Symbolism of the East and West

Murray-Aynsley Harriet Georgiana Maria Manners-Sutton 1827?-1898

Sujets

• Symbolism
• Folklore

Informations

• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 16
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

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SYMBOLISM
OF THE EAST & WEST
H.MURRAY-AYNSLEY•
—1^
VSYMBOLISM OF THE EAST AND WEST— —
' the bounded shellAs compressed within
swell,seems to surge andBoundless Ocean
echoes of an infinite wholeHaunting
finite soul."-and murmur through Man'sMoan
Mathilde Blind.
" and yet revelation,In a symbol there is concealment
together, some embodimentsilence and speech acting
infinite, made to blend itself withand revelation of the
it were, attainablethe finite, to stand visible and, as
Carlyle.there." Thomas
"Then knew I that he had given me the symbols of
the four quarters of the earth, and of all the worlds of
the universe the stone for the North, the sword for
;
forthe East, the spear for the South, and the cup the
West."—Fiona Macleod.
' Our spirits have climbed high,
» * * * *
And from the top of sense, looked over sense
To the significance and heart of things
Rather than things themselves."—
Elizabeth B. Browning.Symbolism
of the East and West
By
Mrs Murray-Aynsley
With Introduction by
Sir George C. M. Birdwood, m.d., k.c.i.e., c.s.i., ll.d.
With Plates and other Illustrations
^
London
George Redway
9001STACK
ANNEX
C3
j-75
PREFACE
My knowledge of India began twenty-one years ago, and
almost the half of this interval has been spent in wanderings
over that vast continent, from South,Cape Comorin in the
to Peshawar on our Northern frontier large portion of
; a
the remainder has been occupied in European travel, dur-
ing which I always sought and museums andfor, noted in
elsewhere, any objects or customs bearing upon Eastern
Symbolism. Since their original appearance in the Indian
Anliq2iary much has been added to these papers relative
and Folk-Customs into Folk-Lore Europe.
of results of the present increased facilities ofOne the
locomotion has been a growth of new ideas in various
especially in some hitherto isolated districtscountries, and
;
thereby many curious old customs and superstitions (of much
assistance to us in tracing; the connection between East and
West) are doomed to speedy extinction. No time is to be
wouldlost, then, by travellers who witness and record their
It therefore, desirable toexistence. would seem, most
this thestimulate research in direction, and by publication of
the individuala work like the present, to enable traveller to
recognise any ancient customs or symbols he may meet with.
In the following pages I have to some extent brought
together the results of laborious researches made by various
and featuresstudents, but I hope also that some of the ideas
found be new ones. Their chief objectof my work will be toPrefaceVI
facts, customs andis to furnish a collection of bearing upon
gathered during many journeys insymbols in particular,
invarious lands, and of Folk-Lore in general, as shown
abiding, even in England pro-many superstitions still ; and I
pose also to illustrate this work with drawings of the different
not be farsymbols, to assist those who may able to wander as
the mostas I have done to prosecute further researches into
interesting, but to a great extent, unsolved problem of the
origin of certain peoples and races in Europe and elsewhere.
HARRIET G. M. MURRAY-AYNSLEY.
Srinagar, Kashmir,
September 1896.