Descrizione

Original bdg. HC. 4to. (27 x 20 cm). In Middle-English. 125, [1] p., color ills. The story of the seven princesses. Translated and edited by Dr. R. Gelpke. Previously published in 1976, London. Nizami, the story of the seven princesses, Bruno Cassirer. "The central narrative of the poem concerns seven beauties, from different countries of the known world, who come to take up residence at seven pleasure-palaces built by Shah Bahram.". The story of the seven princesses, the most important part of the 'Haft Paykar' (The seven beauties) by the Azerbaijani poet Nizami (1141-1202) a precious jewel of oriental narrative art, to be compared only with the most beautiful stories out of Thousand and one Nights. On the seven days of one week each tale being of the same magical beauty as the miniatures which illustrate the book. Each of the princesses comes from a different countries, each has been born under a different star and lives in a different coloured pavilion of the Royal Palace. The symbolic meaning of their stars and of the colours of their pavilions is artfully interwoven with their stories which are meaningfully connected with each other. "The story of unfulfilled love" for instance, which the Indian Princess tells to the King, all dressed in black in the black pavilion of Saturnus, is a tragic one revealing all happiness to be nothing but an illusion; while 'the story of the tribulation of the lovers' vividly told by the Friday-Princess in the white pavilion of Venus, reminds ud of the gay sensuality of tales by Boccacio and Balzac. In spite of the world-wide fame of Nizami's epos, so far no translation has been published which allows the English reader to enjoy and appreciate the poetic beauty of the incomparable work.