London: privately printed [by Bernard Quaritch,, 1880]. By far his most notable poetic effort First edition, first issue, with the title page undated and not naming Bernard Quaritch as the publisher. Penzer suggests that the entire first edition probably consisted of no more than 200 copies, the majority of which were intended for private distribution among Burton's friends, and that the first issue "was very small indeed". The Kasîdah is presented as a translation of an original work by a certain Persian poet named Haji Abdu el-Yazdi, but it is really of Burton's own composition. "Unlike most of Burton's compositions, which were hastily written, this is a polished work that contains many fascinating autobiographical insights. Unfortunately, it was perceived as an echo of Edward Fitzgerald's Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam and only half of its print run... was sold, although after Burton's death it became quite popular, going through many editions and long remaining in print" (ODNB). "F.B." was a pseudonym commonly used by Burton, standing for Frank Baker, a combination of his middle name and his mother's maiden name. A common form in classical Arabic and Persian verse, a qasida is a monorhyme, polythematic ode, often used for conveying praise of kings and other temporal rulers but sometimes employed in theological writing, as in works such as al-Busiri's Qasidat al-burda ("The Ode of the Prophet's Mantel"). Burton translates the term qasida somewhat misleadingly as 'distichs' (p. 19), which reflects his use of rhyming couplets throughout his poem. Nevertheless, he retains certain structural elements which occur in genuine qasidas, including a moment of departure (rahil), when the narrator sets out on his journey in search of pastures new. The extensive notes both reinforce the fiction that Burton is translating from a Persian source text and explain exactly which ideas Burton is attempting to invoke. For example, he glosses the quotation on page 2 as a direct translation from Hafiz, which indeed it is. He also glosses phrases such as dam-i subh ("the breath of dawn", or "dawn mist") to show that they are stock images of Persian poetry. Despite this air of authenticity, however, the Kasîdah makes a much broader range of intertextual references than would normally be found in premodern Persian literature. The notes reveal "Haji Abdu el-Yezdi" to have been an avid reader of St Augustine, Cardinal Newman, Rousseau, Schopenhauer, Confucius, and the Buddha, and Burton's ironic remark that "[the poet] evidently aspires to preach a Faith of his own" (p. 19) says much about how he wished to offer a philosophy of scepticism independent of any religious system. Quarto. Original yellow paper wrappers, front wrapper lettered in black. Housed in a custom brown cloth flap-case by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. Old bookseller's slip affixed to front pastedown. Spine chipped at ends with minor professional repairs, wrappers lightly sunned with minimal dust soiling, one corner creased, sporadic foxing. A very good copy of a fragile publication. Casada 84; Penzer, pp. 97-8.
