Of this collection the following are of interest to us:  1 deg..  Four books of translations, more or less free, of maxims from the Gulistan, entitled Blumen aus morgenlaendischen Dichtern gesammlet. 2 deg..  Translations from the Sanskrit consisting of maxims from the Hitopadesa and from Bhartrhari and passages from the Bhagavadgita under the name of Gedanken einiger Bramanen. 3 deg..  A number of versions from Persian, Sanskrit, Hebrew and Arabic poets given in the Suphan edition as Vermischte Stuecke.

The first three books of the Blumen consist entirely of maxims from the Gulistan, the versions of Gentius, or sometimes of Olearius, being the basis, while the fourth book contains also poems from Rumi, Hafid and others (some not Persian), taken mostly from Jones’ well known Poeseos.[82] For the Gedanken our poet made use of Wilkins’ translation of the Hitopadesa (1787) and of the Bhagavadgita (1785), together with the German version of Bhartrhari by Arnold from Roger’s Dutch rendering.

As Herder did not know either Sanskrit or Persian, his versions are translations of translations, and it is not surprising if the sense of the original is sometimes very much altered, especially when we consider that the translations on which he depended were not always accurate.[83] In most cases, however, the sense is fairly well preserved, sometimes even with admirable fidelity, as in “Lob der Gottheit” (Bl. i. 1), which is a version of passages from the introduction to the Gulistan.  No attention whatever is paid to the form of the originals.  For the selections from Sa’di the distich which had been used for the versions from the Greek anthology is the favorite form.  Rhyme, which in Persian poetry is an indispensable requisite, is never employed.

* * * * *

The moralizing tendency which characterizes all of Herder’s work, and which grew stronger as he advanced in years, rendered him indifferent to the purely artistic side of poetry.  He makes no effort in his versions to bring out what is characteristically Oriental in the original; on the contrary, he often destroys it.  Thus his “Blume des Paradieses” (Bl. iv. 7 = H. 548) is addressed to a girl instead of a boy.  The fourth couplet is accordingly altered to suit the sense, while the last couplet, which according to the law governing the construction of the Persian gazal contained the name of the poet, is omitted.  So also in “Der heilige Wahnsinn” (Verm. 6 = Gul. v. 18, ed.  Platts, p. 114) the characteristic Persian phrase

     [Arabic]

     “It is necessary to survey Laila’s beauty from the window of
     Majnun’s eye”

appears simply as “O ... sieh mit meinen Augen an.”