VOLUME 1: The Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern World (Beginnings–1650) [*denotes complete longer works]
Preface
About the Editors
Pronunciation Key
INTRODUCTION: THE ANCIENT WORLD, Beginnings–100 C.E.
*THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH [Mesopotamia, c. 2000–c. 1200 B.C.E.]
(Translated by N. K. Sandars) _____________________ Text In Context: Hebrew Scriptures
HEBREW SCRIPTURES [Near East, c. 900–100 B.C.E.]
Genesis 1-3, 4:1-17, 4:25-6, 6-8, 9:1-15, 11: 1-9 [Origin Stories]
Genesis 21:1-21, 22:1-18 [Abraham and Isaac]
Exodus 1–5, 6:1–13, 7–12:1–42, 13:17–22, 14 [Moses and the Exodus]
Exodus 19, 20:1-24 [The Ten Commandments]
Exodus 32 [The Golden Calf]
Job 1–7; 38-42 [The Trials of Job]
Psalm 23 [The Lord is my shepherd]
Psalm 104 [Bless the Lord, O my soul]
Psalm 137 [By the rivers of Babylon]
The Song of Songs
(The King James Version) In the World: Myths of Creation from THE EPIC OF CREATION [Near East, c. 1800 B.C.E.]
(Translated by Stephanie Dalley) from HYMN TO ATEN [Egypt, c. 1570–1290 B.C.E.]
(Translated by William Kelly Simpson) from THE RIG VEDA [India, c. 1000 B.C.E.]
(Translated by Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty) The Song of Purusha
HESIOD [Greece, eighth century B.C.E.]
from Theogony
(Translated by Dorothea Wender) [The Castration of Uranus]
OVID [Rome, 43. B.C.E.–17 C.E.]
from Metamorphoses
(Translated by Rolfe Humphries) [The Creation]
_____________________ Text in Context: The Odyssey
HOMER [Greece, eighth century B.C.E.]
*The Odyssey
(Translated by Robert Fitzgerald) In the World: Heroes and Adventure HOMER [Greece, eighth century B.C.E.]
from The Iliad
(Translated by Robert Fagles) Book 18 [The Shield of Achilles]
HEBREW SCRIPTURES [Near East, c. 900–100 B.C.E.]
First Samuel 16:4–18:9
(King James Version) [David and Goliath]
THE RAMAYANA [India, c. 550 B.C.E.–c. 400 C.E.]
from Book 6: Yuddha Kanda: The Great War
(Translated by Swami Venkatesananda) [Rama Defeats Ravana]
APOLLODORUS [Greece, second century B.C.E.]
from Bibliotheca
(Translated by Rhoda A. Hendricks) [The Labors of Heracles]
_____________________ SAPPHO [Greece, c. 600 B.C.E.]
Prayer to my lady of Paphos
Don’t ask me what to wear
Lament for a Maidenhead
He is more than a hero
To an army wife in Sardis
You know the place: then
I have not had one word from her
(Translated by Mary Barnard) CONFUCIUS (KONGFUZI) [China, c. 551–c. 479 B.C.E.]
from The Analects
(Translated by Arthur Waley) [On Confucius the Man]
[On Education]
[On Filial Piety]
[On Ritual and Music]
[On Religion]
[On Morality in Government]
AESCHYLUS [Greece, c. 525–456 B.C.E.]
*Agamemnon
(Translated by Robert Fagles) _____________________ Text in Context: Antigone SOPHOCLES [Greece, 496–406 B.C.E.]
*Antigone
(Translated by Robert Fagles) In the World: Rulers and Citizens JAINISM [India, sixth century B.C.E–first century C.E.]
from Uttaradhyana Sutra
(Translated by A. L. Basham) [Two Ways of Life: King and Monk]
LAO TZU (LAOZI) [China, c. sixth century–third century B.C.E.]
from Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)
(Translated by Witter Bynner) [30: One who would guide a leader of men]
THUCYDIDES [Greece, c. 460–c. 399 B.C.E.]
from The Peloponnesian War
(Translated by Benjamin Jowett) [Pericles’ Funeral Oration]
MENCIUS (MENGZI) [China, c. 371–c. 288 B.C.E.]
from Mencius
(Translated by D. C. Lau) [Compassion]
DIOGENES LAERTIUS [Greece, third century C.E.]
from Lives of Eminent Philosophers
(Translated by R. D. Hicks) [Socrates]
SUETONIUS [Rome, c. 75–140 C.E.]
from The Lives of the Twelve Caesars
(Translated by Alexander Thomson) [Julius Caesar]
_____________________ PLATO [Greece, c. 427–347 B.C.E.]
*Apology
from Phaedo
from The Republic
[The Allegory of the Cave]
(Translated by Benjamin Jowett) ARISTOTLE [Greece, 384–322 B.C.E.]
from Poetics
(Translated by T. S. Dorsch) [On Tragedy]
BUDDHIST TEXTS [India, fourth century B.C.E.–first century C.E.]
ASHVAGHOSHA [India, c. 100 C.E.]
from The Life of Buddha
(Translated by E. B. Cowell) [Birth and Childhood]
[The Prophecy of a Wandering Sage]
[Awakening to Age, Disease, and Death]
[The Path of Asceticism]
[The Search for Answers]
[Enlightenment]
[Acquiring Knowledge]
from SAMYUTTA NIKAYA
(Translated by A. L. Basham) [Sermon at Benares: The Four Noble Truths]
from MAJJHIMA NIKAYA
(Translated by A. L. Basham) [Right Mindfulness]
from MAHAPARINIBBANA SUTRA
(Translated by A. L. Basham) [The Last Instructions of the Buddha]
LAO TZU (LAOZI) [China, c. sixth century–third century B.C.E.]
from Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)
(Translated by Witter Bynner) 1: Existence is beyond the power of words
15: Long ago the land was ruled with a wisdom
16: Be utterly humble
19: Rid of formalized wisdom and learning
20: Leave off fine learning!
28: One who has a man’s wings
29: Those who would take over the earth
36: He who feels punctured
42: Life, when it came to be
43: As the soft yield of water cleaves obstinate stone
47: There is no need to run outside
74: Death is no threat to people
81: Real words are not vain
CHUANG TZU (ZHUANGZI) [China, c. 369–286 B.C.E.]
from Basic Writings
(Translated by Burton Watson) The Wasted Gourd
The Ailanthus Tree
Walking Two Roads
Penumbra and Shadow
The Dream and the Butterfly
Cutting Up the Ox
The Death of Lao Tan
Transformations
The Job Offer
Yuan-Chu Bird
What Fish Enjoy
Happiness
Death of Chuang Tzu's Wife
Gamecocks
The Swimmer
Woodworker
CATULLUS [Rome, c. 84–c. 54 B.C.E.]
2. Sparrow, O, sweet sparrow
3. Dress now in sorrow, O all
5. Come Lesbia, let us live and love
8. Poor damned Catullus, here’s no time for nonsense
51. He is changed to a god he who looks on her
76. If man can find rich consolation. . . .
85. I hate and love
101. Dear brother, I have come these many miles
(Translated by Horace Gregory) _____________________ Text in Context: The Aeneid VIRGIL [Rome, 70–19 B.C.E.]
The Aeneid
(Translated by Frank O. Copley) from Book 1 [Arriving in Carthage]
Book 2 [The Fall of Troy]
Book 4 [Aeneas and Dido]
Book 6 [Aeneas Visits the Underworld]
from Book 8 [Aeneas Views the History of Rome]
from Book 12 [Aeneas Defeats Turnus]
In the World: Death and the Underworld from THE DESCENT OF INANNA [Near East, c. 2000 B.C.E.]
(Translated by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer) THE UPANISHADS [India, ninth century B.C.E.]
from Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad and Chandogya Upanishad
(Translated by Robert Ernest Hume) [Karma and Reincarnation]
AESCHYLUS [Greece, c. 525–456 B.C.E.]
from The Libation Bearers
(Translated by Richmond Lattimore) [Prayer to the Dead]
PLATO [Greece, 427–347 B.C.E.]
from The Republic
(Translated by F. M. Cornford) Book 10 [The Myth of Er]
OVID [Rome, 43 B.C.E.–17 C.E.]
from Metamorphoses
(Translated by Rolfe Humphries) Book 10 [The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice]
_____________________ Text in Context: Bhagavad Gita BHAGAVAD GITA [India, c. first century B.C.E.–first century C.E.]
(Translated by Barbara Stoler Miller) The First Teaching: Arjuna's Dejection
from The Second Teaching: Philosophy and Spiritual Discipline
from The Third Teaching: Discipline of Action
from The Sixth Teaching: The Man of Discipline
from The Eleventh Teaching: The Vision of Krishna's Totality
from The Eighteenth Teaching: The Wondrous Dialogue Concludes
In the World: The Good Life THE UPANISHADS [India, ninth century–first century B.C.E.]
from Katha Upanishad
(Translated by Juan Mascaró) [Driving the Chariot]
HERODOTUS [Greece, c. 480–c. 425 B.C.E.]
from The Persian Wars
(Translated by George Rawlinson) [Solon on Happiness]
CONFUCIUS (KONGFUZI) [China, c. 551–c. 479 B.C.E.]
from The Analects
(Translated by Arthur Waley) [On Goodness]
ARISTOTLE [Greece, 384–322 B.C.E.]
from Nicomachean Ethics
(Translated by Philip Wheelwright) [The Doctrine of the Mean]
EPICURUS [Rome, c. 341–270 B.C.E.]
Letter to a Friend
(Translated by Philip Wheelwright) MARCUS AURELIUS [Rome, 121–180 C.E.]
from Meditations
(Translated by George Long) [To Himself]
INTRODUCTION: THE MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN WORLD, 100 -1650 THE NEW TESTAMENT [Near East, first century–second century C.E.]
from Luke 1-3 [The birth, youth, and baptism of Jesus]
Matthew 5-7 [Teachings of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount]
from Matthew 13 [Teachings of Jesus: Parable of the Sower]
from Luke 22-24 [The Betrayal, Trial, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus]
from First Corinthians 11-13 [Paul: On the Christian Life]
(The King James Version) ST. AUGUSTINE [b. North Africa, 354–430]
The Confessions
(Translated by John K. Ryan) from Book 8: The Grace of Faith: 5, 8, 11-12
THE QU’RAN (THE KORAN) [Arabia, 651–652]
Sura 1: The Exordium
from Sura 2: The Cow (1-7, 67-72, 122-137, 191-218)
from Sura 4: Women (1-2, 11-35)
from Sura 5: The Table (15-19, 35-37, 40-49, 65-68, 75-78, 110-120)
Sura 55: The Merciful
Sura 56: That Which Is Coming
Sura 93: Daylight
Sura 96: Clots of Blood
Sura 109: The Unbelievers
Sura 110: Help
Sura 112: Oneness
(Translated by N. J. Dawood) MUHAMMAD IBN ISHAQ [Arabia, 704–767]
from The Life of Muhammad
(Translated by Alfred Guillaume) The Birth of the Apostle and His Suckling
The Apostle of God Marries Khadija
The Prophet’s Mission
The Apostle’s Public Preaching and the Response
The Night Journey and the Ascent to Heaven
The Ascent to Heaven
The Apostle Receives the Order to Fight
The Apostle’s Illness in the House of A’isha
KALIDASA [India, c. fourth century]
*Shakuntala and the Ring of Recollection
(Translated by Barbara Stoler Miller) _____________________ In the Tradition: Poets of the Tang Dynasty WANG WEI [China, 699–761]
Hermitage at Chung-nan Mountain
Crossing the Yellow River
(Translated by Sam Hamill) LI BAI [China, 701–762]
Going to Visit Tai-T’ien Mountain’s Master
(Translated by David Hinton) Drinking Alone beneath the Moon
(Translated by David Hinton) Sent to My Two Little Children in the East of Lu
(Translated by Burton Watson) DU FU [China, 712–770]
To Li Po on a Winter Day
(Translated by Sam Hamill) P’eng-Ya Song
(Translated by David Hinton) Restless Night
(Translated by Burton Watson) Flying from Trouble
(Translated by Florence Ayscough) BO JUYI [China, 772–846]
Watching the Reapers
Madly Singing in the Mountains
(Translated by Arthur Waley) _____________________ BEOWULF [England, eighth–tenth century]
*Beowulf
(Translated by R. M. Liuzza) _____________________ Text in Context: The Tale of Genji MURASAKI SHIKIBU (LADY MURASAKI) [b. Japan, c. 973–c. 1030]
from The Tale of Genji
(Translated by Edward Seidensticker) [Evening Faces]
In the World: Courts and Codes of Rule KAKINOMOTO HITOMARO
[Japan, fl. 680–700]
from Man’yoshu Anthology
(Translated by Ian Hideo Levy) On the Death of His Wife: I and II
ONO NO KOMACHI
[Japan, fl. 850]
from Kokinshu Anthology
(Translated by Laura Rasplica Rodd and Mary Catharine Henkenius) 552: In love-tormented / sleep I saw him
553: Since that brief sleep when / first I saw
554: When my yearning grows / unendurable
938: I have sunk to the/bottom
1030: No moon lights the night
SEI SHONAGON [b. Japan, c. 966–1017]
from The Pillow Book
(Translated by Ivan Morris) In Spring It Is the Dawn
Especially Delightful Is the First Day
The Sliding Screen in the Back of the Hall
MARIE DE FRANCE [England, fl. 1170–1180]
The Lay of Chevrefoil (The Honeysuckle)
(Translated by Robert Hanning and Joan Ferrante) _____________________ Text in Context: The Song of Roland from THE SONG OF ROLAND [France, late eleventh century]
(Translated by Patricia Terry) Laisses 1-5, 8-10, 12, 14-15, 20-22, 26, 28-33, 38, 43-46, 52, 54-61,
63-64, 67-68, 79-80, 83-84, 86-87, 89, 91-93, 104, 110, 112, 128-136,
140, 142, 145, 147-150, 156, 160-164, 168-172, 174, 176, 204-205, 213-214
In the World: The Crusades: War and Faith in the Middle Ages ROBERT THE MONK [b. France, fl. 1095]
Pope Urban II’s Call to the First Crusade
(Translated by Frederic Austin Ogg) from HISTORY OF THE FIRST CRUSADE [France, early twelfth century]
(Translated by James B. Ross) [The First Contact of Crusaders and Turks]
IBN AL-ATHIR [Mesopotamia, 1160–1233]
from The Collection of Histories
(Translated by Francesco Gabrieli. Translated from the Italian by E. J. Costello) [The Battle of Hittin]
[Jerusalem Reconquered]
_____________________ FARID UD-DIN ATTAR [b. Iran, c. 1145–1221]
from The Conference of the Birds
(Translated by Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis) _____________________ In the Tradition: Andalusian and European Love Lyrics IBN HAZM [b. Andalusia (Spain), 994–1064]
from The Dove’s Necklace
(Translated by A.J. Arberry) My Beloved Comes
(Translated by Cola Franzen) IBN ZAYDUN [b. Andalusia (Spain), 1004–1070]
Written from al-Zahra’
(Translated by Cola Franzen) JUDAH HA-LEVI [b. Andalusia (Spain), 1075-1141]
The Apple
(Translated by David Goldstein) GUILLAUME IX, DUKE OF AQUITAINE [b. Provence (France), 1071–1127]
My companions, I am going to make a
vers that is refined
Now when we see the meadows once again
(Translated by Frederick Goldin) MARCABRU [Provence (France), fl. 1129–1150]
By the fountain in the orchard
(Translated by Frederick Goldin) COUNTESS OF DIA [Provence (France), fl. 1160]
Of things I’d rather keep in silence I must sing
(Translated by Magda Bogin) FRANCESCO PETRARCH [b. Italy, 1304–1374]
from Canzoniere
(Translated by Patricia Clark Smith) 1. Oh you, who in these scattered rhymes may find
3. It was the very day the sun’s own light
90. Sometimes she’d comb her yellow braids out loose
292. Those eyes I raved about in ardent rhyme
333. Go forth, my elegies, to that hard stone
SIR THOMAS WYATT [b. England, 1503–1542]
Whoso List to Hunt
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE [b. England, 1564–1616]
Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Sonnet 129: Th’expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Sonnet 130: My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun
_____________________ Text in Context: The Inferno DANTE ALIGHIERI [b. Italy, 1265–1321]
*The Inferno
(Translated by Robert Pinsky) In the World: Dante and the Medieval World Picture from THE APOCALYPSE OF PAUL [Greece, fourth century]
(Translated by J. K. Elliott) BOETHIUS [b. Rome, 480–526]
The Consolation of Philosophy
(Translated by Richard Green) from Book I
from THE BOOK OF MUHAMMAD’S LADDER [Arabia, ninth century]
(Translated by Reginald Hyatte) Chapters 10, 11, 72, 73, 74, and 79
_____________________ GEOFFREY CHAUCER [b. England, c. 1340–1400]
from The Canterbury Tales
(Translated by Theodore Morrison) General Prologue
The Wife of Bath’s Prologue
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
_____________________ Text in Context: Utopia SIR THOMAS MORE [b. England, 1478–1535]
Utopia
(Translated by Clarence H. Miller) from Book 2
In the World: Varieties of Humanism IBN KHALDUN [b. North Africa, 1332–1406]
Il Muqaddimah
(Translated by Franz Rosenthal) from Chapter 3
GIOVANNI PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA [b. Italy, 1463–1494]
from On the Dignity of Man
(Translated by Charles Glenn Wallis) NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI [b. Italy, 1469–1527]
from The Prince
(Translated by Allan H. Gilbert) MARTIN LUTHER [b. Germany, 1483–1546]
Speech at the Diet of Worms
(Translated by Roger A. Hornsby) [Here I Stand]
_____________________ MICHEL EYQUEM DE MONTAIGNE [b. France, 1533–1592]
from Essays
(Translated by Donald M. Frame) Of Cannibals
MIGUEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA [b. Spain, 1547–1616]
from Don Quixote
(Translated by Edith Grossman) Part I: Chapters 1-8
_____________________ Text in Context: The Tempest WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE [b. England, 1564–1616]
*The Tempest
In the World: O Brave New World! CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS [b. Italy, 1451–1506]
from Diario
(Translated by Robert H. Fuson) BARTOLOMÉ DE LAS CASAS [b. Spain, 1484–1566]
from The History of the Indies
(Translated by George Sanderlin) HERNÁN CORTÉS [b. Spain, 1485–1547]
Letters from Mexico
(Translated by Anthony Pagden) from The Second Letter
CODEX FLORENTINO [Mexico, 1580]
from The Conquest of Mexico
(Translated by Angel Maria Garibay K. and Lysander Kemp) _____________________ Glossary of Literary and Critical Terms
Index