystical content, to which the author here and there added verses composed by himself. A few marginal corrections and additions by the copyist. Pencil notes with the price of £35 as well as a label with a typed text in English describing the contents are found on the inner front-board. Bound in embossed dark brown leather with simple gold decorations in Oriental style; glazed cream to brown paper; (2) + 40 + (2) folios; 214 × 113 mm and 160×60mm; 23 lines; catchwords; small, calligraphic taʿlīḳ; quotations and lines in red and gold; borders in gold, within black lines on ff. 1b–5a; completed by Dervīş Ḥüseyn el-Ḥüseynī b. İbrāhīm Bürān [?] on 15 Cemāẕī l-ūlā 1186 (14 August 1772, colophon in undotted script). Acquired in October 1977. Begins (1b, after a besmele):
ﺳـﺒﺤﺎﻧﻚ ﻻ ﻋﲅ ﻟﻨﺎ الاﻣﺎ ﻋﻠﻤﻨﺎ اﻧﻚ اﻧﺖ اﻟﻌﻠﲓ اﳊﻜﲓ ﻧﺼﲆ ابﻣﺮك ﻋﲆ ﴎوكل اﻟﻜﺮﱘ … و ﺑﻌﺪ ذرۀ انﭼﲒ … روی ﻏﻨﱪ ﺗﺮاب اﻗﺪام ﻓﻘﺮا ﻋﺒﺪ ﯾﺘﲓ ﺳﺒﺐ ﺗﺎٔﻟﯿﻒ و ﺗﺮﻗﲓ ﺑﯿﺎﻧﻨﺪﻩ اﯾﺪر ﻛﻪ Ends (40a):
ا ٓﻣﻨﺎ و ﺻﺪﻗﻨﺎ اﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺻﲆ ﻋﲆ ﺳـﯿﺪان ﶊﺪ … و ا ٓﺧﺮ دﻋﺎان ان اﶵﺪ � رب اﻟﻌﺎﳌﲔ Colophon (ibidem):
ﻗﺪ وﻗﻊ اﻟﻔﺮاغ ﻣﻦ ﲢﺮﯾﺮﻩ و ﺗﳮﯿﻘﻪ ﰱ اﻟﯿﻮم اﳋﺎﻣﺲ ﻋﴩ ﻣﻦ ﺷﻬﺮ ﺟﲈذی الاوﱃ ﺳـﻨﻪ ﺳﺖ و ﲦﺎﻧﲔ و ﻣﺎﺋﻪ و اﻟﻒ ﻣﻦ ﳗﺮة ﻣﻦ هل ﺧﺘﺎم اﻟﺮﺳﺎهل و ﲤﺎم اﻟﴩح ﻋﲆ ﯾﺪ اﻓﻘﺮ اﻟﻌﺒﺎد و اﺣﻘﺮﱒ دروﯾﺶ ﺣﺴﲔ اﳊﺴﯿﲎ اﺑﻦ اﺑﺮاﻫﲓ ﺑﺮان ]؟[ اﻗﺪام ﺣﴬت ﺧﻮاﺟﲀن ﻟﻌﺒﺪ ان ﻗﺪس ﷲ اﴎارﱒ و ﻃﯿﺐ ﷲ ﺗﻌﺎﱃ اﻧﻔﺎﺳﻬﻢ ا ٓﻣﲔ ا ٓﻣﲔ ﲝﺮﻣﺔ ﻃﻪ و ﯾﺲ Catalogue entry: Fihris 5021 (IV, p. 245).