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Sèh Mardan romance is a version of the Malay prose hikayat Shah Mardan, which is also called, after its hero, Éndra Jaya or Wikrama Ditya Jaya. It turns on the ad ventures of a prince who i.a. in the course of his wanderings from one Court to' another was transformed into a bird. Lessons on religious lore occupy a rather important place in the text. Evidently the Sèh Mardan tale is of Persian-Indian origin. So are many other Javanese and Javanese-Balinese romances and compendiums of tales and fables, e.g. the Tantri books (see 30.290). The Sèh Mardan contains some episodes similar to adventures told in the Javanese-Balinese Aji Darma poem (see 30.401) and the Javanese Arjit} Darma book (see 30.700). The interrelation ship between the originally Malay Sèh Mar dan romance and the Aji Darma — Aijlii} Darma books seems not very close, though. There is no warrant for calling the Sèh Mardan romance a version of the Aji Darma — Arjlit) Darma books, nor for the reverse opinion. The similarities are to be ascribed to common borrowings from Persian-Indian texts. Professor Drewes has made a tho rough study of the Sèh Mardan, the Aji Darma and the A13Ü13 Darma. 30.691 Bagénda Sèh Mardan romance: cod. 2296. 30.700 The Javanese A 13 1 i 13 Darma romance is a version of an older text similar to the Javanese-Balinese Aji Darma poem (see 30.401). In the Central Pasisir districts the tale of the King who understood the animal language was popular. An extensive

poetic redaction was edited by Winter (Verh. KBG vol. 25, 1853). The Sèh Mardan romance has some epi sodes similar to stories of the Aji Darma — A^liq, Darma books (see 30.690). 30.701 A13Ü13 Darma romance: cod. 1794 I-II. 30.702 A13HJ3 Darma romance, edition of 1853, copied: cod. BCB prtf 141. 30.720 In Malay literature a very popular tale was the hikayat Sultan Ibrahim. In the nineteenth century it was repeatedly printed in Batavia. Probably on account of that popularity Winter made a Javanese poetical version in macapat metres, which was published, and another in Indian metres (so-called kawi miriv,), which remained un published. Perhaps the Javanese Sultan Ibrahim ro mance was intended by the Dutch educa tional authorities as a contribution to the supply of wholesome and morally uplifting reading-matter for the Javanese public. There is no evidence, though, that the book was much appreciated in leading literary circles in Central Java. The tale is rather insipid, turning on a righteous King of bjérak and his son. 30.721 Sultan Ibrahim romance, kawi mirirj (C. F. Winter): cod. 2141. 30.722 Sultan Ibrahim romance, macapat verse: cod. 2145. 30.723 Sultan Ibrahim romance, prose text: cod. 2139.