Legends of lovers are almost as numerous as those of treasure; in
Texas, at least, the lovers are generally hapless and are nearly always
associated with precipitous cliffs. Indeed, legends of lovers’ leaps
principally make up this group. Some well known legends, such as those
about the Lovers’ Leap at Waco and about the Lovers’ Leap at Denison,
have been omitted. Reference to them is made in the bibliography near
the end of this volume. On the other hand, various versions of certain
other legends of lovers’ leaps are given in detail that the manner of
legend growth may be fully illustrated. The lovers’ leap legend was
popular in the time of Sappho (see Spectator paper Number 33, by
Addison), and probably had vogue for as many years before her time as
have passed since. A feature to be remarked about the lovers’ leap
legends of Texas is that seemingly all of them purport to be of Indian
derivation. The state is yet so young that to go back to anything like
remoteness one must go to the time of the Indian—and all legend runs to
remoteness. One need not be learned in Indian lore, however, to know
that in many instances the basic customs of Indian marriage are
violated in these legends; the attributing of his own customs of
love-making and marriage by the white man to the Indian is indeed
naive. [111] As a class, I should say that of all our Texas legends
these of lovers are least indigenous and least varied.—J. F. D.