Bibliography
66. Lord Beaconsfield. 67. To the Gold Coast for Gold. 2 vols. 1883. 68.
Stone Implements from the Gold Coast. Burton and Cameron.
106. Mrs. Grundy begins to roar. May 1882.
In May 1882, Burton called on Mr. Payne, and the matter of The Arabian
Nights was fully discussed. It then transpired that Burton's project was
still entirely in nubibus. He told Mr. Payne that he had no manuscript
of any kind beyond "a sheet or two of notes," [356] and it was
afterwards gathered from his words that these notes were a mere syllabus
of the contents of the Boulac edition of the Nights--the only one of the
four printed texts (Calcutta, Macnaghten, Boulac and Breslau) used and
combined by Mr. Payne with which Burton was then acquainted. [357] Mr.
Payne's first volume was completely in type and had for some weeks been
held over for Burton's return to England. Of the remaining volumes three
were ready for press, and the rest only awaited fair copying. Burton's
thoughts, however, were then completely occupied with the Gold Coast,
consequently the whole project of collaboration fell through. Mr.
Payne's first volume duly appeared; and as the result of further
conversations it was arranged that Burton should read Mr. Payne's
subsequent proofs, though he declined to accept any remuneration unless
it should turn out that his assistance was necessary. In June, Mr.
Payne submitted the first proofs of Vol. ii. to Burton. Meantime the
literalism of Mr. Payne's translation had created extraordinary stir,
and Burton wrote thus forcefully on the matter (June 3rd): "Please send
me a lot of advertisements. [358] I can place a multitude of copies.
Mrs. Grundy is beginning to roar; already I hear the voice of her. And
I know her to be an arrant w---- and tell her so, and don't care a -----
for her."
The event at Trieste that summer was the opening of a Grand
International Exhibition--the hobby of the Governor of the town--Baron
de Pretis, and Burton thus refers to it in a letter written to Mr.
Payne, 5th August (1882). "We arrived here just in time for the opening
of the Exhibition, August 1st. Everything went off well, but next
evening an Orsini shell was thrown which killed one and wounded five,
including my friend Dr. Dorn, Editor of the Triester Zeitung. The
object, of course, was to injure the Exhibition, and the effect will be
ruinous. I expect more to come and dare not leave my post. So while
my wife goes to Marienbad, I must content myself with the Baths at
Monfalcone, [359] distant only one hour by rail" In the next letter
(August 14th) Burton refers to a proposed special quarto (large paper)
edition of Mr. Payne's Nights, the scheme for which, however, fell
through. "I am delighted with the idea," he says, "for though not a
bibliophile in practice (L s. d. preventing) I am entirely in theory."
There is also an amusing reference to a clergyman who after giving his
name for a copy withdrew it. Says Burton, "If the Rev. A. miss this
opportunity of grace he can blame only himself. It is very sad but not
to be helped.... And now good luck to the venture." Later he observes,
"The fair sex appears wild to get at the Nights. [360] I have received
notes from two upon the nice subject, with no end of complaints about
stern parients, brothers and brothers-in-law."
In September Burton asks for the loan of Payne's copy of the Calcutta
Edition (Macnaghten) and enquires after Vol. i. He says "What news
of Vol. i.? I am very anxious to see it, and so are many female
correspondents. I look forward with great pleasure to the work."
It was now understood that an attack was to be made on Payne's volume in
the press. Says Burton, September 29th (1882). "Perhaps it will be best
to let ------- [361] sing his song. -------- has no end of enemies, and
I can stir up a small wasp's nest without once appearing in the matter.
The best answer will be showing up a few of Lane's mistakes, but this
must be done with the greatest care, so that no hole can be picked
in the critique. [362] I enclose three sonnets, a specimen of my next
volume of Camoens, and should much like any suggestions from you. They
are line for line and mostly word for word. But that is nothing; the
question is, are they readable English? They'll be printed at my own
expense, so they will ruin nobody. Switzerland has set you up and don't
let the solicitor's office pull you down."
On October 2nd he says: "Glad to hear of a new edition of Lane: it
will draw attention to the subject. I must see what can be done with
reviewers. Saturday and I are at drawn daggers, and --------of ------
is such a stiff young she-prig that I hardly know what to do about
him. However, I shall begin work at once by writing and collecting the
vulnerable points of the clique. ----- is a very much hated man, and
there will be no difficulty." On the 8th, in reference to the opposing
"clique," Burton writes: "In my own case I should encourage a row with
this bete noire; but I can readily understand your having reasons for
wishing to keep it quiet." Naturally, considering the tactics that were
being employed against them, the Villon Society, which published Mr.
Payne's works, had no wish to draw the attention of the authorities to
the moral question. Indeed, of the possible action of the authorities,
as instigated by the clique, the Society stood in some fear.
Burton goes on: "I shall write to-day to T----- to know how ---- is best
hit. T----- hates me--so do most people. Meanwhile, you must (either
yourself or by proxy) get a list of Lane's laches. I regret to say my
copy of his Modern Egyptians has been lost or stolen, and with it are
gone the lists of his errata I had drawn up many years ago. Of course I
don't know Arabic, but who does? One may know a part of it, a corner of
the field, but all! Bah! Many thanks for the notes on the three sonnets
[Camoens]. Most hearty thanks for the trouble you have taken. The
remarks are those of a scholar and a translator."
Later, Burton sent Payne other Camoens sonnets to look over. Writing on
29th October 1882, he says, "Many thanks for the sonnet. Your version
is right good, but it is yourself, not me. In such a matter each man
expresses his own individuality. I shall follow your advice about the
quatrains and tercets. No. 19 is one of the darkest on account of its
extreme simplicity. I shall trouble you again."
The first proofs (pp. 1-144) of Vol. ii. were read by Burton in October
1882, and returned by him October 21st. In his letter to Mr. Payne of
that date he says, "It will only be prudent to prepare for an attack. I
am perfectly ready to justify a complete translation of the book. And if
I am obliged to say what I think about Lane's Edition there will be hard
hitting. Of course I wish to leave his bones in peace, but --- may
make that impossible. Curious to see three editions of the 1,000 Nights
advertised at the same time, not to speak of the bastard. [363] I return
you nine sheets [of proofs] by parcels post registered. You have done
your work very well, and my part is confined to a very small amount of
scribble which you will rub out at discretion."
Subsequently Burton observed that Mr. Payne required no assistance of
any kind; and therefore he re-refused to accept remuneration for reading
the proofs. Naturally, they differed, as Arabists all do, upon certain
points, but on all subjects save two Burton allowed that Mr. Payne's
opinion was as good as his own.
The first concerned the jingles in the prose portions of the Nights,
such as "The trees are growing and the waters flowing and Allah all good
bestowing." Burton wanted them to be preserved, but to this Mr. Payne
could not consent, and he gives the reasons in his Terminal Essay.
The second exception was the treatment of the passages referring to a
particular subject; and this indicates to us clearly the difference in
the ideas and aims of the two men. Of artistry, of what FitzGerald calls
"sinking and reducing," Burton had no notion. "If anything is in any
redaction of the original, in it should go," he said. "Never mind how
shocking it may be to modern and western minds. If I sin, I sin in good
company--in the company of the authors of the Authorised Version of the
Bible, who did not hesitate to render literatim certain passages which
persons aiming simply at artistic effect would certainly have omitted."
Payne on the other hand was inclined to minimise these passages as much
as possible. Though determined that his translation should be a complete
one, yet he entirely omitted coarsenesses whenever he could find excuse
to do so--that is to say, when they did not appear in all the texts. If
no such excuse existed he clothed the idea in skilful language. [364]
Nothing is omitted; but it is of course within the resources of literary
art to say anything without real offence. Burton, who had no aptitude
for the task; who, moreover, had other aims, constantly disagreed with
Payne upon this point.
Thus, writing 12th May 1883, he says: "You are drawing it very mild. Has
there been any unpleasantness about plain speaking? Poor Abu Nuwas [365]
is (as it were) castrated. I should say 'Be bold or audace,' &c., only
you know better than I do how far you can go and cannot go. I should
simply translate every word."
"What I meant by literalism," he says, 1st October 1883, "is literally
translating each noun (in the long lists which so often occur) in its
turn, so that the student can use the translation."
This formed no part of Mr. Payne's scheme, in fact was directly opposed
to the spirit of his work, which was to make the translation, while
quite faithful to the original, a monument of noble English prose and
verse.
"I hold the Nights," continues Burton, the best of class books, and when
a man knows it, he can get on with Arabs everywhere. He thus comments
on Payne's Vol. iv., some of the tales of which, translate them as you
will, cannot be other than shocking. "Unfortunately it is these offences
(which come so naturally in Greece and Persia, and which belong strictly
to their fervid age) that give the book much of its ethnological value.
I don't know if I ever mentioned to you a paper (unpublished) of mine
showing the geographical limits of the evil. [366] I shall publish it
some day and surprise the world. [367] I don't live in England, and I
don't care an asterisk for Public Opinion. [368] I would rather tread
on Mrs. Grundy's pet corn than not, she may howl on her *** *** to her
heart's content." On August 24th (1883) Burton says, "Please keep up in
Vol. v. this literality in which you began. My test is that every Arab
word should have its equivalent English. ...Pity we can't manage to end
every volume with a tidbit! Would it be dishonest to transfer a tale
from one night or nights to another or others? I fancy not, as this is
done in various editions. A glorious ending for Vol. iv. Would have been
The Three Wishes or the Night of Power [369] and The Cabinet with Five
Shelves." [370]
107. The Search for Palmer, October 1882.
Burton was now to make what proved to be his last expedition. All the
year Egypt had been ablaze with the rebellion of Arabi Pasha. Alexandria
was bombarded by the English on July 11th, Arabi suffered defeat at
Tell-el-Kebir three months later. On the commencement of the rebellion
the British Government sent out Burton's old friend Professor Palmer to
the Sinaitic peninsula with a view to winning the tribes in that part of
the British side, and so preventing the destruction of the Suez Canal.
The expedition was atrociously planned, and the fatal mistake was also
made of providing it with L3,000 in gold. Palmer landed at Jaffa at the
end of June, and then set out via Gaza across the "Short Desert," for
Suez, where he was joined by Captain Gill and Lieutenant Charrington. In
fancy one hears him as he enters on his perilous journey asking himself
that question, which was so absurdly frequent in his lips, "I wonder
what will happen?"
It is customary for travellers, before entering the Arabian wastes,
to hire a Ghafir, that is, a guide and protector. Palmer, instead of
securing a powerful chief, as the case required, selected a man of small
account named Matr Nassar, and this petty shaykh and his nephew were the
expedition's only defence.
The doomed party left Suez on August 8th. On the 10th at midnight they
were attacked by the Bedawin. "Palmer expostulated with his assassins;
but all his sympathetic facility, his appeals to Arab honour and
superstition, his threats, his denunciations, and the gift of eloquence
which had so often prevailed with the wild men, were unheeded." As
vainly, Matr Nassar [371] covered his proteges with his aba [372] thus
making them part of his own family. On the evening of August 11th the
captives were led to the high bank of the Wady Sudr, where it received
another and smaller fiumara yet unnamed, and bidden to prepare for
death. Boldly facing his enemies, Palmer cursed them [373] in Biblical
language, and in the name of the Lord. But while the words were in his
mouth, a bullet struck him and he fell. His companions also fell in cold
blood, and the bodies of all three were thrown down the height [374]--a
piteous denouement--and one that has features in common with the tragic
death scene of another heroic character of this drama--General Gordon.
The English Government still believed and hoped that Palmer has escaped;
and on October 17th it sent a telegram to Burton bidding him go and
assist in the search for his old friend.
Like the war horse in the Bible, the veteran traveller shouted "Aha!"
and he shot across the Mediterranean like a projectile from a cannon.
But he had no sooner reached Suez than he heard--his usual luck--that
Sir Charles Warren, with 200 picked men, was scouring the peninsula, and
that consequently his own services would not be required. In six
weeks he was back again at Trieste and so ended Viator's [375] last
expedition. The remains of Palmer and his two companions were discovered
by Sir Charles and sent to England to be interred in St. Paul's
Cathedral. To Palmer's merits as a man Burton paid glowing tributes; and
he praised, too, Palmer's works, especially The Life of Harun Al Raschid
and the translations of Hafiz, [376] Zoheir and the Koran. Of the last
Mr. Stanley Lane-Poole says finely: It "has the true desert ring
in it;.. the translator has carried us among the Bedawin tents, and
breathed into us the strong air of the desert, till we fancy we can
hear the rich voice of the Blessed Prophet himself as he spoke to the
pilgrims on Akabah."
In his letter to Payne of 23rd December 1882, Burton adumbrates a visit
eastward. "After January," he says, "I shall run to the Greek Islands,
and pick up my forgotten modern Greek." He was unable, however, to carry
out his plans in their entirety. On January 15th he thanks Payne for
the loan of the "Uncastrated Villon," [377] and the Calcutta and Breslau
editions of the Nights, and says "Your two vols. of Breslau and last
proofs reached me yesterday. I had written to old Quaritch for a loan of
the Breslau edition. He very sensibly replied by ignoring the loan and
sending me a list of his prices. So then the thing dropped. What is
the use of paying L3 odd for a work that would be perfectly useless to
me.... But he waxes cannier every year."