171

THE TAESCHNER COLLECTION (Or. 12.390)

Cod.Or. 12.390 Tezkire-i su'ara \ jmA . An early 20th-century copy of a biography of poets by ‘Abdulfettah §efkat of Baghdad (d. 1242/1826-7). The title ‘Tqjdre-i §efkat-i BagdadT is found on the (unnumbered) title page and on the backing. According to the author’s colophon on p. 104*. the work was completed in 1229 (1813-4). Only a few copies seem to have survived in Istanbul libraries. The work is preceded by a survey of the names of the poets documented in the work (two pages) and a preface (mukaddime, pp. 1-4) in which the author explains that the work was based on a collection of poems <jnecmü‘a) composed by Ratib Ahmed Pa§azade Na§id Ibrahim Beg and made on the instigation of Yahya Pa§azade ‘All Beg whose literary salon (meelis) both attended (cf. Levend, pp. 327-8). The work itself gives an alphabetical survey of poets who died between 1166 (1752-3) and 1228 (1813), from Ahmed Dede to Yeksan (for a survey, see Levend, pp. 328-9). The biographies are only very brief (one or two lines) and the work consists mostly of quoted poetry. A few interlinear and marginal notes and commentary by the copyist/owner.

Bound in green boards with black leather backing with title printed in gold; glossy white paper; (4)+6+103+5+(2) pages, with original numbering; 204x125 mm and 160x90 mm, varying; 19 lines; without catchwords; elegant nk'a\ headings, rubrics and lines in red; a drawing of a rose in black, green and red is found on the title page (see plate); completed for the second time by the owner and copyist Ahmed Re§ad on 1 June 1329 (1913); the inscription ‘Franz Taeschner Ms. Nr. 71’ in his own handwriting occurs on the third flyleaf, recto. Begins (p. 1): <U) 1a o J.V'j'' uj ... aJglu-tll 3 aJjlojJI j .< I.. . .. . II .. . tj-iiiS JJ-* 3 a (jÜJj ... Ij-J 4-«j-«j ^IjI <_£>»• J-aL-e. jVjl Jljjj 3 jLuiL-iT aAiiib Ends (p. 103): J* aJL*+S ^ aIS ajL JaJ ... qI Author’s colophon (p. 104*): taLa- *A£.±*3y, I ••• jLSI AaLaSl 3 Ji>*ü 3 3 fc**-IjJsJI JaU- 3 , „M Ulll