Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-10-18

fit is probably not worth more than
about rs cents, sandals and cap in-
cluded. The women grind the cereals
themselves in the old-fashioned Biblical
way, between two fat stones, and then
| they bake it in the open, in peculiar
| institution which somewhat resembles
the beds of heated stone used for
clambake in Rhode Island. Their
necessities are SO few that even a we'll
accredited member of your late Coxey
army would deem himself cheated out
of his patrimony if he had to exchange
places with the pauperized Persian.
| And yet with all that the Persian is
as full of poetry as an egg is of meat.
| You cannot approach him without
poetry oozing fairly out of him at
| every pore. The other day l was
watching the building of a little house
| In Teheran, the material used in its
construction being sun-balzed brick.
AS one workman threw the other
brick, he would invariably sing out, in
queer, long-drawn chant:
''Here - brother!-In the name
| of God! - In the name of Ali! - A
brick!''
And then he would change his tune
as he shifted about, and would COM
pose q new litany and q new meter.
One afternoon, riding around in the
environs Of the capital, met poor
| gray-haired fellow breaking stone.
with whom engaged in a haphSzard
conversation. He interrupted his work
and began to tell me of his trials and
tribulations. Every sentence was q
poem. His choice of picturesque
phrases, his happy way of introducing
l L. T. IL
/ Biblical manner of talking in par
| ables exceeded anything one could find
among the most highly educated in
other lands.
| From among the literature of the
street, C., born in minute and dead
! the next-I took the trouble to collect
a few specimen poems as heard them
fall from tho lips of those marvellous
story-tellcrs who formed the subject of
a recent article of mine. The transla-
| ton / made is not as good nor as
smooth as the originals, but I give
them for what they are worth:
No cypress there is like thee in tho meadows;
Like thy checks there is more beauteous
| rose.
Oil happy pearl that licst warm on her bosom.
| With my lips will pierce thee and breathe
love through those SHOWS
| Just an cXtemporaneouslo love ditty, you
see, but glowing and elegant in the
days Of the troubadours.. And here is the
| wall of a modern AndrOmache:
Since thou hast gone from ne,
Friend Of my soul,
What is there left in my heart:
| Smoldcrirg ashes, q Grcary scroll
| Like tho caravan leaves il its track
Note, too, the serio-co1aic appeal Of
| q lover contained III the following:
Why docs the cock not crow this morn?
| Is it because VIC havC not kissed enough:
| To take ones lips from lips that did not scorn
| Were fooliShnCsS indeed.
| o, cock don't crowl
| Here, too, arc a few verses that show
that tho average Persian, although
! uominallV IN orthodox Moslcm. and rs
| such averse to wine, is by no means an
/ abstainer in reality:
| Do not plant the tree Of sadness
! In that heart of thine;
| Rather drink the cup of gladncSS
! Filled with fragrant wine.
Fellow whore thy heart does lead thee,
/ And do not forget;
| Let not time, the 1eeting, grieve thee,
Feel no vain regret
The grape is mother to the wine,
| And wine of grape the daughter;
| While 1 tho mother do decline,
fear I love the daughter.
| These, of course, were but picked up by
me at random, and the chances are thai
if the improvised songs, poems and dit
ties of these strolling minstre1s were
garnered throughout Persia for but
one single year there would be brought
together as interesting a compendium
of the joys and sorrows of life as any
that ever existed. But even as trans
cations the reader will perceive thai
the Persian is a natural-born poet, {
Vil1on of the nineteenth century.
Wolf Won SCHIERBRAND.
Supporting tho National Colors.
Fred-Thcy hold up the rcd, white
and blue pretty well over to Hickey's