Penny Dreadfuls, 1900 · page 93 of 142
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and the Salaman and Absal of Jami — page 93: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose poetry from page 67 of a work titled "Salaman and Absal." The text describes a woman's devoted care of a beautiful young boy over seven years, detailing her lavish preparations—washing him in rose and musk, adorning him with cosmetics and jeweled garments, and continuing to nurture him into his fourteenth year. The passage employs ornate, sensual language typical of Victorian literary translations, with footnotes providing etymological and textual references to clarify terms like "Mardumak" (pupil of the eye) and directing readers to an appendix.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
— Ee _—- a _ —— —— To gaze upon his heart-inflaming cheek,— Upon the Babe whom, if she could, she would Have cradled as the Baby of her eye.* In rose and musk she wash’d him—to his lip Press’d the pure sugar from the honeycomb ; And when, day over, she withdrew her milk, She made, and having laid him in, his bed, Burn’d all night like a taper o’er his head. And still as Morning came, and as he grew, Finer than any bridal-puppet, which To prove another’s love a woman sends,’ She trick’d him up—with fresh Collyrium dew Touch’d his narcissus eyes—the musky locks Divided from his forehead—and embraced With gold and ruby girdle his fine waist. So for seven years she rear’d and tended him : Nay, when his still-increasing moon of Youth Into the further Sign of Manhood pass’d, Pursued him yet, till full fourteen his years, Fourteen-day full the beauty of his face, 1 Literally, Mardumak—the Mannikin, or Pupil, of the Eye, corresponding to the Image so frequently used by our old Poets. 2 See Appendix. | 6 * Bp SALAMAN AND ABSAL. 67 camara cil, LLL CL LL | (C(O) IG DOO S, (C©)