Corrections of some Errata in Khaqani's Lyrical Poetry

The diwan of Khaqani Shirvani is an artistic and literary masterpiece filled with many rare words and stylistic innovations. The poet’s cultural background is mixed with an inclination for originality and rich imageries. Khaqani creates images and figures of style which have no historical precedents. Hence, it would have been difficult for people not familiar with his style, to transcribe his poems properly. Scribes, willingly or unwillingly, have inserted numerous mistakes in his poetry. Some of those recorded mistakes or errata were even reinforced over many generations of manual copying. These errata are now part of Khaqani’s poems and can even found in the oldest extant manuscripts. Today, by relying on our knowledge of Khaqani’s cultural background as well as his artistic and literary style, it is possible to reedit parts of his poetry. In this article, we have corrected some of the errata found in his lyrical poetry.