Mohammed Shama od-din Hafez - Hafez Dewan - 1825

A beautifully illustrated bi-folio copied from the Dewan which was written by Mohammed Shama od-din Hafez (1329-1399). The Dewan is a monumental collection of 14th-century Persian lyrical poems. It intertwines themes of divine love, mysticism, and sensual joy, often using wine and taverns as allegories for spiritual ecstasy. Celebrated for its complex metaphors, it remains a profound guide for seekers of wisdom.

The left folio is a classic Hafiz lyric combining praise for the beloved's beauty, longing an devotion, reflections on loyalty and faithfulness. In modern English this could be roughly: "May your life be blessed; your presence revives the soul. your beauty, your lips and your gracious fidelity are the source of life".

The right folio revolves around yearning for union with the beloved; the limits of reason and piety and mystical guidance. The speaker has been overwhelmed by love. the poem contrasts outward religion with inward mystical experience.

The condition is good, with minimal loss of colour to the decorative parts of the manuscript, although there is a smudge to the right folio floral cartouche. The script is in nastal’liq set in clouds of gold and contained within two equal columns, separated by a floral columnar and divided by sets of illustrative floral rectangles. The script is framed in gold, orange and blue linear markings, outside of which is a further floral border which itself is then framed with the same linear marking. It is highly attractive.

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