ABSTRACT
Thus reads the anecdote that precedes a poem in Mahmu¯d Tarzı¯’s collection of eclectic poetry Para¯kandah. “Of course,” Tarzı¯ continues, “I felt compelled to tear into pieces the paper on which [Qa¯ a¯nı¯’s poem] was initially inscribed. I then promptly improvised the following poem and directed my son to copy it.” These didactic, pedagogically “correct” lines follow:
Shara¯b a¯b-i sharr buvad, shara¯r-i a¯tashash bida¯n Makhur, makhur ki mı¯shavı¯ tu ba¯ junu¯n ham ina¯n. Zi gabr mı¯shavı¯ battar, maju¯s mı¯shavı¯ aya¯n Ba nazd-i khalq-u haqq shavı¯ tu sharmsa¯r dar jaha¯n. Zi ku¯kna¯r-u bang-u chars, kina¯rah gı¯r har zama¯n Ki mikunad tu ra¯ zabu¯n, chu¯ ju¯giya¯n ba ka¯r-ha¯.
