The Oriental stories which form the contents of the fifth book are of small literary value.  Some of them read like versified lessons in Eastern religion, as, for instance, “Der Sufi,” p. 111, which is a rhymed exposition of a Sufistic principle,[211] and “Der Wuestenheilige,” which enunciates through the lips of Zoroaster himself his doctrine that good actions are worth more than ascetic practices.[212] On p. 121 Ibn Yamin is credited with the story of the poet and the glow-worm, which is found in Sa’di’s Bustan (ed.  Platts and Rogers, Lond. 1891, p. 127; tr.  Barbier de Meynard, Paris, 1880, p. 163).  The famous story of Yusuf and Zalicha, as related by Jami and Firdausi, is the subject of the longest poem in the book and is told in a somewhat flippant manner, p. 135 seq.  The stories told of Sa’di’s reception at court and his subsequent banishment through the calumny of the courtiers, pp. 123-128, seem to be pure invention; at least there is nothing, as far as we know, in the life or writings of the Persian poet that could have furnished the material for these poems.[213]

In 1882, still another collection of Bodenstedt’s poems, entitled Aus Morgenland und Abendland, made its appearance.  Like the Nachlass it also has seven divisions, of which only the second, fourth and sixth are of interest for us as containing Oriental material.[214]

One poem, however, in the first book, “An eine Kerze,” p. 5, should be mentioned as of genuinely Persian character.  The candle as symbolical of the patient, self-sacrificing lover is a familiar feature of Persian belles-lettres (cf.  H. 299. 4; 301. 5; or Rueckert’s “Die Kerze und die Flasche,” see above, p. 43).  The last line reminds us of a verse of Jurjani, cited by Jami in the Baharistan (ed.  Schlechta-Wssehrd, p. 111), exhorting the ruler to be like a flame, always pointing upwards.

The second book brings another contribution of sententious wisdom, most of which is neither new nor Oriental.  Of Oriental sources the Gulistan is best represented.  From it are taken Nos. 8 (Gul. ii. 4, last couplet), 9 (ibid. i. 1), 41 (ibid. i. 21, prose-passage before the math. p. 33; K.S. p. 55), 43 (ibid. i. 17, coupl. 4, p. 29; K.S. p. 49), 52 (ibid. i. 29, coupl. 2; K.S. p. 66).  No. 47, which is credited to Ibn Yamin, is from the Baharistan (tr.  K.S. p. 46; Red. p. 338).  No. 49 is a very free rendering of a quatrain of ’Umar Xayyam (Whinf. 347; Red. p. 81).[215]

The fourth book offers stories, all of which, except the first two, are from Persian sources.  Thus from the Gulistan are “Die Berichtigung” (Gul. i. 31; K.S., p. 67) and “Der Koenigsring” (Gul. iii. 27, last part, p. 92; K.S. p. 157).  “Nachtigall und Falk” is from Nidami, as was pointed out before (see above, p. 43).  “Das Paradies der Glaeubigen” is from Jami (Red. p. 324; given there as from the Subhat ul-abrar)