Penny Dreadfuls, 1900 · page 65 of 142
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and the Salaman and Absal of Jami — page 65: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# What This Page Contains This is a biographical notice page, not a title page or illustration. It presents a prose biography of Jámi (full name Núruddin Abdurahman), drawn from Rosenzweig's "Biographische Notizen." The text covers Jámi's birth in 817 A.H./1414 A.D. in the town of Jám in Khorasan, his descent from Islamic founders, the etymology and spiritual significance of his poetic name, his various honorific titles ("Lord of Poets," "Elephant of Wisdom," "The Ancient of Herát"), and notes that he received the name Núruddin ("Light of Faith") at age five. A footnote explains wordplay Jámi made regarding his name's connection to spiritual wine in Persian mystical poetry.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NOTICE OF JAM{'S LIFE Drawn from Rosenzweig’s ‘‘ Biographische Notizen” of the Poet. Ntruppin AspurraAHMAN, Son of Maulana Nizamuddin Ahmed, and descended on the Mother’s side from One of the Four great ‘“ Farners” of Islamism, was born A.H. 817, a.p. 1414, in Jam, a little Town of Khorasin, whither his Grandfather | had removed from Desht of Ispahan and from which the Poet ultimately took his Takhallus, or | | Poetic name, JAmi. This word also signifies “ A | Cup;” wherefore, he says, “ Born in Jam, and dipt | in the “ Jam” of Holy Lore, for a double reasonl must be called JAmi in the Book of Song.”"* Hewas | celebrated afterwards in other Oriental Titles— ‘Lord of Poets’—‘ Elephant of Wisdom,” d&c., but latterly liked to call himself “The Ancient of Herat,” where he mainly resided, and eventually died. | When Five Years old he received the name of Nuruddin—the ‘ Light of Faith,” and even so early | * He elsewhere plays upon his name, imploring God that he | may be accepted as a Cup to pass about that Spiritual Wine of - which the Persian Mystical Poets make so much. ee GOMMGIOOKSHEO