The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-19

race. and to-day gentlemen who gliby recite
the tuneiul auatrains in which Fitzgerald
rhymed so many things old Omar did not
write. confess 10 polite acquaintance with the
epigrams and anecdotes Of the shrewd old
sage who. after an adventurous life
time spent In wandering through India.
Arabia and Africa. came back to his
native Shiraz. and. sitting beneath the rose
trees OF his garden. com posed the work that |
made his name immortal. Many writer's have |
paraphrased and translated his moral and
philosophic preoep,s. and the latest version
comes to us in the form OF rendering Of the
first four Babs or 'Gateways" THE Guistan."
published by Messrs. Harpers and translated.
in prose and verse; by Sir Edwin Arnold. X.
@. /. T.. CS. l., &c.
The distin guished author OF The Light OF
Asia" as Orientalist. editorial writer for the
London Daily Telegraph. and chief purveyor OF
that noble style Of English known to the
world az "Telographsse." Is essentially
a British Institution. He ia as essen
TALLY British and as essentially an
Institution as. the Crystal Palace. and
the lustre Of his literary fame is
perhaps only comparable to the glory
OF the evening sunbeam when 1t strikes
upon that Rttering plate glass dome while
his Oriental lore and the sweetness OF his Anglo
Eastern lays are priced as highly by the British
householder as is the Liberty stair carpet with
which that worthy person lends to his modest
suburban homo touch OF tho barbarc snen-
OF the East Twice. and sometimes three
times week. In the columns OF the London
newspapers OF which he Is the chief literary
ornament. Sir Edwin comments with dlgni-
fed sportiveness and in the choicest telegraph
ese. upon the lighter happenings OF the day.
something In this manner
How was it that our Shakespeare know everything
tbaa .,t - nnhn ,tap
He makes one of his characters say: Thunder shall
not stir the beds of cels." 80. and lately. at
Sandwich. thousands of dead cells have been found
floating in the Deli stream that town. after the
recent thundersorms Are they so sensitive and is
that why there electric eels9 1t is very curious
We would not have the reader imagine that
there Is any mention OF slectore cells in Sadi's
Rose Garden: the foregoing extract being
| merely taken from recent number OF the
newspaper as fair sample OF the dignined
translator's lighter and more Geographic man
ner; not as q specimen OF his experiments In
| the Eastern vein. From this kind OF thing to
the Rose Garden +" is n far cry. and II seems
| to be not without reason that In his introduce
| tion to the volume under notice Sir Edwin
| says. "Of late. when have wished-in my
| studies and among my booKs-to take refuge
| from politics and bodily pain. and that ocean
| OF careless and worthless written work. upon
which float the scattered islands that are fair
| and good In current literature. l have betaken
m self to good old Sadi. and especially to his
| Gulistan."
| The ancient Shaikh. WHO'S here not inaptly
described as the Horace and the Marco Polo OF
| the East met with many strange adventures
in histravels and II half the legendary tales Of
| him are true. he should have been well content
| at the close OF life. to exchange the hazards of
the road for the quiet shelter OF his garden and
| the friendship and protection OF the reigning
| Sultan. A taste for phiosophic investigation
and an enquiring habit OF mind often took him
into dangerous places and are said to have led
on ono occasion. to his being unceremonlously
| prodded In the back by tho spear head OF an
| irate Christian soldier and on another to his
| narrowly escaping death at the hands OF an in
dignant Wuzeer whom he interrupted in the
| course OF the performance Of a spurious mir
| acle. Another story told by some chroricers
| seems to show that the philosopher sometimes
cultivated his philosophy at the expense Of his
| courage: as. on one occasion. when attacked
| by a small hand OF robbers. he is said to have
| shown a remarkably agile pair OF heels to
| the marauders. while philosophically leav-
ing his comrades to look out for them
selves. This. however. 10 not mentioned by
| the present translator. and the story Ia doubt
| less no trucr than 1t need be. 1t is not to be
| forgotten that tho ancient sage was born ut the
| close Of the Twelfth Century and hence his
journeys. as Sir Edwin sapienty observes.
were undertaken when travel was rugged
work. and when Messrs. Cook & Son and Pull
man cars did not exist"
As for the Gulstdn ITSELF which Is n collec-
ton of anecdotes. epgrams and philosophic
precepts written in alternate prose and verse
so simple. sweet and subtle as to have gained
for the author the titles OF 1.-THE nightingale OF
the groves OF Shiraz" and the brightest orna
ment OF Persia, the matchess possessor OF
piety, genius and learning" 1t is here de-
scribed by Sir Edwin in a characteristic Anglo
Oriental passage. Tho GuliStdn Is a sort
OF intellectual rillau: a literary curry; a
kabab OF versatile genius. where grave
and gay. humor and wisdom. laughter and
tears are threaded together on the skewer
OF wit. and spiced by q soft worldliness
| and gentle stoicism that makes the dish
| irresistible. however. faded may be the mental
appetite" Here 10 one Of the shorter stories
| from the chapter entitled Tho Manner oil
Kings"
"Of a kings son heard who was small in
stature and plain featured. whereas his
brothers we're goody In height and counte.
| nance. On a certain occasion his father
CHANGING to look at him with dislike and
aversion. tho son had insight to perceive
this. and said: "Ah. my father! little mar
who is wise counts for more than a long man
who is foolish. Not everything which 10 big ID
good"
Some Of the poetic couplets. OF many OF which
Sir Edwin says that. in the original Persian
the natural music blends like the breeze in the
rose bushes with the murmurs OF the garden
stream. are thus rendered:
| Came It to your ears to hear
What the thin philosopher
One day in his wisdom said
To aproud. fat puddinC'hesd'
, Friend" quoth he IAN Arab steed.
Though no should be lean indeed.
BY his quality surpasses
Ali . stableful OF asses"
A characteristic story 10 this Of the sooth
sayer and the man OF sense.
"A Manvdmi-a soothsayer-entering unex
pectedly into his house. found a strange mar
there. sitting with his wife. whereat he Git
NIGHTLY abuse tho man. and spake wild words