"Mr. Ralston, whose name is so familiar to all lovers of Russian folk-lore, has supplied some interesting Western analogies and parallels, drawn, for the most part, from Slavonic sources, to the Eastern folk-tales, culled from the Kahgyur, one of the divisions of the Tibetan sacred books."—Academy.
"The translation ... could scarcely have fallen into better hands. An Introduction ... gives the leading facts in the lives of those scholars who have given their attention to gaining a knowledge of the Tibetan literature and language."—Calcutta Review.
"Ought to interest all who care for the East, for amusing stories, or for comparative folk-lore."—Pall Mall Gazette.
Post 8vo, pp. xvi.-224, cloth, price 9s.
UDÂNAVARGA.
A Collection of Verses from the Buddhist Canon.
Compiled by DHARMATRÂTA.
Being the NORTHERN BUDDHIST VERSION of DHAMMAPADA.
Translated from the Tibetan of Bkah-hgyur, with Notes, and Extracts from the Commentary of Pradjnavarman,
By W. WOODVILLE ROCKHILL.
"Mr. Rockhill's present work is the first from which assistance will be gained for a more accurate understanding of the Pali text; it is, in fact, as yet the only term of comparison available to us. The 'Udauavarga,' the Thibetan version, was originally discovered by the late M. Schiefner, who published the Tibetan text, and had intended adding a translation, an intention frustrated by his death, but which has been carried out by Mr. Rockhill.... Mr. Rockhill may be congratulated for having well accomplished a difficult task."—Saturday Review.
Fifth Edition. Post 8vo, pp. xv.-250, cloth, price 7s. 6d.
OUTLINES OF THE HISTORY OF RELIGION
TO THE SPREAD OF THE UNIVERSAL
RELIGIONS.
By C. P. TIELE,
Doctor of Theology, Professor of the History of Religions in the University of Leyden.
Translated from the Dutch by J. Estlin Carpenter, M.A.
"Few books of its size contain the result of so much wide thinking, able and laborious study, or enable the reader to gain a better bird's-eye view of the latest results of investigations into the religious history of nations. As Professor Tiele modestly says, 'In this little book are outlines—pencil sketches, I might say—nothing more.' But there are some men whose sketches from a thumb-nail are of far more worth than an enormous canvas covered with the crude painting of others, and it is easy to see that these pages, full of information, these sentences, cut and perhaps also dry, short and clear, condense the fruits of long and thorough research."—Scotsman.
Four Volumes Ready. Volume V. in the Press. Post 8vo, cloth,
price 10s. 6d. each.
THE SHÁHNÁMA OF FIRDAUSÍ.
Done into English by
ARTHUR GEORGE WARNER, M.A.,
and
EDMOND WARNER, B.A.
February 25th of the present year (1910) is the nine hundredth anniversary of the completion of the Sháhnamá. Its author, the Persian poet Firdausí, spent over thirty laborious years in its composition, only to experience, when the task had been achieved, a heart-breaking disappointment well worthy of inclusion in any record of the calamities of authors. His work has survived the test of time, and by general consent is accounted to be one of the few great epics of the world. Geographically and in some other respects it may be said to stand half-way between the Epics of Europe and those of India. In its own land it has no peer, while in construction and subject-matter it is unique. Other Epics centre round some heroic character or incident to which all else is subservient. In the Sháhnamá there is no lack either of heroes or of incidents, but its real hero is the ancient Persian people, and its theme their whole surviving legendary history from the days of the First Man to the death of the last Sháh in the middle of the seventeenth century of our Era. It is the glory of the Persian race that they alone among all nations possess such a record, based as it is on their own traditions and set forth in the words of their greatest poet. In another sense, too, the Sháhnamá is unique. The author of the other great Epics tell us little or nothing of their own personalities or of their sources of information. Their works are fairy palaces suspended in mid air; we see the result, but know not how it was achieved. The author of the Sháhnamá takes us into his confidence from the first, so that in reading it we are let into the secret of epic-making, and can apply the knowledge thus gained to solve the problem of the construction of its great congeners. To the student of comparative mythology and folk-lore, to the lover of historic romance or romantic history, and to all that are fond of tales of high achievements and the gests of heroes, the Sháhnamá is a storehouse of rich and abundant material. To set forth a complete presentment of it with the needful notes and elucidations is the object of the present translation, made from two of the best printed texts of the original—that of Vullers and Landauer, and that of Turner Macan.
Third Edition. Post 8vo, cloth, pp. xxiv.-360, price 10s. 6d.
THE HISTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE.
By ALBRECHT WEBER.
Translated from the Second German Edition by John Mann, M.A.,
and Théodor Zachariae, Ph.D., with the sanction of the Author.
Dr. Buhler, Inspector of Schools in India, writes:—"When I was Professor of Oriental Languages in Elphinstone College, I frequently felt the want of such a work to which I could refer the students."
Professor Cowell, of Cambridge, writes:—"It will be especially useful to the students in our Indian colleges and universities. I used to long for such a book when I was teaching in Calcutta. Hindu students are intensely interested in the history of Sanskrit literature, and this volume will supply them with all they want on the subject."
Professor Whitney, Yale College, Newhaven, Conn., U.S.A., writes:—"I was one of the class to whom the work was originally given in the form of academic lectures. At their first appearance they were by far the most learned and able treatment of their subject; and with their recent additions they still maintain decidedly the same rank."
"Is perhaps the most comprehensive and lucid survey of Sanskrit literature extant. The essays contained in the volume were originally delivered as academic lectures, and at the time of their first publication were acknowledged to be by far the most learned and able treatment of the subject. They have now been brought up to date by the addition of all the most important results of recent research."—Times.
Second Edition. Post 8vo, pp. xxxii. and 330, cloth, price 7s. 6d.
MASNAVI I MA'NAVI:
THE SPIRITUAL COUPLETS OF MAULÁNA JALÁLU-'D-DIN MUHAMMAD I RU'MI.
Translated and Abridged by E. H. WHINFIELD, M.A.,
Late of H.M. Bengal Civil Service.
EXTRACT FROM AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
This is the book of the Masnavi. It contains the roots of the roots of the roots of the Faith, and treats of the mysteries of "Union" and "Certitude." Thus saith the feeble slave, in need of the mercy of God, whose name be praised, Muhammad, son of Muhammad, son of Husain, of Balkh, of whom may God accept it,—"I have exerted myself to enlarge this book of poetry in rhymed couplets, which contains strange and rare narratives, beautiful sayings and recondite indications; a path for the devout, and a garden for the pious; short in its expressions, but having numerous applications." The author goes on to state that he wrote his book at the instance of Shaikh Hasan, son of Muhammad, "a Chief of the Gnostics ('Arifīn) and a leader of right direction and of sure knowledge;" and concludes with a prayer that it may prove "a blessing to those who are possessed of insight, the godly, the spiritual, and the heavenly-minded, the men of light who keep silence and observe, who are absent in spirit though present in the body, very kings though clothed in rags, true nobles among the people, endued with virtues, the lights of guidance."
Post 8vo, cloth, pp. xxxii.-336, price 10s. 6d.
THE QUATRAINS OF OMAR KHAYYÁM.
The Persian Text with an English Verse Translation.
By E. H. WHINFIELD, M.A.,
Late of the Bengal Civil Service.
EXTRACT FROM THE INTRODUCTION.
Ghiás uddin Abul Fath Omar bin Ibrahim al Khayyám was a native of Nishapúr, one of the principal cities of Khorásan. According to the Preface of the Calcutta MS., he died in 517 a.h., during the reign of Sultan Sarjar. The date of his birth is nowhere mentioned, but he was contemporary with Nizám ul Mulk, the celebrated Wazir of the Seljuk kings, Alp Arslan and Malik Shah.
This edition contains the Persian test of 500 quatrains based on a collation of eight authorities, together with English verse translations.
Second Edition, Revised. Post 8vo, cloth, pp. viii.-124, price 5s.
THE QUATRAINS OF OMAR KHAYYÁM.
Translated into English verse,
By E. H. WHINFIELD, M.A.,
Late of the Bengal Civil Service.
This edition contains 267 of the best quatrains in the larger edition, carefully revised.
Post 8vo, pp. vi.-368, cloth, price 14s.
MODERN INDIA AND THE INDIANS.
BEING A SERIES OF IMPRESSIONS, NOTES, AND ESSAYS.
By Sir MONIER WILLIAMS, D.C.L.,
Hon. LL.D. of the University of Calcutta, Hon. Member of the Bombay
Asiatic Society, Boden Professor of Sanskrit in the University
of Oxford.
Fifth Edition, revised and augmented by considerable Additions,
with Illustrations and a Map.
"In this volume we have the thoughtful impressions of a thoughtful man on some of the most important questions connected with our Indian Empire.... An enlightened observant man, travelling among an enlightened observant people, Professor Monier Williams has brought before the public in a pleasant form more of the manners and customs of the Queen's Indian subjects than we ever remember to have seen in any one work. He not only deserves the thanks of every Englishman for this able contribution to the study of Modern India—a subject with which we should be specially familiar—but he deserves the thanks of every Indian, Parsee or Hindu, Buddhist and Moslem, for his clear exposition of their manners, their creeds, and their necessities."—Times.
Post 8vo, pp. xii.-72, cloth, price 5s.
THE SATAKAS OF BHARTRIHARI.
Translated from the Sanskrit
By the Rev. B. HALE WORTHAM, M.R.A.S.,
Rector of Eggesford, North Devon.
"A very interesting addition to Trübner's Oriental Series."—Saturday Review.
"Many of the Maxims in the book have a Biblical ring and beauty of expression."—St. James' Gazette.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES
1. Footnotes have been moved from the middle of a paragraph to the end of the chapter.
2. Obvious punctuation errors have been silently corrected.
3. The following misprints have been corrected:
"similiar" corrected to "similar" (page x)
"savans" corrected to "savants" (page xiv)
"Rasula" corrected to "Raoula" (page xx)
"ntellectual" corrected to "intellectual" (Ch. I, ftn. 1)
"siting" corrected to "sitting" (page 69)
"amuesment" corrected to "amusement" (page 69)
"Guadama" corrected to "Gaudama" (page 75)
"ocurrence" corrected to "occurrence" (Ch. V, ftn. 1)
"substantinl" corrected to "substantial" (page 81)
"undescribable" corrected to "indescribable" (page 100)
"Pathanadi" corrected to "Pathenadi" (page 107)
"Ooodaka" corrected to "Oodaka" (page 113)
"Rathans" corrected to "Rahans" (Ch. VI, ftn. 2)
"succesively" corrected to "successively" (page 121)
"possesssed" corrected to "possessed" (page 132)
"drunkennness" corrected to "drunkenness" (page 136)
"Tsadoumaritz" corrected to "Tsadoomarit" (page 139)
"Rathan" corrected to "Rahan" (page 142)
"Adzatatha" corrected to "Adzatathat" (Ch. VI, ftn. 13)
"perfect on" corrected to "perfection" (Ch. VII, ftn. 3)
"morever" corrected to "moreover" (page 157)
"eft" corrected to "left" (page 162)
"Buddah" corrected to "Buddha" (Ch. VIII, ftn. 9)
"pracittioners" corrected to "practitioners" (Ch. IX, ftn. 1)
"stockof" corrected to "stock of" (Ch. IX, ftn. 1)
"Patzati" corrected to "Patzapati" (page 208)
4. Other than the corrections listed above, printer's inconsistencies in spelling, punctuation, hyphenation, and ligature usage have been retained.