The Kasidah of Haji Abdu El-Yezdi Illustrations by Willy Pogany.

Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania: Bell Publishing Company, 1931. 1931 at copyright; no other dates. Maroon full cloth boards, gilt stylized cover and spine titles, light shelf wear. Thick, heavy stock leaves, fine; no writing. Features a dozen surreal linen plates by the enigmatic artist, Willy Pogany. Bind fine;hinges intact. This scarce, beautiful poem, asserts that Happiness and Misery are equally divided and that Self-cultivation with due regard to others is the sole and sufficient object of human life. Written by Sir Richard Burton under the pseudonym of Hâjî Abdû El-Yezdî after his return from Mecca in 1854. The Kasîdah contains many references to 19th Century scientific and philosophical concepts, most notably the evolution of species. Nonetheless, it is a Sufi text to the core, and one of the few instances of Burton writing in the first person about his belief system, albeit under the cloak of pseudonymity. A Kasidah is a classical Arabic or Persian panegyric, which must begin with a reference to a forsaken campground, followed by a lament, and a prayer to ones comrades to halt while the memory of the departed dwellers is invoked. The same rhyme must run through the entire composition, no matter length of the poem. Illustrations reproduced in Beck Gravure by the Beck Engraving Compnay, Philadelphia. 129 pages. Insured post.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine. Illus. by Pogany, Willy. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.