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14

INTRODUCTION.

designated ABC and ABD respectively, very few are confined to a single MS. So far, there is not much evidence of interpolation. But in L, written a century after B, we find a considerable amount of it [1], and some of the inserted passages contain six, eight, ten, or more verses.Interpolations in the Mathnawí, The chief motives for interpolation are (1) to make in the transitions less abrupt; (2) to explain incidents in the narrative or illustrate points of difficulty; (3) to amplify topics treated with brevity or develop thoughts suggested by the context. A good instance of the second class of interpolations occurs in the Story of the Greengrocer and the Parrot (I ٣٤٩‎), where the parrot, left alone in the shop, is startled, and in sudden flight upsets the bottles of oil on the grocer's bench. What frightened the bird? The poet offers no explanation, but L and the Búláq edition add two verses to inform us that the source of the mischief was a cat which had darted into the shop in pursuit of a mouse. Again, at II ١٥٣٩‎ L expands three beautiful verses, in which the poet describes the purifying effects of Love, into a catalogue four times as long; and this worthless padding is included by Whinfield in his abridged translation of the Mathnawí [2].

As regards the constitution of a text, at least two alternative courses are open to an editor who has good MSS. at his disposal, though the choice of one or the other will depend on circumstances. If he has an autograph or a MS. of paramount authority, he has his text ready-made, and while the inferior MSS. may enable him to correct it in matters of detail, they will not largely supplement or modify it. Failing such an archetype, he must construct his text from the best MSS. available, either taking one MS. as a basis or not. In the present case no MS. can claim absolute authority. The constitution of the text. Even C, which holds the highest place among them, contains 27 verses which are omitted in A, though on the other hand A contains 34 which are omitted in C. While some of these 61 verses may be interpolated, others may be genuine, and in the absence of any sure

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  1. ↑ In Book I L has 123 verses which AC omit. Four of these occur in B and about fifty (often altered for the worse) in the Búlág edition.
  2. ↑ Second edition, p. 80.
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