The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-06
SOME NEW BOOKS.
Arabic Literature.


allure (Appletons) We scarcely need poin
out that shis was difficult book to write
and that the number OF scholars qualified
for the purpose might be reckoned on tn
fingers. The editor of the series, Mr.. Ed
mund Gosse, has done wisely, therefore
to secure the services of NJ. CLEMENT HUART
sac-atary-intsrpreter for Oriental Ian
ruages to the French Government, anc
Professor at the Ecole des Ldn0ues Orien'
tdles in Paris Owing to the immense
volume Of Arabic literature, the subject
was difficult one to treat within the scope
Of the book before US, even for one whose
knowledge is known to be as wide as II II
accurate Prof Huarth dozen years ago was
sent to Asia Minor to make report on the
Arabic geography of that province, and
he has made similar investigations in Syria
We should note that his manuscript has
leen skilfully translated into English by
Lady Mary Lloyd and that the spelling OF
proper names has been transposed from
the French to the Eng lish system by Mr.
r. A. Nicholson lecturer in Persian to the
University of Cambridge.
I.
There is no doubt that parts OF Arabia
were civilized many hundreds, if not some
thousands of years, before Mohammed.
Especially is this true Of the Himyarite
people, which occupied the southwestern
corner of the peninsula, coign OF vantage
with reference to the immemorlal trace
route between India and Egypt. 1t IA true
also OF the primitive inhabitants OF the
northwestern corner who must have been
powerfully influenced by the Accadian ana
Accado-Semitic civilizations which arose
successfully in Mesopotamia. Then. again.
the dwellers in the northwestern districts
must have been affected by their contact
with Syria and the Egyptian Delta in phar-
aonic times, az we know them to have been
in the Seleucid and Roman periods In
soriptions in Himyaric characters have
been found on ruined monuments in Yemen
and Hadramaut and it is probable that
inscriptions belonging to an epoch long
preceding the Christian era will one day
be discovered by psychologists in the other
sections of the peninsula to which we have
referred The pre-Christian literature OF
Arabia, however, if any existed, has per-
ishei. The most ancient remnants OF the
primitive Arab poetry go back only to the
sixth century OF our era. These fragments
Of poems are satires, sung or chanted by
one tribe in derision Of another. None OF
the prose writing Of pre-Islamic Arabia
has come down to us. If prose was written
at all, it was not deemed Of sufficient import
anoe to merit the honor of transmission.
In spite Of all the efforts Of philologists
to explore the means by which the remark
able medium of expression employed by
Mohammed was perfected, it must still be
said that Arabic literature begins with the
Koran the text Of which. as is well known,
was not brought together until after the
death of the Prophet. The style of the
Koran is not uniform. It's mode of uttering
thought is purely Semitic, and is closely
allied to the long series Of documents ema-
mating from Hebraio sources, which begins
with the ancient verses Of the Torah, which
pass through all the outbursts OF prophetic
inspiration that were recorded in the North
ern Kingdom Of Israel or in the Kingdom OF
Judah, and which, eventually, descend
to the Gospels The sentences are cut up
Into verses, very short verses at first, then
very long. The short verses are the Oldest
though they are placed at the end OF the
Koran. The rhymed prose employed by
the Prophet Is marked by ALTERATION at the
close Of each verse. The chapters fall into
two great classes, according as they were
produced at Mecca in the preaching period
before the emigration. or at Medina after
the Hegira. In the former class OF chapters,
the expression is curt, because the inspira-
ton is powerful and the admiration is pa
thetic. Here Mohammed appears as the
Prophet. In the latter class, composed at
Medina, enthusiasm is chastened. for the
preacher has given place to the lawgiver
and statesman. The principles Of the re-
lgious, civil and penal code of the newly
organized Islamic society are nearly all
contained in the three longest chapters,
which form almost a tenth part of the
sacred volume.
The history of Arabic literature, from the
death of Mohammed to the fall Of the Alb
basid Caliphate near the close of the thir-
teenth century, occupies some three hun
bred pages of this book. The immense
conquests effected by the Moslems under
the Medina and Damascus Caliphates, con-
quests which caused the Arabs to assim-
jlate the Greco-Syrian and Persian civlllza-
tions, gave a huge ascendancy to the Arab
tongue, and literary efforts by men whose
native language was not Arabic were soon
yentured History first makes an appear
ance under the sway of the Omayyads,
whose seat was Damascus. 1t was, how
ever in Persia, after the founding Of the
Abbassid Caliphatsat Bagdad that the ten
dency of the Aryan mind to creative work
In philosophy and art nightly affected
Arab literature stimulating its develop
ment in every quarter Of the Caliph's realms,
and eliminating in the production of an
enormous aggregate Of metrical and prose
compositions. many of which, no doubt,
were lost in the destruction attending the
Mongol Conquest. The chief specimens
have been preserved, however, and their
effect on the Europe Of the Middle Ages is
believed by NJ. Huart to have been far
greater than many scholars have supposed.
II il certain that the Persian influence on
Arabic literature was immense. 1t per-
yades everything-poetry, theology, juris-
prudence Under the Abbassid Caliphs
the Arabs, for the most part. ceased to write;
all posts, administrative, court and judicial
were held by men who were not Arabs. 1t
ia true. of course, that Arabic became the
sole language Of the far-stretching empire
of the Caliphs, but 1t was Arabic spoken
and written by men who were Arabs by
education, not by blood. All races, Per-
slams. Syrians, Berbsrs from Maghreb in
of frin