the FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY of the regions of Room,* are not worthy, in general, to be compared with the modern poets of Hindoostan; and the onehalf of them, indeed, are not even deserving of their Tukhullus.+ "Now, to prove to you that I am possessed of some little taste in these matters, and have some right to pass an opinion in regard to them, I must tell you, by way of a secret, that I am somewhat of a poet myself; and might assume a Tukhullus any day without being at all liable to the charge of presumption in so doing. The study of poetry has, in many situations, been a great source of pleasure to me; and my attempts at composition, if not very successful, have served the same purpose with me fond of this art, whatever may be our opinion of their success in it."-ED. * i. e. Turkey. Vide at page 263, Note +.-ED. + In Persia and India, those who have the talent of making verses, assume the name (شاعر) ,of SHAIR or poet, and hold a certain rank in society from this title. Such usually take up a (تخلص) Tukhullus, (vals,) or poetical name, by which they style themselves in their poems.-ED. as tossing flowers do with the elephant, viz. to kill ennui.* "But I shall give you a small specimen, so that you may be able to judge for yourself of my proficiency; and you must make all due allowance for what may be called almost a first attempt, as I composed it many years ago, while resident with my friend on the banks of the winding Looni, when youthful feelings were warm and unrestrained. It was written originally in the Persian language, of which my ever-valued friend Omeed Singh was an ardent admirer, and in the study of the poets of Persia he was indeed a wonderful proficient. "The piece is entitled An Ode to Friendship,' and is therefore a very appropriate Kitâu † for fill * The elephant is the only animal besides man that feels ennui ; even in its wild state it may be seen plucking flowers, and flinging them away with its trunk. Akbar the Great in India had elephants that could shoot a bow.-ED. A short piece of poetry, in which the two first lines do not rhyme together, is called Kitau, (xxbö), a fragment; when both lines of each couplet rhyme together through a whole composition, it is called Musnuwee, ().—Compare at page 280, Note. -ED. ing up a corner in your Deewan, or Book of Poems, on that interesting subject." The Rajpoot then recited his poem to me, which I shall here present to you, most sage Wilfred, in an English dress, keeping as near to the original as possible. ODE TO FRIENDSHIP. 1. HAIL, Friendship, sacred balm for every wo! Impart to me thy gentle rest, When golden Summer smiles around, When blooming flowers bedeck the ground, 3. When through the air the wintry tempest flies, Then let us to yon humble cot remove, Where gentle Peace and sweet Contentment live, And there the true and genuine blessings prove, Which sacred Friendship to the heart can give ; And count the heavenly joys of former days, Which from remembrance time can ne'er erase. 4. When cold Adversity, with sweeping blast, 5. And when pale Sickness, with her ghastly train, No XIX. Opinions of Northern Sages concerning Oriental Literature" A Poet's Miseries"-Burmese Scepticism-Story of the Sceptic and the Hebraist-Socrates-Continuation of the Story of the Rajpoot— Story-Telling Debate. IN reference to the Rajpoot's "Ode to Friendship," most ingenious Wilfred, I could not but express myself much pleased with his performance. "You have completely established your right," said I, "both for the assuming of a Tukhullus, and for the passing of an opinion on the subject of Poetry. This is, indeed, a subject on which there are almost as many opinions as there are men in the world. It is almost entirely a matter of taste; and they have got an old and a true adage in Frangistan, De gustibus nil disputandum,'-which means, being interpreted, There is no quarrelling about 6 |