SERVIAN POPULAR POETRY, 366.—­Only recently known, 367.—­Characteristics, the Gusle, 369.—­Cheerfulness, 369.—­Roguery, 370.—­Passion, 371.—­Parting Lovers, 371.—­Rendezvous, St. George’s Day, 372.—­United in Death, 373.—­Household Matters, 374.—­Heroic poems, 374.—­Ravens ill boding, 376.—­Subjects, 377.—­Rite of brotherhood, 378.—­Modern heroic poems, 379.—­Vuk Stephanovitch as collector, 381.—­Music, the Gusle, 382.—­In what parts of the country prevalent, 383.—­BULGARIAN Ballads, 383—­The Slave Gangs, 384.

POPULAR POETRY OF THE SLOVENZI, 384.—­The Dovelet, 385.

WESTERN SLAVI.

BOHEMIAN POPULAR POETRY, 386.—­Ancient Bohemian songs compared with
Servian and Russian ballads, 386.—­German, influence, 388.—­The
Forsaken Maiden, 389.—­Liberal Pay, 389.—­Happy Death, The Lying
Bird, 300.—­The Dead Love, 391.

SLOVAKIAN Ballads, 392.—­The Mother’s Curse, 392—­Sun and Moon, 394.

POLISH POPULAR POETRY, 394.—­Formerly neglected, 395—­Ancient hymn, 396.—­Ballads, characteristics, 396.—­Invasion of the Tartars, 397.—­Orphan ballads, 399.—­Poor Orphan Child, 399.

POPULAR POETRY OF THE VENDES, 400.—­Characteristics, 401.—­The Orphan’s Lament, 401.—­Good Advice for Lads, 402.—­Dying out, 404.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS, 405.

INDEX OF SLAVIC AUTHORS, 407.

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NOTE.

On the Orthography and Pronunciation of Slavic proper names, see the note on p. 151; also the note under the letter V in the Index.

* * * * *

HISTORICAL SKETCH.

INTRODUCTION.

The earliest history of the Slavic nations is involved in a darkness, which all the investigations of diligent and sagacious modern historians and philologians have not been able to clear up.  The analogy between their language and the Sanscrit, seems to indicate their origin from India; but to ascertain the time at which they first entered Europe, is now no longer possible.  Probably this event took place seven or eight centuries before the Christian era, on account of the over-population of the regions on the Ganges.[1] Herodotus mentions a people which he called Krovyzi, who lived on the Ister.  There is even now a tribe in Russia, whose name at least is almost the same.[2] Strabo, Pomponius Mela, Pliny, Tacitus, and several other classical and a few oriental writers, allude to the Slavic nations occasionally.  But the first distinct intelligence we have of them, is not older than the middle of the sixth century.[3] At this period we see them traversing the Danube in large multitudes, and settling on both the banks of that river.  From that time they appear frequently in the accounts