What a wonderful ballet might be based on Monsieur
de in Harpe's eighteenth-century poem " Tangu et Felime," now translated into English for the first time by Sir Frank Swettenham, and published under the title of Three Gifts (John Lane, limited edition, 12s. 6d.). It is an Arabian love story—a fairy-tale blended with philosophy, satire, and magic in the manner of the Thousand and One Nights. The three gifts are, a purse which perpetually replenishes itself, a horn wherewith to summon armies, and a girdle which will transport its wearer anywhere. But though the ingredients of the story are familiar the formula is unusual, and the hero is no anaemic Prince Charming. The tale of his adventures sparkles with wit, malice and the most engaging naughtiness, and the end is so perfect that we an partly consoled for the brevity of the whole. A word of praise is due to the publishers for the exquisite reproductions of Marillier's hand-coloured and gilded steel-engravings.
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