Penny Dreadfuls, 1900 · page 82 of 142
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and the Salaman and Absal of Jami — page 82: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose poetry from what appears to be "Salaman and Absal" (page 56). The text consists of philosophical verse addressed to a divine figure, urging the speaker to abandon thoughts of worldly "Rhyme" and contemplate God instead. The passage reflects on mortality, divine authority, and the speaker's final creative effort before age takes hold. Below the main poem, italicized lines introduce a scene of someone traveling in the desert who encounters a figure named Majnun tracing letters in sand—an allusion to a distracted lover. A footnote references Yakub Beg and mentions Jámi's gratitude.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
a TE.” Fd 56 SALAMAN AND ABSAL. Sn — a ee — ——-~ “No longer think of Rhyme, but think of Mu !”— Of Wuom ?—Of Him whose Palace the Sout is, And Treasure-house—who notices and knows Its income and out-going, and then comes To fill it when the Stranger is departed. Yea; but whose Shadow being Earthly Kings, Their Attributes, their Wrath and Favour, His,— Lo! in the meditation of His glory, The Suan! whose subject upon Earth I am, As he of Heaven’s, comes on me unaware, And suddenly arrests me for his due. Therefore for one last travel, and as brief As may become the feeble breath of Age, My weary pen once more drinks of the well, Whence, of the Mortal writing, I may read Anticipation of the Invisible. One who travel’d in the Desert Saw Masntn where he was sitting All alone like a Magician Tracing Letters in the Sand. “ Oh distracted Lover ! writing 1 YAxts Bre: to whose protection Jémi owed a Song of : gratitude. ‘4 3 <G<_- —___—_________->@y cComicoooks.com