The Book of Good Counsels from the Sanskrit of the Hitopadesa

Title

en_US The Book of Good Counsels from the Sanskrit of the Hitopadesa

Description

en_US This is a hardbound book (hard cover)

en_US Signed by Edwin Arnold

en_US By Sir Edwin Arnold

Creator

en_US Arnold, Edwin See all items with this value

Contributor

en_US Weir, Harrison

Date

2016-01-25T19:28:49Z

en_US 2002-08

en_US 1861

Date Available

2016-01-25T19:28:49Z

Date Issued

en_US 1861

Abstract

en_US I already have a more recent edition using Arnold's translation, with the illustrations of Gordon Brown, published by W.H. Allen in 1896. Here is a much earlier edition with illustrations by Harrison Weir. In fact, there are only four illustrations; they are listed opposite the opening T of C. The most successful of the illustrations may be The Old Hare and the Elephants (87). The seller describes it as a first edition and notes that it is signed by the author/translator on the front flyleaf. Dailey also notes the fine binding by Blackwell. Let me repeat, with page numbers appropriate to this edition, some of my comments from the Allen edition of 1896. This seems to be a good standard telling of the Hitopadesa. The opening T of C lists individual fables. In this version the merchant brings his wife on the second evening of the month of arranged assignations (41); it takes him only one viewing to be greedy to get the gifts that the king gave the woman of the first evening. The crow and the rat walk to the tortoise's pond. At the beginning of the second chapter, Lusty-Life the bull breaks a foreleg. In the story of the monkey and wedge, his tail and lower parts dangle down between the pieces of wood (49). Lusty-Life is put in charge of provisions when the jackals are discovered to be consuming and disposing of more than their share of the kill. This second chapter ends with the killing of the bull. What happens to the jackals is not addressed. In this version, the wheelwright duped by his wife hidden in his wife's chamber hears her praise of him and rushes out of hiding to ask her lover if he had ever seen a truer wife than this (92)! In the third chapter, War, the swan (Silversides) has as his main minister a goose, and the inciting incident is that a crane from his kingdom happens to fly in peacock territory. This crane is sent back as a spy, and a paddy-bird, a form of crane, is commissioned to fortify the fortress. The peacock has a vulture for a minister, a cock for a general, and a parrot for an ambassador. A crow also shows up as a guest at the swan's court. The parrot commands obeisance or withdrawal from Camphor-island. King Swan refuses. The peacock advances rashly against the swan-people, contrary to the vulture's advice. The crane and his fellows wreak havoc on the peacock's realm. The crows are indeed traitors and burn the besieged citadel of the swan-king. The paddy-bird defends the king in the last hour and helps him escape but dies himself. The peacock captures the fortress. In the fourth book, the swan king first ascertains whose treason had cost him the loss of his fort, namely that of the crows. The two kings end up creating a good peace. The inserted verses are done in rhyme. This edition does a nice job with the names of individual animals and towns. There are notes at the back.

Identifier

en_US 5077 (Access ID)

uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10504/80665

Language

en_US eng

Publisher

en_US Smith Elder,

en_US London

Subject

en_US PK3741.H6 E5 1861 See all items with this value

en_US Title Page Scanned See all items with this value

Type

en_US Book, Whole