Mastur: The Veiled: The Legacy of a Forgotten 18th century Female Iranian Poet: A Rare Manuscript from SMNA Library

Abstract

Mastur, a little-known young female poet from 18^th century Iran, composed a romantic epic of over 4000 couplets that had long been forgotten until recent discoveries. The manuscript narrates a fantastic love story between a Chinese prince, Jamshid, and an Indian princess, Khorshid. Amazingly, it is art that sparks their love: an artist shows Jamshid his painting of Khorshid, igniting his passion; later, on his return journey to Kashmir, he paints Jamshid’s portrait and displays it in the Indian court, capturing Khorshid’s in return. Jamshid’s journey to reach Khorshid across distant lands is marked by a series of unexpected and dangerous adventures, adding elements of suspense and making the trans-cultural epic more compelling. To properly contextualize this work, three areas of inquiry are essential: the identity and character of Mastur, the youthful genius behind Jamshid and Khorshid; a synopsis of the narrative emphasizing key episodes; and a detailed codicological study of the manuscript. Given the breadth of these topics, addressing them all in a single article proved impractical. Therefore, the research has been divided into two complementary essays, of which the present paper is the first.

This essay is structured around two principal sections: ‘About the Poet’ and ‘About the Manuscript.’ The first section explores Mastur’s persona through four subheadings: A Discontented, Rebellious Soul; From a Lineage of Poets; Lonely and Loveless; and Fearful of Being Forgotten. The second section offers a codicological examination of the manuscript, organized under five subheadings: Sections in Turkic; Layout, Illustrations, Physical Condition, and From Outside the Text. Selected poems from the epic have been translated by the author. The original Persian versions are provided at the end of the essay as appendices.