Sadi4

Script: nasta'liq These calligraphic fragments are the first seven pages of Sa'di's Bustan (The Fruit Garden or The Orchard). The order of the first seven pages of this work all belonging to the same manuscript goes as follows: Page 1: 1-04-713.19.26, Page 2: 1-04-713.19.15, Page 3: 1-04-713.19.14, Page 4: 1-04-713.19.12, Page 5: 1-04-713.19.13, Page 6: 1-04-713.19.11, Page 7: 1-04-713.19.25 Page 4: The sixth and seventh lines of poetry praise God's ability to create: From the cloud, He casts a drop towards the ocean, / From the back-bone (of the father) He brings the seed into the womb. / From that drop, He makes an incomparable pearl, / And from this, He makes a form (of man) like the lofty cypress. This copy of the Bustan may have been produced in India during the 17th century. The back of the second page (1-04-713.19.15) of this series includes a note supporting this provenance, as it states that the work was written by 'Abd al-Rashid Daylami. He was one of the famous calligraphers active at the court of the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan (r. 1627-1656) in Agra and Delhi.