Persian Manual (Clarke)/Preface

by H. Wilberforce Clarke

Layout 2

preface by the author.

---

This work is divided into Two Parts :

Part I. Section 1. The Grammar.

,, Progressive Lessons and Exercises.

,, Miscellaneous Dialogues and Exercises.

Part II. Vocabulary.

2. Sections 2 and 3 of Part I. and the whole of Part II. are entirely original.

The Grammar is, in part, compiled from the Persian Grammars by--

Dr. Lumsden, LL.D., 1810.

Mīrza Muḥammad Ibrāhīm Shīrāzī, 1841.

Mr. A. H. Bleeck, 1857.

Dr. D. Forbes, LL.D., 1862.

Its arrangement is entirely new ; much original mat- ter has been introduced ; and the whole rendered as concisely as possible.

The Exercises and Sentences (English to be turned into Persian) have been taken from Dr. Forbes' Manual of Hindustani. It was considered that these exercises and sentences were possibly as good and as well arranged as any others which could be devised, while, by adopting them for this work, the student would have the advantage of being able to compare the Hindustani with the Persian idiom. The great success which Dr. Forbes' Manual of Hindustani has obtained was a further inducement to adopt the same plan.

3. The aim throughout this work has been to gather under each sentence as many useful idioms, expressions and synonyms as possible. That portion of a sentence which may be represented by other equivalent expressions is enclosed in brackets ; and the equivalent expressions also placed within brackets and separated by semi-colons are put at the end of the sentence. Thus, on page 126 of the Vocabulary, against the word "robbed," it is to be understood that the expressions " duzd burda ;" " dast-burd-i-duzd gardīda;" "ba sirḳat rafta;" "duzdīda shuda," may each be substituted for the expression " ba duzdī rafta," in the sentence.

This plan of rendering the sentences will, it is be- lieved, give great aid to the student in mastering the language. He will see at a glance the several ways in which a sentence may be rendered, will observe the force of words, and will be able to compare idiom with idiom.^[1]

4. It has been customary to regard Persian as a language easy of attainment ; this is far from being the case. A certain degree of proficiency may easily be reached ; but to obtain a thorough knowledge of the language is exceedingly difficult, owing to—

(a) The vast number of words (said to be 80,000) in the language ;

(b) The ambiguous expressions in which a Persian delights ;

(c) The want of translations ;^[2]

(d) Want of properly qualified teachers.^[3]

That there are defects in this work is most readily allowed ; yet all that care and labour could do to prevent error has been given to the task. The critic will remember that this is the first attempt ever made by anyone to bring out a work, systematically arranged, treating of the rendering of English into Persian.

5. At the present time, the only books which at- tempt to treat of the rendering of English sentences into Persian are the following :

(a) "The Persian Mūnshī," by Dosā-Biyā,ī Surābjī, a Pārsī.

This book contains 1117 sentences, rendered in Hindūstānī, Sindhī and Persian. The sentences are not arranged alphabetically, nor so as to express the rendering of a certain dominant word ; they are simply grouped together under six heads, Introductory, Mercantile, Medical, Judicial, Military and Miscellaneous. The work is roughly lithographed on bad Indian paper. The renderings in lithographed oriental character are not easy for a beginner to decipher. But for the arrangement and the way in which it is got up it would be an excellent work. It can be obtained from Messrs. Thacker and Co., of Bombay, for 6½ rupees.

(6) " Modern Persian," by an Officer of the Hai- derabad Contingent, revised by Mīrza Zainul 'Abadīn Shīrāzī.

This is a small book, printed in Bombay in 1871 ; it contains 1769 sentences, without any arrangement whatever ; the vowel points in the oriental character (which is not transliterated) have all been omitted, making it very difficult for a beginner to pronounce the words. It may be obtained from Messrs. Thacker and Co., of Bombay, for 10 rs.

(c) "The Conversation Manual," by Captain G. Plunkett, E.E.

This is a book, printed in London, containing 670 sentences and a bare list of 1500 words, which are rendered in Hindustani, Pushtu and Persian. Eoman character only is used. It. is a small book and necessarily covers but a small extent of each of the three languages. It may be obtained from Messrs. Kichardson and Co., Cornhill, London, for 6 rs.

The three books, briefly described, labour under one defect, which is, that each sentence is rendered in one way only. The student is not afforded the opportunity of contrasting idiom with idiom, word with word ; nor of exercising his powers of observation.

The Persian Manual now offered to the public contains: -

In Section 2,	Part I.,	555	sentences.
,, 3,	Part I.,	333	,,
In Vocabulary,	Part II.,	1969	,,
Total number of sentences		2857

This number 28.57 represents the actual number of English sentences rendered into Persian ; but almost every sentence is expressed in several ways. The actual number of Persian sentences probably amounts, at least, to $2857\times 3=8671$, all methodically arranged. A bald list of words is of little use ; the student requires to know how to use them.^[4] It is hoped that a study of this Manual may save the student much unnecessary drudgery with a native teacher ; and that the tables of Persian weights and measures, the digest of regulations regarding examinations in Persian and Arabic, and the lists of Persian and Arabic books may prove useful.

6. I here beg to record the service which I have received, in correcting the proof-sheets of this work, and generally in bringing it out, from

(a) Maulawī Allāh Bakhsh, who passed twenty- five years of his life in Persia, acted as Arabic interpreter during the Abyssinian campaign, and is now Instructor in Persian in the High School of Karachi in East India.

(b) Shaikh Muḥammad Ṣādik, Ḥājiu-l-ḥaramam, a native of Tahrān, who served me in the Abyssinian campaign, and followed my fortunes at divers seasons in India.^[5]

I mention the names of these men not only because they deserve to be named, but also as a rantee that the Persian renderings of the sentences are idiomatic as well as grammatical.

7. The student's attention is drawn to the excellent manner in which the Work has been got up by the Publishers. I freely acknowledge the great obligation under which I rest for the care and trouble which they have exercised.

H. WILBERFORCE CLARKE,
Captain, R.E.

Karachi, May 1877. The following Table gives a list of Exercises in this Manual, which will be found rendered in Persian in Forbes' "Persian Grammar." The other exercises have been taken from the "Gulistan" and "Arabian Nights' Entertainment."

No. of Exercise in this Manual	Forbes' Persian Grammar
	Page	No. of Story
24	1	5
27	3	14
28	8	30
29	6	22
37	12	50
38	6	23
39	11	39
43	12	41
45	10	35
46	11	17
47	14	46
48	10	36
49	17	51
51	26	67
52	19	55

1. In his Hindūstānī Manual Dr. Forbes rendered the English sentence in one way only. For Hindūstānī this may be suffi- cient ; but a rich language, such as the Persian, requires more generous handling.
2. The only Persian books translated into English are the Gulistan, the Amwār-i-Suhaili, and the Shāh-Nāmah.
3. This is a most serious difficulty as regards Persian and Arabic.
4. This is especially the case with regard to Arabic words used in Persian.
5. "Ḥājiu-l-ḥarama" is the title of a Musulmān who has made a pilgrimage to Makkah and Madīna.