Letters and Journals of Lord Byron
Lord Byron to John Murray, 13 November 1813
“Certainly. Do you suppose that no one but the Galileans are
acquainted with Adam, and Eve, and Cain, and Noah?—Surely,
I might have had Solomon, and Abraham, and
David, and even Moses. When you know that
Zuleika is the Persian poetical name for Potiphar’s wife, on whom and Joseph
there is a long poem, in the Persian, this will not surprise you. If you want authority,
look at Jones, D’Herbelot, Vathek, or the notes to the Arabian
Nights; and, if you think it necessary, model this into a note.
“Alter, in the inscription, ‘the most affectionate
respect,’ to ‘with every sentiment of regard and respect.’”
Sir William Jones [Oriental Jones] (1746-1794)
English poet, jurist, and oriental philologist; he published
Poems,
consisting chiefly of Translations from the Asiatic Languages (1772).
John Murray II (1778-1843)
The second John Murray began the
Quarterly Review in 1809 and
published works by Scott, Byron, Austen, Crabbe, and other literary notables.
The Arabian Nights. (1705-08 English trans.). Also known as
The Thousand and One Nights. Antoine Galland's
French translation was published 1704-17, from which the original English versions were
taken.
