TRANSLATOR’S NOTE

That humanity is seeking a new message, a new light
upon the meaning of life, and something tangible, as it
were, with which it can work towards a larger understanding
of itself and its relation to the universe, is a
fact I think none will gainsay. Therefore, it has
seemed to me particularly timely to introduce to the English-speaking
world Dr. Jung’s remarkable book, “Wandlungen
und Symbole der Libido.” In this work he has
plunged boldly into the treacherous sea of mythology and
folklore, the productions of the ancient mind and that of
the common people, and turned upon this vast material
the same scientific and painstaking method of psychologic
analysis that is applied to the modern mind, in order to
reveal the common bond of desire and longing which
unites all humanity, and thus bridge the gaps presumed
to exist between ancient and widely separated peoples and
those of our modern time. The discovery of this undercurrent
affecting and influencing ancient peoples as well
as modern serves as a foundation or platform from which
he proceeds to hold aloft a new ideal, a new goal of
attainment possible of achievement and which can be intellectually
satisfying, as well as emotionally appealing:
the goal of moral autonomy.

This book, remarkable for its erudition and the tremendous
labor expended upon it, as well as for the new
vilight which it sheds upon human life, its motives, its
needs and its possibilities, is not one for desultory reading
or superficial examination. Such an approach will
prevent the reader from gaining anything of its real
value; but for those who can bring a serious interest and
willingness to give a careful study to it the work will
prove to be a veritable mine capable of yielding the
greatest riches.

The difficulties in translating a book such as this are
almost insuperable, but I have tried faithfully to express
Dr. Jung’s thought, keeping as close to the original text
as possible and, at the same time, rendering the difficult
material and complicated German phrasing as simply and
clearly as the subject-matter would allow. In all this
work I owe much to Miss Helen I. Brayton, without
whose faithful assistance the work would never have been
completed. I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to Mr.
Louis Untermeyer, whose help in rendering the poetic
quotations into English verse has been invaluable, and to
express as well my gratitude to other friends who have
assisted me in various ways from time to time.

B. M. H.

New York, 1915.

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