New-York tribune., 1886-04-24
NEW PUBLICATIONS
p1,ssrAN HERO LEGENDS.

RUSSIAN HERO LECENDo.
.r,r rp,c soxGs OF RUSSIA BY ISABEL FLORENCE
hrtS pcoo with an Introductory Note sy Professor
FHA.SSwi CHILD i2ro., Up. xiii. 1858. Charles
scribner's Sons .r.
NJ Ral,ton. in his interesting volume on The
sonas of tie Russian People" t1s72) gave an excel
lent account of the remains of ancient epic LEGENDS
~bich in certain districts of Northern Russ'a
na.r AXE Ouega. are still transmitted bv wcrd oil
mouth 10 successive generations of unletterea peAs
anita He gave also few specimens OF these "eio'o
songs Ii Is only within q quarter OF century "''
anv attempt has been made to reduce 'ne - "S. "
writing, or indeed that the Western "o''" ""'
been aware of the survival OF primitive 'op"
poetry and bardic institutions ma'n'ai"o" 'S
nearly a thousand wears in one OF the ru"oS' '0e
of the European continent. MT. na''.""
n sp,rited account of the search ios t"0'0 'P'o
songs bv Rubnkof, whose researches ",ss "'1"
,.,.r.l ,ttention 10 them, and Substantially the
same story is told in the present vo'"me' o'"oe
Ra,ston wrote however. further c"i'ecuon oi
|,;Jno, mr. eric songs has been published by Hi
fading and the American translator, IN preparing
Oh. rriope and valuable work before MS. had an OK
ceelinolv copious literature to draw FROM She mas
been obliged to deal with the poems somewhat
arbitrarily for there are variations oi Ill tne
leut nas. aud most Of them abound IN the repe'f
tons characteristic OF such productions. one mas
given "a therefore eclectic versions ana mas oiten
condensed No other course was practicaoie. ana
no other certainly would have produced sueh
spirited and impressive rendering a. that WHICH
We have now to place to the credit OF American
scholarship The transations are IN prose- VIII"
very few attempts at metrical turns ofexpress'on,
but the prose has great deal OF the 'oI'v s'r'"o
md imposing ring of heroic verse. never loslhe
however. the simplicity which belongs tc the pop
ular legend.
The epics are divided into three cycles. Inc hrst
,nc,udes the three Elder Heroes" Volga. Mikula
and Syyatogor who are supposed to DO puieN
MYTHICAL The second is the cycle OF VIa"imir l"
which the central figure 10 the Far sur ripce
Vladimir hero in whom are combined TWO his
torical personages the St. Vladimir who mtro-
drced Christianity into Russia in 9SS. and Vladi-
mir Monomachus. who lived century ia'ei'
Around this favorite figure OF poeticai ieeehu arc
grouped company of mighty men. va u
Murom, the peasant hero bold Alyosha' the Topes
son. Dobrvnya. the dragon-slayer; Cbnrlo,
the fox: and various others: and 'iadlmirs "'o'
the decetful Princess Apraxia is often introduced
7, =; ,b,s secoud cycle which furnishes by far the
LARGEST and most interesting part of tine present col
,ection Not much remains of the legends OF 'he
Elder Heroes; and of the third cycle. that OF NOV
gorod we have only the marvellous fables oi VASTLY
Buslaeyich and Merchant Sadko The poems III
general show trace OF literary origin. lucy
Jeal sometimes with witchcraft they occasionally
endow animals with human speech ana in'c'l-
gence but tlIev less remarkable for the nasi-
native quality which shows itself IN popular iair'
tales than for the celebration of deeds OF glgahtc
prowess and the exaggeraton OF naturai powers
The hero of the Cuilina slays whole army WIN
his own hand. tears mighty oaks from the damp
Garth and swallows buckets of W me at drauglt.
But exaggeration rarely degenerates into the gro
tesoue because the song is maintained at high
heroic pitch, and sweeps on with captivating
movement.