Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/490

* HAFIZ. 438 HAGAB. springtime and love, wine and delight. The date ol his birth is not precisely known, but it must have been about the first quarter of the fourteenth centui-j' of our era. Hatlz's full name is given as Shams-ud-Din Muhammad, or Mohammed, the Sun of Religion; added to this is his title Hafiz, of retentive memory, given to one who knows the Koran and its interpretation by heart. His pro- ficiency in various branches of knowledge brought him under the notice of the reigning House of Muzatl'er, and not only was he appointed teacher in the house of the royal family, but a special college was founded for him. His spirit of in- dependence, however, stood in the way of his worldly advancement, and notwithstanding many ofTers of princely favor, he remained during his ■whole life in the humble condition of a dervish. Although the burden of his poetical compositions is beauty in every form, we occasionally find also the praise of Allah and the Prophet, and re- flections upon the instability of life and its joys; through all of them runs, however, a withering contempt of all professional piety and mock humility. These poems are of such sweetness that the poet has also received the name of Shakar- lab (Sugarlip); and' his contemporaries speak of his having drunk from the fountain of life, a drauglit of which was brought to him by Khizr (the jMnhammedan Elijah) himself. Hafiz was married, and appears to have reached a happy old age. The time of his death is va- riously given, but A.D. 1389 is the date now gen- erally assigned. The enmity, however, which had been provoked by the freedom of his manners, and his more than Sufistie contempt for the outward forms of godliness, broke out undisguisedly at his death. The ministers of religion refused to re- peat the usual prayers over the dead body, and after long altercations between the members of his family and his enemies, it was agreed that the question, according to the usual customs of the East, should be decided by lot. Verses se- lected at random from Haflz's own handwriting were thrown into an urn. and one drawn out by a child to settle the question. The result was fa- vorable, whereupon he was buried with great honor. Hence, perhaps, arose the custom, com- mon in Persia, of consulting verses from Hafiz at random as an oracle. His tomb, situated about two miles to the northeast of Shiraz. has been adorned with the greatest sumptuousness by princes and nobles, and is still resorted to by pilgrims from all parts of Persia. How far some of the odes or Ghazals (q.v.1 of Hafiz are intended as an allegorical and mystical revelation of things divine in the manner of Sufism (q.v.), as is declared by Hafiz's admirers, is a qiiestion which has at different times been raised before ecelesia.stical and critical courts. No doubt there is much in them that is Anacreon- tic; but it is equally certain that considerable weight must be given also to the Oriental inter- pretation of them as svTiibolic and mystical. The language and imagcrv of hum,1n love were largely employed in the East for the expression of union with the Soul and the Spirit Divine. The two passions often commingled in the expression of ecstasy; and parallels, for example, in the e.arly seventeenth - century English poets, like Donne, Vaughan. and Crashaw. might be no- ticed with profit in resrard to this much-mooted prol)!em. A style brilliant yet clear, imagery gorgeous yet clothed in pure and unaffected dic- tion, undulating melody and classical harmony — these are the chief characteristics of Haliz's Ana- creontic lyrics, which have not only become the national poetry of his country, but are even ap- pealed to as an oracle on most important ques- tions of peace and war. The number of their commentators is legion ; the most valuable notes, however, are those of Shamii, Sum, Sidi. The Divan, or collection of the writings of Hafiz. was first made after his death, by his friend Moham- med (iulandam. The Divan, in Hannner-Purg- stall's translation, inspired manj' of the poems in Goethe's ^S'c.'i^ostlicller Ditvan. Lithographed editions abound, e.g. Calcutta, 1826; Bcnnbav. 1828, 1841, 188.3; Cawnpore, 1831; Bulak. 1834 and 1840; Constantinople, 1841; Lahore, 1888; Tashkend, ISi'o. The best early edition, printed by Aliu Taliltkhan. appeared at Calcutta. 170,> (reprinted lS2(i). The most valuable edition is by H. lirockhaus (Leipzig, 18.54-50). with a part of Sudi's Turkish commentary. Consult also Rosenzweig (with German metrical translation, 3 vols., Vienna, 1856-64). Notice also the Nami Press Hafiz inth a Glossary (Lucknow, 1899). Of older translations into European tongues, mention may be made of Rewitzki in Latin (Vi- enna, 1771) ; Richardson. .Jones. Ouseley. Hind- ley. Rousseau. Bicknell (1876) in English; and by Hannner-Purgstall and Daumer. in German. Easily obtainable are McCarthy, Olmzels of Hafiz (New York. 1893) ; Bell, Poems from the Divan. cf Hafiz (London, 1897); Leaf, Versions from Hafiz (London. 1898); Payne (London, 1901). But most important is the valuable translation, with extensive commentaiv and bibliography, by H. Wilberforce Clarke (London. 1891). Addi- tional biography, critical and bibliographic ma- terial will be found in Ouseley. Persian Poets (London. 1840) ; Ethe. in Gnoidri.'iS der iran- ischcn Philoloqic (Stuttgart, 1890) : Horn, Ce- schichte der persischen Litteratur CLeipzig, 1901 ) . HAFNER, hiifner, Philipp (1731-64). An Austrian farce writer, born in Vienna. His principal productions are the following: Der (lite Odoardo und der lacherliclie Hnnsunrst (1755); Die reisenden Komodianlen (1774), a comedy full of wit and humor; and Dramatische Unterhalttingen vnter giiten Fretindcn (1774). His collected comedies ere published by Joseph Sonnleithner in 1872 (Vienna). HA'GAE. According to the Book of Genesis, luindmaid oi Sarah, concubine of Abraham, and mother of Ishmael. The narrative (Gen. chs. xvi. and xxi.), when critically analyzed, is shown to be composed of twci sources which have been combined, and now runs as follows : Sarah, having remained barren u]i to an advanced age, gave Hagar to Abraliam for a concubine after he had l)een in Canaan ten years, in the hope of estab- lishing a family of her own (Gen. xvi. 1-3; cf. Gen. XXX. ,3-9). Afterwards she repented of her action and treated Hagar cruelly, so that Hagar fled into the desert, but returned on being comforted by an angel of the Lord, and bore Abraham a son who was called Ishmael (q.v.). After the birth of Isaac Sarah urged Abraham to drive Hagar and Ishmael away. and. though reluctant to do so. the patriarch at God's command com- plied. The bondwoman and her son went again into the desert, where they were almost spent with famine when an angel of God appeared and prophesied greatness for Ishmael, and God