The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-21

Many Of the Worlds Classics Turned Into
the Universal Language

The number OF translations into Espe-
ranto has rapidly increased in late years.
DIR. Lazarus Ludovic Zamenhof had a great
deal OF difficulty in getting a publisher for
his grammar when in 1883 he brought his
language to it's present state OF compile
ton. He finally secured one in Warsaw.
where he was born. but II was also neces-
sary to have a publication headquarters
more attainable for other works. h
he found still harder. but he at last fell in
with a Paris firm. Hachette ct Gle. who
made the arrangement with him that they
should undertake the usual publishers risk
on all Esperanto works approved by him
under the condition that he should not 80
approve Esperanto works which might be
issued by any other firm.
Esperanto grew in the interest OF the
French people. and a new firm, la Presa
Esperantista Soceto. was soon founded to
produce grammars and TRANSACTIONS and
several monthly magazines. The doctor
would have had his hands something more
than full had he undertaken to read and
edit all the Esperanto works which u
their way into the compositors' hands. and
indeed the Hachette firm were soon COM
PEELED to absolve him from personal atten-
ton to their own Esperanto productions.
They now have abou forty grammars and
TRANSACTIONS which bear the approval. Tit
doctor himself is now the editor OF a maya
zine. La Revue. written entirely in Esperanto
and published by Hachette ct Gle
~Esperantists say that the complete gram
mar OF their language can be learned in
th~ree-quarters OF an hour. which may be
true OF some. but Is enthusiastically hyper
bolical as far as h ordinarily curious are
concerned. At all events. in six months
an earnest student should have assimilsted
enough of the mail vocabulary to read
or write anything in Esperanto. 1t is then
that he wants to try his wings. and fiction
ma turally appeals to him.
So far this fiction is mainly from Rus
sian and Polish sources. Dickens's Christ
mas Carol" and one Of Poe's stories can
be O btained in Esperanto. Mark Twain
has escaped up to date. but there can be
little doubt that his "Innocents Abroad
which is very popular in German and
French. wni be translated into Esperanto
before long if the permission OF his pub
fishers can be obtained.
The bulk of the TRANSACTIONS is. how
ever, classical and semi-classical The
eHI liSrl IhlOWh N AilAN VI
s~peare's Hamlet" by DIR. Zamenhof him
self. Other Shakespearian translations
are ~The Tempest" Julius Cesar and
sAs You Like It." The first play of Moliere
to be esperantized was -L'Avare," which
was followed by his lie Marriage Force"
and dor Juan" Many short French and
English comedies nave been translated.
The well known farce BOX and OK"
has been transformed into Books kaj Koks."
and will be performed in Esperanto at the
coming congress in August at Cambridge.
England. As for poetry. Goethe, Heine.
Schiller, Byron. Longfellow and. Mickiewicz
have been drawn upon freely.
The fairy stories of the Brothers Grimm
are now announced in Esperanto, follow
ing a translation OF eight fairy anecdotes
from Charles P~errault's works. The latter
were translated by a woman.
OF the ancient classics two books OF
Homer's Odyssey" were the first and so far
the only Greek work to be translated.
The whole Of Virgil's "Eneid" can be OBJ
tanned in Esperanto and in hexameters
throughout (but dactylic only, making
the reading somewhat monotonous).
Perhaps the most curious TRANSACTIONS
ology" and Bricard's Mathematical Ter
mipations"-the latter not in reality a
translation. but originally written in Espe-
rauto, and being a sort OF dictionary OF
mathematical words in the form of sem
fenced examples. II comprises arithmetic,
algebra. geometry and kinematics. all Of
the most advanced analytical grade. Leib-
nitz is not light reading at any time and
II requires an enthusiast of the deepest
dye to enjoy him in Esperanto. There is
also a good sized pamphlet in Esperanto
on the Theory Of Ions" which the author
carelessly describes as a sketch, but which
is not to be regarded frivolous@y.