A Critique of Two Critical Editions of Khaju Kermani’s Gol o Nowruz

Abstract

<em>Gol o Nowruz</em>, the romantic masnavi of Khaju Kermani, the prominent and creative poet of the eighth century AH, has been critically edited for the first time by Kamal Eini and afterward by Saeed Niaz Kermani. These two critical editions have several shortcomings and problems that have been addressed in this study. The key shortcoming of their works lies is the absence of methodology; they have not adopted a specific method for editing the text of the available manuscripts. Moreover, neglecting the stylistic features of the text, the meanings of the words and verses, and the story’s narration has caused misreadings of this valuable text. Although Niaz Kermani has overcome some of the shortcomings of Kamal Eini’s work, his edition has its errors and inadequacies. In the present study, by a descriptive-analytical method, the two critical editions of <em>Gol o Nowruz</em> have been criticized. The flaws of both critical editions show that this valuable text requires a new and scientific critical edition