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My first book after my dissertation
was this one (New York: Columbia University Press, 1991). While preparing
it for publication, I was asked to shorten it somewhat; once I got started,
I ended up shortening it by about half, which was painful. But the result
was an improvement in narrative quality, so I had no real regrets.
But of course I kept
the files for the longer translation-- which itself amounted to only about
half of the original 544-page Urdu text. Now, with no space constraints,
I can make available both the introductory material from the printed edition
(modified and corrected wherever appropriate) and the longer translation.
This translation in its present form is meant to be a free good; nobody
has permission to do anything commercial with it.
~~~~~~~
*Acknowledgments*
*A
Note on Transliteration* (PDF format)
*(1)
The Medieval Persian Romance Tradition* (PDF format)
*(2)
The Persian Hamzah Romance Comes to India* (PDF format)
*(3)
The Hamzah Romance In Urdu* (PDF format)
*(4)
The Dastan of Amir Hamzah in Oral Narration* (PDF format)
*(5)
The Dastan of Amir Hamzah in Print* (PDF format)
*(6)
Dastan-e Amir Hamzah: the Bilgrami Text* (PDF format)
*(7)
Dastan-e Amir Hamzah: the Narrative* (PDF format)
*Bibliography*
(PDF format)
~~~~~~~
*Index
of Characters*
*Glossary*
*ONE*
== Khvajah Buzurchmihr goes to Mecca and makes inquiries everywhere about
Amir Hamzah's birth.
*TWO*
== Amir Hamzah’s cradle goes to the Realm of Qaf, and takes that sun of
perfection to Mount Qaf.
*THREE*
== The dastan of how the Amir and Muqbil and ‘Amar were given looks of
empowerment by the Friends of God.
*FOUR*
== The Amir comes to Mecca the Great, and Naushervan’s letter reaches him.
*FIVE*
== [The Amir kills a lion on the way to Ctesiphon, and ‘Amar makes use
of its skin.]
*SIX*
== Gustahm arrives in the city of Ctesiphon, bringing Bahram Gurd the Emperor
of China, with supreme grandeur and glory and splendor.
*SEVEN*
== [Gustahm makes a treacherous attack and wounds Bahram, but ‘Amar cures
the wound.]
*EIGHT*
== [The Amir goes with Naushervan to the Garden of Justice, where ‘Amar
contrives to join them.]
*NINE*
== [‘Amar humiliates Bakhtak, and the Amir is stricken with love.]
*TEN*
== The Amir’s first meeting with the foremost among the beautiful ones
of the age, that is, with Princess Mihr Nigar.
*ELEVEN*
== [The Amir sets out for Sarandip to conquer Landhaur bin Sa’dan, Emperor
of Hindustan.]
*TWELVE*
== The Amir’s ships are again storm-tossed, and those unlucky ones fall
into the Whirlpool of Alexander, then emerge from the hurricane and arrive
in the land of Sarandip.
*THIRTEEN*
== [‘Amar plays tricks on the Amir’s companions, but cannot fool the Amir
himself.]
*FOURTEEN*
== Landhaur makes war on the Sahib-qiran, and is finally subdued by this
world-conqueror.
*FIFTEEN*
== [The Amir and Landhaur return to Naushervan’s court, where Landhaur
narrowly escapes execution.]
*SIXTEEN*
== Bakhtak’s mother Hell-cave Bano spreads a rumor of Princess Mihr Nigar’s
death, and the Amir hears it and is distraught, and ‘Amar kills Hell-cave
Bano and conceals that worthless one in the leaves.
*SEVENTEEN*
== [The Amir is tricked into setting out to conquer the kings of the Seven
Lands.]
*EIGHTEEN*
== The Amir sets out for Greece, and contracts a marriage with Nahid Maryam,
a charming beauty.
*NINETEEN*
== The pigeon’s letter arrives in Ctesiphon, and plans are made to kill
Muqbil, etc., and ‘Amar suddenly arrives.
*TWENTY*
== ‘Amar sets out for Egypt after the pigeon and kills it by the city gates
and frees the Amir from captivity, after grief and despair.
*TWENTY-ONE*
== The Amir is brought out of the prison of the Pit of Joseph, and is freed
through the help of Zuhrah of Egypt.
*TWENTY-TWO*
== Zhopin mounts a night-attack on the army of Islam, and the Amir is wounded
and cannot be found at the scene.
*TWENTY-THREE*
== ‘Abdur Rahman the Jinn, vazir of the King of Kings of the Realm of Qaf,
comes to bear away the Amir.
*TWENTY-FOUR*
== Naushervan discovers that the Amir has gone to Qaf, and sends an army
off to Mecca.
*TWENTY-FIVE*
== Directing the reins of the steed of the pen toward writing about the
Sahib-qiran, the World-conqueror, Amir Hamzah of great magnificence, the
possessor of generosity and kindness.
*TWENTY-SIX*
== Khvajah Nihal sets out toward Mecca to bring back Mihr Nigar, and dies
at ‘Amar’s hands.
*TWENTY-SEVEN*
== [Akhzar Elephant-ears besieges the fort, falls victim to ‘Amar’s trickery,
and is driven to suicide.]
*TWENTY-EIGHT*
== Qarin Elephant-neck sets out to chastise ‘Amar, and dies at the hands
of the Veiled One.
*TWENTY-NINE*
== [‘Amar persuades Zhopin that the Amir is dead.]
*THIRTY*
== [‘Amar pretends that he will give Mihr Nigar to Zhopin in marriage,
and thus acquires from him fresh provisions for the fort.]
*THIRTY-ONE*
== [‘Amar uses fire and trickery to defeat and plunder the enemy army.]
*THIRTY-TWO*
== ‘Ifrit Dev takes refuge in the tilism of the City of Gold, at the advice
of his mother, Mal‘unah Jadu.
*THIRTY-THREE*
== [The Amir pursues ‘Ifrit into the tilism, and has strange adventures
there.]
*THIRTY-FOUR*
== [The Amir kills ‘Ifrit, and Khizr kills ‘Ifrit’s mother.]
*THIRTY-FIVE*
== Dastan about the situation of the Sahib-qiran of the Age, the Earthquake
of Qaf, the Younger Solomon, Amir Hamzah the glorious.
*THIRTY-SIX*
== The dastan of the King of the ‘Ayyars of the Age, the renowned Khvajah
‘Amar, and Hurmuz and Faramarz.
*THIRTY-SEVEN*
== [‘Amar poses as a faqir, and conquers a new fort.]
*THIRTY-EIGHT*
== [The Amir tries in vain to return from the Realm of Qaf to the Realm
of the World.]
*THIRTY-NINE*
== [The Amir’s adventures in the Island of Confusion.]
*FORTY*
== [The Amir is persecuted by Asman Pari, and tricked by the White Dev.]
*FORTY-ONE*
== The dastan of Khvajah ‘Amar ‘Ayyar’s going from his previous fort to
the fort of Devdad, with Princess Mihr Nigar and the army of Islam.
*FORTY-TWO*
== [‘Amar’s fort is treacherously attacked through a tunnel, but the plot
is discovered and the invaders defeated.]
*FORTY-THREE*
== [The Amir marries Raihan Pari, in an attempt to reach the World.]
*FORTY-FOUR*
== Asman Pari goes with a powerful army to the fort of Sabz-nigar, lays
waste the city, takes captive Sabz-qaba the Jinn and Raihan Pari, punishes
Sabz-qaba the Jinn, and imprisons Raihan Pari in the Dungeon of Solomon.
*FORTY-FIVE*
== [Zuhrah of Egypt disappears from the roof of the fort, and comes before
Asman Pari.]
*FORTY-SIX*
== [Mihr Nigar runs away in anger and has various adventures, until ‘Amar
placates her and brings her back.]
*FORTY-SEVEN*
== [The Amir tries again to leave Qaf, and again is unwillingly reunited
with Asman Pari.]
*FORTY-EIGHT*
== [The Amir frees the captives of the Dungeon of Solomon, and is helped
by Asifa Basafa to escape from Asman Pari.]
*FORTY-NINE*
== The Amir arrives at the house of Samandun Dev the Thousand-armed, and
rescues Zuhrah of Egypt from captivity.
*FIFTY*
== [The Amir is joyfully reunited with Mihr Nigar and all his old companions.]
*FIFTY-ONE*
== [The Amir prepares to marry Mihr Nigar, with Asman Pari in attendance.]
*FIFTY-TWO*
== [The Amir marries Mihr Nigar, and she gives birth to Qubad.]
*FIFTY-THREE*
== [Bahman betrays the Amir, but is put to flight by the young Qubad.]
*FIFTY-FOUR*
== [The Amir is wounded by Bahman, but recovers in a goatherd’s hut.]
*FIFTY-FIVE*
== [The Amir suffers three terrible bereavements.]
*FIFTY-SIX*
== Qarun bin Farhad ‘Akkah and Kulliyat bin Gilim ‘Ayyar go to the Amir,
capture him, and take him and Muqbil away.
*FIFTY-SEVEN*
== [The Amir finally learns the identity of the Veiled One.]
*FIFTY-EIGHT*
== [The Amir acquires a wife, and discovers a son.]
*FIFTY-NINE*
== [The Amir is carried off by one woman, and marries another.]
*SIXTY*
== The Amir goes to the Fire-temple of Nimrod in order to bring Naushervan
back.
*SIXTY-ONE*
== Dastan of the birth of Prince Badi’ uz-Zaman from the womb of Geli Savar
daughter of Ganjal, and the prince’s being shut up in a box and floated
down the river, and his rescue and upbringing by Quraishah daughter of
Asman Pari, at Hazrat Khizr’s order.
*SIXTY-TWO*
== The martyrdom of Rustam Pil-tan in the war against Ahriman Sher-e Gurdan,
Ruler of Bakhtar, and the death of Qunduz Sar-e Shuban and Aljosh at Ahriman’s
hands.
*SIXTY-THREE*
== The Amir sets out toward Nayastan, and kills Sang-andaz the Bloodthirsty
of Nayastan, the lord of that place.
*SIXTY-FOUR*
== The Amir sets out for Mecca the Great, and is martyred at the ever-victorious
side of the Master of the Universe, God’s peace and blessing be upon him,
and the dastan is concluded.
~~~~~~~~~~~
FOR COMPARISON:
Firdausi, The Epic of Kings [Shah namah], trans. by Hellen Zimmern;
at
*MIT*;
at *Univ.
of Australia*
FOR COMPARISON: Le Morte
Darthur: Sir Thomas Malory's Book of King Arthur and of His Noble Knights
of the Round Table, *Vol.
1* and *Vol.
2*. Also available free through *NetLibrary*.
Also through Project Gutenberg: *Vol.
1* and *Vol.
2*. More convenient: Stories of King Arthur and his Knights,
by U. Waldo Cutler (1905):
*Project
Gutenberg*
FOR COMPARISON: Tirant
Lo Blanc, *Project
Gutenberg*
FOR COMPARISON: the Malay version
of the story: *The
Bustan of Amir Hamzah*
~~~~~~~~~~~
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