from monstrosities; misshapen divinities shocked his aesthetic sense.

The first time that Goethe's attention was turned seriously to Eastern
literature was in 1791, when, through Herder's efforts, he made the
acquaintance of Kālidāsa's dramatic masterpiece _Śakuntalā_, which
inspired the well known epigram "Willst du die Blüte des frühen," etc.,
an extravagant eulogy rather than an appreciative criticism. That the
impression was not merely momentary is proved by the fact that five
years later the poet took the inspiration for his _Faust_ prologue from
Kālidāsa's work.[87] Otherwise it cannot be said that the then just
awakening Sanskrit studies exercised any considerable influence on his
poetic activity. For his two ballads dealing with Indic subjects, "Der
Gott und die Bajadere" and "Der Paria", the material was taken, not from
works of Sanskrit literature, but from a book of travel. The former poem
was completed in 1797, though the idea was taken as early as 1783 from
a German version of Sonnerat's travels, where the story is related
according to the account of Abraham Roger[88] in _De Open-Deure_. There
the account is as follows: "'t Is ghebeurt ... dat Dewendre, onder
Menschelijcke ghedaente, op eenen tijdt ghekomen is by een sekere Hoere,
de welcke hy heeft willen beproeven of sy oock ghetrouw was. Hy
accordeert met haer, ende gaf haer een goet Hoeren loon. Na den loon
onthaelde sy hem dien nacht heel wel, sonder dat sy haer tot slapen
begaf. Doch 't soude in dien nacht ghebeurt zijn dat Dewendre sich
geliet of hy stierf; ende storf soo sy meynde. De Hoere die wilde met
hem branden, haer Vrienden en konde het haer niet afraden; de welcke
haer voor-hielden dat het haer Man niet en was. Maer nadien dat sy haer
niet en liet gheseggen, soo lietse het yver toestellen om daer in te
springen. Op't uyterste ghekomen zijnde, ontwaeckte Dewendre, ende
seyde, dat hy hem hadde ghelaten doot te zijn, alleenlijck om te
ondervinden hare trouwe; ende hy seyde haer toe, tot een loon van hare