The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 1 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations — John Shaqi
The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 1 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations
Religion
The Dabistán, or School of manners, Volume 1 (of 3): translated from the original Persian, with notes and illustrations
Iran -- Religion; Religions
truly learned and clear-sighted men; until the impostor, either
incapable of supporting longer his pretensions or urged by his
conscience, avowed the deception, and at last became a truly learned
good and estimable man.[36] We see this example badly supports the
cause of forged languages.
In 1805, M. Rousseau, since consul-general of France at Aleppo, found
in a private library at Baghdad a dictionary of a language which is
designated by the name of _Baláibalan_, interpreted “he who vivifies,”
and written in Arabic characters called _Neshki_; it was explained in
Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. The unknown author of the dictionary
composed it for the intelligence of mysterious and occult sciences,
written in that language. The highly learned Silvestre de Sacy had
scarce been informed of this discovery, when he sought and found in
the Royal Library, at Paris, the same dictionary, and with his usual
diligence and sagacity published a short but lucid Notice of it.[37]
What he said therein was sufficient for giving an idea of the manner
in which this language participates in the grammatical forms of
Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. Silvestre de Sacy, as well as M.
Rousseau, have left it uncertain whether the language be dead or
living; by whom and at what period it was formed, and what authors
have made use of it. The former adds, that some works written in
Baláibalan are likely to be found in the hands of the Súfis of Persia.
This language deserves perhaps a further examination. All that is
positive in the just-adduced statement of the two great Orientalists
may be said of any other language, which is not original but composed,
as for instance the English or the Dutch, of more than one idiom. We
can but admit that, at all times an association of men for a
particular purpose, a school of art, science, and profession may have,
has, and even must have, a particular phraseology. Any modification of
ancient, or production of new, ideas, will create a modified or a new
language; any powerful influence of particular circumstances will
produce a similar effect; this is a spontaneous reproduction, and not
the intentional forgery of a language.
Such a forgery, even if it could remain undetected, which it cannot in
our times, would but furnish a curious proof of human ingenuity, to
which no bounds can be assigned; but the true and sole object of a
language could never be attained by it; because, never would a great
number of independent men be disposed, nor could they be forced, to
adopt the vocabulary, grammar, and locutions of a single man, and
appropriate them to themselves for the perpetual expression of their
inmost mind, and for the exchange of their mutual feelings and
ideas.[38] To effect this, is a miracle ascribed to the Divinity, and
with justice; being the evident result of the Heaven-bestowed faculty
of speech, one of the perpetual miracles of the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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