er--His Didactic Tendency And Predilection For
Sa'di.

The epoch-making work of the English Orientalists, and above all, of the
illustrious Sir William Jones, at the end of the eighteenth century not
only laid the foundation of Sanskrit scholarship in Europe, but also
gave the first direct impulse to the Oriental movement which in the
first half of the nineteenth century manifests itself so strikingly both
in English as well as in German literature, especially in the work of
the poets. In Germany this movement came just at the time when the idea
of a universal literature had taken hold of the minds of the leading
literary men, and so it was very natural that the pioneer and prophet of
this great idea should also be the first to introduce into German poetry
the new _west-oestliche Richtung_.

Herder's theological studies turned his attention to the East at an
early age. As is well known, he always had a fervid admiration for the
Hebrew poets, but we have evidence to show, that, even before the year
1771, when Jones' _Traite sur la poesie orientale_ appeared, he had
widened the sphere of his Oriental studies and had become interested in
Sa'di.[79] Rhymed paraphrases made by him of some stories from the
_Gulistan_ date from the period 1761-1764,[80] and, as occasional
references prove, Sa'di continued to hold his attention until the
appearance, in 1792, of the fourth Collection of the _Zerstreute
Blaetter_, which contains the bulk of Herder's translation from Persian
and Sanskrit literature, and which therefore will have to occupy our
attention.[81]

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 o