The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night Volume XIII Part 29

[FN#358] A clarum et venerabile nomen in Persia; meaning one of the Spirits that preside over beasts of burden; also a king in general, the P.N. of an ancient sovereign, etc.

[FN#359] This is the older p.r.o.nunciation of the mod. (Khusrau) "Parvz"; and I owe an apology to Mr. C.J. Lyall (Ancient Arabian Poetry) for terming his "Khusrau Parvz" an "ugly Indianism" (The Academy, No. 100). As he says (Ibid. vol. x. 85), "the Indians did not invent for Persian words the sounds and , called majhl (i.e. not known in Arabic') by the Arabs, but received them at a time when these wounds were universally used in Persia.

The subst.i.tution by Persians of and for and is quite modern."

[FN#360] i.e. Fairy-born, the {Greek} (Parysatis) of the Greeks which some miswrite {Greek}.

[FN#361] In Arab. Usually shortened to "Hazr" (bird of a thousand tales = the Thousand), generally called "'Andalb:"

Galland has Bulbulhezer and some of his translators debase it to Bulbulkezer. See vol. v. 148, and the Hazr-dastn of Kazwn (De Sacy, Chrest. iii. 413). These rarities represent the Rukh's egg in "Alaeddin."

[FN#362] These disembodied "voices" speaking either naturally or through instruments are a recognized phenomenon of the so-called "Spiritualism," See p. 115 of "Supra-mundane Facts," &c., edited by T.J. Nichols, M.D., &c., London, Pitman, 1865. I venture to remark that the medical treatment by Mesmerism, Braidism and hypnotics, which was violently denounced and derided in 1850, is in 1887 becoming a part of the regular professional practice and forms another item in the long list of the Fallacies of the Faculty and the Myopism of the "Scientist."

[FN#363] I may also note that the "Htif," or invisible Speaker, which must be subjective more often than objective, is a common- place of Moslem thaumaturgy.

[FN#364] It may have been borrowed from Ulysses and the Sirens.

[FN#365] Two heroes of the Shahnmeh and both the types of reckless daring. The monomachy or duel between these braves lasted through two days.

[FN#366] The "Bgh" or royal tiger, is still found in the jungles of Mzendern and other regions of Northern Persia.

[FN#367] In addressing the Shah every Persian begins with the formula "Kurbn-at bsham" = may I become thy Corban or sacrifice. For this word (Kurbn) see vol. viii. 16.

[FN#368] The King in Persia always speaks of himself in the third person and swears by his own blood and head, soul, life and death. The form of oath is ancient: Joseph, the first (but not the last) Jew-financier of Egypt, emphasises his speech "by the life of Pharaoh." (Gen. xiii. 15, 16.)

[FN#369] Another t.i.tle of the Shah, making him quasi-divine, at any rate the nearest to the Almighty, like the Czar and the Emperor of China. Hence the subjects bow to him with the body at right angles as David did to Saul (I Sam. xxiv, 8) or fall upon the face like Joshua (v. 14).

[FN#370] A most improbable and absurd detail: its sole excuse is the popular superst.i.tion of "blood speaking to blood." The youths being of the royal race felt that they could take unwarrantable liberties.

[FN#371] This is still a Persian custom because all the subjects, women as well as men, are virtually the King's slaves.

[FN#372] i.e. King of kings, the {Greek}.

[FN#373] Majlis garm karna, i.e. to give some life to the company.

[FN#374] In Arabic "'Ilm al-Mukshafah" = the science by which Eastern adepts discover man's secret thoughts. Of late years it has appeared in England but with the same quackery and imposture which have ruined "Spiritualism" as the Faith of the Future.

[FN#375] Nor are those which do occur all in the same order: The first in the Turkish book "Of 'Eb-'l-Ksim of Basra, of the 'Emr of Basra, and of 'Eb-'l-Faskh of Wsit," is probably similar to the first of Petis, "History of Aboulcasem of Basra."

The second "Of Fadzlu- 'llah of Mawsil (Moser), of 'Eb-'l-Hasan, and of Mhyr of Wsit," is evidently the seventh in Petis, "History of Fadlallah, Son of Bin Ortoc, King of Moussel." The fourth, "Of Ridzwn-Shah of China and the Shahristni Lady," is the second in Petis, "History of King Razvanschad and of the Princess Cheheristany." The eleventh, "Of the Sovereign without a care and of the Vazr full of care," is the eighth in Petis History of King Bedreddin Lolo and of his Vizier Altalmulc." The third, "Of the Builder of Bemm with the two Vazrs of the king of Kawshar," the seventh, "Of the Rogue Nasr and the son of the king of Khursn," and the tenth, "The Three Youths, the Old Man, and the Daughter of the King," I cannot, from these t.i.tles, recognise in Petis; while the fifth, "Farrukh-Shd, Farrukh-Rz, and Farrukh-Nz," may be the same as the frame story of the "Hazr Yek Rz," where the king is called Togrul-bey, his son Farrukrouz, and his daughter Farruknaz, and if this be the case, the Turkish book must differ considerably from the Persian in its plan.--Although "The Thousand and One Nights" has not been found in Persian, there exists a work in that language of which the plan is somewhat similar--but adapted from an Indian source. It is thus described by Dr. Rieu, in his Catalogue of Persian MSS.

in the British Museum, vol. ii. p. 773: Tale of Shrzd, son of Gurgahan, emperor of China, and Gulshd, daughter of the vazr Farrukhzd (called the Story of the Nine Belvideres). Nine tales told by Gulshad to Shrzd, each in one of the nine belvideres of the royal palace, in order to save the forfeited life of her father.

[FN#376] A translation of this version, omitting the moral reflections interspersed, is given by Professor E. B. Cowell in the "Journal of Philology," 1876, vol. vi. p. 193. The great Persian mystic tells another story of a Dream of Riches, which, though only remotely allied to our tale, is very curious:

The Fakir and the Hidden Treasure.

Notwithstanding the clear evidence of G.o.d's bounty, engendering those spiritual tastes in men, philosophers and learned men, wise in their own conceit, obstinately shut their eyes to it, and look afar off for what is really close to them, so that they incur the penalty of being "branded on the nostrils" [Kurn, lxviii. 16], adjudged against unbelievers. This is ill.u.s.trated by the story of the poor Fakr who prayed to G.o.d that he might be fed without being obliged to work for his food. A divine voice came to him in his sleep and directed him to go to the house of a certain scribe and take a certain writing he should find there. He did so, and on reading the writing found that it contained directions for discovering a hidden treasure. The directions were as follows: "Go outside the city to the dome which covers the tomb of the martyr, turn your back to the tomb and face towards Mecca, place an arrow in your bow, and where the arrow falls dig for the treasure." But before the Fakr had time to commence the search the rumour of the writing and its purport had reached the King, who at once sent and took it away from the Fakr, and began to search for the treasure on his own account. After shooting many arrows and digging in all directions the King failed to find the treasure, and got weary of searching, and returned the writing to the Fakr. Then the Fakr tried what he could do, but failed to hit the spot where the treasure was buried. At last despairing of success by his own unaided efforts, he cast his care upon G.o.d, and implored the divine a.s.sistance. Then a voice from heaven came to him saying, "You were directed to fix an arrow in your bow, but not to draw your bow with all your might, as you have been doing. Shoot as gently as possible, that the arrow may fall close to you, for hidden treasure is indeed 'nearer to you than your neck-vein'" [Kurn, l. 15]. Men overlook the spiritual treasures close to them, and for this reason it is that prophets have no honour in their own countries.--Mr. F: H. Whinfield's Abridgment of "The Masnavi-i Ma'navi." (London, 1887.)

[FN#377] See Mr. Gibb's translation (London: Redway), p. 278

[FN#378] "Rem qu contigit patrum memori ut veram ita dignam relatu et s penumero mihi a.s.sertam ab hominibus fide dignis apponam."

[FN#379] Thorpe says that a nearly similar legend is current at Tanslet, on the island of Alsen.

[FN#380] The common tradition is, it was in English rhyme, viz.

"Where this stood Is another as good;"

or, as some will have it:

"Under me doth lie Another much richer than I."

[FN#381] Apropos to dreams, there is a very amusing story, ent.i.tled "Which was the Dream ?" in Mr. F. H. Balfour's "Leaves from my Chinese Sc.r.a.p Book," p. 106-7 (London: Trbner, 1887).

[FN#382] The story in the Turkish collection, "Al-Faraj ba'd al-Shiddah," where it forms the 8th recital, is doubtless identical with our Arabian version, since in both the King of the Genie figures, which is not the case in Mr. Gibb's story.

[FN#383] Although this version is not preceded, as in the Arabian, by the Dream of Riches, yet that incident occurs, I understand, in separate form in the work of 'Al Azz.

[FN#384] Sir Richard has referred, in note 1, p. 18, to numerous different magical tests of chast.i.ty, etc., and I may here add one more, to wit, the cup which Oberon, King of the Fairies, gave to Duke Huon of Bordeaux (according to the romance which recounts the marvellous adventures of that renowned Knight), which filled with wine in the hand of any man who was out of "deadly sin" and attempted to drink out of it, but was always empty in the hands of a sinful man. Charlemagne was shown to be sinful by this test, while Duke Huon, his wife, and a companion were proved to be free from sin.--In my "Popular Tales and Fictions" the subject of inexhaustible purses etc. is treated pretty fully--they frequently figure in folk-tales, from Iceland to Ceylon, from j.a.pan to the Hebrides.

[FN#385] "The Athenaeum," April 23,1887, p. 542.

[FN#386] See M. Eugene Lvque's "Les Mythes et les Lgendes de l'Inde et la Perse" (Paris, 1880), p. 543, where the two are printed side by side. This was pointed out more than seventy years ago by Henry Weber in his Introduction to "Tales of the East," edited by him.

[FN#387] Also in the romance of Duke Huon of Bordeaux and the old French romance of the Chevalier Berinus. The myth was widely spread in the Middle Ages.

[FN#388] Cf. the magic horn that Duke Huon of Bordeaux received from Oberon, King of the Fairies, which caused even the Soudan of Babylon to caper about in spite of himself, and similar musical instruments in a hundred different tales, such as the old English poem of "The Friar and the Boy," the German tale (in Grimm) of "The Jew among Thorns," the "Pied Piper of Hamelin," &c.

[FN#389] Not distantly related to stories of this cla.s.s are those in which the hero becomes possessed of some all-bestowing object--a purse, a box, a table-cloth, a sheep, a donkey, etc.-- which being stolen from him he recovers by means of a magic club that on being commended rattles on the pate and ribs of the thief and compels him to restore the treasure.

[FN#390] The Dwarf had told the soldier, on leaving him after killing the old witch, that should his services be at any other time required, he had only to light his pipe at the Blue Light and he should instantly appear before him. The tobacco-pipe must be considered as a recent and quite unnecessary addition to the legend: evidently all the power of summoning the Dwarf was in the Blue Light, since he tells the soldier when he first appears before him in the well that he must obey its lord and master.

[FN#391] Belli signifies famous, or notorious.

[FN#392] This young lady's notion of the "function" of Prayer was, to say the least peculiar, in thus addressing her pet.i.tion to the earth instead of to Heaven.

[FN#393] The gentle, amiable creature!

[FN#394] Chamley-bill was, says Dr. Chodzko, a fort built by Kurrogl, the ruins of which are still to be seen in the valley of Salmas, a district in the province of Aderbaijan.

[FN#395] i.e. Kuvera, the G.o.d of wealth.

[FN#396] The attendants of Kuvera. a Buddhistic idea.

[FN#397] That every man has his "genius" of good or evil fortune is, I think, essentially idea.

[FN#398] Such being the case, what need was there for the apparition presenting itself every morning?--but no matter!

[FN#399] Pandit S. M. Natsa Sstr, in "Indian Notes and Queries," for March, 1887, says that women swallow large numbers of an insect called pillai-puchchi (son-insect: gryllas) in the hope of bearing sons, they will also drink the water squeezed from the loin-cloth of a sanys [devotee] after washing it for him!--Another correspondent in the same periodical. Pandit Putlbi K. Raghunathj, writes that Hindu women, for the purpose of having children, especially a son, observe the fourth lunar day of every dark fortnight as a fast and break their fast only after seeing the moon, generally before 9 or 10 p.m. A dish of twenty-one small, marble-like b.a.l.l.s of rice is prepared, in one of which is put some salt. The whole dish is then served up to the woman, and while eating it she should first lay her hands on the ball containing salt, as it is believed to be a positive sign that she will be blessed with a son. In that case she should give up eating the rest, but otherwise she should go on eating till she lays her hands on the salted ball. The Pandit adds, that the observance of this ball depends on the wish of the woman. She may observe it on only one, five, seven, eleven, or twenty-one lunar fourth days, or chaturth. Should she altogether fail in picking out the salted ball first, she may be sure of remaining barren all her life long.

[FN#400] I am glad to see among Messrs. Trbner & Co.'s announcements of forthcoming publications Mr. Knowles' collection of "Folk-Tales of Kashmr" in popular handy volume form.