| OCR Text |
Show This collection of poetry, written by Zib al-Nisa Begam (1638-1702), the daughter of Awrangzib (1618-1707), the last major Mughal Emperor of India, is written in a fine Nasta liq script on laid paper with watermarked endsheets of a crowned shield with bird and tower. The text is written in double columns with headings in red, overlining, synonyms and decorative elements in red. The late rebinding cut some commentary. The manuscript was produced between 1700 and 1850. As a member of the royal family, Zib al-Nisa studied Persian, Arabic, Dari, Hindi, calligraphy, mathematics, and astronomy. By the age of seven, she had memorized the Qu'ran. As a young woman, she held considerable influence over her father's political thinking, often helping him settle disputes between Sunni and Shia. She had her own courts at Dehli and Lahore, which became meeting places for scholars and poets. She established a library and employed calligraphers to copy classical Arabic texts translated into Persian. She established a scriptorium in Kashmir, noted for its excellent paper and scribes. She began writing poetry when she was fourteen. Zib al-Nisa chose the Sufi path over that of her strict Muslim father. In 1681 her younger brother unsuccessfully rebelled against her father. Zib al-Nisa was accused of allying herself with the rebellion and was imprisoned. From that time, there is no record of her until her death in 1702. She was able to circulate her poetry as "Makhfi," or, "the hidden one." Thirty-five years after her death more than four hundred of her poems were collected and translated into Persian as Diwan-I Makhfi. Many of her poems are ghazals, an Arabic form. Zib al-Nisa's poems are expressions of her Sufi belief and her personal devotion to Allah. |
