While engaged upon this little mosaic work of legend and fable, I felt
much like one of those merchants told of in Sindbad's Second Voyage,
who were obliged to content themselves with gathering the small jewels
adhering to certain meat which eagles brought up from the Valley of
Diamonds. I have had to depend altogether upon the labor of translators
for my acquisitions; and these seemed too small to deserve separate
literary setting. By cutting my little gems according to one pattern,
I have doubtless reduced the beauty of some; yet it seemed to me their
colors were so weird, their luminosity so elfish, that their intrinsic
value could not be wholly destroyed even by so clumsy an artificer as I.
In short, these fables, legends, parables, etc., are simply
reconstructions of what impressed me as most fantastically beautiful
in the most exotic literature which I was able to obtain. With few
exceptions, the plans of the original narratives have been preserved.
Sometimes I have added a little, sometimes curtailed; but the
augmentations were generally made with material drawn from the same
source as the legend, while the abbreviations were effected either with
a view to avoid repetition, or through the necessity of suppressing
incidents unsuited to the general reading. I must call special
attention to certain romantic liberties or poetic licenses which I have
taken.
In the Polynesian story ("The Fountain Maiden") I have considerably
enlarged upon the legend, which I found in Gill's _Myths and Songs
of the South Pacific_--a curious but inartistic book, in which much
admirable material has been very dryly handled. In another portion of
Mr. Gill's book I found the text and translation of the weird "Thieves'
Song"; and conceived the idea of utilizing it in the story, with some
fanciful changes. The Arabic "Legend of Love" is still more apocryphal,
as it consists of fragmentary Arabian stories, borrowed from De
Stendhal's _L'Amour_, and welded into one narrative.
In the Rabbinical legends I have often united several incidents related
about one personage in various of the Talmudic treatises; but this
system is sufficiently specified by references to the _Gemara_ in the
text. By consulting the indices attached to Hershon's _Miscellany_, and
Schwab's translations of the Jerusalem Talmud, it was easy to collect a
number of singular traditions attaching to one distinguished Rabbi, and
to unite these into a narrative. Finally, I must confess that the story
of "Natalika" was not drawn directly from Ferista, or Fihristah, but
from Jacolliot, a clever writer, but untrustworthy Orientalist, whose
books have little serious value. Whether true or false, however, the
legend of the statue seemed to me too pretty to overlook.
In one case only have I made a veritable translation from the French.
Léouzon Le Duc's literal version of the "Kalewala" seemed to me
the most charming specimen of poetical prose I had met with among
translations. I selected three incidents, and translated them almost
word for word.
Nearly all of the Italic texts, although fancifully arranged, have
been drawn from the literatures of those peoples whose legends they
introduce. Many phrases were obtained from that inexhaustible treasury
of Indian wisdom, the _Pantchatantra_; others from various Buddhist
works. The introductory text of the piece, entitled "The King's
Justice," was borrowed from the Persian _Mantic Uttaïr_, of Farid Uddin
Attar; and the text at the commencement of the Buddhist Parable (which
was refashioned after a narrative in Stanislas Julien's _Avadanas_)
was taken from the _Dhammapada._ The briefer stories, I think, have
generally suffered less at my hands than the lengthier ones. That
wonderful Egyptian romance about the Book of Thoth is far more striking
in Maspéro's French translations from the original papyrus; but the
Egyptian phrases are often characterized by a nakedness rather more
startling than that of the dancing girls in the mural paintings....
Upon another page will be found a little bibliography of nearly all the
sources whence I have drawn my material. Some volumes are mentioned
only because they gave me one or two phrases. Thus, I borrowed
expressions or ideas from "Amarou," from Fauche's translation of the
_Ritou Sanhara_, and especially from the wealth of notes to Chézy's
superb translation of _Sacountala._
This little collection has no claim upon the consideration of scholars.
It is simply an attempt to share with the public some of those novel
delights I experienced while trying to familiarize myself with some
very strange and beautiful literatures.
During its preparation two notable works have appeared with a partly
similar purpose: Helen Zimmern's _Epic of Kings_, and Edwin Arnold's
_Rosary of Islam._ In the former we have a charming popular version of
Firdusi, and upon the latter are exquisitely strung some of the fairest
pearls of the "Mesnewi." I hope my far less artistic contribution to
the popularization of unfamiliar literature may stimulate others to
produce something worthier than I can hope to do. My gems were few
and small: the monstrous and splendid await the coming of Sindbad, or
some mighty lapidary by whom they may be wrought into jewel bouquets
exquisite as those bunches of topaz blossoms and ruby buds laid upon
the tomb of Nourmahal.