Keykavus completed Qabusnameh, a Persian advice book, in 475 AH/1082–83 CE. We use Ganjoor's preface transcription, based on Sa'id Nafisi's 1933 edition and linked page images.
Its punctuation, brackets, and many spacing decisions are editorial; this page reads one checked edition.
The selection
اما بعد، چنین گوید جمعکنندهی این کتاب، امیر عنصرالمعالی کیکاووس بن اسکندر بن قابوس بن وشمگیر بن زیار، […] با فرزند خویش، گیلانشاه، که بدان ای پسر که من پیر شدم و پیری و ضعیفی بر من چیره شد و منشور عزل زندگانی از موی خویش بر روی خویش، کتابتی میبینم که آن کتابت را دست چارهجویی از من کشف نتواند کرد. پس ای پسر، چون من نام خویش در دایرهی گذشتگان دیدم، مصلحت چنان دیدم که پیش از آنکه نامهی عزل به من رسد، نامهای اندر نکوهش روزگار و سازش کار و بیشبهرگی جستن از نیکنامی یاد کنم و تو را از آن بهرهمند کنم، بر موجب مهر پدری، تا پیش از آنکه دست زمانه تو را نرم کند، خود به چشم عقل اندر سخن من نگری و فزونی یابی و نیکنامی هر دو جهان حاصل کنی.
ammâ ba'd, chonin guyad jam'-konande-ye in ketâb, Amir Onsor-ol-Ma'âli Keykâvus ebn-e Eskandar ebn-e Qâbus ebn-e Voshmgir ebn-e Ziyâr, […] bâ farzand-e khish, Gilânshâh, ke be-dân ey pesar ke man pir shodam-o piri-vo za'ifi bar man chire shod-o manshur-e azl-e zendegâni az mu-ye khish bar ru-ye khish, ketâbati mi-binam ke ân ketâbat râ dast-e châre-juyi az man kashf natavânad kard. pas ey pesar, chun man nâm-e khish dar dâyere-ye gozashtegân didam, maslahat chonân didam ke pish az ânke nâme-ye azl be man resad, nâme-i andar nekuhesh-e ruzegâr-o sâzesh-e kâr-o bish-bahregi jostan az nik-nâmi yâd konam-o to râ az ân bahre-mand konam, bar mujib-e mehr-e pedari, tâ pish az ânke dast-e zamâne to râ narm konad, khod be chashm-e aql andar sokhan-e man negari-vo fozuni yâbi-vo nik-nâmi-ye har do jahân hâsel koni.
After the customary opening, the compiler of this book, Amir Onsor al-Ma'ali Keykavus son of Eskandar son of Qabus son of Voshmgir son of Ziyar [court title omitted], says to his son Gilan Shah: Know, my son, that I have grown old, and age and weakness have overcome me. In the white hair upon my face I see a written decree dismissing me from life, a writing that the hand of remedy-seeking cannot remove from me. So, my son, when I saw my name within the circle of those who have passed, I judged it wise that, before the letter of dismissal reaches me, I should compose a book about reproaching fortune, ordering one's affairs, and seeking a greater share of good repute, and let you benefit from it out of paternal affection, so that before the hand of time makes you pliant, you may look upon my words with the eye of reason, grow in excellence, and obtain a good name in both worlds. (Qabusnameh preface; literary/classical; public domain)
This normalized teaching text regularizes Persian ک/ی, ZWNJ, ezafe after ه, word division (ترا becomes تو را), and ابن/بن، وشمهگیر/وشمگیر. The ellipsis after زیار omits مولی امیرالمؤمنین; Ganjoor brackets چنان دیدم, though our continuous audio does not. We stop at حاصل کنی, before source و مبادا. This is not a diplomatic transcription.
The reporting frame: چنین گوید ... که بدان
چنین گوید جمعکنندهی این کتاب با فرزند خویش که بدان ای پسر.
chonin guyad jam'-konande-ye in ketâb bâ farzand-e khish ke be-dân ey pesar.
Thus the compiler of this book says to his son: Know, my son. (classical reporting frame)
چنین گوید is a prefixless literary present. با فرزند خویش marks the addressee where modern prose expects به فرزندش میگوید. The first که introduces the address; the second belongs to بدان که “know that.”
نویسنده به پسرش میگوید: «بدان که من پیر شدهام.»
nevisande be pesar-ash mi-guyad: «be-dân ke man pir shode-am.»
The author says to his son, ‘Know that I have grown old.’ (original modern paraphrase; formal/literary بدان)
Metaphor as syntax: a decree written in hair
منشور عزل زندگانی از موی خویش بر روی خویش، کتابتی میبینم.
manshur-e azl-e zendegâni az mu-ye khish bar ru-ye khish, ketâbati mi-binam.
In my own hair upon my own face, I see the decree dismissing me from life—a written text. (classical metaphor)
منشور عزل زندگانی is “the decree of dismissal from life.” از موی خویش بر روی خویش locates it in whitening facial hair. Repeated خویش is elevated and reflexive; appositive کتابتی follows the location phrase.
سفیدی موی صورتم را نشانهی نزدیک شدن مرگ میبینم.
sefidi-ye mu-ye surat-am râ neshâne-ye nazdik shodan-e marg mi-binam.
I see the whiteness of my facial hair as a sign that death is approaching. (original modern paraphrase)
Modal نتواند کرد
آن کتابت را دست چارهجویی از من کشف نتواند کرد.
ân ketâbat râ dast-e châre-juyi az man kashf natavânad kard.
The hand of remedy-seeking cannot remove that writing from me. (classical/literary)
Classical نتواند کرد places inflected توانستن before a bare lexical verb. Modern Persian uses نمیتواند ... را پاک کند. کشف کردن here means “remove,” not modern “discover.”
هیچ درمانی نمیتواند این نشانه را از چهرهام پاک کند.
hich darmâni nemi-tavânad in neshâne râ az chehre-am pâk konad.
No remedy can erase this sign from my face. (original modern paraphrase)
See The Classical Persian Verb System in Overview.
چون is temporal, and چنان دیدم is a judgment
چون من نام خویش در دایرهی گذشتگان دیدم، مصلحت چنان دیدم که نامهای یاد کنم.
chun man nâm-e khish dar dâyere-ye gozashtegân didam, maslahat chonân didam ke nâme-i yâd konam.
When I saw my name in the circle of those who have passed, I judged it wise to compose a book. (classical/literary)
Initial چون is temporal “when.” مصلحت چنان دیدم که ... means “I considered it advisable that....” Its complement یاد کنم is subjunctive and means composing a book, not remembering a letter.
وقتی فهمیدم عمرم رو به پایان است، صلاح دیدم این پندها را بنویسم.
vaqti fahmidam omr-am ru be pâyân ast, salâh didam in pand-hâ râ be-nevisam.
When I understood that my life was nearing its end, I thought it advisable to write down this advice. (original modern paraphrase)
Purpose before time runs out
تا پیش از آنکه دست زمانه تو را نرم کند، خود به چشم عقل اندر سخن من نگری.
tâ pish az ânke dast-e zamâne to râ narm konad, khod be chashm-e aql andar sokhan-e man negari.
So that, before the hand of time makes you pliant, you yourself may look into my words with the eye of reason. (classical/literary)
تا introduces purpose. پیش از آنکه adds a deadline; both dependent predicates are subjunctive. دست زمانه تو را نرم کند personifies time. Postposed اندر completes “look into my words with the eye of reason.”
پیش از آنکه تجربه تو را ناچار به تغییر کند، با دقت به حرفهایم فکر کن.
pish az ânke tajrobe to râ nâchâr be taghyir konad, bâ deqqat be harf-hâ-yam fekr kon.
Before experience forces you to change, think carefully about what I say. (original modern paraphrase)
Coordination without repeated subjects
فزونی یابی و نیکنامی هر دو جهان حاصل کنی.
fozuni yâbi-vo nik-nâmi-ye har do jahân hâsel koni.
May you grow in excellence and obtain good repute in both worlds. (classical/literary)
Second-person agreement carries the omitted subject across both clauses. Elevated فزونی یافتن corresponds to modern پیشرفت کردن. هر دو جهان means worldly life and the hereafter.
Common Mistakes
1. Deleting both complementizers from the reporting frame
❌ چنین گوید نویسنده بدان ای پسر من پیر شدم.
Malformed for the intended reading: removing both instances of که collapses the reporting and know-that boundaries.
✅ نویسنده خطاب به پسرش میگوید: «بدان که من پیر شدهام.»
nevisande khetâb be pesar-ash mi-guyad: «be-dân ke man pir shode-am.»
Addressing his son, the author says, ‘Know that I have grown old.’
2. Reading کشف with only its modern sense
⚠️ دست درمان آن نوشته را کشف میکند.
dast-e darmân ân neveshte râ kashf mi-konad.
The hand of treatment discovers that writing. Grammatical modern Persian, but the wrong lexical reading for the source.
✅ در این متن، «کشف کردن» معنای قدیمی «زدودن» دارد.
dar in matn, «kashf kardan» ma'nâ-ye qadimi-ye «zodudan» dârad.
In this text, کشف کردن has the older meaning ‘remove.’
3. Copying اندر into neutral conversation
⚠️ اندر حرف من نیک بنگر.
andar harf-e man nik be-negar.
Look carefully into my words. Correct archaizing/literary Persian, not neutral present-day conversation.
✅ دربارهی حرفم با دقت فکر کن.
darbâre-ye harf-am bâ deqqat fekr kon.
Think carefully about what I said. (neutral modern Persian)
4. Hiding editorial intervention
⚠️ نویسنده بیتردید عبارت «چنان دیدم» را به همین صورت نوشته است.
nevisande bi-tardid ebârat-e «chonân didam» râ be hamin surat neveshte ast.
The author unquestionably wrote چنان دیدم in this form. Grammatically valid, but too certain: the checked transcription flags the phrase editorially.
✅ تصحیح مورد استفاده عبارت «چنان دیدم» را درون کروشه آورده است.
tashih-e mowred-e estefâde ebârat-e «chonân didam» râ darun-e korushe âvarde ast.
The edition used here places چنان دیدم in square brackets.
Key Takeaways
- Recover clause hierarchy before modernizing vocabulary, punctuation, or valency; disclose every editorial intervention.
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