A poet's memorial in isolation A critical review of the editions of the Latayef-nameh together with the introduction of its manuscripts

The Latayef-nameh of Fakhri-e Heravi is one of the oldest and most noted translations of one of the ancient poets’memorials on Persian poetry, namely the Majales al-Nafayes. Of this translation two editions were made about eighty years ago, which, due to the kind of editing methodology and depending on one single manuscript as well as the editors’ insufficient efforts in the research process, neither of the two editions is void of any mistakes and lapses.
In this article, first a passing glance is taken at the important aspects of the Majales al-Nafayes and its extant translations. Then, by comparing its two translations, the Latayef-nameh and the Hasht Behesht, with their Chaghatai original and with the Arafat al-Asheqin, text and contents of the original and its translations are examined and a good number of their errors and defects are corrected. In this study, several newly- found old manuscripts of the two translations and both the printed and manuscript texts of the Turkish original are drawn on.