MOORISH LITERATURE

The Moorish ballads which appear in this volume are selected from a unique department of European literature. They are found in the Spanish language, but their character is oriental; inspiration comes from the mahometan conqueros of northern Africa and while they exhibit a blending of Spanish earnestness and chivalry with the wild and dashing spirit of the Arab, They Present a type of literature which is quite unparalleled in the Latin and Teutonic countries of the Mediterranean basin. Spain is especially rich in ballad literature, infinitely richer than any other civilized and his countrymen they are styled forms. By Cervantes and his countrymen they are styled romances and the romance generally consists of a single individual. The language is simple; the versification, often artless though melodious is seldom elaborated into complexity of rhyme.