Unknown - Hafez-Diwan - 1675

A leaf copied from the Dewan written by Mohammed Shama od-din Hafez (1329-1399), and in good condition. It is of Kashmiri origin dating back to approximately to 1675. It is written in elegant nasta'liq in black ink by a fine calligrapher and contains some illuminated panels. It is on burnished gold paper. The leaf contains 12 lines of script, divided by a single decorative header. The colours have kept very well for a manuscript of its age.

The Dewan, which expresses Sufi ideals in lyrics, was written by Mohammed Shama od-din Hafez (1329-1399), a Sufi Muslim who practised a mystical form of Islam. His name 'Hafez' was given to those Muslims who could recite the Holy Koran by heart.

Loosely translated, the script reads:

" O the one whose cheek is a rose garden and whose looks are a snare for the heart,
Who has a thousand lovers in his circle, and a hundred slaves of his beauty
The heart is a mirror to your face, and the soul is a mirror to your form
And in the well of your chin, there is a drop of water for the hundred slaves to your beauty".

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