The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-03
4, .sd hesr,sels devsticn On ~ ef ne
trsnsietor to the original suthorS III
Of the masterpiece Of Camoens $50 -.
the leisure time that could be ge "'"
twenty years Of much occupied life

Of the masterpieces Of oamoens >bea All
tss ' leisure time that could be stA from
twenty years Of much occupied life
TX. 49,,
Burton's version Of the Arabian Nights"
which appeared In September. 1889 has oeen
tbe subieot OF so much discussion that the
reader will be interested to hear what Lady
burton has to say about It. It was supposed
that there was no room for q new translation.
hut. as matter OF fact. every previous transa-
tion had been imperfect and mostly taken
from Gallande's French version, m AIDE $50 years
ago, and carefully adapted to the supposed re-
ouire m ents OF civilization This. In itself, was
an abrideement. and transformed valuable
ethnogra phical work into u collection OF fairy
tales or the English translators. Iorrens
seems TO have been the nearest to the original.
hut he only got as far rs fifty stories. Even
Lane. whose work Is so popular, has only given
half the tales. John Payne's translation was
almost literal, but his edition was limited to
300 copies and his profession imposed certain
restraints upon him. Burton's object was not
only 10 produce an absolutely literal transla-
ton but to reprod uce tho Arabian manner. He
nr.served the strict divisions OF the Nights"
and kept TO the long. unbroken sentences In
which tho composer INDUCED. Being master
of both languages. no could initiate the rhyth-
milo prose which is characteristic OF the Arabic
Hekept. too the swing and wave OF Arab poetry.
which has been likened for its melancholy to
the sound Of an Eolian harp balanced on
tree branch. The difficulty OF reproducing the
metrical passages which are necessarily intro
duced in tho original narratives 10 due,
among other things. to the fact that an Arab
poet will turn out sentence after sentence be-
fore he comes to his recurrent rhyme.
Referring to the labors Of other translators
Burton used to say that the very point which
would enable one to understand the action
was left out from Q dread Of Mrs. Grundy
Arab ideas Of morality are very different from
European and Burton insisted that. II We are
to understand the Arab and. II the Nishts
| are to be OF any value from an anthropologicai
| noInt OF view, the stories must be translated
upon tho principles which he adopted. He
| considered 1t o disgrace that the rulers OF
many million Orientals should DO as ignorant
OF their ideas and lives II they lived In far
away planet; and he declared that his book
| had been composed for the purpose OF giving
| Englishmen a chance OF knowing how to deal
with Moslems. He maintained that student
Of Arabic who would read tho Nights " with
| the help OF his version. would be competent
| not only to Join In any conversation In Arabic.
but to read tho popular books and newspapers
| and to write letters to his friends. He would
| also possess q repertory Of Arab manners and
customs. beliefs and practices. which are not
found in books. Burton used to say: :" don't
caro- O button about being prosecuted. and. II
the matter comes to a fight. will walk into
| court with my Bible and my Shakespeare and
my Rabelas under my arm. and prove to them
that before they condemn mo. they must out
half of them out and not allow them
to be circulated to tho public" OF
course, Burton's translation was intended
| only for scholars. and was brought out at
a prohibitlve price. A publisher offered 1900
| for Il, but Lady Burton insisted upon finding
herself tho means Of printing. binding. and
circulating the work. Thanks to tho adoption
OF this course. the book brought the author
net return Of 10000 between September.
1885, and November. 1883. 1t was also ar
ranged that Lady Burton should publish an
edition for tho ordinary reader. reproducing
all OF her husbands original text except such
words as could not possibly be put on tho
drawing room table. She was able to COPY
right three thousand pages OF the original
text and only exclude two hundred and fifteen.
She was not permitted to see the pages OF her
husbands book till no had blotted out with Ink
tho worst words. and her function was to SUBJ
stitute not English but Arab society terms
Lady Burtons edition has been stigmatized as
q milk and water thing. but there seems to be
very little ground for the imputation. With
| regard to her husbands original text. which.
as we have said. was designed for the eyes OF
scholars only. there is no doubt that It is often
COARSE and indelicate. and sometimes extreme
ly gross: yet 1t would be mistake to deem 1t
demoralizing in the same way that some
French novels are. What seems to US Its I'M
propriety is. We are assured. only redeo-
ton Of tho naive freedom with which
talk IT, to this day. carried on in the
family circles Of tho East Tho Arabs SEQ no
harm In what we regard as indecent In tho
Arabic Q spade is usually called spade. 1t Is
certain that serious Orientalists were anxious
to have the cal Eastern work. They desired
to know what the Arab really was, and what he
has remained. while tho West has advap ced In
refinement and delicacy. 1t 10 we'll known that
Burton furthersd this desire. not only by the
literalness OF his version. but By . running
comme ntary ana quantity Of notes enabling
the student to read between the lines and
perfectly to understand much OF what he
would otherwise pass over without divining
the Significance. His book has effectually
erased tho popular impression that the
Nights" Is o book for babies. Q classic for
children. Undoubtedly the narratives are full
Of fne character painting. OF rare poetry. and
lofty morality: and yet 1t may happen that az
ter page or two OF divine sentiment the
ladies' OF Bagdad will sit in the porter's lap.
and indulge in facstiousness which would
have killed Pietro Aretino before his time We
will only add that Burton found In Arabic and
Persian sufficient number OF similar tales.
not included In the Thousand Nights and Q
Night" to i'll six supplemental volumes.
Among these outside stories arc two that are
popularity supposed to belong to the Nights. '
namely. Ali Bahia and the Forty Thievss'
and Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp"
A word must be SAID about tho Scented
Garden" a translation OF Arabic writings
which Burton left unpublished and which his
widow deliberately burned. Lady Burton has
been subjected to a good deal OF reprobaton
on this score. Her frank acknowledgment oil
an act which sho deemed best for her hus'
bands memory. was twisted into the assertion
that Burton had been engaged on mos
beautiful and scientific work for thirty years
and had finished 1t all but the last page: thai
1t contained gems OF science and was full Of
transcendental Oriental poetry. and that hit
! ,,ido,y bad hurnal it the day after his death