A grammar of the Persian language

Jones William Sir 1746-1794

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'«»;t^ II f V f Z See of vol. III. 351.Middleton's Life Cicero, p. xixPREFACE. which arcto read the fableslittle oFPilpaivery difficulty, Turkish contains ten Arabictranslated into that theidiom; words for one which itor Persian originally Scythian, by that modern of Persia werehas been so refined the kings fond of it in their courts: in there is scarceshort,speaking or the source of the toa in Asia from NileAfrica,country wall of in which a manwho understandsthe China, Arabic, and not travel with orsatisfaction,Persian, Turkish, may transact the most aiFairs with andimportant advantage security. As to the literature of it will beAsia, not, perhaps, useful to the of who havemankind,essentially greater part nor aneither leisure incfination to cultivate so extensive of but the civil and natural ofbranch ; historylearning such as andIndia, Persia, Arabia,mighty Tartary,empires fail ofcannot those who love to view thedelighting great of the to theor learn whatuniverse,picture by degrees most obscure states have risen to and the most flou- glory, to thehave sunkrishing kingdoms decay; philosopher will consider those works as which hevaluable,highly by trace the human mind in all its variousmay appearances, the to manfrom rudest the most cultivated state : and the c2 PREFACE.XX toof taste will be unlock the storesundoubtedly pleased of native and to the flowers of unrestrainedgenius, gather and luxuriant fancy.* Note to the Third Edition.

Sujets

• Persian language
• Grammar

Informations

• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 24
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 11 Mo

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'«»;t^
II
f
V
fZ<^1(,
GRAMMAR
OF THE
PERSIAN LANGUAGE.
BY WILLIAM JONES, ESQ.
FELLOW AND OF THE ROYALOF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, OXFORD,
SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND COPENHAGEN.
THE SIXTH EDITION,
WITH ADDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY W. BULMER AND CO. CLEVELAND-ROW,
FROM THE TYPES OF W. ORIENTAL TYPE FOUNDER AND PRINTERMARTIN,
TO THE HONOURABLE THE EAST INDIA COMPANY,
FOR AND CUTHELL AND S. BAGSTEBLACKINGTON, ALLEN, CO.; MARTIN; ;
J. J. and black and paruy.asperne;walker;
1804.y^THE
PREFACE.
1 andHE Persian is rich, melodious,language elegant;
it has been for thespoken princesmany ages by greatest
ofin the courts of and a number admirableAsia;poHtest
works have been written in it historians,by philosophers,
and who found it of withpoets, capable equalexpressing
the most beautiful and the most elevatedadvantage
sentiments.
ofIt must seem that the thistherefore,strange, study
should be so little cultivated at a time when alanguage
taste for and diffiisive seemsgeneral universallylearning
to ofand that the fine a celebratedprevail; productions
nation should remain in the shelves ofmanuscript upon
our without a admirer wholibraries,public single might
their histreasures to and theiropen countrymen, display
beauties to with athe but ifwe consider the; subjectlight
r^r^r^ r r-ii PREFACE.
we shall discover a of causesattention,proper variety
which have concurred to obstruct the of Easternprogress
literature.
Somemen never oftheheard Asiatic andotherswritings,
will not be convinced that there is valuable inany thing
them some to be and others are
; idle;pretend busy, really
because believe insome detest the Persians, Mahomed,they
and others their because do notlanguage, theydespise
understand it : all to or towe love ourexcuse, conceal,
and are seldom to allow excellencewilling anyignorance,
the limits ofourown attainments: like thebeyond savages,
who sun rose and set for themthat the andalone,thought
could not that the which surrounded theirwaves,imagine
otherleft coral and shore.island, upon anypearls
for the of theAnother obvious reason Persianneglect
is of whichthe arebooks,language great scarcity necessary
to be read before it can thebe learned, greaterperfectly
of them are in the different museums andpart preserved
libraries of shewn morewhere are as objectsEurope, they
of than as sources of and are ad-information;curiosity
like the characters on a Chinese more formired, screen,
their colours than fur theirgay meaning.PREFACE. iii
the excellent ofGreece andwhile RomeThus, writings
studied man ofa liberal andare diffuseeducation,by every
oura refinement of the theworld,general through part
works of the a nation inPersians, equally distinguished
ancient are either unknown to or con-us,history, wholly
destitute ofsidered as taste and invention.entirely
But if this branch of literature has met with so many
fromobstructions the it beenhas,ignorant, certainly,
in its thechecked learned most ofthemselves;progress by
whom have confined their to the minuteresearches ofstudy
verbal like men who discover acriticism; mine,precious
but instead of for the rich or for amuseore,searching gems,
themselves with smooth and ofcollecting pebbles pieces
forOthers mistook whichcrystal. reading learning, ought
to man andbe of sense,carefully distinguished by every
were satisfied over a number ofmanu-with greatrunning
in a without to bemanner,scripts superficial condescending
their or to dwell theirstopped by difficulty, beautyupon
and The rest have left more behindelegance. nothing
them than and anddictionaries;grammars though they
deserve the anddue to unwearied industry,praises pains
have a morewould,yet they perhaps, gained shining
a^iv PREFACE.
if to andhad contributedreputation, they beautify enlighten
the vast of instead of their livestemple learning, spending
its and avenues.in adorning only porticos
There is which has tended tomorenothing bring polite
letters into than the total ofcommen-discredit, insensibility
the oftators and critics to beauties the authors whom
they
illustrate : few of them seem to haveto receivedprofess
from mostsmallest thethe pleasure elegant compositions,
found some mistake of aunless transcriber to be cor-they
or some established to be somerected, reading changed,
to be or some clearobscure explained, passageexpression
theirto be made obscure notes.by
unfortunate that menIt is a circumstance of theequally
refined taste and the are to lookmost brightest parts apt
to the of asa close in-upon application study languages
consistent with their and so that the state of
spirit genius:
to be of learn-letters seems divided into two menclasses,
who have no ofand men taste who have notaste,ing
learning.
M. de all writers of his andwho excelsVoltaire, age
in the of his and the wonderfulcountry elegance style,
ofhis the ofthe Persiantalents,variety acknowledges beautyPREFACE. V
and and has versified a finesentiments,images passage
to iffrom whom he Petrarch: that extra-Sadi, compares
added of theman had a Asiaticordinary knowledge
his other we should this timeto acquisitions, bylanguages
have seen the and histories ofPersia in an Europeanpoems
ofthem would haveand other recommendationdress, any
been unnecessary.
there is another cause which has moreBut yet operated
than before mentioned towards thestrongly any preventing
rise of I theOriental literature mean small; encouragement
which the and nobles of have to menprinces givenEurope
of letters. It is an that willtruth,indisputable learning
flourish where themost rewards arealways amplest pro-
to the of the learned and that the most
;posed industry
the ofin annals literature are the ofshining periods reigns
wise who knowand liberal that fine writers are theprinces,
oracles of the from whoseworld, testimony every king,
and heromust the censure orstatesman, expect approbation
of In the old states of Greece theposterity. highest
honours were to and orators;given poets, philosophers,
*
and a an eminent in thewritersingle (as observes)city
* Ascham.PREFACE.vi
ofone more andnumerousman,memory produced splendid
ofhuman than most other nationsmonuments havegenius
afforded in a course ofages.
the in drew aThe of Ptolemies numberHberality Egypt
of learned men and to their whose works re-court,poets
ofmain to the the models taste and
;present age elegance
and the whom theirwriters, Augustus protected, brought
of which theto a perfection, languagecompositions degree
ofmortals cannot Whilst all the nations ofsurpass. Europe
with thewere covered shade of thedeepest ignorance,
Califs in Asia the Mahomedans toencouraged improve
and cultivate the fine eventheir and thetalents, arts;
who drove the Greeks fromTurkish Sultan, Constantinople,
was a of was himself anandmerit,patron literary elegant
The illustrious of Medici invited to Florencepoet. family
the men had theirlearned whom the Turks driven from
and a succeeded to whichthecountry; general light gloom
and had the westernignorance superstition spread through
world. But that has not continued to shine withhght equal
and efforts have been madesome;splendour though slight
to restore it seems to have beenit, yet decayinggradually
for the last it seems: it faint in ;century very Italygrows