Alaeddin and the Enchanted Lamp Part 11

[Footnote 237: Burton, "Furthermore the size of each stone so far surpa.s.sed description that no king of the kings of the world owned a single gem of the larger sort."]

[Footnote 238: Night DXXVII.]

[Footnote 239: Toubasi. I insert this from the Chavis MS. Burton adds, "spinels and bala.s.ses."]

[Footnote 240: Ibab.]

[Footnote 241: Ubb.]

[Footnote 242: Ajyab, pl. of jeib, the bosom of a shirt, hence a breast or other pocket.]

[Footnote 243: Ibab. Burton, "pokes and breast-pockets."]

[Footnote 244: The possession of the lamp rendering him superior to the spells by which they were enchanted.]

[Footnote 245: Burton says here, "The text creates some confusion by applying sullem to staircase and ladder; hence probably the latter is not mentioned by Galland and Co., who speak only of an 'escalier de cinquante marches.'" As far as I can see, Galland was quite right, a staircase (and not a ladder) being, in my judgment, meant in each case, and Sir Richard Burton's translation of sullem min thelathin derejeh as "a ladder of thirty rungs" (see ante p. 82, note {see FN#231}) seems to me founded on a misconception, he being misled by the word "fihi" (see my note ante, p. 83 {see FN#235}). He adds, "sullem in modern Egyptian is used for a flight of steps;" but it signifies both "ladder" and "flight of steps" in the cla.s.sic tongue; see Lane, p. 1416, colt 2, "sullem, a ladder or a series of stairs or steps, either of wood or clay, etc." His remark would apply better to derej (cla.s.s. "a way," but in modern parlance "a ladder" or "staircase" which the story-teller uses interchangeably with sullem, in speaking of the stair leading down into the underground, thus showing that he considered the two words synonymous.]

[Footnote 246: Akyas. This is the first mention of purses.]

[Footnote 247: Lit. "without" (kharijan).]

[Footnote 248: Burton, "Forasmuch as he had placed it at the bottom of his breast-pocket and his other pockets being full of gems bulged outwards."]

[Footnote 249: Night DXXVIII.]

[Footnote 250: Lit. "was locked," inkefelet, but I take this to be a mistranscription of inkelebet, "was turned over."]

[Footnote 251: Lit. "was covered over, shut like a lid" (intebeket).]

[Footnote 252: Tebbeca, i.e. caused (by his enchantments) to become covered or closed up like a lid.]

[Footnote 253: Ifrikiyeh, see ante, p. 57, note 1. {see FN#153} Here the story-teller takes the province for a city.]

[Footnote 254: Burton adds, "by devilish inspiration."]

[Footnote 255: Wa [kan] el aghreb an fi hadha 'l kenz [kana]. Burton "the most marvellous article in this treasure was, etc."]

[Footnote 256: Kendil ajib.]

[Footnote 257: Night DXXIX.]

[Footnote 258: A proverbial expression, meaning that, as he did not absolutely kill Alaeddin, though doing what was (barring a miracle) certain to cause his death, he could not be said to be his slayer; a piece of casuistry not peculiar to the East, cf. the hypocritical show of tenderness with which the Spanish Inquisition was wont, when handing over a victim to the secular power for execution by burning alive, to recommend that there should be "no effusion of blood." It is possible, however, that the proverb is to be read in the sense of "He who is destined to live cannot be slain."]

[Footnote 259: i.e. with the contents of the chambers and the garden.]

[Footnote 260: Night Dx.x.x.]

[Footnote 261: Lit. rubbing in or upon.]

[Footnote 262: Lit. "The Quickener, the Deadener" (el muhheyyi, el mumit), two of the ninety-nine names of G.o.d.]

[Footnote 263: Or "Judge" (cadsi).]

[Footnote 264: Farijuha. Burton, "Bringer of joy not of annoy."]

[Footnote 265: i.e. Mohammed's.]

[Footnote 266: Lit. a servant or slave, i.e. that of the ring. Burton, "its Familiar."]

[Footnote 267: i.e. Solomon.]

[Footnote 268: See my Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol. 1.

p 33, note. {see Payne's Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol.

1 FN#16}]

[Footnote 269: Night Dx.x.xI.]

[Footnote 270: Night Dx.x.xII.]

[Footnote 271: i.e.. in all the registers of men's actions fabled to be kept in heaven.]

[Footnote 272: Lit. "see the accursed his duplicity and his promises that he promised me withal in that he would do all good with me."

Burton, "see how the dammed villain broke every promise he made, certifying that he would soon work all good with me."]

[Footnote 273: Lit. "on account of my pain therefrom when I was absent from the world."]

[Footnote 274: Hatha 'l metleb li, lit. "this quest (or object of quest) [was] mine (or for me)." Metleb is often used in the special technical sense of "buried treasure."]

[Footnote 275: Night Dx.x.xIII.]

[Footnote 276: Bustan.]

[Footnote 277: Bilaur.]

[Footnote 278: Keszr, instead of liwan (dais), as in previous description.]

[Footnote 279: Keisan. Burton, "bag-pockets."]

[Footnote 280: Lit. "without" (kharij).]

[Footnote 281: Aadim, present participle of adima, he lacked.]

[Footnote 282: Night Dx.x.xIV.]

[Footnote 283: Lit. the pre-eminence (el fedsl).]

[Footnote 284: Thani youm, Burton, "the second day," which, though literal, conveys a false impression.]