The Prince and the Hermit בן המלך והנזיר, Meshed (Iran): Copied by Nathan ben Isaac

Description:

This poetic version (Shahzada va-tsufi) of the tale authored by Ibn Hasdai was composed in the second half of the seventeenth century by Elisha ben Shmuel and recounts the quest of a prince to acquire Sufic knowledge. The work reflects a synthesis of Jewish and Perso-Islamic cultural elements and is known to be based on Sanskrit traditions about the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). The manuscript, in Judeo-Persian, a literary language utilized by Jews in Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, is in the Jon A. Lindseth Collection dedicated to fables in Jewish culture and literature. The collection is on deposit with Cornell University Library (catalogue number F-1789).

Attribution:

Abraham ben Samuel ibn Hasdai (13th century)

Date:

1861

Copyright:

Presumed to be in the public domain because of creation date.