PREFACE.

It has been justly remarked that “the literature of a nation furnishes the best guide to researches into its character, manners, and opinions, and no department of literature contains a more ample store of data in this respect than the light and popular part consisting of tales, romances, and dramatic pieces.” The lighter literature of mediæval Europe affords us an insight into customs, manners, and superstitions which have long passed away; but in “the unchanging East” the literature of the Asiatic races, produced at the same period, continues to reflect the sentiments and habits of the Hindús, Buddhists, and Muslims at the present day. For among Asiatics belief in astrology, magic, divination, good and bad omens, and evil spirits (rákshasas, dívs, jinn, etc.) who are ever eager to injure human beings is still as prevalent as when the oldest of their popular tales and romances were first written. The child-like, wonder-loving Oriental mind delights in stories of the supernatural, and the more such narratives exceed the bounds of human possibility the greater is the pleasure derived from them;—like our own peasantry, who believed (and not so long since) in “ghosts, fairies, goblins, and witches,” as well as in the frequent apparition of Satan in various forms to delude the benighted traveller, and were fond of listening to “tales of the wild and wonderful” during the long winter evenings.

The following collection comprises fairly representative Eastern tales; some of which are of common life and have nothing in them of the supernatural, while in others may be found all the machinery of typical Asiatic fictions: gorgeous palaces constructed of priceless gems; wealth galore; enchantments; magical transformations; fairies and jinn, good and evil. Those who think that they are “sensible, practical men” (and are therefore not sensible) would not condescend to read “such a pack of lies”; but there be men, I wot, who entertain no particularly high opinion of themselves, to whom what poor Mr. Buckle called “the lying spirit of Romance” is often a great solace amidst the stern realities of work-a-day life, and, carried away in imagination to regions where all is as it ought to be, they for a brief season quite forget “life and its ills, duns and their bills.”

But few words are necessary to explain the design of the present work. I found the four romances diverting and many of their incidents peculiarly interesting from a comparative folk-lore point of view; and I felt encouraged by the friendly reception of my Book of Sindibád to reproduce them as a companion volume and as a farther contribution to the study of popular fictions. It may be considered by some readers that my notes are too copious. I know that foot-notes have been likened to runaway knocks, calling one downstairs for nothing; but as the book is not specially designed for Eastern scholars (who indeed require none of the information that I could furnish), I was desirous that nothing likely to be obscure to the ordinary reader should pass without explanation and illustration; and since these foot-notes have considerably swelled the bulk of the book and I shall certainly not profit by them, I trust they will not prove altogether useless or superfluous. The abstract of the romance of Hatim Taï—which was an afterthought—and the other matter in the Appendix will be, I venture to think, interesting to readers “of all ranks and ages.”

It only remains to express my thanks, in the first place, to the learned Orientalist Mr. Edward Rehatsek, of Bombay, for kindly permitting me to reprint his translations from the Persian, with which I have taken a few liberties, but had he revised them himself, I feel sure he would have made very similar alterations: I much regret that want of space prevented me from reproducing more of the shorter stories. In the next place, I (and the reader also, if I am not mistaken) have to thank Pandit Natésa Sástrí, of Madras, for his translation of the Tamil romance, which I have entitled “The King and his Four Ministers.” I must also acknowledge my great indebtedness to Dr. Chas. Rieu, of the British Museum, whose courtesy, great as everybody knows it is, I fear was very frequently sorely tried by my “anxious inquiries”; and to Prof. E. Fagnan, of the École des Lettres, Algiers, and Mr. E. H. Whinfield, who has done good work in Persian literature, for their kind investigations regarding an inedited Turkish story-book. Private friends want no public recognition, but I should consider myself ungrateful did I omit to place also on record my obligations in the course of this work to Dr. David Ross, Principal of the E.C. Training College, Glasgow, to Mr. Leonard C. Smithers, Sheffield, and finally, but certainly not least of all, to my old and trusty friend Mr. Hugh Shedden, Grangemouth. With so much help it may well be thought my work might have been of higher quality than I fear is the case; but there is an ancient saying about expecting “grapes of thorns,” which I have made my excuse in a former work.

W. A. C.

CONTENTS.

PAGE
INTRODUCTION[xix]
HISTORY OF NASSAR[3]
Story of Shah Manssur[12]
Story of Hatim Taï and the Benevolent Lady[46]
The Painter’s Story[53]
The Washerman’s Story[58]
The Blind Man’s Story[60]
The Benevolent Lady’s Story[64]
Story of Prince Kasharkasha[69]
Continuation of the History of Nassar[98]
Story of the Foolish Hermit[112]
Story of the Treacherous Vazír[114]
Story of the Unlucky Shoayb[118]
Conclusion of the History of Nassar[137]
HISTORY OF FARRUKHRÚZ.
Chapter I.
How three brothers set out on a trading journey—How the youngest is cruelly abandoned by his elder brethren—How he meets with royal favour[147]
Chapter II.
The hero’s quest of a throne of marvellous gems[154]
Chapter III.
The hero goes in quest of four treasure-trees, and is married to the Queen of the Fairies[166]
Chapter IV.
How the hero pretended to visit Paradise, and caused all his enemies to perish[182]
THE KING AND HIS FOUR MINISTERS[193]
Story of the Lost Camel[194]
Story of the Hunter and His Faithful Dog[206]
Story of the Bráhman’s Wife and the Mungús[211]
Story of the Faithless Wife and the Ungrateful Blind Man[215]
Story of the Wonderful Mango Fruit[220]
Story of the Poisoned Food[226]
Story of the Bráhman and the Rescued Snake[231]
THE ROSE OF BAKÁWALÍ.
Proem[237]
Chapter I.
The Astrologers’ prediction at the birth of our hero—His Father is struck with blindness—His four Brothers set out in quest of the Rose of Bakáwalí, to restore their Father’s sight—He secretly follows them—They fall into the toils of Dilbar, an artful courtesan, who fleeces them and makes them prisoners[240]
Chapter II.
The Prince determines to rescue his Brethren—He takes service with a nobleman, and makes friends with Dilbar’s confidante, by whose instructions he turns the tables on Dilbar, and wins all her wealth and her own person—He tells Dilbar of his design to obtain the Rose of Bakáwalí, and she warns him of the dangers he must encounter—He relates the Story of the Bráhman and the Lion—Dilbar exhorts our hero before his departure[247]
Chapter III.
Showing how the Prince is helped in his quest by a friendly Demon—Marries Mahmúda, a beautiful girl—Reaches the Garden of Bakáwalí and plucks the Rose—Seeing the Fairy Bakáwalí asleep, falls in love with her—Returns with Mahmúda and rejoins Dilbar, who liberates his Brethren, before the three set out for his own country—On the way he is deprived of the Rose by his Brethren, who return home, and by means of the Flower restore their Father’s sight[259]
Chapter IV.
Bakáwalí, on awaking, discovers that her Rose has been stolen, sets out in search of the thief disguised as a man, and takes service with the Prince’s Father, the King of the East—The Fairies build a grand Palace for the Prince, like that of Bakáwalí—The King hears of the new Palace—Story of the Princess and the Demon who exchanged Sexes—The Prince’s Father and Brethren, with Bakáwalí (disguised), visit him at his Palace, and he discloses himself[272]
Chapter V.
Bakáwalí returns to her own country, and there writes a love-letter to the Prince, who sets out to visit her—The Mother of Bakáwalí discovers that her daughter is in love with a human being, tosses the Prince high up into the air, and imprisons Bakáwalí—The Prince falls into a river, emerges from it in safety, obtains several magical articles, is changed into a young woman, then into a foul-visaged Abyssinian, and finally regains his own form[288]
Chapter VI.
The Prince comes to the Castle of a fierce Demon called Sháh Pykar, where he finds Rúh-afzá, cousin of Bakáwalí, a prisoner—He rescues her from the Demon and conveys her to her parents—He obtains Bakáwalí in Marriage and returns with his beauteous Fairy Bride to his own Palace[303]
Chapter VII.
Bakáwalí goes to the Court of Indra, where she sings and dances—The Deity, enraged at her love for a human being, pronounces a curse upon her—The Prince goes to Ceylon, where he finds Bakáwalí confined in a Temple, the lower part of her body being turned into marble—Chitrawat, the daughter of the Rájá, falls in love with him, and on his declining her overtures he is thrown into prison[316]
Chapter VIII.
The Prince is married to Chitrawat, but, visiting Bakáwalí every night, his new bride complains to her Father of his indifference, and the Rájá sends spies to dog his steps—The Temple is discovered and razed to the ground, and the Prince is in despair[329]
Chapter IX.
Bakáwalí is re-born in the house of a Farmer—When she is of marriageable age the Prince and Chitrawat meet her and they all three proceed to his own country, where he is welcomed affectionately by Dilbar and Mahmúda—Bahrám, the son of Zayn ul-Mulúk’s Vazír, falls in love with Rúh-afzá, the cousin of Bakáwalí[335]
Chapter X.
Bahrám is long love-sick, but by the help of two sympathising fairy damsels is finally united to the beautiful Rúh-afzá, and all ends happily[343]
PERSIAN STORIES.
The Three Deceitful Women[355]
Trick of the Kází’s Wife[358]
Trick of the Bazár-Master’s Wife[376]
Trick of the Kutwál’s Wife[384]
The Envious Vazír[390]
The Blind Beggar[402]
The Kázi of Ghazní and the Merchant’s Wife[414]
The Independent Man and his Travelling Companions[425]
The King who learned a Trade[434]
The Hidden Treasure[442]
The Deaf Man and his Sick Friend[446]
The Gardener and the Little Bird[448]
APPENDIX.
Hatim Taï and the Benevolent Lady[455]
Abstract of the Romance of Hatim Taï[456]
The Painter’s Story[471]
The Washerman’s Story[476]
The Blind Man’s Story[477]
Story of Prince Kasharkasha[479]
Story of the Unlucky Shoayb[489]
History of Farrukhrúz[493]
The Ungrateful Brothers[493]
The Three Expeditions[496]
The Expedition to Paradise[500]
The King and his Four Ministers[504]
Bengalí oral Version[504]
Story of the Woman who knew the Language of Animals[505]
Story of the King and his Faithful Horse[507]
Story of the Wonderful Fruit[507]
Kashmírí oral Version[507]
Story of the Merchant and his Faithful Dog[509]
Story of the Woman who knew the Language of Animals[510]
Story of the King and his Falcon[510]
Story of the Lost Camel[511]
Story of the Hunter and his Faithful Dog[513]
Story of the Bráhman’s Wife and the Mungús[515]
Story of the Faithless Wife and the Ungrateful Blind Man[516]
Story of the Wonderful Mango Fruit[517]
Story of the Poisoned Food[518]
Story of the Bráhman and the Rescued Snake[518]
The Rose of Bakáwalí[519]
The Magical Flower[520]
The Prince and Dilbar playing Backgammon[522]
The Bráhman and the Lion[531]
The Princess and the Dív who exchanged Sexes[532]
The Prince obtains a Snake-Gem[540]
The Prince conceals the Snake-Gem in his Thigh[541]
Bakáwalí at Indra’s Court[544]
Bahrám transformed into a Bird[545]
Persian Stories.
The Three Deceitful Women[546]
The Kází and the Merchant’s Wife[555]
The Hidden Treasure[558]
The Deaf Man and his Sick Friend[561]
The Gardener and the Little Bird[563]
Additional Notes[568]
[INDEX.]