Penny Dreadfuls, 1900 · page 96 of 142
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and the Salaman and Absal of Jami — page 96: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page 70: Running Prose from "Sai'aman and Absal" This is a page of running verse text, page 70 of what appears to be a poetic work titled "Sai'aman and Absal" (visible in the header). The text describes a character's accomplishments in music, wit, verse composition, writing, and generosity—comparing his bounty to a fathomless sea that produces jewels and pearls. A footnote references classical astronomical imagery (the Pleiades and Great Bear) and quotes from the "Anvari Soheili." The ornamental borders and typography suggest this is from a Victorian-era literary publication, though this does not appear to be a penny dreadful but rather a more elevated poetic work.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
: 70 SATAMAN AND ABSAL. : Now like the Nightingale he sang alone; Now with another lip to lip; and now Together blending voice and instrument ; And thus with his associates night he spent. His Soul rejoiced in knowledge of all kind; The fine edge of his Wit would split a hair, And in the noose of apprehension catch A meaning ere articulate in word; Close as the knitted jewel of Parwin His jewel Verse he strung; his Rhetoric Knlarging like the Mourners of the Bier.! And when he took the nimble reed in hand To run the errand of his Thought along Its paper field—the character he traced, Fine on the lip of Youth as the first hair, Drove Penmen, as that Lovers, to despair. His Bounty like a Sea was fathomless That bubbled up with jewel, and flung pearl Where’er it touch’d, but drew not back again ; 1 The Pleiades and the Great Bear. This is otherwise prettily applied in the Anvari Soheili—‘‘ When one grows poor, his Friends, heretofore compact as THE PLEIADES, disperse wide asunder as THE MourRNERS.” 3 GOK tee - _ Se en en es =e Be cComicoooks.com