Alaeddin and the Enchanted Lamp Part 10

[Footnote 189: Fi, lit. "in," but here used, as is common in Syria, instead of bi "with."]

[Footnote 190: Burton, "Shalt become famous among the folk."]

[Footnote 191: Khwaja (Persian).]

[Footnote 192: Tajir (Arabic equivalent of khwaja).]

[Footnote 193: Burton, "that such folk dress handsomely and fare delicately."]

[Footnote 194: Night DXX.]

[Footnote 195: Lit. "was past" (fata). Burton, "the dark hours were pa.s.sing by and the wine was drunken."]

[Footnote 196: Sherab. Burton, "sherbets."]

[Footnote 197: Night DXXI.]

[Footnote 198: Or "places" (amakin).]

[Footnote 199: Or "streets" (meh.e.l.lat). Burton, "apartments."]

[Footnote 200: i.e. "It is no merit in me that I do what I have done."]

[Footnote 201: Bi-jahi 'l awwelin. Burton, "by the honour of the Hallows."]

[Footnote 202: i.e.. "a protection."]

[Footnote 203: Lit. "that thine eye will be cooled with (or by) him."]

[Footnote 204: Likai yetearrefa fihim wa yetearrefou fihi. This pa.s.sage confirms my reading of a former one; see ante, p. 68, note 3. {see FN#189}]

[Footnote 205: Nighs DXXII.]

[Footnote 206: Lit. "believed not what time (ayyumetn) the day broke;"

but ayyumeta (of which ayyumeta is a vulgar corruption) supposes the future and should be used with the aorist. The phrase, as I have translated common in the Nights.]

[Footnote 207: Or, "laughing at" (yudsahiku).. Burton, "he began to make the lad laugh."]

[Footnote 208: Szeraya (for seraya).]

[Footnote 209: Keszr.]

[Footnote 210: Newafir, an evident mistranscription, probably for some such word as fewawir, irregular form of fewwarat, pl. of fewwareh, a spring or jet of water.]

[Footnote 211: Burton adds, "and reach the end of our walk."]

[Footnote 212: Jebel aali. Burton, "the base of a high and naked hill."]

[Footnote 213: Lit. "before or in front of a mountain." Burton, "we have reached the barren hill-country."]

[Footnote 214: Ra'hhin, a vulgarism of frequent occurrence in this story.]

[Footnote 215: Shudd heilek.]

[Footnote 216: Lit. the land of the West (biladu 'l gherb); see ante, p.

57, notes. {see FN#153}]

[Footnote 217: Night DXXIII.]

[Footnote 218: Lit. "without aught" (bilash), i e. without [visible]

cause or reason. Burton, "beyond the range of matter."]

[Footnote 219: Nuhhas szebb (for szebeb min er) reml, lit. "bra.s.s poured [forth from] sand," i.e. cast in a mould of sand. Cf. 1 Kings, vii 16, "two chapiters of molten bra.s.s."]

[Footnote 220: Dir balek, lit. "turn thy thought (i.e. be attentive) [Footnote to that which I shall say to thee]."]

[Footnote 221: Night DXXIV.]

[Footnote 222: Lit. "pa.s.s not by" (la tuferwwit). Burton, "nor gainsay."]

[Footnote 223: Yani li-min (vulg. for tani li-men), i.e. on whose behalf do I undertake all these my toils?]

[Footnote 224: Lit. "leave"; but the verb kh.e.l.la (II. of khela is constantly used in the present text in the sense of "he made."]

[Footnote 225: There is some mistake here in the text. The word which I translate "great" is akabir (pl. of akber, most great), apparently inserted by mistake for kebir, great. But that akabir is followed by jiddan (exceedingly), I should be inclined to read the phrase [kebiru 'l] akabir, greatest of the great.]

[Footnote 226: Wehdi, lit. "my lone," a Scotch expression, which might be usefully acclimatized in English prose and verse.]

[Footnote 227: Night DXXV.]

[Footnote 228: Or "pay attention," dir (vulg. for adir) balek. See ante, p. 78, note. {see FN#220}]

[Footnote 229: Lit. "a place divided into four places" I take the variant aweds, chambers. from Chavis's copy of the MS., as quoted by M.

Zotenberg.]

[Footnote 230: Liwan, i.e. an estrade or recessed room, raised above the level of the ground and open in front.]

[Footnote 231: Lit. "in it" (fihi); but the meaning is as in the text, i.e. connected with it or leading thereto. This reading is confirmed by the terms in which the stair is afterwards mentioned, q.v. post, p. 83, and note. {see FN#235}]

[Footnote 232: Night DXXVI.]

[Footnote 233: Ubb. Burton, "breast-pocket," the usual word for which is jeib. Ubb is occasionally used in this sense; but it is evident from what follows (see post, p. 85. {see FN#243} "Alaeddin proceeded to pluck and put in his pockets (ajyab, pl. of jeib), and his sleeves" (ibab), and note) that ubb is here used in the common sense of "sleeve."]

[Footnote 234: i.e. "that which is in the lamp."]

[Footnote 235: Burton transposes, "where he entered the saloon and mounted the ladder;" but the context shows that the stair was a flight of steps leading up to the dais and not a ladder in it. The word fihi in the magician's instructions might indeed be taken in this latter sense, but may just as well be read "thereto" or "pertaining thereto" as "therein." See also below, where Alaeddin is made to descend from the dais into the garden.]

[Footnote 236: Lit. voices (aswat). Burton, "fond voices"]