1856.] Alfred von Kremer's edition of W&qidy. 201 



of Arabia and of the origin of the Islam, and like the heroes of 

 olden times, the actors were endowed with every quality which they 

 considered noble. It was during this age that the genealogies of 

 the Arabic tribes were invented or constructed out of ethnographical 

 materials and that most of the poems ascribed to the time of pagan- 

 ism were made. Poetry was in those days the vehicle of public 

 opinion, and exercised the same influence on politics which in our 

 days is exercised by newspapers. 



One of the most favorite themes of the poets of those days seems 

 to have been the history, not only of Arabia but also the sacred history 

 and all history which had reached them. It does not appear that 

 they made many alterations, the shape in which it reached them 

 being fabulous enough for all purposes, but they filled it with poetical 

 effusions. The early Arabic historians quote seriously elegies which 

 Adam recited on the death of Abel, hymns which Noah chanted in 

 descending from the ark, and songs which Kayumorth recited on 

 ascending the throne. 



Up to this day we have two sets of works on the life of Moham- 

 mad. The one professes to be historical, and it would be profanation 

 to read a work like Ibn Hisham in a coffee-house. The other set 

 of works is legendary, and intended to be read before meetings in 

 the month of Eaby' I. and such books are frequently related for 

 edification and amusement in coffee-houses by paid story-tellers. 

 These legendary biographies of Mohammad are usually called Moled 

 *)y°, because they contain more particularly the birth of the prophet, 

 The most celebrated Moled is that of Bakry, who wrote in 763. 



It is but natural that the history of the prophet should have 

 occupied the historical poets or poetical historians of the first cen- 

 tury more than any other episode of the history of our race. And 

 much that was legend in the first century was regarded as history 

 in the second, although the difference between history and legend 

 was even then carefully kept in view. 



In referring to Ibn IsMq, d. 151, we find that his biography of 

 the prophet contains a great deal that has the character of what I 

 called above the epos of the Arabs. Thus in page 106, he gives an 

 account of the death of 'Abd al-Mo^alib, the grandfather and 

 guardian of the prophet, and he relates that he sent for his six 



