The Arabic historians relate that many years ago there lived a man of the tribe of the Kurds, of an ancient and illustrious family called Ker Khan. He -was of the nomads, and encamped in the desert, where he was one of the greatest chiefs. God had granted him abundant riches—^great numbers of horses, camels, sheep, and cattle of all kinds—and he showed himself grateful towards God, and appreciated his favours; for his greatest pleasure was in doing good, and he gave much alms to the poor.
Now be it known, the tribe of Ker Khan passed the greater part of the year in the neighbourhood of Aleppo, a charming country where water and pasture are in abundance. One year, by the will of God, the country was desolated by a dreadful famine, and the inhabitants were obliged to travel to other lands for subsistence. Ker Khan was amongst those who left the country, accompanied by the whole of his tribe. They travelled from country to country, and from land to land, until they came to Persia ; and, loving to wander ...
Contents
The Story of Mehemet, the Kurd / 1 The Princess and the Cobbler / 95 The Disputed Maiden / 104 The Invincibleness of Love / 110 The Prince Tailor / 116 The "Wife with Two Husbands / 121 The Tale of a Skull / 128 Turkish Proverbs / 132 A Turkish Love-Letter / 135 Oriental Poetry— / 137 The Bose and the Nightingale / 143 Nuvaz and Bazenda / 164 Love's Power / 171 The Lover to his Heart / 172 The Lover's Farewell / 173 Turkish Love-Song / 174 The Butterfly and the Candle / 176 Serve that King whose Empire knoweth no Decay / 176 The Merry Spring / 177 The Mussulman and the Christian Maid / 180 The Lover's Address to the Love-Letter / 182
PEEFACE
The following tales, which are now published, were translated by me whilst I was engaged in the study of Eastern languages. They have lain in my desk for several years, and I should never have ventured to bring them to the light, had I not been strongly urged to do so by those who had read the manuscript.
"Wishing to give the English reader some idea of the novel style of these Eastern tales, I have, especially in the principal story, purposely retained many peculiarities which may make the language sound somewhat un-English. I must, therefore, claim the indulgence of the public for any faults of style they may notice, considering the difficulty I had to contend with in translating from languages so different from our own, especially as I wished not to completely denationalize the tales, but to preserve, to a certain extent, the strange mixture of rugged simplicity and gorgeous extravagance of the original.
With regard to the verses appended, I must forewarn the reader that I give them only as imitations of Eastern poetry, the metre of which is very irregular and peculiar. Judged as English poems, I am perfectly aware they may be found defective ; but as attempts at free metrical translations of Eastern verse, they might, I flattered myself, be of interest, and be looked on indulgently.
The immense success which attended the publication of the " Thousand and One Nights," which book is a translation of a collection of popular Eastern tales, led me to think that the English public might peruse with interest other Eastern tales. Those which I have selected, I believe, have never before been made known in England ; and the principal tale, which is an Arabic manuscript, has never been translated into any European language.
Mehemet, the Kurd
Chaeles Wells
Bell and Daldy
Bell and Daldy Mehemet, the Kurd, and Other tales
From Eastern souroes
By Chaeles wells, Turkish frizeman of king's college, London, and member of the royal, Asiatic society.
London: Bell and Daldy, 186, Fleet Street, and 6, York Street, Covent Garden. 1865. [all rights reserved]
London: Clayton and Co., Printers, Bouverie Street.
To William Cook, Esq., Of South Norwood, As a Token of Friendship, This Work Is Dedicated, By the Author.
