Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 6 (of 6)
General
Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 6 (of 6)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
M. Zotenberg then remarks on the missing vol. 4 of Galland, and quotes
extracts from Galland's Diary, strewing that Nos. 191, 192 and 192a, which
were surreptitiously introduced into his work without his knowledge, and
greatly to his annoyance, were translated by Petis de la Croix, and were
probably intended to be included in the Thousand and One Days, which was
published in 1710.
[Section III.]--This is one of the most important in the book, in which
extracts from Galland's Diary of 1709 are quoted, shewing that he was then in
constant communication with a Christian Maronite of Aleppo, named Hanna
(Jean), who was brought to Paris by the traveller Paul Lucas, and who related
stories to Galland, of which the latter took copious notes, and most of which
he worked up into the later volumes of his "Mille et une Nuit" (sic). Among
these were 193, 194a, 194b, 59, 197, 198, 174, 195, 194c, 196. The following
tales he did not use: An Arab story of two cousins, Camar eddin and Bedr el
Bodour; the Golden City (another version of the story of the Three Princes, in
No. 198, combined with the story of the woman who slew pretenders who were
unable to solve a riddle); The Three Princes, the Genius Morhagian, and his
Daughters; and the story of the seller of ptisanne (or diet-drinks) and his
son Hassan.
Further extracts from Galland's Diary are added, extending from the time of
Hanna's departure from Paris between June and October, 1709, and the
completion of the 12th volume of the Mille et une Nuit in 1712. These relate
to the gradual progress of the work; and to business in connection with it;
and Hanna's name is occasionally mentioned.
Hanna supplied Galland with a written version of No. 193, and probably of 194
a-c; (i.e. most of the tales in vol. 9 and 10); but the tales in vols. 11 and
12 were apparently edited by Galland from his notes and recollections of
Hanna's narrations. These are Nos. 195, 196, 59, 197 and 198. M. Zotenberg
concludes that Hanna possessed a MS. containing all these tales, part of which
he copied for Galland, and that this copy, like several other important
volumes which Galland is known or believed to have possessed, was lost. M.
Zotenberg thinks that we may expect to meet with most of Hanna's tales either
in other copies of the Nights, or in some other collection of the same kind.
The latter supposition appears to me to be by far the most probable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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