The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night Volume VIII Part 33

[FN#317] The old Greek "Stephane."

[FN#317] Alluding to the popular fancy of the rain-drop which becomes a pearl.

[FN#318] Arab. "Ghazi"=one who fights for the faith.

[FN#319] i.e. people of different conditions.

[FN#320] The sudden change appears unnatural to Europeans; but an Eastern girl talking to a strange man in a garden is already half won. The beauty, however, intends to make trial of her lover's generosity before yielding.

[FN#321] These lines have occurred in the earlier part of the Night: I quote Mr. Payne for variety.

[FN#322] Arab. "Al-Shah mat"=the King is dead, Pers. and Arab.

grotesquely mixed: Europeans explain "Checkmate" in sundry ways, all more or less wrong.

[FN#323] Cheating (Ghadr) is so common that Easterns who have no tincture of Western civilisation look upon it not only as venial but laudable when one can take advantage of a simpleton. No idea of "honour" enters into it. Even in England the old lady whist-player of the last generation required to be looked after pretty closely--if Mr. Charles d.i.c.kens is to be trusted.

[FN#324] Arab. "Al-Ghaliyah," whence the older English Algallia.

See vol. i., 128. The Voyage of Linschoten, etc. Hakluyt Society MDCCCLx.x.xV., with notes by my learned friend the late Arthur c.o.ke Burnell whose early death was so sore a loss to Oriental students.

[FN#325] A favourite idiom, "What news bringest thou?" ("O Asam!" Arab. Prov. ii. 589) used by Haris bin Amru, King of Kindah, to the old woman Asam whom he had sent to inspect a girl he purposed marrying.

[FN#326] Amongst the Jews the Arab Salam becomes "Shalum" and a Jewess would certainly not address this ceremonial greeting to a Christian. But Eastern storytellers care little for these minutiae; and the "Adornment of Qualities," was not by birth a Jewess as the sequel will show.

[FN#327] Arab. "Salifah," the silken plaits used as adjuncts.

See vol. iii, 313.

[FN#328] I have translated these lines in vol. i. 131, and quoted Mr. Torrens in vol. iv. 235. Here I borrow from Mr. Payne.

[FN#329] Mr. Payne notes:--Apparently some place celebrated for its fine bread, as Gonesse in seventeenth-century France. It occurs also in Bresl. Edit. (iv. 203) and Dozy does not understand it. But Arj the root=good odour.

[FN#330] Arab. "Tas," from Pers. Tasah. M. Charbonneau a Professor of Arabic at Constantine and Member of the Asiatic Soc.

Paris, who published the Histoire de Chams-Eddine et Nour-Eddine with Maghrabi punctuation (Paris, Hachette, 1852) remarks the similarity of this word to Tazza and a number of other whimsical coincidences as Zauj, jugum; Inkar, negare; matrah, matelas; Ishtira, acheter, etc. To which I may add wasat, waist; zabad, civet; Bas, buss (kiss); uzrub (p.r.o.n. Zrub), drub; Kat', cut; Tarik, track; etc., etc.

[FN#331] We should say "To her (I drink)" etc.

[FN#332] This is ad captandum. The lovers becoming Moslems would secure the sympathy of the audience. In the sequel (Night dccclviii) we learn that the wilful young woman was a born Moslemah who had married a Jew but had never Judaized.

[FN#333] The doggerel of this Kasidah is not so phenomenal as some we have seen.

[FN#334] Arab. "'Andam"=Brazil wood, vol. iii. 263.

[FN#335] Arab. " Hima." See supra, p. 102.

[FN#336] i.e. her favours were not lawful till the union was sanctified by heartwhole (if not pure) love.

[FN#337] Arab. "Mansur wa munazzam=oratio soluta et ligata.

[FN#338] i.e. the cupbearers.

[FN#339] Which is not worse than usual.

[FN#340] i.e. "Ornament of Qualities."

[FN#341] The 'Akik, a mean and common stone, ranks high in Moslem poetry on account of the saying of Mohammed recorded by Ali and Ayishah "Seal with seals of Carnelian." ('Akik.)

[FN#342] See note ii. at the end of this volume.

[FN#343] Arab. "Mahall" as opposed to the lady's "Manzil," which would be better "Makam." The Arabs had many names for their old habitations, e.g.; Kubbah, of brick; Sutrah, of sun-dried mud; Hazirah, of wood; Tiraf, a tent of leather; Khabaa, of wool; Kash'a, of skins; Nakhad, of camel's or goat's hair; Khaymah, of cotton cloth; Wabar, of soft hair as the camel's undercoat and Fustat (the well-known P.N.) a tent of horsehair or any hair (Sha'ar) but Wabar.

[FN#344] This is the Maghribi form of the Arab. Suk=a bazar-street, known from Tanjah (Tangiers) to Timbuctoo.

[FN#345] Arab. "Walimah" usually=a wedding-feast. According to the learned Nasif alYazaji the names of entertainments are as follows: Al-Jafala=a general invitation, opp. to Al-Nakara, especial; Khurs, a childbirth feast; 'Akikah, when the boy-babe is first shaved; A'zar=circ.u.mcision-feast; Hizak, when the boy has finished his perlection of the Koran; Milak, on occasion of marriage-offer; Wazimah, a mourning entertainment; Wakirah=a "house-warming"; Naki'ah, on returning from wayfare; 'Akirah, at beginning of the month Rajab; Kira=a guest-feast and Maadubah, a feast for other cause; any feast.

[FN#346] Arab. "Anistana" the pop. phrase=thy company gladdens us.

[FN#347] Here "Muakhat" or making mutual brotherhood would be=entering into a formal agreement for partnership. For the forms of "making brotherhood," see vol. iii. 15.

[FN#348] Arab. "Isharah" in cla.s.sical Arab. signs with the finger (beckoning); Auma with the hand; Ramz, with the lips; Khalaj, with the eyelids (wink); and Ghamz with the eye. Aumaz is a furtive glance, especially of women, and Ilhaz, a side-glance from lahaza, limis oculis intuitus est. See Preston's Al-Hariri, p. 181.

[FN#349] Arab. "Haudaj" (Hind. Haudah, vulg.

Howda=elephant-saddle), the women's camel-litter, a cloth stretched over a wooden frame. See the Prize-poem of Lebid, v.

12.

[FN#350] i.e. the twelve days' visit.

[FN#351] See note, vol. vii. 267. So Dryden (Virgil):--

"And the hoa.r.s.e raven on the blasted bough By croaking to the left presaged the coming blow."

And Gay (Fable x.x.xvii.),

"That raven on the left-hand oak, Curse on his ill-betiding croak!"

In some Persian tales two crows seen together are a good omen.

[FN#352] Vulgar Moslems hold that each man's fate is written in the sutures of his skull but none can read the lines. See vol.

iii. 123.

[FN#353] i.e. cease not to bemoan her lot whose moon-faced beloved ones are gone.

[FN#354] Arab. "Rukb" used of a return caravan; and also meaning travellers on camels. The vulgar however apply "Rakib" (a camel-rider) to a man on horseback who is properly Faris plur.

"Khayyalah," while "Khayyal" is a good rider. Other names are "Fayyal" (elephant-rider), Baghghal (mule-rider) and Hammar (donkeyrider).

[FN#355] A popular exaggeration. See vol. i. 117

[FN#356] Lit. Empty of tent-ropes (Atnab).

[FN#357] Arab. "'Abir," a fragrant powder sprinkled on face, body and clothes. In India it is composed of rice flower or powdered bark of the mango, Deodar (uvaria longifolia), Sandalwood, lign-aloes or curc.u.ma (zerumbat or zedoaria) with rose-flowers, camphor, civet and anise-seed. There are many of these powders: see in Herklots Chiksa, Phul, Ood, Sundul, Uggur, and Urgujja.