The cap and the cloak.—The Ḳalansuweh, or high-crowned cap of a dervish or preacher, and the Ṭaylasân or cloak which he hung over his shoulders. Both were Persian garments, which are appropriate, the scene of the adventure being laid at Rayy. The ṭaylasân being a foreign garment, an Arab would say, “Thou son of a ṭaylasân!” meaning, “Thou barbarian.” The dictum of Sherîshi, who lived at the other end of the world, that the ṭaylasân was a green garment, can hardly be relied upon; though doubtless green was a favourite colour. On this word, see De Sacy. Chrest. Arabe, Vol. II. p. 269.

Son of man, or Adam.— is manṣûb through the iḍâfeh. Bayḍâwi at Koran ii. 29 says that is a foreign word of the measure of and . The plural is .

The stumbling of the purblind beast.—This is a proverbial expression. Such an one goes recklessly like the dim-sighted she-camel that beats the ground with her fore foot as she goes along, not guarding herself from anything. It is applied to one who truns from a thing as if he were not cognizant of it, or who is continually falling into a thing. (Lane sub voce .) The verse of Zohayr there quoted is from Mo‘allaḳah, v. 49.

To increase.—Distinguished from this is , which is the ostentation of wealth. Compare Twenty-sixth Assembly, “he appropriated me for his ostentation.”

Thy two caves.— like in the Forty-fifth Assembly (p. 602 De Sacy’s edition), is interpreted to mean the two aper­tures or channels of the body (os et pudenda) by which mankind gratify the appetites of gluttony and lust. Such was the ex­planation of the term by Moḥammed, for when it was said to him, “O Apostle of God, what is it that most makes men enter Paradise?” he answered, “The fear of God and goodness of disposition;” and when it was said, “What sends them into Hell?” he answered, “Their two caves, os et pudenda.” It is less well interpreted as the mouth and the belly. The Arabs have a curious fondness for thus classing things in pairs. Com­pare the proverb, “Man’s worth is according to his two least parts,” i.e. his heart and tongue. Arab. Prov. II. p, 653, and Assembly 35.

Dost thou think thou shalt be left at large?—Koran lxxv. 36: “Doth man think that he shall be left at large?” Other quota­tions from the Koran in this sermon are lxxix. 40; and liii. 40. The latter passage teaches the doctrine that, at the day of judg­ment, a man will have only his own works to rely upon, and that the merits of others cannot be attributed to him. But as the Traditions teach that alms and pilgrimage performed by survivors are accepted for the dead, it is held that he who does these good works does them as the substitute for the dead.

Between the lion and the fawn.—Between the strong and the weak. Compare Twentieth Assembly, “a hunter of the lion and the dwarf sheep.”

By thy life.—These verses are of the metre ṭawîl, which has been already explained. They present a fine instance of what is called or , since in the last foot of every line there is a , and a , which is always the letter with kesreh. Furthermore each successive couple of verses accord in having the first two syllables of the identical. The taste for this more elaborate harmony of sound, which certainly increases the beauty of the versification, had become general in Ḥarîri’s time, and had probably been increased by the poetry of Abû ’l ‘Ala, who composed Luzûm, or pieces in which these stricter rules were observed, some of them being doubly, or even triply rhymed (Ibn Khallikân). It is of very general occurrence in the Assemblies, and is elsewhere mentioned in these notes, but the present lines are unusually laboured. Compare page 484, De Sacy’s edition.

Death and his stroke.— is, perhaps, originally the plural of . It is said to signify the decreed and pre­destined time or form of death.

The terror of his meeting, and the taste of his wormwood cup.—Probably, “of his colocynth.” With respect to the terror and the bitterness of death, the following legends are related by Sherîshi:—Abraham (on him be peace), said to Death, “Canst thou show me the form in which thou snatchest the spirit of the wicked man?” He answered, “Thou canst not bear it.” Abraham said, “I can, so turn aside and change.” Death did so, then turned round again, and behold he stood in the form of a man, with black hair erect, foul breath, black garments, and there came out of his mouth and nostrils a flame of fire and smoke. Abraham fainted, and when he revived, Death had returned to his shape. Then Abraham said, “If the wicked man in dying had to meet nothing but thy shape it would be horror enough.” God said to Abraham “How didst thou find the taste of death, O friend?” (Abraham is called the , or friend of God, at Koran iv. 124, and is generally spoken of by Moslems as , a name familiar to travellers from his burial place at Hebron). Abraham answered, “Like a skewer that had been laid in wet wool.” By which, I presume, is meant that it was foul and loathsome, as the skewer is with rust; or that it was as painful as being pierced by a rusty weapon. God said, “Have I not made it easy to thee?” He also said to Moses (on him be peace) “How didst thou find death?” He answered, “I was as a bird that is fried in the pan, and cannot die and be at rest, or escape and fly away.” Another version is, “Like a sheep that is flayed alive.” The use of colocynth and other plants as synonyms for the bitterness of calamity is common among the Arabs. Al Mute-nebbi, in the first of his poems to Sayf ad Dowleh, says, “I have pastured on evil until its are sweet to me.” (Dieterici’s ed. p. 378.) In the Ḥamâseh and are used together, p. 509; compare also p. 166. The word is said to signify the colocynth when it is most bitter; but what plant is meant by appears doubtful. I have therefore taken the liberty to render it by “wormwood” which is used thus metaphorically in English. The usual word for colocynth is .

The day’s duties pressed upon us.—This is a free translation of the expression , which is taken from the law of inheritance. At Koran iv. 12, the main principles of the law of inheritance are laid down, and it is defined what share of a deceased person’s property shall belong to each relative. It may be, however, that the sum of the fractions is greater than unity; and then each inheritor has to give up a part pro­portionate to his inheritance. This is called . For instance, if there be three inheritors, of whom one has a right to one half, the second to one third, and the last to one fourth of the inherit­ance, the united portions would exceed the estate by one twelfth, and this deficiency is made good by each foregoing a part of his lawful share. The contrary may also take place. It may be, for example, that there are only two inheritors, of whom one can only claim the fourth, and the other the third of the inheritance, and there remains an excess of five-twelfths, which is distributed between them proportionately to their legal shares: see the note on this passage, De Sacy’s ed. Vol. II. p. 122. The day, in this case, is compared to a deficient inheritance, because the people, in listening to the preacher, had let one prayer-time pass and were approaching another, so that they would have to compress two prayers into the insufficient remainder of the day. There is a double signification given to ;—a legal division of an in­heritance and the legal or incumbent prayers. The difference between and , in respect of prayer, has been explained in the notes to the Sixteenth Assembly, under the phrase joined to it what was optional.”

Of the prompt.—Literally, of one who draws or girds up his garments in readiness to run.

Wonderful! a man hoping.—The metre of these verses is the perfect kâmil, according to the Circle, and consists of six times in each verse. This metre was explained in the notes to the Fourth Assembly, where a less perfect specimen of it occurs.

Nor cares he.— after is considered either as redundant or corroboratory. In a verse cited by Lane, “And our habit is not cowardice,” it prevents the government of and leaves the noun marfû‘, and is therefore held not to be a nega­tive; but in another verse, where the noun becomes manṣûb, it is explained as a negative corroborative of . That by itself can have the force of a negative may be held as proved by Koran x. 69 and lxxii. 26.