Collection of three Arabic folktales from "Alf laylah wa-laylah" (Arabian nights), as follows: 1. "Sīrat Sayf al-Mulūk wa-Badīʻat al-Jamāl" (folios 1a-22a), Tale of Sayf al-Mulūk and Badīʻat al-Jamāl. 2. "Ḥikāyat Faras al-Abnūs" (folios 22a-37a), Tale of the Ebony Horse. 3. "ʻAlī Shāh wa-Zumurrud" (folios 37a-49b), Tale of ʻAlī Shāh and Zumurrud, also called "Ḥikāyat Zumurrud al-Sattūrīyah". The three tales are copied in the same hand. Name of copyist and place and date of copying not mentioned, probably from the 18th century
Description:
In Arabic., 1. Title of "Sīrat Sayf al-Mulūk wa-Badīʻat al-Jamāl" from colophon (folio 22a), 2. Title of "Ḥikāyat Faras al-Abnūs" from folio 22a., 3. Title of "ʻAlī Shāh wa-Zumurrud" supplied by Hartford Seminary, Romanization supplied by cataloger., 1. Incipit of "Sīrat Sayf al-Mulūk wa-Badīʻat al-Jamāl": The incipit is missing. Text starts with: "... al-Malik aʻlama akhāhu Tāj al-Mulūk bi-salāmat ibnatih. Fa-lammā samiʻa fariḥa faraḥan shadīd mā ʻalayhi min mazīd, wa-rakiba fī al-ḥāl wa-atá ilá madīnat akhāhu, wa-ijtamaʻa ʻalá ibnatihi Dawlat Khātūn, wa-fariḥū faraḥ zāyid al-ḥadd, wa-qaʻida Tāj al-Mulūk ʻinda akhīhi miqdār jumʻah min al-zamān. Qāla al-rāwī: Wa-baʻda dhālika akhadha ibnatahu wa-Sayf al-Mulūk wa-sāfarū ilá an waṣalū ilá Sanarndīb ...", 1. Secundo folio: "Sīrat Sayf al-Mulūk wa-Badīʻat al-Jamāl": min al-furjah fa-akhadhūhu., 2. Incipit of "Ḥikāyat Faras al-Abnūs": "Ḥukiya, wa-Allāh aʻlam fī ghaybihi wa-aḥkam, fīmā maḍá wa-taqaddama wa-salaf min aḥādīth al-umam, annahu kāna malik min mulūk al-Akāsirah, qad malaka al-aqālīm wa-al-bilād, wa-aṭāʻathu al-mulūk wa-al-ʻibād. Wa-kāna fī kull ʻām la-hu ʻīd yuqālu la-hu ʻĪd al-Nayrūz. Wa-kāna fī yawm ʻīdihi yajlisu ʻalá kursīyihi li-sāyir al-nās ḥattá yaridū ilayhi ...", 2. Secundo folio of "Ḥikāyat Faras al-Abnūs": dhahab wa-ḥawluhu ithnā ʻashar farkhah., 3. Incipit of "ʻAlī Shāh wa-Zumurrud": "Dhakarū, wa-Allāh aʻlam fī ghaybihi wa-aḥkam, fīmā maḍá wa-taqaddama wa-salaf min aḥādīh al-umam, annahu kāna fī qadīm al-zamān wa-al-ʻaṣr wa-al-awān rajul min akābir al-tujjār. Fa-lammā danat wafātuhu wa-istalafa ḥāluhu, wa-kāna dhū māl ʻaẓīm, fa-aḥḍara waladahu ilá bayn yadayh, wa-kāna mā ruziqa ghayrahu, wa-kāna ismuhu ʻAlī Shāh, fa-qāla la-hu: Yā waladī, iḥfaẓ ʻannī hādhihi al-waṣīyah ...", 3. Secundo folio of "ʻAlī Shāh wa-Zumurrud": Fa-kam ṣadīqin li-ajli al-māli yuṣḥibunī., 16 x 21 cm; written surface: 12.5 x 18.5 cm; 16-18 lines per page., Binding: In cardboard cover with flap; remnant of dark brown leather on spine, flap, and the upper edges., In clear large naskh script, in black ink, on thick paper; catchwords., Four handwritten slips of notes in English about the three tales are laid in., On the front of the flyleaf: Two readers statements, as follows: 1. "Naẓara fīhi wa-taʼammala maʻāniyahu al-faqr [al-faqīr] ilá Allāh al-Sayyid Muṣṭafá ibn al-Sayyid ʻAbd al-Raḥmān, ghafara Allāh la-hu wa-kull al-Muslimīn ajmaʻīn. Āmīn. Wa-al-ḥamdu lillāh Rabb al-ʻĀlamīn. Ḥurrīra [Ḥurrira] fī shahr Jumād alladhī huwa min shuhūr sanat 1192 [June/July 1778]. Tamma wa-bā-khayr [wa-bi-al-khayr] ʻammat". 2. "Naẓara fīhi wa-taʼammala maʻāniyahu Dālī Aḥmad ibn Muṣṭafá fī shahr Muḥarram, sanat 1194 [January/February 1780]. Yarjū min Rabbihi ṭībat al-wafā Dālī Aḥmad ibn Muṣṭafá.", On the back of the flyleaf: An ownership statement: "Dakhala hādhā al-kitāb fī milk Muḥammad ʻAlī al-Rajlah.", On the front of the end leaf: Two Readers statements, as follows: 1. "Naẓara fīhi wa-taʼammala maʻāniyah al-faqr [al-faqqīr] ilá Allāh, al-Sayyid Muṣṭfá ibn ʻAbd al-Raḥmān, ghafara Allāh la-hu wa-li-waladihi wa-lī kull al-Salamīn [al-Muslimīn] ajmaʻīn. Āmīn. Wa-al-ḥamdu lillāh Rabb al-ʻĀlamīn. Tammat. Sanat 1192 [1778/1779]." 2. "Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm. Naẓara fīhi wa-taʼammala maʻāniyahu al-faqīr ilá Allāh al-Sayyid Ḥusayn ibn Ḥasan al-Ḥallāq, ghafara Allāh la-hu wa-li-waladihi wa-li-kull al-Muslimīn ajmaʻīn. Āmīn. Sanat 1194 [1780].", On the back of the end leaf: "Naẓara fīhi wa-taʼammala maʻāniyahu al-faqīr ilá Allāh al-Shaykh ʻAbd al-Ghanī ibn al-Ḥājj ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-marḥūm ʻUbayd al-Ḥāyik, ghafara Allāh la-hu wa-li-awladihi [wa-li-wālidihi] wa-li-kull al-Muslimīn ajmaʻīn. Sanat 1207 [1792/1793].", 1. Colophon of: "Sīrat Sayf al-Mulūk wa-Badīʻat al-Jamāl": "Wa-hādhā mā intahá ilaynā min 'Sīrat Sayf al-Mulūk wa-Badīʻat al-Jamāl' ʻalá al-tamām wa-al-kamāl. Wa-yatlūhu Ḥikāyat Faras al-Abnūs wa-al-malik wa-awlāduhu wa-al-ḥukamā, ʻalá al-tamām.", 1. Translation of the colophon of: "Sīrat Sayf al-Mulūk wa-Badīʻat al-Jamāl": "This is what has reached us of the 'Tale of Sayf al-Mulūk and Badīʻat al-Jamāl' completely and perfectly. It will be thoroughly followed by the tale of the Ebony horse and the king and his children, and the wisemen.", "Hikāyat Faras al-Abnūs" ends with: "... fa-qāla la-hu al-malik abūhā: Qad zawwajtuhā bi-ibnika Qamar al-Aqmār, wa-raḍītuhu an yakūna lahā baʻlan, wa-hiya takūnu la-hu zawjatan. Fa-ʻinda dhālika inqāmat al-afrāḥ, wa-aḥḍarū al-qāḍī wa-al-shuhūd, wa-katabū kitābahā ʻalá Qamar al-Aqmār, wa-dakhala ʻalayhā, wa-ijtamaʻa bi-hā, wa-ijtamaʻū fī khayr wa-salāmah, wa-dāmū ʻalá dhālik wa-hum fī hanā wa-surūr ilá an atāhum hādim al-ladhdhāt wa-mufarriq al-jamāʻāt.", 2. Colophon of "Ḥikāyat Faras al-Abnūs": "Wa-hādhā mā intahá ilaynā min Sīrat Qamar al-Aqmār wa-al-Faras al-abnūs ʻalá al-tamām wa-al-kamāl. Tamm. Tammat. Wa-yatlūhu Ḥikāyat Zumurrud al-Sattūrīyah.", 2. Translation of the colophon of "Hikāyat Faras al-Abnūs": "This is what has reached us of the Tale of Qamar al-Aqmār and the Ebony horse, completely and perfectly. It is completed. It is completed. It will be followed by the Tale of Zumurrūd al-Sattūrīyah.", and 3. Colophon of "ʻAlī Shāh wa-Zumurrud": No colophon. Text ends abruptly with a poem, that ends as follows: "... Ḍamantu li-man yaʼtī bashīran bi-qurbikum // baqīyta ʻumarī wa-al-salāmu ʻalaykumu. Qāla wa-ṣāra ..."
