of his original poems which are Oriental in origin or
subject-matter. A discussion of the numerous translations cannot be
undertaken in the limited space at our disposal.

Like Goethe and Platen, Rueckert also owed to Hammer the impulse to
Oriental study. His meeting with the famous Orientalist at Vienna, in
1818,[145] decided his future career. He at once took up the study of
Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit, and with such success that in a few years
he became one of the foremost Orientalists in Europe.

The first fruit of these studies were the _Gaselen_ which appeared in
the _Taschenbuch fuer Damen_, 1821, the first poems of this form in
German literature.[146] They have been generally regarded as
translations from the _divan_ of Rumi, but this is true of only a
limited number; and even these were probably not taken directly from the
Persian, but from the versions given by Hammer in his _Redekuenste_.[147]
As a matter of fact, only twenty-eight--less than one-half of the
_Gaselen_,--can be identified with originals in Hammer's book, and a
comparison of these with their models shows with what freedom the latter
were handled.[148] Furthermore in the opening poem, (a version of _Red._
p. 187, "So lang die Sonne") the last couplet:

Dschelaleddin nennt sich das Licht im Ost,
Dess Wiederschein euch zeiget mein Gedicht,

is original with Rueckert, and clearly shows that he himself did not
pretend to offer real translations. The majority of poems are simply
original _gazals_ in Rumi's manner.

Dschelaleddin, im Osten warst du der Salbenhaendler,
Ich habe nun die Bude im Westen aufgeschlagen.[149]

These lines, we believe, define very well the attitude which the poet of
the West assumed toward his mystic brother in the East.

* * * * *

The series of _Ghaselen_ signed Freimund and dated 1822 (third series in
our edition) are not characteristically Persian. Hence we proceed at
once to a consideration of the fourth series (p. 253 seq.), which we
shall discuss together with the poems collected under the title of
_Oestliche Rosen_ (p. 289 seq.) from which they differ in nothing but the
form. They were, besides, a part of the _Oestliche Rosen_ as published
originally at Leipzig, 1822.

These poems are free reproductions or variations of Hafizian themes and
motives. The spirit of revelry and intoxication finds here a much wilder
and more bacchanalian expression than in the _Div