Persian wisdomПерсидская мудрость

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Quatrains ascribed to Omar Khayyam, in J.-B. Nicolas's French (1867), via Conway's Sacred Anthology, Nicolas nos. 178 and 248; Conway (1874) no. CXII 'The Living Deity'.

Two quatrains Conway prints one after the other. The first is translated closely ('settlements' becomes 'a general judgment', 'the dear God' 'the good God', 'goodness itself' 'the good God', 'sweetness' 'joy'). The second is rewritten: Conway's 'Diversity of worship has divided the human race into seventy-two nations; from among all their dogmas I have selected one, Divine Love' (as the popular version still has it) becomes 'whatever faiths there are, the true faith is only that God is love; and from love nothing but good can come', echoing 1 John 4:8. The popular version signs it Khayyam. The Persian text was not checked, and the quatrains' ascription to Khayyam is Nicolas's.

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Moncure D. Conway, The Sacred Anthology (London, Trübner, 1874), no. CCXLIX 'Ignorance', marked '(Albitis.)', Conway p. 163-164; Conway's bibliography: 'Albitis, F. The Morality of all Nations. Manchester. 1850'.

Conway's sentence, faithfully, except that 'may be thought clever' becomes 'is clever' and 'a fool' becomes 'mad'. Conway marks the section only '(Albitis.)', the anthology he took it from; he does not say which people the saying belongs to. The printed editions of the Circle sign it «Персидский Албитис», as if Albitis were a Persian author; the Jubilee editors' «Персидская мудрость (из Албитиса)» follows Conway's bibliography. 'Persian' is Tolstoy's and is unsupported by Conway; the saying's origin was not traced.

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Moncure D. Conway, The Sacred Anthology (London, Trübner, 1874), no. LXXIV 'Love without Repentance', Conway pp. 47-48; margin 'd. 1431', the date Conway's chronological notes give for Kassim-ol-Enwar.

Taken from Conway in order and shortened: 'tell me not of love's repentance; what good is there in mourning? Falsehood says, Repent; Truth says only, Love! That which is away from God remaineth not: put away from thee all remembrance of it ... speak not of the past ... Abide in Love's shadow; let all else pass on.' Tolstoy makes 'love's repentance' 'regret for the past', 'Repent' 'grieve', and 'Love's shadow' 'the light of love'; he drops the opening (the soul greeted by a friend), the way to harmony, 'only of the future', the tears of blood, and the warning against fleeing the world. The section is marked 'd. 1431'; Conway's notes give that year for Kassim-ol-Enwar alone among his Persian poets.

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Bibliothèque orientale, article "Abou Hanifah", 1697; La Haye printing, 1777, vol. I, pp. 24-25; Conway (1874), no. CCCXL, Love of Enemies, pp. 225-226.

Conway's English, close: Tolstoy drops Conway's gloss on Cadha, '(absolute predestination)', makes 'my intercession should avail' «мои мольбы были бы услышаны» (my prayers were heard), and turns 'I would not enter paradise unless in thy company' into «я вступил бы в рай только вместе с тобою». Conway translates d'Herbelot's French, where the blow is a slap ('un soufflet') and the source named is Husayn Va'iz (Kashifi), commenting on the verse of Al 'Imran on those who restrain their anger and forgive (Qur'an 3:134); his Persian commentary was not found. The printed editions signed this entry and the next «Персидский Дхербелот»; «Персидская мудрость (из Дербело)» is the Jubilee editors' correction. Abu Hanifa was born in Kufa, and the story is told in Persian; «Персидская» fits the teller, not the teacher. Not in Thoughts of Wise Men (1903). The OCR of d'Herbelot's 1777 printing reads the long s as f.

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. Bibliothèque orientale, article "Abou Hanifah", 1697; La Haye printing, 1777, vol. I, p. 25; Conway (1874), no. CCCXL, Love of Enemies, p. 226.

The verse Conway gives after the story of Abu Hanifa (5-1.1), which Tolstoy makes a thought of its own. Conway: 'Think not that the valour of a man consists only in courage and force: if you can rise above wrath and forgive, you are of a value inestimable.' Tolstoy changes the second half: 'if you can rise above wrath and forgive' becomes «стать выше гнева и любить обидевшего» (rise above anger and love the one who wronged you), and 'you are of a value inestimable' becomes «высшее мужество — в том» (the highest courage lies in this). Forgiveness becomes love, and the poet's praise of the man becomes a definition of courage. d'Herbelot names no poet; the verse's own language was not established.

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. The Sacred Anthology (1874), no. LXXXV, Optimism, p. 54; margin "Persian. Sheik Saad of Honm. (d. A.C. 1152.)"; chronological notes: "Saad of Homa. A.C. 12th.".

The middle of Conway's section, close: 'To me belong all things that exist. Creation and destruction are my constant will. The world is but a shell; I am the kernel. Why shall I fear when dust returns to dust? I am not dust. Submit thyself to God, and live in peace.' Tolstoy leaves out the opening, 'I am an aged child; Reason is my nurse', and the close, 'Take no merit for thy good, or guilt for thy error. Good and ill dispose of thee, not thou of them. Intellect inquires how or why. Love beholds everything in the Divine'; 'my constant will' becomes «по моей воле». Conway's margin names 'Sheik Saad of Honm (d. A.C. 1152)', his notes 'Saad of Homa, 12th century'; the poet was not identified further, and the Persian was not found. It is not in Costello's Rose Garden of Persia (1845), which Conway lists among his authorities.

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. The Desatir, Book of the Prophet Jemshid, vv. 48-50, 69 (with its commentary), 78-79; Conway (1874), no. LX, The Heart, p. 39.

Conway's section from the Book of Jemshid, shortened and changed at its centre. Conway: 'Thou wilt be asked, "By what dost thou know God?" Say, "By what descendeth on the heart." For could that be proved false, souls would be utterly helpless.' Tolstoy: «почему ты знаешь бога? Отвечай: потому что он в моем сердце» (because he is in my heart): knowledge that descends on the heart becomes God dwelling in it, and 'souls' becomes «люди» (people). He leaves out Conway's next three sentences (the hidden knowledge that would make men tremble, the shining of knowledge, 'O Jemshid! thou seest God in his servant'), then keeps 'Look not upon the self-existent with this eye; ask for another eye, the eye of the heart' as «глазами твоего сердца» (with the eyes of your heart), and 'How can he who knoweth not himself know the Lord? True self-knowledge is knowledge of God' closely. Conway took 'the eye of the heart' from the Desatir's commentary on v. 69. On the Desatir, see 5-3.5.

The words shown were found, word for word, in the saved source text. The Sacred Anthology (1874), p. 306, no. CCCCLXXIX, Truth; margin 'Persian.' (seen on the page image).

Conway's section 'Truth', faithfully: 'Seek truth from thought, not in mouldy books. Look in the sky to find the moon, not in the pool.' 'Mouldy' is «гниющих» (rotting), the pool «лужу» (puddle), and the second sentence takes a condition, «Если хочешь видеть месяц» (if you want to see the moon); printed in italics. Conway marks it only 'Persian.', as he does the sections on either side of it; his source and the Persian were not found.