The sun., 1883-03-25

Taies from the Great Fersimn Poem.
Hitherto most English readers who have
desired to form some conception Of Firdusis
shah Namch" or Book of Kings. have had
| recourse to Mr.. Matthew Arnolds parnphrase
| OF q single episode offered them In his we'll
known poem. Rustem and Sohrab." There
was. indeed an English translation published
nearly half a century ago. and 1t was no re-
I proach to the author of that experiment that
he merely reproduced m abbreviated Persian
version for no transcript Of the prolix original
containing as II does some sixty thou
| sand lines. would no cndnrntdc without in
| cessnnt excision and compression. But Ms few
persons are familiar with Mr. A.kinson's trans
lation. which is now out Of print. the collection
| OF stories from Firdusi, transferred from Nohls
French version into English by HELEN ZIM-
MEEN In u volume bearing tho too spacious
title Of The Epic OF Kings. will be found OF some
| utility. Tho talos selected represent but an
| insignificant fraction of the matter contained
even In the earlier portion OF Firdusi's endless
| chronicle and every episode has been sub
| jected to tho snme process OF concentration to
which she takes exception In the case Of the
Persian version followed by her predecessor.
The present translator assures us Of her
endeavor to preserve the peculiarties OF
| Eastern imagery and ausion. There is some-
tnluS naive anu IuRn III THIS expectation on tne
| part OF one who does not profess to be In the
| least conversant with Persian. and therefore
| must be quite incapable Of detecting tho in
| fusion OF foreign and incongruous elements In
| the modern version from which she is not at
| liberty to diverge. 1t Is. indeed. unreasonable
to suppose that many Of tho evanescent dis
tnc.ons and beauties OF style would escape
evaporation after a twofold filtration through
media 80 alien and diverse from Its native
vehicle as are the French and English
languages. II any is disposed to dis
pute the artificial and apocryphal char
actor Of the alleged Eastern colorng
obtained in this roundabout way he may easily
satisfy himself by comparing the current ver-
sions OF the Arabian Nights" made at second
| and third hand. with Mr. Lanes translation di-
| rectly from the original. We shal! never have
| tolorably trustworthy and effective rcproduc-
ton of the " Book OF Kings"-true Mt once to
| the sense and to tho fame OF Frdusi-until
| some man OF more than ordinary poetical tai
ent will take the trouble to learn Persian. Tho
mastery Of that language is feat that need
| daunt nobody. seeing that 1t il performed by
every clever youth who looks forward to prompt
promotion in the civil service of British India.
| The author Of the selections before us Is not
| only In large degree disqualified for her task
| by her Ignorance OF Persian. but she has neg
| lected to acquire even rudnentary acQuaint-
| ance with the history of Persia She would
havo done we'll either to have omitted her In
PRODUCTION" altogether or to have had it pre-
pared by II competent historical and pathological
scholar. She misconceves the relation OF Fir
dust toward the matter which he chronicles.
and the relation Of her work to true epic po-
ems. quite erroneous impression Of the facts
is conveyed by describing Firdusi archaic
| and primitive. by comparing him to the au-
thors OF the Homeric poems. OF the Morse
Eddas. and OF tho "Chansop de Roland" and
by giving readers to understand that tho
Shah Namch was written lin the infancy
| OF race. at time when national self
consciousness has awakened sufficiently to
take root and blossom. but before tho march
f, OF civilization has brought its reason to bear
upon tradition and has disentnnged myth
from reality" The general remark here quoted
is applicable to the Had and the Odyssey to
the Sagas. and with some qualifications. to tho
Roland; but 1t does not state correctly the con-
ditions under which the Nibeungen Lied was
composed. and II Ia ludicrously inapt for the
very purpose with which it is introduced viz,
a description Of the circumstances In which
Firdusi addressed himself to the production of
the shah Nameh."
1t was not In the springtide but near the
wintry close OF Persian history-not in the in
fancy. but in tho fast-appronching decrcptitude
and second childhood OF his race-that tho
| laureate OF Mahmoud OF Ghazni entered on the
lifelong task of weaving. not an epic for his
| work has no unity OF design. but metricni
history belonging to the same category with
the rhymed chronicles put together by tho
Trouveros. and Of which so many survive in Old
| French. That the purpose of his rambling and
interminable record was historical is plain
enough from tho latter portion OF his
poem. in which he approaches more noarly
| to his timpa unl which nv tho
modern Persians find quite as wearisome
| as we should find 1t. II the earlier part
| OF the shah Nameh." and especially all
relating to Rustem and his progenitors. is
more animated and interesting II is because
the poets fancy had frcer wing in world
about which he had no definite knowledge.
because for him and the effets natives Of
Khorasan the epochs OF Persia's glory. the
times Of Cyrus and tho AchHmenid kings. and
even the autumnal spendors OF tho Sassanid
dynasty had faded into the cloudland of
romance. But the myths and legends which a
strong race in its childhood and the poet who
is its mouthpiece mistake for veracious narra-
| tives are widely different things from those
composite. heterogeneous. and distorted recol-
lections. overlaid and confused by re-
| peated admxtures OF race and muta-
tions OF language and religion. which
arc the refuse Of an age long. changeful. and
| hal1-1orgotten history. FROM the one point OF
view the poet surveys his theme with the glad
self-surrender and unauestioning faith OF
youth from the othors he looks back wistfully
and doubtfuly believing nothing. hoping for
little. distrusting much. Tho author OF " Shah
Nameh" was born and bred a Moslem. yet 1t
seems clear that he was neither devout ad-
herent OF Islam nor of Zoroaster's creed. or
tho primitive Persian world. indeed. no could
know but little. for although he possessed
some tincture OF what In the eleventh century
passed for learning in Khorasan. 1t appears to
have gone no further than to con-
vince him OF tho grotesque unreality
OF the myths collected In tho first
part OF his metrlcal chronicle. He knew
just enough about tho Achnmenid period and
the centuries which Intervened between tho
downfall OF tho old Persian monarchy and the
resuscitation OF tho national spirit under the
Sassanid princes to feel an uneasy conscious