Chapter I: Front Matter

THE SACRED BOOKS AND
EARLY LITERATURE OF
THE EAST

WITH HISTORICAL SURVEYS OF THE CHIEF
WRITINGS OF EACH NATION

_Translations, Bibliographies, etc., by the following
Leading Orientalists_:

IN AMERICA: MORRIS JASTROW, LL.D., Professor of Semitic Languages, University of Pennsylvania; JAMES H. BREASTED, LL.D., Professor of Egyptology, University of Chicago; CHARLES C. TORREY, D.D., Professor of Semitic Languages, Yale University; A. V. W. JACKSON, LL.D., Professor of Indo-Iranian, Columbia University; CHARLES R. LANMAN, LL.D., Professor of Sanskrit, Harvard University; REV. CHARLES F. AIKEN, S.T.D., Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Catholic University; FRIEDRICH HIRTH, LL.D., Professor of Chinese, Columbia University; REV. WILLIAM E. GRIFFIS, D.D., former Professor at the Imperial University, Tokio.

IN EUROPE: E. A. W. BUDGE, F.S.A., Director of Egyptology in the British Museum; SIR GASTON MASPERO, D.C.L., Member of the Royal Institute of France; REV. A. H. SAYCE, LL.D., Professor of Comparative Philology, Oxford University; W. FLINDERS-PETRIE, LL.D., Professor of Egyptology, University College, London; STEPHEN LANGDON, Ph.D., Professor of Assyriology, Oxford University; SIR ERNEST SATOW, LL.D., G.C.M.G. British Minister to Japan; H. OLDENBERG, LL.D., Professor of Sanskrit, Kiel University; T. W. RHYS-DAVIDS, LL.D, Librarian of the Royal Asiatic Society; ARMINIUS VAMBÉRY, LL.D, Professor of Oriental Languages, University of Budapest.

IN ASIA: SIR M. COOMARA SWAMY, Legislative Council of Ceylon; ROMESH CHUNDER DUTT, C.I.E, Author of the History of Civilization in Ancient India; DARAB D. P. SANJANA, Educational Society of Bombay; VISCOUNT KENCHO SUYEMATSU LL.M, Japanese Minister of the Interior; SHEIK FAIZ-ULLAH-BHAI, Head Master of the Schools of Anjuman-i-Islam; RALPH T. GRIFFITH, President Benares College, India; JIVANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI, Fellow of Bombay University, Officier de l'Academie Française.

_Under the editorship of a staff of specialists directed by_
PROF. CHARLES F. HORNE, PH.D.

PARKE, AUSTIN, AND LIPSCOMB, INC.
NEW YORK LONDON

This Volume is one of a complete set of the Sacred Books
and Early Literature of the East, consisting of fourteen
volumes. In Volume I of the series will be found a certificate
as to the limitation of the edition and the registered
number of this set.

Copyright, 1917,
Parke, Austin, and Lipscomb, Inc.

"_Behold I had a slave girl, elegant of shape,
Smooth of cheek, patient to labor._"
AL HARIRI, The Eighth Assembly.]

THE SACRED BOOKS AND
EARLY LITERATURE OF
THE EAST

VOLUME VI

MEDIEVAL ARABIC, MOORISH, AND TURKISH

_In Translations by_ E. J. W. GIBB of the Royal Asiatic Society; STANLEY LANE-POOLE, Litt.D., Professor of Arabic, Trinity College, Dublin; ARMINIUS VAMBERY, LL.D., Professor of Oriental Languages, University of Budapest; THOMAS CHENERY, M.A., Former Professor of Arabic at Oxford University; ERNEST RENAN, Former Professor of Hebrew, College of France; CLAUD FIELD, M.A.; and other authorities.

_With brief Bibliographies
by_ PROF. CHARLES C. TORREY, LL.D., and
PROF. EDWARD H. JOHNS, Ph.D.

_With an Historical Survey and Descriptions by_
PROF. CHARLES F. HORNE, PH.D.

PARKE, AUSTIN, AND LIPSCOMB, INC.
NEW YORK LONDON

"_Let there be light._"—GENESIS 1, 3.

"_There never was a false god, nor was there ever really a false religion, unless you call a child a false man._"—MAX MÜLLER.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME VI

LITERATURES DESCENDED FROM THE ARABIC

PAGE
INTRODUCTION—How the Teaching of Mohammed
Spread into Many Lands and Created Many
Literatures 1

MEDIEVAL ARAB LITERATURE

I.—THE SUNAN,

Or Holy Traditions of Mohammed (A.D. 850-890) 9

II.—EARLY HISTORY AND SCIENCE 33

Masoudi's "Golden Meadows" (A.D. 956) 37

_Legends of the Early Caliphs._

Avicenna on "Medicine" (A.D. 1020) 90

_The Chief Work of the Arabs' Chief Scientist._

Al Biruni's "Existing Monuments" (A.D. 1040) 92

_The First Effort at Scientific Study of the Past._

III.—PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION 97

Al Ghazali's "Rescuer from Error" (A.D. 1106) 102

_The Spiritual Autobiography of a Great
Teacher._

Zamakhshari's "Kashshaf," or "Discoverer of
Truth" (A.D. 1140) 134

_The Boldest Commentary on the Koran._

Zamakhshari's "Golden Necklaces" 138

_Mohammedan Precepts of Morality._

IV.—ROMANCE 141

The "Assemblies" of Al Hariri (A.D. 1122) 145

_The Most Renowned Piece of Pure Literature
in Arabic._

V.—THE POETS OF ARABIA 203

MOORISH LITERATURE

VI.—SCIENCE AND HISTORY 235

Averroes' "Philosophy" (A.D. 1195) 239

Al Maqqari's "Breath of Perfumes" (A.D. 1628) 241

VII.—LOVE POETRY OF THE SPANISH MOORS 243

TURKISH LITERATURE

VIII.—LEGENDS AND POETRY 257

The Queen of Night, an Old Folk-lore Tale 262

The Earliest Turkish Poem (A.D. 1332) 272

Book of Alexander the Great (A.D. 1412) 273

The Loves of Shirin (A.D. 1426) 275

The Book of Mohammed (A.D. 1449) 277

Poems by Turkish Sultans 280

Turkish Poetesses 290

The Great Turkish Poets 292

IX.—THE TRAVELS OF SIDI ALI REIS 327

The "Mirror of Countries" (A.D. 1556) 332

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ARABIC LITERATURE 397

ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME VI

FACING PAGE

The Slave Girl of Abu Zayd _Frontispiece_

The Death of Abu Mustem 42

The Song of Abu Al Salam 210

The Queen of Night 264

The Ancient Church of St. Sophia 320

SACRED BOOKS AND EARLY LITERATURE

OF

THE MEDIEVAL ARABS, MOORS, AND TURKS