A Scent of Sandalwood: Indo-Ismaili Religious Lyrics

240 Pages·2002·6.411 MB·English

by  Aziz Esmail

A Seent of Sandalwood
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A Seent of Sandalwood
Indo-Ismaili Religious Lyrics (Ginans)
Volume 1
SELECTED AND TRANSLATED, WITH AN
INTRODUCTION, INTERPRETATIVE ESSAY
AND NOTES
Aziz Esmail
I
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LONDONANDNEWYORK
First Published 20112
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The Institute ofIsmaili Studies
The Institute of Ismaili Studies was established in 1977 with the
object of promoting scholarship and learning on Islam, in the
historical as weil as contemporary contexts, and a better under
standing ofits relationship with other societies and faiths.
The Institute's programmes encourage a perspective which is not
confined to the theological and religious heritage of Islam, but
seeks to explore the relationship of religious ideas to broader
dimensions of society and culture. The programmes thus
encourage an interdisciplinary approach to the materials of
Islamic history and thought. Particular attention is also given to
issues of modernity that arise as Muslims seek to relate their
heritage to the contemporary situation.
Within the Islamic tradition, the Institute's programmes seek to
promote research on those areas which have, to date, received
relatively little attention from scholars. These include the
intellectual and literary expressions of Shi'ism in general, and
Ismailism in particular.
In the contextofIslamic societies, the Institute's programmes are
informed bythefull range and diversityofculturesin which Islam
is practised today, from the Middle East, South and Central Asia,
and Africa to the industrialised societies ofthe West, thus taking
into consideration the variety ofcontexts which shape the ideals,
beliefs and practices ofthe faith.
These objectives are realised through concrete programmes and
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programme-specific basis, with other institutions of learning in
the United Kingdom and abroad.
The Institute's academic publicationsfall into several distinctand
interrelated categories:
I Occasional papers or essays addressing broad themes of the
relationship between religion and society in the historical as
weIl as modern contexts,with special reference to Islam.
2 Monographs exploring specific aspects of Islamic faith and
culture, or the contributions of individual Muslim figures or
writers.
3 Editions or translations of significant primary or seeondary
texts.
4 Translations ofpoetic or literary texts whieh illustrate the rich
heritage of spiritual, devotional and symbolic expressions in
Muslim history.
5 Works on Ismaili history and thought, and the relationship of
the Ismailis to other traditions, communities and schools of
thought in Islam.
6 Proceedings of conferenees and seminars sponsored by the
Institute.
7 Bibliographical works and eatalogues which document manu
scripts, printed texts and other source materials.
This book falls into category four listed above.
In facilitating these and other publications, the Institute's sole
aim is to encourage original research and analysis of relevant
issues. While every effort is made to ensure that the publications
are ofa high aeademie standard, there isnaturally bound to be a
diversityofviews,ideas and interpretations. Assuch, the opinions
expressed in these publieations must be understood as belonging
to their authors alone.
Contents
PrefaceandAcknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
Interpretative Essay 53
Miscellaneous Ginans 77
From the SalokoNano (Pir Sadardin) 151
'A Plea' (Pir Hasan Kabirdin) 181
Notes on Ginans 186
Appendix 1: Note on Transliteration 218
Appendix 2: SourcesandIndex 0/First Lines 220
Appendix 3: SelectBibliography 224
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Preface and
Acknowledgements
AsI sayin the Introduction, these translations from the corpus of
religious poetryknown as the Ginans have a twofold inspiration: a
long familiarity dating back to childhood, which ensured their
poetic, emotional and musical appeal; and an enduring interestin
the English language and its literature. The genesis of these
translations, however, was purely circumstantial. While at the
Committee on Social Thought at the University ofChicago, I had
occasion to observe and appreciate the work of the late A. K
Ramanujan, distinguished by his equally perceptive feel for the
pulse ofEnglish as weIlas South Indian poetry, and for the art of
literature asweIlas the scientific discipline oflinguistics. Conversa
tionswith hirn led to mytryingatranslationofafewverses from the
Ginans. Ramanujan's pleasure at these was encouraging, as was
also, similarly, the positive commentsofWendyDonigerO'Flaherty.
And so the ambition to extend the attempt took root.
Several years later, thanks to the interest of its then Director,
ProfessorJohn Carman, the Centre for the Study of Religion at
Harvard Universitysponsoredmystaythere to enable the projectto
be completed. Professor Carman's enthusiasm for the translations
was a great boost to the project. And although the work was later
laid aside for various reasons, I was fortunate to find that the
translations stayed in Professor Carman's memory. Whenever our
paths crossed duringsucceedingyears, he never failed to press me,
with hischaracteristicgentlenessandwarmth, to letthework see the
light ofday.Itiswith great pleasure that this memory has returned
to my mind as the work begun in his presence now approaches
fruition, so that I can at last thank hirn, through this book, for the
kindness and supportwhich provided the crucial, initial impetus to
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