You will recognize the Date of my Abode. Two years ago you were coming
to see me in it much about this Season: and a year ago I wrote you my
first Letter to India from it. I came hither from Brighton a week ago:
how long to be here uncertain: you had best direct to Goldington Hall,
Bedford. I sent you a short Letter by last Marseilles' Post from
Brighton: and I now begin this short one because I have happened again to
take hold of some Books which we are mutually interested in. I have left
with Borrow the Copy of the Mantic De Tassy gave me; so some days ago I
bought another Copy of Norgate. For you must know I had again taken up
my rough Sketch of a Translation, which, such as it is, might easily be
finisht. But it is in truth no Translation: but only the _Paraphrase of
a Syllabus_ of the Poem: quite unlike the original in Style too:--But it
would give, I think, a fair proportionate Account of the Scheme of the
Poem. If ever I finish it, I will send it you. Well; then in turning
this over, I also turned over Volume I of Sprenger's Catalogue, which I
bought by itself for 6s. a year ago. As it contains all the Persian MSS.
I supposed that would be enough for me. I have been looking at his List
of Attar's Poems. What a number! All almost much made up of _Apologues_
in which Attar excels, I think. His Stories are better than Jami's: to
be sure, he gives more to pick out of. An interesting thing in the
Mantic is, the stories about Mahmud: and these are the best in the Book.
I find I have got seven or eight in my brief Extract. I see Sprenger
says Attar was born in 513--four years before poor Omar Khayyam died! He
mentions one of Attar's Books--'The Book of Union,' _waslat_ _namah_,
which seems to be on the very subject of the Apologue to the _Peacock's_
Brag in the Mantic: line 814 in De Tassy. I suppose this is no more the
Orthodox _Mussulman_ Version than it is ours. Sprenger also mentions as
one separate Book what is part of the Mantic--and main part--the _Haft
wady_. Sprenger says (p. 350) how the MSS. of Attar differ from one
another.
And now about old Omar. You talked of sending a Paper about him to
Fraser and I told you, if you did, I would stop it till I had made my
Comments. I suppose you have not had time to do what you proposed, or
are you overcome with the Flood of bad Latin I poured upon you? Well:
don't be surprised (vext, you won't be) if _I_ solicit Fraser for room
for a few Quatrains in English Verse, however--with only such an
Introduction as you and Sprenger give me--very short--so as to leave you
to say all that is Scholarly if you will. I hope this is not very
Cavalier of me. But in truth I take old Omar rather more as my property
than yours: he and I are more akin, are we not? You see all [his]
Beauty, but you don't feel _with_ him in some respects as I do. I think
you would almost feel obliged to leave out the part of Hamlet in
representing him to your Audience: for fear of Mischief. Now I do not
wish to show Hamlet at his maddest: but mad he must be shown, or he is no
Hamlet at all. G. de Tassy eluded all that was dangerous, and all that
was characteristic. I think these _free_ opinions are less dangerous in
an old Mahometan, or an old Roman (like Lucretius) than when they are
returned to by those who have lived on happier Food. I don't know what
you will say to all this. However I dare say it won't matter whether I
do the Paper or not, for I don't believe they'll put it in.
Then--yesterday I bought at that shop in the Narrow Passage at the end of
Oxford Street a very handsome small Folio MS. of Sadi's Bostan for 10s.
But I don't know when I shall look at it to read: for my Eyes are but
bad: and London so dark, that I write this Letter now at noon by the
Light of two Candles. Of which enough for To-day. I must however while
I think of it again notice to you about those first Introductory
Quatrains to Omar in both the Copies you have seen; taken out of their
Alphabetical place, _if they be Omar's own_, evidently by way of putting
a good Leg foremost--or perhaps _not_ his at all. So that which Sprenger
says begins the Oude MS. is manifestly, not any Apology of Omar's own,
but a Denunciation of him by some one else: {344} and is a _sort_ of
Parody (in _Form_ at least) of Omar's own Quatrain 445, with its
indignant reply by the Sultan.
Tuesday Dec. 22. I have your Letter of Nov. 9--giving a gloomy Account
of what has long ere this been settled for better or worse! It is said
we are to have a Mail on Friday. I must post this Letter before then.
Thank you for the MSS. You will let me know what you expend on them. I
have been looking over De Tassy's Omar. Try and see the other Poems of
Attar mentioned by Sprenger: those with Apologues, etc., in which (as I
have said) Attar seems to me to excel. Love to the Lady. I have no news
of the Crabbes, but that they do pretty well in their new home. Donne
has just been here and gone--asking about you. I dine with him on
Christmas Day.