perishing in that unhappy juncture; he called aloud, and pointed to his mistress. from the midst of the waves; "Leave me, and take the hand of my be"loved." The whole world admired him for that speech; and when he was expiring he was heard to fay, "Learn not the tale of love from that wretch "who forgets his beloved in the hour of danger."

Thefe examples will, I hope, be fufficient to undeceive those who think that the Afiatick poetry confifts merely in lofty figures and flowery defcriptions. There is scarce a leffon of morality or a tender fentiment in any European language, to which a parallel may not be brought from the poets of Afia. The verfes of eleven fyllables which are used in the great Perfian poems, always rhyme together in couplets. It is unneceffary in this fection to give an example of the Perfian or elegy, as it differs only in its length from the J or ode, except that the Caffideh often turns upon lofty fubjects, and the Gazal comprises for the most part the praifes of love and merriment, like the lighter odes of Horace and Anacreon. The most elegant compofers of these odes are

Jami جامي

and

and i Hafiz, each of whom has left an ample collection of his lyrick poems. I may confidently affirm that few odes of the Greeks or Romans upon fimilar fubjects, are more finely polifhed than the fongs of these Perfian poets: they want only a reader that can fee them in their original drefs, and feel their beauties without the difadvantage of a tranflation. I fhall tranfcribe the first ode of Hafiz that offers itself, out of near three hundred that I have paraphrased: when the learner is able to understand the images and allufions in the Perfian poems, he will fee a reafon in every line why they cannot be tranflated literally into any European language.

باغ گل وصل خوشست اما صحبت باز خوش نباشد هر نقش که دست عقل بندد بي نقش ونکار خوش نباشد جان نقد محقرست حافظ از بهر نثار خوش نباشد

The rofe is not sweet without the cheek of my beloved; the spring is not sweet without wine.

The borders of the bower, and the walks of the garden are not pleasant without the notes of the nightingale. The motion of the dancing cypress and of the waving flowers is not agreeable without a mistress whose cheeks are like tulips.

The prefence of a damfel with fweet lips and a rofy complexion is not delightful without kiffes and dalliance.

The rofe-garden and the wine are sweet, but they are not really charming without the company of my beloved. All the pictures that the hand of art can devise are not

agreeable without the brighter hues of a beautiful girl.

Thy

Thy life, O Hafiz! is a trifling piece of money, it is not valuable enough to be thrown away at our feast.

The laft diftich alludes to the Afiatick custom of throwing money among the guests at a bridal feast, or upon any

other extraordinary occafion: the Perfians call this money

.nifar cheen نثار چین nifar, and him who collets it نثار

I shall conclude this grammar with a translation of the ode quoted in the fection upon the Perfian letters; fee page 12.

If that lovely maid of Shiraz would accept my heart, I would give for the mole on her cheek the cities of Samarcand and Bokhara.

Boy, bring me the wine that remains, for thou wilt not find in paradise the sweet banks of our Rocnabad, or the rofy bowers of Mosellâ.

Alas! these wanton nymphs, these fair deceivers, whose beauty raises a tumult in our city, rob my heart of reft and patience, like the Turks that are feizing their plunder.

Yet

Yet the charms of our darlings have no need of our imperfect love; what occafion has a face naturally lovely for perfumes, paint, and artificial ornaments?

Talk to me of the fingers, and of wine, and feck not to difclofe the fecrets of futurity; for no one, however wife, ever has difcovered, or ever will difcover them.

I can cafily conceive how the inchanting beauties of Joseph affected Zoleikha fo deeply, that her love tore the veil of her chastity.

Attend, O my foul! to prudent counfils; for youths of a good difpofition love the advice of the aged better than their own fouls.

Thou hast spoken ill of me; yet I am not offended : may heaven forgive thee! thou haft fpoken well: but do bitter words become a lip like a ruby which ought to shed nothing but sweetness?

O Hafiz! when thou compofeft verses, thou seemeft to make a string of pearls: come, fing them fweetly; for heaven seems to have shed on thy poetry the clearness and beauty of the Pleïads.