king was the prisoner of his perfidious son Aurangzib, for whom Rashidi has no words of praise; for at that time Aurangzíb had not acquired that odour of sanctity which pious Muhammadans acknow never bestowed upon any of the دعای خیر رحمه الله ledge by a preceding Moguls. There exists also a rare Risálah written by 'Abdurrashid, entitled . He was certainly one of the best scholars Hindústán has produced. His Persian dictionary, though less known, cannot be too highly valued; it is so full of original research, that no Persian scholar ought to be without a Rashidí. As a compiler 'Abdurrashid is most careful; he rarely copies doubtful words from other dictionaries without removing the doubt; and when he is unable to do so, he plainly states that he does not know the word, or adds a dosla wl, or a U. Nor does he hastily condemn. If he has reason to condemn, his proofs are convincing. He does not abuse the preceding lexicographers; and when he does call the authors of the Farhang and Surúrí Jils gháfil, we expect from the nature of the case a stronger epithet. The arrangement of the words is the same as in the Burhán, although it does not appear, as if he had known that book. He chose that arrangement, because from experience he was satisfied that it was the best. The figurative phrases are given at the end of each façl. Rashidí has not specified his sources. Nor was this necessary, as his sole object was to correct the Farhang and Surúrí, which he acknowledges to be the best dictionaries existing. Occasionally he quotes a book written by, or entitled,. Its author is not known to me, but his remarks are so shrewd, that lexicographers would do well to secure a Sámání. The book must have been written after Surúrí's second edition. From some of his remarks it appears that Rashidi was acquainted with Roman Catholic ceremonies. This may be traced to the fact that his birthplace was for some time in the hands of the Portuguese. The following passage taken from Rashidi's preface defines the object of the dictionary and gives at the same time an idea of its usefulness معترف بعجز و قصور و مغترف از مشرب اهل هوش و ارباب شعور عبد الرشيد بن عبد الغفور الحسيني المدني التقوي چنين مي گويد که چون فرهنگ جهانگیری و سروري مطالعه افتاد جامع ترین فرهنگها دید اما مشتمل بود بر امرے چند که احتراز و اجتناب از ان لازم و متحتم گردید اول آنکه مؤلفان آن دو فرهنگها در حل لغات اطناب کرده اند بایراد عبارت مكررة بيجامل واشعار متكثرة لا طايل * دوم دوم تصحيح لفظ و توضيح اعراب و تنقيح معاني چنانکه باید نکرده اند. سوم آنکه بعضی لغات عربي درمیان لغات فرس درج کرده اند و تنبیه ننموده اند که فرس نیست و چهارم آنکه بعضی لغات بتصحیفات خوانده و لغات متعدده پنداشته چند جا ذکر کرده اند مثلا بعضے كلمات برای تازی و فارسی و بقا و نون و بعضی را بکاف تازي و فارسی و بعضی را بشین و سین و بعضی را برای تازی و فارسی و راء مهمله خوانده و این در نسخه سروری بیشتر است و در جهانگیری کمتر . سوای این نیز سہو و غلط است که در بیان لغات معلوم شود . و عجبتر آنکه در بعضی لغات میان کاف ولام و میان واو و را و مانند آن حروف که اشتباه دران بعدی دارد اشتباه نموده اند مثلا در نسخه سروری در لغت گراز گفته که مرضی است و حال آنکه بدین معنی کزاز بضم كاف تازی و هر دو زای معجمه است و نیز گفته که بمعنی کوزه ایست که تنگ نیز گویند و حال آنکه بدین معنی کراز بضم كاف تازی و رای مهمله است چنانکه بهر دو معنی صاحب قاموس تصریح کرده عربی گفته و عجبتر آنکه در فرهنگ جهانگیری بمعنی کوزه کواز آورده بفتح کاف تازی و بجای راء مهمله واو و نیز سروری گفته که بمعنی چوبدستی است که ستوران بدان رانند و حال آنکه بدین معنی گواز است بضم کاف فارسی و و او برین قیاس باید کرد و در فرهنگ جهانگیری گفته که زیرفان بكسر زاء معجمه و بای معروف وفا بمعنی ماه است و حال آنکه زبرقان بیا موحده و قاف عربیست و در هر دو نسخه برف و کوف بمعنی بوم اند و اول تصحیف و کوچ و پوچ بمعنی احول گفته و ثانی تصحیف است و اینچنین تصحیفات بسیار است که مذکور خواهد شد مثلا نوجبة بمعنى سيل بنون و بتا خوانده اند و پاغوش بمعنی غوطه برای فارسی و نون و نخجد بمعنی ریم آهن بنون و بای تازی و هسر و مسر بها وميم بمعنى يخ و هيدخ و بیدخ بها و بای تازی بمعنی اسپ جلد و پهنانه و مهنانه بجای فارسی و میم بمعنی میمون و امثال آن در نسخه سروري بسيار است و در جهانگيري کم و درين قسم تصحیفات کلمه را در جای آورده شد که بصحت نزدیکتر بود و اکثر ارباب فرهنگ معتبره ایراد نموده بودند پس اگر در کلمه اشتباه شود هرجا که احتمال داشته باشد باید دید و حمل بر فرو گذاشت آن نکنند گفته "'Abdurrashíd of Tattah, the son of 'Abdulghafár, of the descendants of Husain, originally of Madinah, who is known for his shortcomings and sins, and who has sipped a hand full from the intellectual fountain of the poets of Persia, states as follows— I have examined the Farhang i Jahángírí and Surúrí, and consider them the best dictionaries existing. But they also contain much that is wrong in matter and principle. 1. Both authors have enlarged their dictionaries by quoting as proofs, useless verses, and repeating them on several places. 2. They are not sufficiently painstaking in ascertaining the correct form of words, their vowels and meanings. 3. They enter occasionally Arabic words, and omit to state that the words are not Persian. 4. Both often enter the same words on different places, but wrongly spelt, or even mistake them for separate words. Thus words occur shín and a spelt with a ❤ bé and a pé; with a té and a nún; with a káj and a S gáf; with a sín; with a j zé and a ˆ zhé and a ré. Such mistakes are especially frequent in Surúrí, though less in the Farhang. Besides there are actual blunders, as shall be shewn below. And curiously enough, both compilers confound words commencing with a káf and a lám, with a wáw and a ré, and other letters which it is almost impossible to mistake. As an example I may mention the word jguráz, which has in Surúrí the following meanings--1, a certain disease. This is a mistake for the Ar. j;s kuziz. 2, a kind of vessel, also called This is a mistake tang. for the Ar. 3 kuráz. The Farhang again enters according to some MSS. zírfán], the moon. cattle. kawúz, with a This is a mistake lzérfán [or This is a mistake for the Arab. o zibirqán. Again, both the Farhang and Surúrí give پوچ and کوچ kif; but the former is wrong; or كوف bif and بوف نوجبه squinting, the latter being wrong. Similar mistakes are g naujabah and 1⁄4 taujabah, a torrent; nághósh, a dive; s→ nakhjad and li pághósh and bakhjad, dross; hasar and masar, ice; ¿ haidakh and ¿ baidakh, a swift horse ; Ali pahnánah and li mahnánah, a monkey; &c., as shall be seen below. Such mistakes are more numerous in Surúrí than in the Farhang. I have generally collected the various forms of spelling under that word which, according to the proofs quoted, appeared to be the correct form. Whenever a word appears to be doubtful, it is certainly of no use to pass over it. Let people only look up carefully." Rashidi's dictionary is accompanied by an excellent Introduction which forms the basis of the Persian Grammar by 'Abdul-Wási' of Hánsah, a book which is read in most Indian schools. The first part of the preface which contains the usual praises to God and Muhammad, is written in ancient Persian, and is one of the finest prefaces known to me. There appears to be no la to the dictionary, although Rashidí says in the preface و این کتاب مشتمل است بر يك مقدمه و چند باب و خاتمه At least the four MSS. which I have seen, do not give it, but end abruptly with the last word yéláq. The Khátimah is several times alluded to in the Dictionary; thus under abá soup (or ibá according to Sh., Mu., Ma., FJ.) he says* وجمع اقسام اباها در خاتمه کتاب بیاید * MSS. of this dictionary are rare; the MS. of our Society (No. 76.) is in a bad condition, although with the exception of the preface, it is pretty carefully copied. *There are some curious blunders connected with this word on the first and fourth pages of Vullers' Dictionary. Vullers has on p. 1.— ↳ĺ jus, jusculum. This form with the madd is in no other Dictionary beside F., and may therefore be struck out. 2) potio, potus. Not to be found in any Persian Dictionary, 3) part. admirandi mirum. This is a blunder for ayá. And on p. 4. SU (patres fauces constringentes) met. gaudium et voluptas; 2) acramana () mundi; 3) gaudium de inimico mortuo, B. First, this word is not in B., but in the Appendix of B., and therefore doubtful. Secondly, the Persian Dictionaries spell the word without a madd, ábái, and derive it from abá soup. Ad. and Ma. give also and ; hence jusculum fauces contringens, and met. the surfeiting joys of this world. Thirdly, the meaning aerumna (p) mundi is the blunder of some inattentive copyist for lisi niam i duny, the joys of this world. Fourthly, the preceding word in Vullers, le lábá i 'alawí, is a blunder for ábúi 'ulwí. سراج اللغات 12. چراغ هدایت 13 Both dictionaries are written by Sirájuddín 'Alí Khán, poetically styled Arzú, of Akbarábád. He is the best commentator whom India has produced. His commentaries to Nizámí's Sikandarnámah, the Qaçídahs of Kháqání and 'Urfí, and his to the Gulistán, entitled, are of great value. The Siráj is his largest موشكاف مدققين and سراج الحين work and has gained him the title of It contains the Persian words of the old poets (s), and many quotations not given in the preceding dictionaries. The words which or as it is often چراغ هدایت form the استعمال متأخرين belong to the called, the second part of the Siráj. The chief importance of the Siráj lies in this, that it is a commentary on the Burhan and Rashídí. Rashídí is occasionally, though not always convincingly, checked, when he doubts the correctness of a quotation, whilst the critical remarks on the Burhán are so numerous, that the Burhan should never have been printed without the notes of the Siráj. There are also a few words which Rashidí, notwithstanding his great carefulness, has overlooked and for the criticism of which the Siráj is the more valuable. I take as an example the word pling. Burhán has Vullers gives the same on p. 142a. of the first volume of his Lexicon. The FJ. gives likewise the three meanings with examples, but he has not the form la óstán. Nor is it in Surúrí and Rashidí; who besides have only the first two meanings. We see therefore a and the third meaning. The example اوستان in the form جای تأمل which the FJ. quotes for the meaning a threshold is taken from Náçir Khusrau (metre Muszári') اندر جهان تهیتر ازان نیست خانه گروام کرد مرد درو فرش و اوستام "If a man owes his very carpet and his threshold, his house is the emptiest in the whole world." We see at once that this verse proves nothing; for the first meaning |