lls out to them, and
they haste before asking any questions;
they aid him against his enemies
that seek his life, and they return
honored to their families."

The Arab was the knight of the tent and the desert. His deeds were
immediately known to his fellows; discussed and weighed in every
household of his tribe. The Christian knight of the Middle Ages, living
isolated in his stronghold, was less immediately affected by the
opinions of his class. Tribal allegiance was developed in the first
case, independence in the second.

Scholars tell us that the romance of 'Antar' is priceless for faithful
pictures of the times before the advent of Muhammad, which are confirmed
by all that remains of the poetry of "the days of ignorance." To the
general reader its charm lies in its bold and simple stories of
adventure; in its childlike enjoyment of the beauty of Nature; in its
pictures of the elemental passions of ambition, pride, love, hate,
revenge. Antar was a poet, a lover, a warrior, a born leader. From a
keeper of camels he rose to be the protector of the tribe of Abs and the
pattern of chivalry, by virtue of great natural powers and in the face
of every obstacle. He won possession of his Ibla and gave her the dower
of a queen, by adventures the like of which were never known before.
There were no Ifrits or Genii to come to his aid, as in the 'Thousand
Nights and a Night.' 'Antar' is the epic of success crowning human
valor; the tales in the 'Arabian Nights,' at their best, are the fond
fancies of the fatalist whose best endeavor is at the mercy of every
capricious Jinni.

The 'Arabian Nights' contains one tale of the early Arabs,--the story of
Gharib and his brother Ajib,--which repeats some of the exploits of
Antar; a tale far inferior to the romance. The excellences of the
'Arabian Nights' are of another order. We must look for them in the
pompous enchantments of the City of Brass, or in the tender constancy of
Aziz and Azizah, or in the tale of Hasan of Bassorah, with its lovely
study of the friendship of a foster-sister, and its wonderful
presentment of the magic surroundings of the country of the Jann.

To select specimens from 'Antar' is like selecting from 'Robinson
Crusoe.' In the romance, Antar's adventures go on and on, and the
character of the hero develops before one's eyes. It may be that the
leisure of the desert is needed fully to appreciate this master-work.

[Illustration: Signatur