Rarely visited his wives save two by two.—The same idea is expressed in one of the riddles of the Forty-second Assembly:

What is it that marries two sisters openly or secretly, and there is no fault to find with him for it?

When he visits one wife, he visits also the other, and if other husbands show their preferences he shows none.

He increases his attention and affection as they grow gray, and this is indeed rare among husbands.

The answer to this is a koḥl pencil, which is always used to apply the pigment to both eyes at once, and which is the more used as the eyes grow older and require a higher adornment. The custom of painting the lids of the eye, as it exists in Egypt at the present day, is described as follows by Mr. Lane, in the first Chapter of his Modern Egyptians:—“Eyes more beautiful can hardly be conceived; their charming effect is much heightened by the concealment of the other features, and is rendered still more striking by a practice universal among the females of the higher and middle classes, and very common among those of the lower orders, which is that of blackening the edge of the eyelids, both above and below the eye with a black powder called ‘koḥl.’ This is a collyrium commonly composed of the smoke-black which is produced by burning a kind of ‘libân,’ an aromatic resin. Koḥl is also prepared of the smoke-black produced by burning the shells of almonds. These two kinds, though believed to be beneficial to the eyes, are used merely for ornament; but there are several kinds used for their real or supposed medical qualities; particularly the powder of several kinds of lead ore, to which are often added sarcocolla, long pepper, sugar-candy, fine dust of a Venetian sequin, and sometimes powdered pearls. Antimony, it is said, was formerly used for painting the edge of the eyelids. The koḥl is applied with a small probe of wood, ivory, or silver, tapering towards the end, but blunt. This is moistened, sometimes with rose-water, then dipped in the powder, and drawn along the edges of the eyelids; it is called ‘mirwed,’ and the glass vessel in which the koḥl is kept, ‘mukḥulah.’”

He lent me a needle.—Es verdient bemerkt zu werden, dasz Ḥarîri hier, und in ähnlichen Fällen, gerade da mit den Versen anhebt, wo die Poesie des Gegenstandes zu Ende geht, gleichsam um durch die neue und höhere Form der Darstellung einen neuen und höhern Schwung zu geben. Ohne diesen Kunstgriff würde die Folgende Auflösung des Räthselstreites höchst langweilig geworden seyn, statt dasz sie uns jetzt durch das komische Pathos, womit die Bettlerlumpen aufgestutzt werden, gar anmuthig vorkommt. (Rückert.)

The metre of these verses is , a metre belonging to the fourth circle, or , which has been already described. The measure in the circle is twice. This, however, is rare, the more usual measure being that of the verses in the present case. The is , and the is , ( being the elision of the quiescent fourth letter of a foot): thus becomes , which is equivalent to . Of the , there enter into this metre , and , and , which is the union of the former two, though it is said that is not permitted in this . By the second of these licences the is often made identical with the .

I swear by the holy place.—Metre again. is the place called Muzdalifeh, which is divided from Mina by the Wadi Moḥassir (see Bayḍâwi on Koran ii. 194). It is described as a broad plain between mountains, and as sur­rounded by ancient cisterns. It is also called (without the article like ), because the people assemble there, or because Adam there met with Eve, after their fall from Paradise. Here the pilgrims remain one night, that between Friday and Saturday; and here most of them collect the stones for casting, though it is lawful to collect them in the neighbour­hood of the mosque of the Khayf, at Mina. After hurrying through the Wadi Moḥassir, they arrive at Mina, where they cast the stones, , for the first time, and offer the sacrifice.

After his stone had dripped—After his rock had oozed.—The meaning of these two phrases is nearly the same; they refer to the unwilling bestowal of a petty dole. To be moist, to drip, to bedew, and the like, are metaphors which occur continually in the sense of liberality.

My perception—My guess.— is the faculty of sense, by which anything is perceived, as a sound or a motion: is the forming of a surmise or opinion without distinct proof; a rapidity of passing from premises to conclusions, being the opposite to reflection. Ta‘rîfât.

The knowing one.—. For verbs which unite the two significations of slaughtering and of doing or knowing a thing effectively, energetically, and well, see . Compare Ḥarîri’s preface, “We are thorough in humility.”

His following.—The word presents a double meaning; one is a live coal, or a smokeless burning fire; of which the intelligent attendant, suddenly making a suggestion, may be spoken of as the spark. The other meaning is a large, independent tribe, not joined in alliance to any other. The authorities given by Lane thus define it: “Any body of men that have united together, and become one band, and that do not form a con­federacy with any others; or a body of men that congregate by themselves because of their strength and their great valour.” The term was especially applied to three tribes, two of which became extinct by confederating with other tribes, while the third alone remained a . In the present passage it would mean the Kadi’s large following or company.

Tell me truly your camel’s age.—Arab. Prov. I. 710. The origin of this proverb is thus related: A man who was about to sell a camel assured the purchaser that it was , that is, that it had cut its or tush, and had consequently entered its ninth year, and attained its full strength. At this moment the camel started away, and the seller inadvertently called out to it , the cry by which young foals are called back. The purchaser thus found that he was being deceived, and exclaimed, “Thou hast now told me truly thy camel’s age,” which words passed into a proverb. For other explanations see Arab. Prov. as above.

I am the Serûji.—The metre of these lines is rejez, as in Third Assembly.

Oh rare! . This very idiomatic expression of ap­proval signifies, literally, To God be ascribed thy milk-flow, and was originally used by the Arabs when they passed one who was milking his camel. It meant with them either a pious wish that the owner of the beast might have an abundant yield, or a complimentary remark that she did actually yield abun­dantly. Afterwards it became a general expression of admir­ation, answering to our “Well done!” and was commonly used to applaud literary compositions.