A literary history of Persia

THE FIERIST 385Section in. Describing the Book "which falsehood approachethnot from before nor from behind, a Revelation from OneWise and Laudable " ';and the names of the books composedon the sciences connected therewith, with noticesof the Readers, and the names of those who handeddown their traditions, and the anomalies of theirreadings.Second Discourse, in three Sections, on the Grammarians andPhilologists.Section i. On the Origin of Grammar, with accounts of thegrammarians of the School of Basra, and the Stylists ofthe Arabs, and the names of their books.Section ii. Account of the Grammarians and Philologists of theSchool of Kufa, and the names of their books.Section Hi. Account of a school of Grammarians who strove tocombine the views of the two schools (above mentioned),and the names of their books.Third Discourse, in three sections, on History, Belles Lettres,Biography, and Genealogies.Section i. Account of the Historians, Narrators, Genealogists,Biographers, and Chroniclers, and the names of theirbooks.Section ii. Account of the Kings, Secretaries, Preachers,Ambassadors, Chancellors, and Government Officials(who composed books), and the names of their books.Section Hi. Account of the Courtiers, Favourites, Minstrels,Jesters, and Buffoons (who composed books), and thenames of their books.Fourth Discourse, in two sections, on Poetry and Poets.Section i. On the groups of the Heathen Poets, and such of theMuslim poets as reached back to the Pagan Period (ofthe Arabs), and of those who collected their diwdns, andthe names of those who handed down their poems (tillthey were collected and edited).Section ii. On the groups of the Muslim Poets, includingmodem thepoets down to this our time.each prophet recognised by the Muhammadans down to the close of hisdispensation. Thus Abraham taught the faith of Islam, and Bilqis, Queenof Sheba, on her " conversion, becomes a Muslim with Solomon the sonof David."1i.e., the Qur'an, whence (xli, 42) this phrase is taken.26