[al-Kawākib al-durrīyah fī madḥ khayr al-barīyah, 16th century?].

Fine copy of al-Būṣīrī's poem in praise of the Prophet accompanied by elucidation in Persian and Turkish.

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Library, Isl. Ms. 448

Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; decoration, hand, paper, etc. would suggest 16th century.

Accompanying materials: Slip of wove paper with notes in pencil "448 (Kasidat) al-Burdah Poem by al-Busiri 16th cent."

Former shelfmark: "239 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on recto of front flyleaf ; "122" inscribed in pencil on 'title page.'

Binding: Pasteboards covered in dark red leather ; Type II binding (with flap) ; board linings and narrow hinges in pale orange laid paper ; upper and lower covers carry central rectangular panel filled with gold-tooled and painted semé pattern as well as further accents in gold-tooled rosettes and border consisting of a series of s-shaped stamps with flanking gold-painted fillets ; now sewn in pink thread, two stations ; worked chevron endbands in pink and yellow, fairly good condition ; overall in good condition minor abrasion, etc.

Support: non-European (likely Persianate) laid paper with 6-7 laid lines per cm. (vertical, somewhat distinct) and occasional single chain line visible, thick and sturdy, well-burnished, dark cream in color ; flyleaves and added leaves in European laid paper with 9 laid lines per cm. (vertical), chain lines spaced 26-27 mm. apart (horizontal), and watermark of bird with "G B" below ; much staining and tidelines.

Decoration: Exquisite (though damaged) frontispiece consisting of a double-page illumination carries the opening verses and elucidation in Persian set-off by cloud-bands, with adjacent scalloped triangular piece (or hasp), elaborate borders (outermost accented with perpendicular stalks [tīgh]), and upper and lower panels all carrying swirling vegetal design in shades of red, blue, lavender, green, white, and gold on fields of black, gold, and lapis lazuli ; written area throughout surrounded by frame in gold and green bands with outermost blue rule ; text of the Burdah mainly chrysographed, with some lines in blue ; textual dividers in the form of illuminated rosettes set off each hemistich ; illuminated floral decoration flanks elucidation in Persian.

Script: Naskh and nastaʻlīq (talik) ; elegant Persianate and Turkish hands ; text of Burdah in a fine Persianate naskh, serifless, with curvilinear descenders and pointing in distinct dots, vocalized ; text of Persian elucidation in a fine nastaʻlīq with characteristic descent of words to baseline and elongation of horizontal strokes ; marginal Turkish elucidation in an elegant nastaʻlīq (talik).

Layout: Written in 12 lines per page with 6 additional lines of the Turkish elucidation on the diagonal in the outer margin ; three verses of the poem in 6 lines (filling the column width) with each saṭr and ʻajuz to a line) and elucidation in 6 lines (four on the diagonal, two horizontal but centered).

Collation: ii, IV-1+1 (8), 2 IV(24), II+2 (30), ii ; almost exclusively quaternions ; catchwords present.

Explicit: " ... واطرب العيس حادي العين بالنغم ... تا برانند اشترانرا بنده گان پر نغم ... اشترمتسه طرب ويردكجه تأثير نغم تم الترجمة بالخير م م"

Incipit: "امن تذكر جيران بذي سلم مزجت دمعا جرى من مقلة بدم ای زیاد صحبت یارانت اندر ذی سلم اشک چشم امیختی با خون روان گرده بهم ..."

Title supplied by cataloguer.

Ms. codex.

Fine copy of al-Būṣīrī's poem in praise of the Prophet accompanied by elucidation in Persian and Turkish.

Mode of access: Internet.

Acquired by purchase (funds donated by Horace Rackham).

Ownership statement on added leaf at opening in name of one Seyit Ahmet, müderris in the school of Hüseyin Paşa in Bursa, accompanied by a virtually obliterated oval seal impression ; statement reads "تملكه الفقير الى بر ربه القدير السيد احمد المدرس في مدرسه حسين پاشا در بروسه عفي عنه" ; marginal glosses and occasional notabilia (side heads).