Of Ferdoosee. 27 
knowledge of the human heart; qualities 
which, as they are rarely found in the compo- 
sitions of Persia, render the genius of Ferdoo- 
see the more admirable. 
_ With respect to the translation of the spe- 
cimens, he has only to observe that a prose 
one has been adopted from necessity, but 
would have been equally so from choice; 
as hethinks, with Sir W. Jones, that a prose 
translation only can give a faithful idea of 
the style and imagery of oriental produc- 
tions. (13) He is not aware that he has taken 
any liberty with his original, except that of 
(13) A poetical translation of the first part of the Shah-namelh was 
published some years ago by Mr. Champion, including the story from 
which the following specimens are taken. Of this translation I have 
never seen more than one copy, and it is, I believe, very rarely to be 
found. It may be consulted to obtain an idea of the nature of the work; 
but is too inelegant to be read with much pleasure, and too loose and 
paraphrastic to give a proper notion of the merits of the original. An 
elegant translation in verse of a beautiful episode of Ferdoosee by Mr. 
James Atkinson was published at Calcutta in 1814. This work is also 
I believe scarce in this country and deserves to be re-printed. It has 
however the same fault as Mr, Champion’s; that of being too para- 
phrastic. Indeed a poetical. translation seems hardly to be the proper 
medium for making known the peculiar genius, and giving a correct idea, 
of the poetical productions of nations, whose literature and language 
have been little studied; as the reader can never be sufficiently secure 
that the beauty he admires, may not be the addition of the translator. 
Thave lately received from the continent a German translation of a part 
of the Shah-nameh, by Mr. Goerres, published. at Berlin in 1820, in 
2 vols: 8vo, bat as this is to me, I am sorry to say, a sealed book, £ 
cannot speak of the manner in which it is executed, 
