ly, therefore,
he ought to have the precedence in this investigation. If we,
nevertheless, take up Platen first, we do so because the _gazals_ of
this poet were really the first professedly original poems of this form
to appear in Germany (Rueckert's claiming to be versions only), and also
because they constitute almost the only portion of his poetic work that
comes within the sphere of this discussion. Moreover, the remarks which
we shall make concerning their content, imagery, and poetic structure,
apply largely to the _gazals_ of Rueckert and also to his _Oestliche
Rosen_, if we except the structure of the latter.

Platen became interested in the East through the work of Hammer, and
still more through the influence of Goethe's _Divan_. He at once set to
work studying Persian, and his zeal was increased when, on meeting
Rueckert in 1820 at Ebern, and again at Nuernberg, he received
encouragement and instruction from that scholarly poet. Above all, the
appearance of the latter's versions from Rumi gave him a powerful
stimulus, and in 1821 the first series of his _Ghaselen_ appeared at
Erlangen. Others followed in rapid succession. The same year a second
series appeared at Leipzig;[134] a third series, united under the title
_Spiegel des Hafis_, appeared at Erlangen the next year;[135] and,
lastly, a series called _Neue Ghaselen_ appeared in the same place in
1823. A few _gazals_ arose later, some being published as late as 1836
and 1839.[136]

We shall confine our discussion to those _gazals_ that date from the
years 1821 and 1822, the last series being Persian in nothing but form.

The _Ghaselen_ are not at all translations. Like the _Divan_-poems they
are original creations, inspired by the reading of Hafid, and, to use
the poet's own words "dem Hafis nachgefuehlt und nachgedichtet."[137]
They follow as closely as possible the Persian metrical rules, and make
use throughout of Persian images and metaphors, so much so that we can
adduce direct parallels from the poems of Hafid. Thus in 13[138] we
read: "Schenke! Tulpen sind wie Kelche Weines," evidently a parallel to
some such line as H. 541. 1:

[Arabic]

"_saqi_, come! for the tulip-like goblet is filled with wine." In 75 the
words "Weil ihren goldnen Busen doch vor euch verschliesst die Rose" are
an echo of H. 300. 2:

[Arabic]

"like the rose-bud, how can its inward secret remain concealed?" (cf.
also H. 23. 3). And again in 85 "Und nun ... entr