The Kurdish Digital Library (BNK)
Retour au resultats
Imprimer cette page

Mehemet, the Kurd


Author : Chaeles Wells
Editor : Bell and Daldy Date & Place : 1865, London
Preface : Pages : 184
Traduction : ISBN :
Language : EnglishFormat : 115x175 mm
FIKP's Code : Liv. En.Theme : Literature

Mehemet, the Kurd

Mehemet, the Kurd

Chaeles Wells

Bell and Daldy


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.



Foundation-Kurdish Institute of Paris © 2024
LIBRARY
Practical Information
Legal Informations
PROJECT
History & notes
Partenaires
LIST
Themas
Authors
Editors
Languages
Journals