In 1891 the Oriental Translation Fund, which had
existed from 1828 to 1878, was revived under the same
name, but as a new series. Among the works that
came under the consideration of the committee appointed
by the Council of the Royal Asiatic Society, the translation
and annotation of the remaining twenty-four
Assemblies of Ḥarîri, proposed by Dr. F. Steingass,
held an important place, and was accepted.
Mr. Chenery’s introduction to the first volume
(extending from pages 1 to 102) contains such a complete
survey of the whole work that it is hardly necessary
to add to it. But the contents of the second
volume continue to show the wonderful subtleties,
pliabilities, fertilities, boundless resources and extraordinary
richness of the Arabic language. A careful
perusal of the two volumes will fully bear out the
generally-expressed opinion that, next to the Koran,
the Assemblies of Ḥarîri are the most celebrated production
of Arabic literature.
Throughout these Assemblies, as Chenery says in his
notes at page 273, “Not only are verses of the Koran
freely introduced, but the whole language is tinged
with allusions to it, which are almost imperceptible to
the European, but which are readily caught by a Moslem
who knows the sacred work by heart.” In the same
way there are many and constant allusions to Arab
proverbs, which form a very valuable and instructive
addition to the work. Every mention of them, and
every allusion to the Koran, have been carefully noted
in the index, and, though the references are numerous,
it will enable the student or the enthusiast to go through
the details of them without any difficulty. This also
applies to other subjects, such as Traditions, Legends,
Arab manners and customs, etc.
Dr. Steingass has completed his portion of the work
under great physical difficulties. For some part of the
time he was actually blind, and even after his recovery
was obliged to be extremely cautious so as not to overstrain
his eyesight. His Student’s Edition of the
Arabic text of the Assemblies of Ḥarîri was published
by Sampson Low, Marston and Co. in 1897, while his
translation of the last twenty-four Assemblies follows
in 1898.
One word about the transliteration from the Arabic
of the second volume, regarding which Dr. Steingass
was much concerned. Since 1867 considerable progress
has been made in this subject, and he was
naturally anxious that the names of the people and the
places as spelt by Mr. Chenery should be spelt in the
style now generally in use. Consequently there was
some difference between the transliteration of Mr.
Chenery and Dr. Steingass, and it was necessary to
decide how this matter should be dealt with.
For the sake of uniformity, it seemed both advisable
and desirable that the names of people, places and
things should be spelt in the second volume as in the
first, and I insisted, much against Dr. Steingass’s wish,
that this should be done. In this, then, the transliteration
of the two volumes will be found to agree, and as
regards the rest, Dr. Steingass has had a free hand.
The difference between the spelling of the two translators
will be found in Appendix B at the end of the
second volume.
The Index to the whole work is rather long, but it
was absolutely necessary to give a short description of
the various people who appear upon the scene, so that
it might be understood at a glance who and what they
were. This has been curtailed as much as possible, but
further information about them can be obtained from
the following works, translated for the Oriental Translation
Fund Old and New Series:
(1) Ibn Khallikán’s Biographical Dictionary (O.S.).
(2) Hajji Khalfeh’s Lexicon (O.S.).
(4) Tabari’s Chronicles (O.S.).
(5) Mirkhond’s “Rauzat-us-safa,” or “Garden of
Purity” (N.S.).
The following works will also be found useful for
reference.
(6) Hughes’ “Dictionary of Islâm” (W. H. Allen
and Co., London, 1885).
(7) Sale, Rodwell, and Palmer’s Translations of the
Koran.
(8) Freytag’s Translation of Arab Proverbs into
Latin, in three volumes.
(9) Burton’s “Pilgrimage to Al - Madinah and
Meccah” (Tylston and Edwards, London, 1893).
(10) “Arabic Authors” (William Heinemann, 1896).
Although thirty years have elapsed since Mr. Chenery
published his valuable translation of the first twenty-six
Assemblies of Ḥarîri, it is a matter of congratulation
that the whole work has now been completed and
indexed, and that it has been done into English and in
England.
F. F. ARBUTHNOT.
22, Albemarle Street,
London, W.
In this Assembly, which Ḥarîri himself marks out as of some
importance from a philological point of view by attaching to it a
short commentary of his own, Al Ḥârith records another of his early
reminiscences. In his youth he cherished a strong desire to mingle
with Arabs of the desert, in order to make himself familiar with
their manners and idioms. After having acquired, by strenuous
exertion, a live-stock of camels and sheep, he settles amongst a
Bedouin tribe of genuine descent, who willingly accord him their
protection. One night a valuable milch camel went astray, and he
sets out on horseback in search of her. During the night and the
ensuing forenoon his efforts to find her are unavailing, and when
mid-day grows high [approaches] with its oppressive heat, he feels
compelled to seek shelter and rest under a shady tree. Scarcely has
he done so, when he perceives a solitary wanderer nearing his
resting-place. With mingled feelings of annoyance at the intrusion
of a stranger, and of hope that he might hear through him news of
his strayed camel, he awaits his coming. On his closer approach,
however, he recognises in him Abú Zayd, whose welcome companionship
makes him almost oblivious of his loss. In reply to his
affectionate inquiries, Abû Zayd improvises some beautiful verses,
in which he describes in racy language his Bohemian way of living,
which renders him independent of favours that would have to be
courted by self-abasement, more hateful to him than death itself.
After having questioned on his part Al Ḥârith as to the reason of
his presence in this lonely spot, and being told about the lost beast,
and the hitherto fruitless search for her, he begs leave to take his
noon-day sleep, and is soon deeply drowned in it. Al Ḥârith tries
to keep awake, but the lull in their conversation makes him succumb
to his drowsiness, and when he rouses himself at night-fall he finds
to his dismay that Abû Zayd is gone together with the horse. In
sore distress he awaits the morning, when he sees a rider on a camel
travelling in the desert, to whom he waves his garment, to attract
his attention, but the signal remains unheeded, and he has to run
after the man, intending to ask him for a lift, however grudgingly it
might be granted. Having reached him, he perceives on closer
scrutiny that the man is seated on the lost camel. He drags him
down from her back, and a violent altercation takes place, in the
midst of which Abû Zayd again appears on the scene, and his
coming, after yesterday’s experience, at first fills Al Ḥârith with
misgivings as to his further intentions. Abû Zayd, however, at
once sets his mind at rest, and addressing his antagonist in stern
and threatening terms, soon puts him to flight. Then, guessing at
the struggle between resentment and gratitude in Al Ḥârith’s breast,
he recites some pithy lines, in which he advises him to make the
best of a losing bargain and to forbear both thanks and rebuke. So
they separate as fairly good friends, and Al Ḥârith returns home,
having recovered his camel, but lost his horse.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: In the prime
of my life that has fleeted, I had a leaning towards
intercourse with the people of the hair-tents, so that I
might take after their high-mettled spirits and their
Arab tongues. So I bestirred myself with the alertness
of one not lacking in industry, and began to roam
through low-lands and high-lands, until I had got
together a string of those that groan [i.e., camels],
along with a flock of those that bleat [i.e., sheep]. Then
I betook myself to some Arabs, [fit to be] lieutenants
of kings, sons of speech [saws]. They gave me a home
with them in safest vicinity, and turned [blunted] from
me the edge of any [hostile] tooth. No care alighted
upon me while I was with them, no arrow struck [the
smoothness] of my rock, until one night, bright with
full-moon-sheen, there strayed from me a she-camel
profuse of milk-flow. Then my heart suffered me not
to forbear the quest of her, and to throw her halter
upon her hump [allowing her to wander at will]. So
I sprang upon a swift-paced steed, planting a trembling
lance between thigh and stirrup, and fared forth all the
night, scouring the desert, and exploring every copse
and treeless place, until the morning dawn unfurled its
ensigns, when the crier calls to prayer and to salvation.
Then I alighted from my beast for the acquittance of
the written ordinance, after which I bestrode him again,
trying his mettle to the utmost. While I was coursing
along, I saw no trace but I tracked it, no ridge but I
mounted it, no valley but I fared across it, no rider but
I questioned him; but withal my toil was bootless, and
its gang to the watering-place found no [way of] return,
until the heat waxed blinding, and the scorching noonday
sun would have distracted Ghaylân from his
[beloved] Mayyah.
Now the day was longer than the shadow of the
spear, and hotter than the tears of the bereft mother,
and I made sure that, unless I sought shelter from
the glow, and rested myself with slumber, excessive
weariness would throw me prostrate with sickness—nay,
Sha‘ûb [the severer] would cling to me. Hence I bent
my way towards a Sarḥah tree, abounding in branches,
with boughs thickly leaved, that I might sleep my
noon-tide, till to the brink of sun-down; but by Allah,
scarcely had my breath fetched air and my horse rested,
when I beheld one coming from the left, in the garb of
a wayfarer, who resorted to my place of resort, making
straight for the spot I had chosen. Then I grudged
his wending whither I had wended, and took refuge
with Allah from the annoy of any sudden intruder.
But then, again, I hoped that he might chance to be a
bringer of news, or approve himself a guide [to my lost
one]. And when he came nigh my tree, and had all
but reached my biding-place, I found it was our learned
friend [Shaykh] of Serûj, wearing his wallet by way of
belt, and his travelling gear under his arm. Then he
accosted me with friendliness, and made me forget my
loss, and I inquired of him, whence he hailed just then
and how he fared within and without. Forthwith,
without a word of demur, he recited on the spur of the
moment:
“Say to him, who would look into the inward state of my affair,
thou shalt meet at my hands with all honour and regard.
I am roving from land to land, a night-traveller from one trackless
desert to the other.
The chase yields me food, the sandal is my riding-beast, all my
equipment the wallet and the ferruled staff.
If I chance to alight in a city, my abode is the garret of the
hostelry, and my boon-companion a scroll.
There is nothing mine, that I miss when it is gone, or fret about
when the vicissitudes [wiles] of time rob me thereof;
Save that I pass my night free from concern, and my mind has
severed partnership with sorrow.
I sleep at night the fill of my eyelids and my heart is cool of
burning grief and anxiety;
I reck not from what cup I sip, and sip again, or what is the
sweetness that comes from the bitter-sweet;
For if an object of desire dons the raiment of shame, out on him
who courts a gift,
And whenever a wretch inclines to baseness, my nature shrinks
from his fashion and inclining.
Then he raised his glance to me, and said: “For
some purpose did Ḳoṣayr cut off his nose.” So I told
him the tale of my strayed camel, and what I had
endured this day and the by-gone night; and he said:
“Leave concerning thyself about things departed, or
pining for that which has perished; regret not what is
gone, though it were a river of gold; nor incline to
him who veers from thee, and kindles the fire of thy
anguish, though he were the son of thy loins, or the
own brother of thy soul.” Then he added: “Hast
thou a mind to a noon-day nap, and to abstain from
talk? For forsooth our bodies are [as it were] jaded
camels for fatigue, and the heat is all aglow; whereas
there is nothing to furbish up the mind, and to enliven
the languid, like sleep at noon while the blaze is fiercest,
especially [most so] in the two months, when the skin
of the camel shrivels through excessive thirst.” I
replied: “As thou wilt, I have no wish to thwart
thee.” Thereupon he made the ground his bed, and
fell a-dozing, nay, soon he gave evidence that he was
fast asleep. But I sat leaning on my elbow, to keep
watch, and not to succumb to slumber; however,
drowsiness overpowered me, after our tongues were
bridled, and I recovered not myself, until night had
crept in, and the stars began to twinkle, when, lo, there
was no friend of Serûj, and, alas, no saddle-beast, so
that I passed a night such as Nâbighah sings of, pregnant
with the grief of Jacob, while I was battling
against my sullenness, and vying with the stars in
wakefulness. Now I bethought me that I had henceforth
to fare on foot, now in what wise I should retrace
my homeward way; until, at the smile of morn, there
appeared to me on the horizon a rider, ambling over
the plain with the stride of the ostrich. So I signalled
to him with my garment, hoping that he would turn in
my direction. He, however, heeded not my signal, nor
took he compassion on my anxiety, trotting on at his
leisure and smiting my entrails with the arrow of his
contempt. Then I hastened in his track, to ask him
for a mount behind him, though I should have to put
up with his superciliousness. But when I reached him,
by dint of hard running, and cast my eye on him with
a sweeping glance, I found that my camel was his
riding-beast, and what I had lost he had picked up.
Then I belied me not in dragging him from her hunch,
and tussling with him for the end of her halter, calling
out: “I am her master; it is I from whom she has
strayed; to me belongs her colt and her milk! So be
not like Ash‘ab in greediness, and give no trouble, lest
thou see trouble!” But he took to abusing and shouting,
and he waxed impudent, and would not be
abashed; and while he assaulted and relented in turns,
now acting the lion, now cowering, behold, there came
upon us Abû Zayd, clad in the leopard’s skin, rushing
along with the rush of the furious torrent. Then I
feared, that his feat of to-day might be like his performance
of yesterday, that [the brightness of] his full
moon would equal [that of] his sun, after which I would
join the two tan-gatherers, never to be seen again, and
become a [mere] tale after the substance. So I saw no
help but to remind him of former bonds, and yesterday’s
misdeed, and conjured him by Allah, [asking] if
he came to make good my wrong, or to encompass my
utter ruin. He however said: “God forfend that I
should despatch one whom I have wounded, or follow
up the Simoom of my day with a deadly night-blast.
Rather have I come to find out the truth of thy state,
and to be a right hand to thy left.” Thereupon my
anxiety was allayed, and my suspiciousness subsided.
I made him aware of my milch camel, and of the cloak
of insolence that my mate had assumed, when he
glanced at him as the lion of the thicket glances at his
prey. Then he pointed his lance against him, swearing
by Him who kindles the morning, that if he made not
away with the swiftness of the fly, and contented himself
with escape as the best part of his booty, he would
pierce his neck-vein with the spear, and make his
offspring and friends mourn for him. Forthwith the
fellow let go the halter of the camel, and ran apace,
taking to his heels in hottest haste. Abû Zayd said to
me: “Seize her and mount her hump, for of the two
boons, booty and witness for the faith, she is one, and
one woe is easier to bear than two.”
Said Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Then I was at a
loss, whether to rebuke Abû Zayd, or thank him, and
how to balance the benefit received from him, against
the damage endured. But it was as if someone had
whispered to him the secret of my breast, or he had
divined what stirred in my heart, for he accosted me
with open brow, and indited with a glib tongue:
“O brother mine who bears up with my injury better than my
brethren and own kinsfolk,
If my yesterday has harmed thee, my to-day has brought thee joy.
On one of his mercantile journeys Ḥârith arrives at Samarcand
early on a Friday morning, and after having refreshed himself in a
public bath and performed the ceremonial ablutions incumbent on
the day, he hurries to the chief mosque, to be one of the foremost
amongst the worshippers. Here he listens attentively to a most
impressive sermon on the instability of human destinies, and on the
certainty and terrors of death. This address strikes him not only
by the forcibleness of its diction, but by the peculiarity, that all the
words employed in it consist of letters without diacritical points,—a
peculiarity to which he alludes by calling it “a spotless bride.” He,
therefore, looks closer at the preacher, and soon recognises in him
Abû Zayd. After the divine service is over, he accosts him, and, as
usual, the meeting between them is most affectionate on both sides.
Abû Zayd invites Ḥârith to accompany him to his dwelling, and at
nightfall shocks his guest by producing decanters filled with wine.
Rebuke and remonstrances are airily met with some verses, spiced
with Abû Zayd’s reckless philosophy. Relaxing from his habitual
austerity, Ḥârith for once does at Rome as the Romans do, and
pledged to secrecy under the influence of the cup, he even countenances
his abandoned friend before the outside world during his stay
in the city.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: In one of my
journeys I chose sugar-candy for a merchandise, making
with the same for Samarcand, and in those days I was
upright of build, brimful of sprightliness, taking sight
from the bow of enjoyment at the target of pleasures,
and seeking in the sap of my youth help against the
glamours of the water-semblance [mirage]. Now I
reached her on a Friday morn, after I had endured
hardship, and I bestirred myself without tarrying, until
a nightstead was got, and when I had carried there my
sugar-candy, and was entitled to say “at home with
me,” I wended forthwith towards a bath, when I put
from me the weariness of travel, and took to the washing
of the congregation-day conformably to tradition. Then
I hastened with the bearing of the humble to the
cathedral mosque, so as to join those who near the
prayer-leader, and offer [as it were] the fattened camel,
and happily I was foremost in the race, and elected the
central place for hearing the sermon. Meanwhile people
ceased not to enter in troops into the faith of Allah, and
to arrive singly and in pairs, until, when the mosque
was crowded with its assembly, and a person had
waxed equal with his shadow, the preacher sallied forth,
swaggering in the wake of his acolyths, and straightway
mounted the steps of the pulpit of the [divine]
call, until he stood at its summit, when he gave blessing
with a wave of his right hand, sitting down thereafter
until the ritual of the cry to prayer was completed.
Then he rose and spoke: “Praise be to Allah, the
exalted of names, the praised for His bounties, the
abundant in gifts, the called upon for the rescinding of
calamity;—king of the nations, restorer of rotten bones,
honourer of the folks of forbearance and generosity,
destroyer of ‘Âd and Irem;—whose cognizance comes
up with every secret, whose compassion encompasses
every obdurate in sin, whose munificence comprises all
the world, whose power breaks down every revolter.—
I praise Him with the praise of one who proclaims
[God’s] unity and professes Islâm, I pray to Him with
the prayer of the hopeful, the trusting, for He is the
God, there is no God but He, the unique, the one, the
just, the eternal, there is none begotten to Him, and no
begetter, no companion with Him and no helpmate.—
He sent forth Mohammed to spread about Islâm, to
consolidate religion, to confirm the guidance of the
apostles, to straighten the black-hued and the red.—
He united womb-connections, he taught the fundamentals
of truth, he set a stamp on the lawful and the
forbidden, he regulated [laid down the rules for] the
doffing and the donning of the pilgrim-cloak.—May
Allah exalt his place, and perfect the blessing and
benediction upon him, may He have compassion on his
race, the worthy, and on his progeny, the uterine, as
long as the pile-cloud pours, as long as the dove coos,
as long as the cattle graze, as long as the sword
assaults.—Work ye, may Allah have mercy upon you,
the work of the pious, exert yourselves towards your
return [on the resurrection day] with the exertion of
the sound, curb your lusts with the curbing of enemies,
make ready for your departure with the readiness of the
blissful.—Put ye on the robes of abstinence, and put
away the ailings of greed, make straight the crookedness
of your dealings, and resist the whisperings of
hope.—Portray ye to your imaginings the vicissitudes
of circumstances, and the alighting of terrors, and the
attacks of sickness, and the cutting off from pelf and
kin:—Bethink ye yourselves of death, and the agony of
its throwing-place, of the tomb and the awfulness of
that which is sighted there, of the grave-niche and the
loneliness of the one deposed in it, of the angel and the
frightfulness of his questioning and of his advent.—
Look ye at fortune and the baseness of its onslaught,
and the evil of its deceit and cunning:—How many
road-marks has it effaced, how many viands embittered!
how many a host has it scattered, how many an
honoured king has it overthrown.—Its striving is to
strike deaf the ears, to make flow the tear-founts, to
baffle desires, to destroy the songster and the listener
to the song. Its decree is the same for kings and
subjects, for the lord and the henchman, for the envied
and the envier, for serpents and for lions.—It enriches
not, but to turn away, and reverse hopes; it bestows
not, but to outrage and cut into the limbs; it gladdens
not, but to sadden, and revile, and injure; it grants no
health, but to engender disease and frighten friends.—
Fear ye Allah! fear ye Allah! May Allah keep you!
How long this persistency in levity, this perseverance
in thoughtlessness, this stubbornness in sin, this loading
yourselves with crime, this rejection of the word of the
wise, this rebellion against the God of heaven?—Is not
senility your harvest, and the clod your couch? Is
not death your capturer, and [the bridge] Ṣirâṭ your
path? Is not the hour [of resurrection] your tryst,
and the plain [or hell] your goal? Are not the terrors
of doomsday laid in ambush for you? Is not the
abode of transgressors Al-Ḥuṭamah, the firmly [safely]
locked?—Their warder Mâlik, their comeliness raven
blackness, their food poison, their breathing-air the
scorching blast!—No wealth prospers them, no offspring;
no numbers protect them, and no equipments.
—But lo, Allah has mercy upon the man who rules his
passion, and who treads the paths of His guidance;
who makes firm his obedience towards his Lord, and
strives for the restfulness of his place of refuge; who
works while life lasts obedient, and fortune at truce
with him, and health perfect and welfare at hand;—
Lest he be overtaken by the frustration of his wish, by
the faltering of speech, by the alighting of afflictions, by
the fulfilment of fate, by the blunting of senses, by the
remedy of the sepulchres. Alack on them for a misery
whose woefulness is assured, whose term is infinite!
He who is remedied thereby is wretched, his distractedness
has none to allay it, his regret none to pity it;
there is no one to ward off that which befalls him.
May then Allah inspire you with the praiseworthiest of
inspirations! May He robe you with the robe of
glory! May He cause you to alight in the abode of
peace! Of Him I ask mercy upon you and on the
people of the religion of Islâm, for He is the most
forgiving of the generous, the saviour, and peace be
with you.”—Said Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Now,
when I saw that the sermon was a choice thing without
a flaw, and a bride without a spot, the wonderment at
its admirable strain urged me on to look at the preacher’s
face, and I began to scan it narrowly, and to let my
glance range over him carefully, when it became clear
to me by the truth of tokens, that it was our Shaykh,
the author of the Assemblies.—There was, however, no
help from keeping silent for the time being; so I withheld
until he had left off praying, and “the dispersing
on the earth” had come. Then I turned towards him,
and hastened to meet him, and when he spied me he
quickened his pace, and was profuse in doing me
honour, bidding me to accompany him to his abode and
making me a confidant of the particulars of his intimate
affairs.—Now, when the wing of darkness had spread,
and the time for sleep had come, he brought forth wine-flasks
secured with plug, whereupon I said to him:
“Dost thou quaff it before sleep, and thou the prayer-leader
of the people?” But he replied: “Hush! I
by day am preacher, but by night make merry.”—
Said I: “By Allah, I know not whether to wonder
more at thy unconcernedness as to thy kinsfolk and
thy birthplace, or at thy preacher-office with thy foul
habits, and the rotation of thy winecup.”—Thereupon
he turned his face in disgust from me, and presently he
said:—Listen to me:
“Weep not for a friend that is distant, nor for an abode, but
turn thyself about with fortune as it turns about.
Reckon thou all mankind thy dwelling-place, and fancy all the
earth thy home.
Forbear with the ways of him with whom thou dealest, and
humour him, for it is the wise that humours.
Miss thou no chance of enjoyment, for thou knowest not if
thou live a day, or if an age.
Know thou that death is going round, and the moon-haloes
circle above all created beings.
Swearing that they will not cease chasing them, as long as morn
and even turn and re-turn.
How then mayest thou hope to escape from a net, from which
neither Kisrá escaped, nor Dârâ.”
Said he [the narrator]: And when the cups went
between us from hand to hand, and the vital spirits
waxed gleeful, he dragged from me the oath that allows
no exception, that I would screen his repute [secret].
So I complied with his wish, and kept faith with him,
and ranked him before the great in the rank of Al
Fuzail, and let down the skirt over the turpitudes of
the night; and this continued to be his wont and my
wont, until the time for my return came, when I took
leave from him, while he persisted in hypocrisy and in
secretly quaffing old wine.
In a Khân or inn at Wâsiṭ, frequented by many travellers, Al
Ḥârith overhears his neighbour in the adjoining room tell his son
to go to the market with one person, and come back with another,
both of whom he describes in enigmatical and fanciful language.
His curiosity being roused, he watches the lad’s exit, and finding
that he starts unaccompanied, he feels still more mystified, and,
therefore, follows him to the market, where he sees him give in
change a loaf against a flint-stone for striking fire. Then the solution
of the riddle dawns upon him, and at the same time he is
convinced that the originator of this witticism could be none other
but Abû Zayd. Hastening back, he finds his surmise confirmed, for
the Serûji was sitting in the courtyard of the hostelry, and after a
cordial greeting the two friends were soon deeply engaged in
familiar conversation. In response to Abû Zayd’s inquiries, Ḥârith
tells him that reverses of fortune and the machinations of enemies
have forced him to leave his home almost destitute. To help him
out of his difficulties, the former proposes to bring about a matrimonial
alliance between him and some wealthy people alighted in
the Khân, whom he avers to be high-principled, and who would be
contented with a dowry of 500 dirhems, a sum which the Prophet
used to settle upon his wives and to fix for his daughters as a
marriage portion. He promises to undertake the conduct of the
transaction, and to crown proceedings by pronouncing at the
wedding an address, such as had never been heard before. More
eager to listen to this wonderful specimen of oratory, than to set
his eyes on the prospective bride, Ḥârith lends himself to the
scheme, and Abû Zayd quickly pushes the preliminaries to a satisfactory
conclusion, offering himself as security for the 500 dirhems,
after which he prepares some sweet-meats for the wedding entertainment.
At nightfall he assembles all the inhabitants of the Khân
in his room, and after having busied himself with the pretence of
some astronomical calculations, which brings the guests to the verge
of sleep, he delivers at the instigation of the impatient Ḥârith the
promised speech, in which he displays the marvellous resources of
his rhetorical skill, by repeating the principal heads of the sermon
in the preceding Assembly in varied diction and under fresh images,
while he moreover surpasses its grammatical artifice by excluding
this time even the occasionally dotted Hâ of the feminine termination
from it. Then he performs the marriage ceremonies, which he
concludes with the usual wish for prosperity and male offspring to
the newly married couple, and produces his sweet-meats, urging
Ḥârith to hand them round, instead of joining in their consumption,
as he had been about to do. Scarcely have the company tasted of
the dishes, when they fall senseless to the ground. Ḥârith, terrified,
at first thinks that they have been poisoned, but Abû Zayd reassuringly
informs him that he has only drugged them. Then he
coolly begins to collect the contents of all the rooms, and carefully
selects everything most valuable, to carry off with him. Ḥârith is
amazed at this wild freak and frightened at its consequences, but
the Serûji tells him, as far as he himself is concerned, that he and
his ill-gotten affluence would soon be at a safe distance, and as for
his perplexed friend, he had only to feed on the remainder of the
dishes and to allow himself to be stripped, when he would not be
held responsible for an outrage of which he himself was a victim;
or else to join in the flight, offering even to find a new bride for
him to wed. In spite of his indignation, Ḥârith banteringly replies,
that he had enough with the first one, and would leave someone
else welcome to the second; but when Abû Zayd blandly steps
forward, to enfold him in a parting embrace, he draws back in disgust.
Then Abû Zayd breaks forth in one of his exquisite pieces of
poetry, in which he tries to justify this and many more similar
enormities committed previously by the wickedness of the injured
people, winding up with a sincere touch of remorse at his own sinfulness,
which makes him burst out in tears and earnest supplication
for forgiveness. Ḥârith softens towards him, and hoping that he
may finally meet with the divine pardon, which is held out to the
repentant transgressor, he sees him depart with his son; then
collecting his own scanty belongings he continues his journey in the
direction of Ṭîb, a town midway between Wâsiṭ and the swamps of
the Baṭîḥah.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm related: The decree of
waning fortune drove me to the country of Wâsiṭ, and I
repaired thither without knowing one there who would
house me, or owning therein a lodging. Now when I
alighted there with the alighting of the fish on the dry
land, or of the white hair in the black locks, evil hap
and receding luck guided me to a Khân frequented by a
jumble from every land, and a medley of travellers,
which, on account of the cleanliness of the place, and
the civility of its inhabitants, enticed the stranger to
make himself at home therein, and made him forget the
air of his native country. So I secluded myself in one
of its chambers, not paying an excess of rent. Then it
was not but the a-twinkling of the eye, or the time to
scribble a letter, that I heard my next-door neighbour
say to his fellow-dweller in the room—“Rise, my dear
son, may thy luck not set, nor thy adversary keep on
foot, take with thee the one of full-moon face and of
pearly hue, of pure root and tormented body, who was
pinched and stretched, imprisoned and released, made
to drink and weaned, and pushed into the fire, after he
had been slapped. Then career to the market the
career of the longing swain, and bring back instead of
it the pregnant that impregnates, the spoiler who
enriches, the saddener who gladdens, the possessor of
a puff that sets on fire, and of a germ that breaks forth
in light, of an emission [utterance] that satisfies, and of
a gift that profits, who, when he is struck, thunders and
lightens, and reveals himself in flames, and who sputters
on tinder-rags.” Then, as soon as the throat-bag of the
roaring camel had subsided, and nothing was left but
the going of him who was to go, there sallied forth a
youth with a graceful swagger, and no mate with him.
So I saw that it was a tight knot to make game of
understandings and to render one eager to enter into
the idle fancies [absurdities]. I therefore set out in the
track of the youth, to find out the meaning of the
speech. Then he ceased not bustling himself with the
bustle of sprites, and searching amongst the rows of
market shops, until he came at last to a store of flint-stones,
and gave their seller a loaf [or cake], receiving
from him a fine flint in return. Then I wondered at
the sagacity of the sender and the sent one, and I knew
that it was of Serûji growth, and I tarried not in
hastening back to the Khân, giving myself the rein, to
test the truth of my surmise and whether my arrow had
hit the mark in its divining. And, for sooth, I proved
an expert in sharpness of sagacity, for Abû Zayd was
sitting in the courtyard of the Khân. Then we congratulated
each other on the meeting, and mutually
paid the dues of the welcoming of friends. Whereupon
he said: “What is it that befell thee, so that thou
didst quit thy place?”—Said I: “Fortune broke and
oppression was rife.”—He replied: “By Him who
sends down the rain from the clouds, and makes come
forth the fruit from its sheath, times are foul and
iniquity [wrong] prevails on all sides, and the helper is
not to be found, but Allah is the One besought for help.
How then gottest thou away and which of the twain
was thy state when thou wentest off?”—Said I: “I
made night my shirt and set out early in it, a starveling.”—Then
he pricked holes in the ground with his
stick, and bethought him how to find a loan or procure
a gift for me. Presently he stirred with the stirring of
one to whom a prey comes near, or an opportunity
presents itself, and said: “It just occurred to my
heart that thou mightest ally thyself with one who
heals thy wound and feathers thy wing.”—Said I:
“How then am I to make union between the neck-ring
and an empty purse, and who is it that will have
Ẓull, son of Ẓull [Nobody, son of Nobody]?”—Then
he said: “It is I, who shall drop hints of thee and for
thee, and be proxy in and on thy behalf, besides that
the people profess to set the broken bone, and to
ransom the prisoner, and to hold in honour their kith
and kin, and to consult the adviser; save that, if
Ibrahîm, son of Adham, proposed to them, or Jebeleh,
son of Ayham, they would not give in marriage unless
for five hundred dirhems, in accordance with that which
the Prophet, may Allah bless and hallow him, settled
on his wives, or stipulated for the dowries of his
daughters, with the proviso, that no portion should be
claimed from thee, if thou wert driven to seek refuge in
divorcement. Then I will deliver at the place of thy
betrothal and at the gathering of thy wedding-guests an
address such as has not opened an obstructed ear, and
has not been pronounced the like of it in any assembly.”
—Said Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Now he roused
my spirits more by the description of the address to be
indited, than of the bride to be displayed, so that I
said to him: “I entrust thee with the affair, so manage
it with the management of him who is sharp-witted in
the interest of him he loves.” Forthwith he rose, trotting
away briskly, then returned beaming, and said:
“Rejoice at the tidings of fortune, and the milking of
an abundant flow. I have already been charged with
fixing the contract, and stood security for the money,
so the thing is all but settled. Thereupon he took to
pledging all the people of the Khân [to be present at
the appointed time], and to preparing sweet-meats for
the table. Then when night had extended her tent-ropes,
and every owner of a door had closed his door, he
called out to the assembly: “Halloo! be present
instantly,” and none of them lagged to obey his voice,
and to enter his room. Now, when they stood in rows
before him, and the witness and witnessed upon were
gathered, he busied himself in raising the astrolabe and
lowering it, and in consulting the almanack and laying
it aside, until the people became drowsy, and sleep drew
nigh. Said I to him: “Ho, Sirrah, put the axe to
the block, and free the people from sleepiness.” Then
he cast a glance at the stars, and breaking loose from
the tie of silence, he swore by [mount] Ṭûr, and the
written book, that the secret of this hidden matter
should be unravelled and its memory spread forth
unto the day of resurrection. Whereupon he sat in a
kneeling position, and invited the ears to feed on his
address, saying: “Praise be to Allah the king glorified
with praise, the beloved Lord, the fashioner of every
born one, the refuge of every outcast, the spreader of
earth’s couch, the fastener of the mountains, the sender
of rains, the smoother of difficulties, who knows all
secrets and penetrates them, who overthrows kings and
destroys them, who makes follow each other the ages in
their turns, who initiates affairs and brings them to an
issue.—His bounty is universal and perfect, His rain-cloud
pours and showers, He answers request and hope,
He makes it easy for the distressed and widowed.—I
praise Him with the praise that endureth through all
times, I proclaim His unity, as Abraham, the sorrowful,
proclaimed it, for He is God, there is no God to the
nations besides Him, there is none who inclines to that
which would counterbalance or equal Him.—He sent
Mohammed, a standard to Islâm, an Imâm to rulers, a
fortifier of the lowly, an abolisher of the rights of Wadd
and Suwâ, for he made known and taught, he restrained
and established, he rooted firmly the principles of faith
and propagated them, he confirmed promises and
uttered threats.—May Allah never cease to bestow
honour on him, and bring his spirit to the abode of
peace, may he have compassion on his race and house,
the noble, as long as a mirage glitters, as a young of
the ostrich runs, as a new moon rises, as a shout that
greets the same is heard.—Work ye, may Allah keep
you, the best of works, and tread the paths of lawfulness,
throw ye off the forbidden, and abandon it, and
listen to the command of Allah, and obey it; unite ye
the blood-relations and revere them, and resist the lusts
and repel them; ally ye yourselves to people of
righteousness and piety; and cut yourselves off from
the band of wantonness and greed.—Now the seeker of
your alliance is the purest of freemen as to birth, and
the noblest of them as to lordliness, the sweetest as for
a watering-place, and the soundest as for keeping his
word.—Behold he has come to you and alighted in your
sanctuary to wed your bride, the honoured, and to settle
a dowry upon her as the Prophet settled upon Umm
Salamah;—and he is the worthiest of sons-in-law to
whom children have been trusted and who was made
possessed of what he desired,—he who gives to him in
marriage is not hasty nor errs he, the one who enters
with him in relationship is neither foiled nor soiled.—I
ask from Allah for you to approve of his connection,
and to prosper him lastingly, and may He inspire each
one to seek improvement of his state and to make
ready for his return. To Him be eternal praise, and
glory to his Apostle Mohammed.” Now when he had
ended his address, marvellous of disposition, void of
punctuation, he concluded the marriage contract at the
settlement of the five hundred, after which he said to
me: “For ease and sons!”—Then he brought forth
the sweet-meats which he had prepared and set going
a feast to be remembered for aye. I advanced [stepped
up] to them as the company advanced [stepped up] and
was nigh to stretch out my hand towards them, but he
scared me from eating and urged me to hand them
round, when, lo, by Allah it was not in quicker time
than the eyelids meet, that the people fell prone upon
their chins. Then when I saw them like the roots of a
falling date-tree, or like those thrown by the daughter
of the wine-cask, I knew for sooth that it was an unexampled
mischief, and the mother of precedents. So
I said to him: “O thou arch-fiend of thy own soul,
and vile slave of thy coin, hast thou prepared for the
people sweets, or a bane?”—Said he: “I have not gone
beyond a mess of banj in trays of the Khalanj tree.”—
Then I said: “I swear by Him who makes the stars rise
in brightness and guides by them all wayfarers, thou
hast done a hateful thing and secured thee a record
amongst shameful deeds.” Thereupon I was bewildered
at thought of what would come of his affair,
and with fear of infection from his scab, so that my
soul fluttered within me distractedly, and my side-muscles
quivered with fright. Then, when he saw the
extent of my fear and the excessiveness of my anxiety,
he said: “What is this burning thought and this
white-hot fear? If thy concern at my offence is for the
sake of me, know that I am now well off and gone,
freeing this spot from my presence, and leaving it void
of me, and how many like it have I quitted to remain
deserted. But if it is with a view to thyself, and from
apprehension of thy imprisonment, then partake of the
remainder of the mess, and be contented to be without
thy shirt, so as to be safe against the redresser and the
seeker of redress, that thy stay after me may be
tranquil. But if not, the flight! the flight! before
thou be captured and dragged away.” Forthwith he
proceeded to clear out whatever there was in the rooms
of money-sacks and chests, and began to appropriate
the selected part of everything stored, and the choicest
of everything measured and weighed, so that he left
that which his net spared, like a bone voided of its
marrow. Then after he had bagged that which he had
chosen, and tied it in bundles, and had tucked up his
sleeves and girded himself, he accosted me as accosts
one who has donned impudence, and arrayed himself
with the garb of sincere friendship, saying: “Hast
thou a mind to accompany me to the Baṭîḥah, so that I
may wed thee to another fair one?”—Then I made oath
to him by Him who had created him to be blessed
wherever he might find himself, and not of those who
commit felony in a Khân, that I had it not in me to
marry two freeborn and to cohabit with twain rival
wives, moreover said I to him in the language of one
who humours his humour, and measures to him with
his own bushel: “The first suffices me for a boast, so
seek another one for the other.”—Then he smiled at my
speech and stepped forward to embrace me, but I turned
from him my cheek and showed him my repugnance.
So when he saw my shrinking back, and my aversion
became manifest to him, he indited:
“O thou, who turnest away from me, for it is time’s nature to be
fraught with turns,
And rebukest me for my foul treatment of those whom I had for
neighbours, with the rebuke of the harsh:
Thou comprehendest me not in what I have done, but as for
them, I know them full well:
Heretofore I sought their hospitality, and I saw them unheedful
of their guests.
I probed them, and when I tested them I found them to be base
coin.
Amongst them is none but who strikes terror when he can, or else
is terror-stricken.
None sincere in friendship, none trustworthy, none benevolent,
none kindly disposed.
And my hand possessed itself of what they had hoarded, for they
were the abhorrence of men’s nostrils.
Then I wended my way with booty sweet of cullings and reapings.
For sooth, often times I left behind me one wounded of entrails,
who slunk after me when I had gone.
And despoiled the owners of state-chairs and carpets and curtains.
And stood my ground in terrors, such that lions would shrink from
facing.
How often have I shed blood, and slain unawares and desecrated
the sanctuary of the high-minded;
But withal I have laid in a goodly opinion with regard to my
Lord, the Compassionate.”
The only reason for calling this Assembly after the city of Ṣûr
(Tyre) seems to be that the Râwi, who perhaps in this case may be
identified with Ḥarîri himself, wished to pay her a tribute of grateful
remembrance for a period of exceptional prosperity, which he
had passed there. The real scene of action is Cairo, whither he had
journeyed from the former place under the impulse of a sudden
fancy, and where he was indulging in a somewhat dissipated and
indolent life of pleasure. While riding one day about the town, he
encountered a gaily arrayed troop of horsemen, who, as he ascertained
by inquiry, were on their road to witness a wedding-feast.
Hoping to meet with an enjoyable pastime, he follows them to a
distant mansion, which, although grand of appearance, is adorned
in an odd manner with ragged clothes, and baskets such as
beggars use for carrying the produce of their rounds. He asks an
aged porter for the name of the owner of the building, and is informed
that it has no particular master, but is the gathering-place
of strolling people of every description, and on entering, he
finds, that however poor and squalid the assembled may be individually,
as a congregation or guild they know how to fare luxuriously
when the occasion demands it. Presently the bridegroom
appears in all his pomp, and a herald proclaims that the old and
revered chief of the begging fraternity himself is about to solemnize
the forthcoming marriage ceremony. The announced exalted
personage steps forward and is respectfully greeted, and delivers a
discourse, in which his earnest and impressive remarks on the duties
of the rich towards the poor, and on the divine purpose in founding
the institution of matrimony, form an amusing contrast to his
description, at once high-flown and humorous, of the couple to be
united in wedlock. After the ceremony is finished, the company
repair, under his lead, to a richly dressed table, and Ḥârith is on the
point of departing, when the old man calls to him reprovingly and
bids him to stay. He swears that he would not do so, unless the
other told him who he was, and is answered in some touching
verses, in which the speaker exalts in glowing colours the beauties
of his native town Serûj, and bitterly bewails his expulsion from it
by ruthless enemies. Ḥârith now easily recognises Abû Zayd in
spite of his disguise, and the change which old age has wrought in
him, and passes the remainder of the day, as well as his evenings
during his sojourn in Cairo, in his instructive and delightful company.
Al Ḥâreth son of Hammâm related: I fared from
the city of Manṣûr [Bagdad] to the town Ṣûr [Tyre],
and when I had become there the possessor of high
rank and of affluence, and powerful to raise and to
abase, I longed for Miṣr [Egypt and Cairo] with the
longing of the sick for the physicians, and the generous
for the bestowing of bounties. So I left behind me the
attachments of stay, and shook off the impediments of
travel, and, bestriding [a steed like] Ibnu’n-Na‘âmeh,
I hastened towards her with the swiftness of the ostrich.
Now when I had entered her, after sustaining hardships
and being on the point of destruction, I was delighted
thereat with the delight of one intoxicated by drinking
morning draughts, and one dazzled by the break
of morning brightness. And when I was one day
loitering about, beneath me a steed of stately pace, I
beheld on short-haired nags, a troop of men like the lamps
of night. So I inquired for the sake of procuring me a
pleasure-trip, about the troop and their destination, when
I was told that the people were witnesses and their goal
a wedding to be witnessed. Then the sprightliness of
youth urged me to fare along with the foragers, so as to
obtain a share in the sweets of the bridal scatterings and
get some of the delicacies of the festive board. Presently
we came, after enduring fatigue, to a mansion high of
structure, wide of area, which testified to the builder’s
wealth and exalted station. When we alighted from
horse-back and put forward our steps to enter it, I saw
its vestibules adorned with tattered garments, and garlanded
[coronated] with begging-baskets hung round,
and there was an aged man sitting on a cloth of piled
stuff, upon a handsome bench. Now the title-page of
the book, and the sight of this strange furniture, made
one doubtful, and the evil augury of these ill-omened
objects induced me to accost that man on the seat, and
I adjured him by the dispenser of destinies to let me
know who was the lord of this mansion. Said he:
“It has no distinct owner and no manifest master, it is
but the inn of the importune beggars and low artisans,
and the den of ballad-singers and rehearsers of the
traditions.” Then I said within myself: “For Allah’s
sake, out upon a fool’s errand, and the failure of my
pasture,” and I intended to return at once, but then I
considered my sudden departure and my going back
without the others to be churlish. So I entered the
house reluctantly, as one drinking choking draughts
[lit. drinking draughts that make one choke], or as the
sparrow enters the cage. Then, lo! there were in it
richly adorned state-chairs, and spread carpets, and
cushions laid in rows, and arrayed curtains. Presently
stepped forth the bridegroom, swaggering in his burdah
[mantle of striped stuff], and strutting like a lion in the
midst of his attendants, and when he had sat down as
though he were the son of Mâ’u’s-samâ’, there cried out
a crier on the side of his relatives: “By the reverence
due to Sâsân, grand-master of masters and pattern of
sturdy beggars, none ties this knot on this day white of
forehead and extremities, but he who has roved and
roamed, who has been young and waxed old in
adversity.” Then the company [kith] on the bride’s
side were well pleased with that which yonder people
[the bridegroom’s relations] had proclaimed with
regard to the bringing in their presence the one
indicated. Forthwith sallied forth an old man whose
stature the days and nights had bent, whose Thaghâmsup>1
tree the morns and eves had decked with blossoms. Then
the congregation rejoiced at his approach and hastened
forward to welcome him, and when he had sat down on
his carpet, and the turmoil of voices had subsided, he
advanced to his cushion, and stroked his beard with
his hand, whereupon he spoke: “Praise be to Allah,
the foremost in munificence, the ever new in bestowing
bounties, to whom we are brought near by supplication,
on whom we are made to rely for the accomplishment
of hopes, who has ordained the legal alms from every
property, and sternly forbidden the refusal of supplicants,
who has impressed on man to relieve the distressed,
and commanded to feed him that begs and him
that refuses to beg; who has described His servants in
His book, the manifest, when He spoke, and He is the
most truthful of speakers: ‘Those who know well that
the supplicant and the destitute have a claim on their
riches.’—I praise Him for that which He has dispensed
of wholesome food, and I take refuge with Him from
hearing a prayer void of intention. And I testify there
is no God but God, the One, without a partner to Him
for a god, who requites the alms-giving men and
women, who withdraws His blessing from usury, and
rewards alms with lavish interest. Furthermore I
attest, that Mohammed is His sincere servant, and His
honoured Apostle. He sent him that he might efface
the darkness by the light, and secure to the poor a
share from the rich, and he compassioned, may God
bless and hallow him, with the destitute, and lowered
his wing to the lowly; he made obligatory the claims
on the possessions of the wealthy, and made clear what
is the due to those who have little on the part of those
who have much.—May Allah bless him with a blessing
that obtains for him proximity [to God’s throne], as
well as the elected of the stone-bench [certain Companions
of the Prophet].—But now, Allah, be He
exalted, has made matrimony a law so that you may be
chaste, and instituted propagation so that you may
multiply, for He said so that you may know: ‘O ye
men, we have created you from a male and female, and
made you clans and tribes, so that you may recognise
each other.’—Now this is Abû’d-darrâj Wallâj [in-goer],
son of Kharrâj [out-goer], lord of the impudent
face, and manifest mendacity, of yelping and shouting,
of importunity and persistency in begging;—who
woos the shrew of her people, fit mate of her husband,
Qanbas [spit-fire], daughter of Abû ‘Anbas [frowning
lion], for the sake of that which reached him of her
being clad with pertinacity, and her excessiveness in
stooping to beggary, and her quickness in grasping a
livelihood, and her rising after a fall, along with her
combativeness. And he has lavished upon her for a
dowry a wallet and a ferruled stick, together with a
kerchief and a pitcher. So marry him as one like him
is to be married, and join your rope with his rope, and
if you fear poverty or want [through increase of family],
Allah will give you a sufficiency out of His bounty.
Thus I say my say, craving forgiveness from Allah, the
Mighty, for me and you, and praying that He may
multiply your offspring in the beggar-dens, and guard
all of you from dangers.”—Then, when the Shaykh had
ended his discourse, and pressed upon the bride’s
relatives her contract, there fell of scatterings a shower,
that exceeded the limits of abundance, and would have
made the miser to excel in liberality. Thereupon the
Shaykh rose, trailing his skirts and preceding his
rabble.—Said Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Then I
followed him, so that I might see the array of the
people, and complete the enjoyment of the day. Forthwith
he turned with them to a table that its dressers
had adorned, and whose every side equalled the other
in beauty. And when each one had seated himself in
his proper place and begun to cull freely in his garden,
I slipped out of the row, and fled from the throng.
But then it happened that a turn of the Shaykh’s face
fell in my direction, and that a glance from his eye
caught me unawares, when he said: “Whither, O thou
curmudgeon? Dost thou not affect the company of
him who is generous?”—Said I: “By Him, who
created the heavens one above another, and permeated
them with light, I will not taste a morsel, nor turn in
my mouth a bit, unless thou tell me where is the
sprawling-place of thy youth, and whence thy breeze is
blowing.” Then he fetched a deep sigh, and shed tears
in torrents, until he had exhausted their flow, and bid
the company to be silent, when he said to me: “Lend
me thy hearing:
A city where all is found, and gotten readily and in abundance.
Her sons and her palaces, stars they are and sidereal mansions.
And the flowers of her hills, when the snows have melted away.
Who sees her says the haven of earthly Eden is Serûj.
Day-long grief whose engrossing cares distract the mind.
When he had indicated his native town, and I had
understood that which he had recited, I knew for a
certainty that he was our most learned Abû Zayd,
although old age had now shackled him. So I sallied
forth to put my hand in his, and I reckoned it a booty
to eat with him from his platters. And I continued
the time of my stay in Cairo to resort nightly to his
guest-fire, and to fill both my shells with the pearls
of his utterances, until the raven of separation croaked
between us, and I parted with him as the lid would
part with the eye.
The subject of this Assembly has so aptly and succinctly been
stated by Mr. Chenery in the summary of the 24 Assemblies not
translated by him, that any attempt to improve on him would be
presumption. We therefore reproduce here the passage referring
to it from his Introduction, p. 76 of Vol. I. The Thirty-first
Assembly, he says, is a composition of exquisite beauty. Ḥârith
makes the pilgrimage to Mecca, and there finds Abû Zayd, who
addresses the worshippers first in the usual rhymed prose, and then
in verse, on the duties of true religion. The Ḥajj, he tells them,
does not consist in hastening on camels to the holy city, or wearying
the body, or parting from home and children, but in adding to
these performances abstinence from sin, purity of intention, and the
practice of virtue; for “washing in fonts cleanses not from immersion
in sins, the baring of the body compensates not for the
laying up of guilt, nor will the donning of the pilgrim’s garb avail
him who clothes himself with the forbidden.” The verses which
follow are inspired by the loftiest morality. When he has concluded,
Ḥârith approaches him, but Abû Zayd declares that he has
a vow not to associate with anyone during his pilgrimage, nor to
make gain, nor to recite his pedigree, nor to ask alms. As the
pilgrims pass by on their journey he again addresses them in edifying
verse.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: In the prime of
my youth and the freshness of vigorous life, I hated
making my den in the thickets [towns], and loved
slipping out of the scabbard, from my ken, that travel
fills the provision bags and produces gain, while cleaving
to one’s country hamstrings [houghs] the intellect and
lowers the Stay-at-home. So I shook the [divining-]
arrows of seeking advice and rubbed the fire-sticks of
choosing the best, whereupon I made up my mind
firmer than rocks, and started towards the shores of
Shâm [Syria] for the purpose of trading. Now when
I had tented at Ramlah, and thrown down the staff of
travel, I found there montures being made ready for
night-faring, and saddles being strapped for [travelling
to] the mother of Cities [Mecca]. Then the gale of
longing blew strongly within me, and a craving for
the holy house seized on me passionately, so that I
haltered my camel, and flung from me my engagements
and ties,
And spend, what I have gathered, on the gathering-ground
[Muzdalifeh], forgetting for the sacred stone the metal cursed.”
Then I strung myself together with a travelling-company
like the stars of heaven, who in their faring
sped with the torrent’s rush, and coursed in quest of
their good with the course of the race-horse. So,
between night - journeying and journeying by day,
between trotting and ambling, we abated not, until the
legs of our beasts had done us rare service, in bringing
us to Juḥfah [the station where the pilgrims from
Syria assembled, before setting out for the general
meeting-place, Muzdalifeh, next to Mecca]. Then we
alighted therein, making ready for donning the pilgrim’s
cloak, and wishing each other joy in having attained
to our desire. But no sooner had we made kneel our
beasts in the place, and laid down the saddle-bags, when
there came in sight of us from amongst the mountains
a person, exposed [bare] of skin, and who cried out:
“O ye people of this concourse, hither with you to that
which rescues on the day of the mutual call [tanâdî].”
Then the pilgrims hastened towards him, and gathered
and surrounded him and waxed silent, and when he
saw their propping up to him, and their eagerness to
feed on his discourse, he ascended one of the mounds,
then he hawked, opening up his speech, and said:
“O ye company of pilgrims, flocking together from the
mountain-paths, do you comprehend what you are
about to face and whom you go to meet? Or do you
know whom you approach, and what you are undertaking
boldly? Do you imagine that Hajj is (means)
the choosing of saddle-beasts and the traversing of
stations, the taking seat in litters, and the loading of
beasts of burden? Or do you opine that piety is the
tucking up of sleeves, and the emaciating of bodies,
the separation from children and the getting far from
your native places? Ay no, by Allah, but it is the
shunning of transgressions before preparing the beast,
the sincerity of purpose in making for yonder building,
and the purity of submissiveness along with the fervour
of devotion, the mending of dealings, before working
the doughty camels. By Him who prescribed the rites
for the devout, and guides astraight the wanderer in
the raven-black night, the washing with bucketfuls
cleanseth not from being immersed in [the mire of]
sin, and the stripping of bodies counterbalances not
for being loaden with crime, nor makes the donning of
the pilgrim’s cloak amends for being wrapped up in the
forbidden. The being plaided with the Izâr profits
not, when one is burdened with iniquities, nor avails
the seeking of approach [to God] by getting one’s head
shaved when one busies himself in shaving mankind.
Obsequiousness in clipping the hair (after completion of
the pilgrimage) rubs not off the dirt of persistency in
shortcomings. None prospers [by visiting mount]
‘Arafât, but he who is endowed with wisdom, nor is
any blessed [hallowed] by Al Khayf, who is addicted
to injustice. None witnesses the standing place [of
Abraham], but he who stands upright, and he rejoices
not in the acceptance of his pilgrimage who swerves
from the right path. So have Allah mercy upon the
man who is sincere [pure], before his running to
[mount] Ṣafâ, and treads the road of the divine
pleasure, before his repairing to the tanks [of the well
Zamzam]; who puts off his dissimulation before
doffing his garments, and excels in his beneficence,
before his rushing down from ‘Arafât.” Then he raised
his shrill note with a voice to make hear the deaf, and
wellnigh shaking the mountain-peaks, and indited:
“The Ḥajj is not thy travelling by day and night, and thy selecting
camels and camel-litters,
The Ḥajj is that thou repair to the holy house for the sake of
Ḥajj, not that thou accomplish thy wants thereby.
That thou bestride the back of righteousness, taking the check of
lust for guide, and truth for high-road.
That thou bestow what has been given thee while in thy power,
to him who in his need tenders his hand towards thy gift.
A pilgrimage with all this fraught is perfect, but if the Ḥajj is
void thereof it proves abortive.
For a losing-bargain of dissemblers it suffices that they plant and
reap not, having met with toil and exile,
And that they go without reward or praise, giving their fame a
bait to him who censures and lampoons.
Seek then, dear brother, in what sacrifice thou mayest offer up,
the face of God, the guardian, going in and out.
For lo, no hidden deed shall remain hidden from the Compassionate,
whether the servant be sincere or shamming,
And steal a march on death by good deeds sent afore: death’s
sudden summons, when it comes, is not put off;
And use humility in frame of mind, such as the nights can, in
their turns, not alter, though a crown they gave thee.
And watch not every cloud whose lightning flasheth, though it
appear to pour a rain of copious shower.
And none is wise but he who contents him with a morsel, that
makes life’s days to folden by degrees;
For every mickle comes to be a mite, and meek grows every
stiff-necked, rage he as he may!”
Said the narrator: Now, when he had fructified the
barrenness of our understandings with the witchcraft
of his say, I sniffed the breeze of Abû Zayd, and delight
made me incline to him with what a thrill of affection.
But I kept still until he had completed the expounding
of his wisdom, and came down from his hillock, when
I slipped towards him, so that I might scan the traits
of his countenance, and descry the nature of his
accomplishments. And lo, it was the stray for whom
I had searched, and the threader of the pearl-strings
that he had displayed. Then I clung to him with the
clinging of the Lâm to the Alif, and ranked him as
recovery is ranked with the sick, and I asked him to
join me, but he refused, or to poise me [on my camel],
but he declined, saying: “I have made oath in this
my pilgrimage, that I would neither ride together nor
alternately with any one, neither make gain nor boast
of pedigree, neither seek profit, nor companionship, nor
else accommodate myself to him who dissembles.”
Then he went in haste, and left me wailing, while I
ceased not to shelter him in my sight (hoping for his
return), nay, would have loved him to walk on the
pupil of my eye, until he had climbed up one of the
mountains, and stood watching the pilgrims, and when
he witnessed the riders faring onward over the sand-hills,
he made hand fall upon hand, and broke forth inditing:
“He who visits on the back of beasts is not like him who runs on
foot,
No, nor is the servant who obeys like him who riots amongst
servants.
Send then forward, I beseech thee, soul, deeds of acceptance with
the Lord of old,
Curing it with sore repentance, before the hide all through is
rotten.
Then he sheathed the blade of his tongue, and went
on his way. But I ceased not, in every water-station
that we came to, and every night-camp where we
pillowed, to search for him, but failed, and to ask
people to help me seeking him, but they found him not,
until I fancied that the Jinn had snatched him up or
the earth had cut him off. And never in my peregrinations
suffered I a grief like this, nor was I in any
travel tried with its like of sorrow.
This is one of the most elaborate and important, as well as of the
longest and most difficult of the Assemblies. Ḥârith has completed
the ceremonies of the Pilgrimage to Mecca, and intends to follow it
up by the visitation of Mohammed’s tomb at Ṭaybeh, one of the
names given to Medina. On his road he meets in the homestead of
one of the intermediate Arab tribes Abû Zayd, who this time has
assumed the character of a mufti or jurisconsult and adept in the
sacred and secular law of Islâm. A large gathering of people has
collected around him, whose spokesman proposes to him a hundred
questions on various canonical and legal points, as the religious
obligations of ceremonial ablution, prayer, fast, almsgiving, pilgrimage,
on buying and selling, the duties of magistrates towards
orphans or weak-minded persons, on principles of moral conduct,
and so on—questions which are calculated to exhibit Abû Zayd at
the same time as learned in the law and in the rarest idioms of the
Arabic tongue. For his answers, while startling the ordinary hearer
by being the opposite of what would be expected, prove perfectly
correct, if the leading word be taken in a certain more recondite
sense. For instance the question is: “May a woman be rebuked
for being bashful?” to which Abû Zayd, no doubt to Mrs. Grundy’s
horror, replies “To be sure,” because he gives to the verbal noun
khajal, in everyday parlance “being ashamed or bashful,” the rarer
meaning of “being overbearing when in possession of riches,” in
support of which Ḥarîri quotes a remarkable saying of Mohammed,
recorded in the Traditions. As Chenery (vol. i., p. 78) appositely
observes, similar puzzles were not unknown in Europe, as the
question: “Num peccatum est occidere patrem suum,” where not
“one’s own father,” but “the father of swine,” is meant. Ḥarîri
has not given the interpretation of the ambiguous terms as an
integral part of the text, but inserted it in parenthesis after each
question, and with the help of these explanations, which, in case of
need, we have supplemented with a few additional remarks, the
reader will find no difficulty in following the general drift of the
Assembly. If some of the questions appear childish, he must
remember that Ḥarîri, while satisfying to the fullest extent the taste
of his countrymen for the discussion of grammatical, rhetorical, and
religious points of controversy, raises himself with a fine touch of
irony above it, where such discussions degenerate into mere quibbles.
But for the most part, we feel confident the reader will be amused
and interested, and as a study on the synonyms and idioms of the
Arabic Language the Assembly is invaluable.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: At one time
when I had completed the rites of the Ḥajj and absolved
the duties of [the shout] labbaika, and the outpour of
the blood of the sacrifice, I resolved to make for Ṭaybeh,
with a travelling company of the Benû Shaibah, to
visit the tomb of the Prophet, the Elected, and to disengage
myself from the tribe of those “who perform
the Ḥajj and neglect him (Mohammed).” Now it was
rumoured that the roads were unsafe and the Arabs of
the two sanctuaries at war. So I was bewildered
between fear that made me lag, and longing that stirred
me on, until submissiveness was infused into my heart,
and the predominance of [my desire for] the visiting of
him upon whom be peace. Therefore, after having
chosen my beast, and made ready my travelling-gear, I
journeyed along with my companions without inclining
to any halt, or remissness in faring on day and night,
till we came to the Benû Ḥarb, who had just returned
from the war. Then we made up our minds to pass the
length of the day in the encampment of the people, and
while we were selecting a place for making kneel down
our camels, and spying for the watering-pond, and a
cool drink, lo, we saw them running as if they were
flocking to some idol. So their swarming roused our
suspicions, and we asked what was the matter with
them. Then we were told that a learned legist of the
Arabs was present in their assembly, and that this was
the reason of their turmoil. Said I to my company:
“Halloo! let us witness the gathering of the clan, so
as to learn clearly to distinguish the right from the
wrong.” Thereupon they said: “Truly, what thou
proposest is worth hearing, and thou hast given good
advice without stint.” Accordingly we rose to follow
our guide and repair to the assembly, until, when we
came near it, and stretched our necks to see the legist
to whom they had crowded, I found him to be Abû
Zayd, the father of lies and tricks, and of mischief and
choice rhymes. He had donned the turban in the
orthodox fashion and gathered his garment in proper
style, and was sitting crosswise, while the great ones
of the clan surrounded him, and their medley enwrapped
him from all sides. Presently he said to
them: “Put questions to me on the points of intricacy,
and let me explain to you all difficulties, for by Him
who created the heavens, and taught Adam the names
[of all things], I am the legist of the Arabs of the
Arabians, and the most learned of those that live under
the star-pocked sky.” Then there stalked up to him a
man glib of tongue, stout of heart, saying: “Know,
that I have had converse with the legists of the world
to the effect that I have selected from them a hundred
decisions, and if thou be of those who loathe the
daughters of others (meaning lies, untruth, falsehood),
and desire from us sound food, then listen and answer,
so that thou mayest get thee thy due. He replied:
“God is greatest (Allah akbar), the truth will become
evident, and the hidden be disclosed, so say what thou
art bidden.” He said: “What sayest thou with regard
to him, who has made an ablution (wuzû), and afterwards
touched the backside of his shoe?” He replied:
“His ablution is invalidated by his doing so” (na‘l, a
shoe, and also “wife”). He said: “And when he has
made an ablution, and afterwards the cold has thrown
him on his side?” He replied: “Then let him renew
his ablution” (al-bard, cold, and also “sleep”). He
said: “May one who makes an ablution rub with his
hands his testicles?” He replied: “He is invited to
do so, but it is not made obligatory on him” (uns̤ai,
the two testicles, and also “both ears”). He said:
“Is it allowed to make ablution with that which the
serpent emits?” He replied: “And is there anything
cleaner than it for the Arabs?” (s̤u‘bân, a large
serpent, and also pl. of s̤a‘b, “water-course in a valley,
river”). He said: “Is the water [fetched by the
hands of] a blind man lawful?” He replied: “Yea,
and let that of the seeing man be avoided” (ẓarîr, the
word translated with blind man, in whose case the
water fetched by him would not be lawful for ablution,
because he cannot know whether it is pure or not,
means also “river-side,” against the water of which
there is no objection. On the other hand al-baṣîr, the
seeing man, means also “dog,” and in their case the
reverse would hold good: the water fetched by the
former is chosen with discernment, and therefore not to
be avoided, while “the water of the dog” would be the
height of abomination). He said: “Is washing (ghusl)
incumbent upon him who has lost sperm?” He replied:
“Nay, even if he does so a second time” (amná, he lost
or emitted sperm, and also “he went to Miná,” the
sacred valley near Mecca). He said: “Is it then
incumbent on one polluted by seminal loss to wash his
fur-coat?” He replied: “To be sure, and also his
needle” (al-farwah, fur-coat, means also “skin of the
head,” and al-ibrah, needle, has moreover the signification
“bone of the elbow”). He said: “Is circumambulation
in the spring permitted?” He replied:
“This is abominated on account of the execrable
occurrence” (tat̤awwuf, circumambulation, means also
“easing nature,” and ar-rabî‘, spring, early vegetation,
signifies also “streamlet,” the defilement of which
would be a hideous crime). He said: “Is the washing
of his book incumbent on him?” He replied: “Yea,
and also of his lip” (aṣ-ṣaḥîfah, book, and also “lines
of the face”). He said: “How is it then, if he fails
to wash his hatchet?” He replied: “It is as though
he neglected to wash his head” (al-fa’s, hatchet, and
also “bone of the occiput”). He said: “Is it allowed
to wash in a wallet?” He replied: “It is like washing
in wells” (jirâb, a leather bag, and also “the inside of
a well”). He said: “And what sayest thou with
regard to one who has used sand for his ablution, and
afterwards sees gardens?” He replied: “His rubbing
with sand is void, and he has to make his ablution
afresh” (rauẓ, pl. of rauẓah, garden, and also “a small
quantity of water remaining in a cistern”). He said:
“Is it allowed that a man should make his prostration
upon ordure?” He replied: “Yea, and let him avoid
the dirty one” (‘aẕirah, human excrement, and also “a
courtyard”). He said: “Is it then permitted to make
prostration upon [the wood of] a Khilâf [-tree]?” He
replied: “Nay, nor either on the edges of his
garments” (khilâf, the ṣafṣâf or poplar-tree, on which
prostration is not forbidden, and also “sleeve,” on
which a man is not allowed to make his prostration, as
little as on his aṭrâf, in the sense of edges of a garment
in the text, while if the word is taken in the meaning
of “extremities of the body, hands, and feet,” the
prostration upon them is in accordance with the
tradition: “I was commanded to prostrate myself on
seven bones,” namely, the two feet, the two knees,
the two fore-arms, and the forehead). He said:
“What then if he make prostration on his left?” He
replied: “There is no harm in his doing so” (shimâl,
the left side, and also pl. of shimlah, “cloak enveloping
the whole body”). He said: “Is it then allowed to
make prostration on trotters?” He replied: “Yea,
with exception of the fore-arms” (al-kurâ‘, here translated
with trotters, means that part in cattle which
corresponds to the pastern of a horse, which as part of
a dead animal would be considered unclean, but at the
same time the word means “a projecting piece of stony
ground or rock,” on which prostration might take
place, unless it serves to ease the fore-arms). He said:
“Is it allowed that one should pray upon a dog’s
head?” He replied: “Yea, as well as upon all other
high places” (râs al-kalb, dog’s head, is apart from its
literal meaning the name of a well-known mountain-cliff).
He said: “Is it lawful for a student to carry
copies of the Koran?” He replied: “Nay, nor to
carry them in wrappers” (dâris, a student, and also “a
menstruous woman”). He said: “And what sayest
thou with regard to him who prays while the hair of
his pubes appears?” He replied: “His prayer is
lawful” (al-‘ânah, hair round the pudenda, and also
“herd of asses,” in connection with which latter
meaning the word bârizah would have to be translated
in its literal meaning of coming out or sallying forth).
He said: “How then if he has said prayer while [the
obligation of] a fast was on him?” He replied: “He
must reiterate it, and if he has prayed a hundred days”
(ṣaum, fasting, and also “excrement dropped by an
ostrich”). He said: “But if he has carried a puppy
while praying?” He replied: “It is as if he had
carried beans” (jirw, the young of a dog, and also
small cucumbers, pomegranates, or similar fruit).
He said: “Is the prayer of one who carries a hernia
with him sound?” He replied: “Nay, and if he had
been praying on [the holy] mount Marwah” (garwah, a
rupture, and also “the vessel from which a dog
drinks”). He said: “How then if on the garment of
one praying any bodily excretion has fallen?” He
replied: “His prayer takes effect, and no doubt” (najw
is a general term for anything coming out of the belly,
and therefore considered ceremonially impure, but it
means also “a pouring cloud,” the drops of which
fallen on a man would not invalidate his prayer). He
said: “Is it allowed that one covered with a woman’s
veil should lead a man in prayer?” He replied:
“Yea, and also one in armour may lead him” (muqunna‘,
one who wears the female veil miqnâ‘, implying that
women are unfit to be Imâms, and also “covered with
a helmet”). He said: “But what if one has led them
in whose hand there is an object of a pious donation?”
He replied: “They will have to begin afresh, and if
they were a thousand” (waqf, any object consecrated
to pious purposes, and also “a bracelet of ivory or
tortoise-shell,” in the latter sense indicating that a
wearer of such, i.e., a woman, is excluded from the
Imâmship). He said: “What then if one has led
them whose thigh is visible?” He replied: “His
prayer and theirs is efficacious” (fakhiẕuhu bâdiyah [a
man] whose thigh is bare, and also “whose tribal
division or kindred are desert Arabs.” Ḥarîri remarks
that some Lexicographers prefer in the latter meaning
the reading fakhẕ, instead of fakhiẕ, for the sake of distinction).
He said: “But if the hornless bullock has
led them?” He replied: “Say thy prayer, and no woe
betide thee” (as̤-s̤aur al-ajamm, a bullock without horns,
and also “a lord or prince without a spear”). He
said: “Can the prayer of the witness be curtailed or
shortened?” He replied: “Nay, by the Invisible,
the All-seeing” (s̤alât-ash-shâhid, the prayer of the
witness, here meaning especially the blood-witness or
martyr in religious warfare, and also “the prayer of
sunset,” so called because it coincides with the rising of
the stars, to which the name shâhid is given). He
said: “Is it allowed for the excused to break fast
in the month of Ramadân?” He replied: “It is not
permitted except to little children” (ma‘ẕûr, or
mu‘aẕẕar, excused, and also “circumcised”). He said:
“Is it then open to one who brings home his bride to
eat therein?” He replied: “Yea, to the fill of his
mouth” (al-mu‘arris, one bringing home a bride, and
also “a traveller who takes a short rest at the end of
night and presently continues his journey”). He said:
“But what if therein the naked break their fast?” He
replied: “The authorities gainsay them not” (al-‘urât,
pl. of ‘ârî, the naked, and also irr. pl. of muârrawin,
“seized by an ague,” ‘urawâ’). He said: “And if the
faster eat on entering the morning?” He replied:
“This is the more circumspect and safer for him”
(aṣbaḥ, he has entered on the morning, and also “he
has lighted a lamp, miṣbâḥ”). He said: “What then
if he venture on eating at night?” He replied: “Let
him be prepared to receive judgment” (lail-an, adverbial
accusative, at night, and also acc. of lail, meaning
according to Ibn Dorayd “the young of a bustard,” and
according to others “that of the partridge or the crane”).
He said: “And how when he eats before the fair one
has withdrawn from sight?” He replied: “Judgment,
by Allah [The punishment of the law], is due on him”
(al-baiẓâ’, woman, wife, and also “sun”). He said:
“But if the faster provokes vomiting (by taking an
emetic)?” He replied: “He has broken his fast, by
Him who has made the chase lawful” (al-kaid, violent
anger, and also “vomiting,” to produce which the
breaking of the fast is permitted, while the provoking
of anger has nothing to do with it). He said: “Is it
open to him to break the fast if the cook clings to him?”
He replied: “Yea, but not the cook who dresses the
food in the kitchen” (t̤âbikh, cook, and also “a hot
fever”). He said: “What then if a woman have
laughed during her fast?” He replied: “The fasting
of that day is invalidated for her” (ẓaḥikat, she laughed,
and also “she became menstruous,” as in Koran,
xi. 74: “and she became menstruous and we announced
Isaac to her”). He said: “But if smallpox
appears on her fellow-wife?” He replied: “Let
her break the fast, if she has made known her ailment”
(ẓarrah, a fellow or rival wife, whose sickness would
not dispense the former from fasting, and also “the root
of the thumb or of the teat,” which is understood in
Abû Zayd’s answer). He said: “What is due in
legal alms (zakât) for a hundred lamps?” He replied:
“Two full-grown mature she-camels, O my friend”
(miṣbâḥ, a lamp, and also a she-camel that riseṣ at daybreak
from her resting-place, to go to the pasturing
ground). He replied: “But if one owns ten daggers?”
He replied: “Let him bring out two sheep without
grumbling” (khanâjir, pl. of khanjar, a dagger, or long
knife, and also of khanjar, or khanjûr, “a camel rich in
milk”). He said: “But if he give over to the slanderer
(informer) the best of his kindred?” He replied: “Ay,
happy tidings to him on the day of resurrection”
(namîmah, the foremost of one’s relations, and also “the
choicest part of one’s property”; sâ‘î, an informer, or
slanderer, and also “the collector of the zakât”). He
said: “Is it that the bearers of sins [burdens] deserve
a share in the legal alms?” He replied: “Yea, if
they be engaged in warfare for the faith” (auzâr, pl. of
wizr, sins, burdens, and also “arms, weapons”). He
said: “Is it allowed to the Ḥâjj (pilgrim) to perform
the ‘umrah (ceremonies of the lesser pilgrimage)?” He
replied: “Nay, nor that he put on a veil” (ya‘tamir,
he performs the ‘umrah, and also “he puts on the
‘imârah,” a kind of head-gear or turban). He said: “Is
it then open to him to kill a brave one?” He replied:
“Yea, as he may kill a wild beast” (shujâ‘, a valiant
man, and also “a kind of serpent”). He said: “But
what about him who has killed a female flutist in the
Harem?” He replied: “On him is due the sacrifice of
some head of cattle” (zammârah, a female player on the
mizmâr, flute, or pipe, and also an ostrich, whose cry is
called zimmâr; ḥaram, the harem, and also “the sacred
precinct of Mecca”). He said: “But when he has
thrown [his lance] at the leg of a free man and
killed him?” He replied? “Let him bring out a sheep
in compensation for it” (sâq, a leg, ḥurr, a free-man;
ṣâqu ḥurrin, “the male of the turtle-dove”). He said:
“How then if he has killed the mother of ‘Auf after
donning the pilgrim-cloak?” He replied: “Let him
give in alms a small quantity of food” (umm ‘Auf, name
of a woman by her son, and also “a locust”). He said:
“Is it incumbent upon the Ḥâjj to be provided with
a boat?” He replied: “Yea, so that he may lead them
to the watering-places” (qârib, a kind of boat, and also
“a seeker of water at night-time”). He said: “And
what sayest thou about the lawless after the Sabbath?”
He replied: “He has done what is lawful at that time”
(ḥarâm, unlawful, opp. to ḥalâl, lawful, and also “one
who dons the pilgrim-cloak, a pilgrim”; sabt, Sabbath,
and also “shaving of the head”; ḥall, “he has doffed
the cloak,” which, of course, is a lawful action after the
pilgrimage is completed). He said: “But what sayest
thou with regard to the sale of a bay?” He replied:
“It is unlawful, as the sale of a dead body” (kumait, a
bay horse, and also “red wine”). He said: “Is it
allowed to sell [barter] vinegar for the flesh of the
camel?” He said: “Not either for the flesh of sheep”
(khall, vinegar, and also a camel two years old, or the
young of a pregnant camel, the sale of a living animal
for flesh, whether of the same kind or any other being
unlawful). He said: “Is the sale of a present lawful?”
He said: “Nay, nor that of wine” (hadiyyah, a present,
and also an animal being led to the Ka‘beh for sacrifice;
sabiyyah, a female slave taken from the infidels, and also
“wine”). He said: “What sayest thou with regard
to the sale of a cornelian stone (or of the hair of a newborn)?”
He said: “It is forbidden, in truth” (‘aqîqah,
a single cornelian stone; the first wool of an animal,
or the hair of a new-born child; but also “an animal
sacrificed for a child on the seventh day after its birth”).
He said: “Is the sale of (meaning on the part of) a
crier to a herd’s man allowed?” He replied: “Nay,
nor to a collector of the zakât” (dâ‘î, one who calls, or
makes proclamation, and also “the remainder of milk
in the udder,” which it is as unlawful to sell as the
fœtus of an animal in the womb). He said: “May
a hawk be sold for dates?” He replied: “Nay, by the
Lord of creation and command” (ṣaqar, a hawk, and
also “date-sugar”). He said: “May a Moslem buy the
plunder [taken] from Moslem women?” He replied:
“Yea, and it may be inherited from him, when he has
died” (salab, plunder, booty, and also the bark of a
tree, and “leaf or blade of the plant s̤umâm”). He
said: “But is it allowed that the intercessor be sold?”
He replied: “What is there to hinder it?” (shâfi‘, an
intercessor, and also “a sheep which one buys to skin
it”). He said: “May a pitcher be sold to the Benû
Aṣfar?” He replied: “It is abominated as the selling
of a helmet [to them]” (ibrîq, a pitcher, and also a
furbished and well-tempered sword; Benû Aṣfar are
the Greeks, to whom, as enemies of Islâm, it would be
unlawful to sell weapons of attack or defence). He
said: “Is it lawful for a man to sell the colt of his camel
born in summer?” He replied: “Nay, but he may sell
his friend” (ṣaifî, a camel colt born in summer, and
also “a son begotten in old age,” to which latter
meaning Abû Zayd’s answer refers; ṣafî, a milch camel
yielding a copious flow, and also “a sincere friend,” the
meaning which would suggest itself most readily to the
ordinary hearer). He said: “But if one has bought a
slave and a wound appears on his mother?” He said:
“There is no sin in returning him” (umm, mother, and
also “the pia mater of the brain”). He said: “Holds
the right of pre-emption good for the co-partner in a
field?” He replied: “Nay, nor for the co-partner in a
[yellow] she-camel” (ṣaḥrâ’, a field, and also “an ass
whose white is mingled with grey; ṣafrâ, a yellow she-camel,
a word which, however, would more readily
suggest the word “bile”). He said: “Is it lawful that
the water of the well and of an open place should be
heated?” He replied: “If they are in deserts, then
certainly not” (yuḥmá, it is being heated, and also “it
is prohibited from general use”; khalâ, an open place,
here taken in construction with mâ’, water, and also
“fodder, both green and dry”). He said: “What
sayest thou with regard to the dead body of an infidel
(as an article of food)?” He replied: “It is lawful for
the dweller in a place and the traveller” (kâfir, an
infidel, and also “the sea”; maitah, dead body, and
also “fish floating on the water”). He said: “Is it
allowed to offer as a forenoon sacrifice squinting men?”
He replied: “This is worthier of acceptance” (al-ḥûl,
pl. of aḥwal, squint-eyed, and also of ḥâ’il, “a sheep that
has not conceived”). He said: “May then a divorced
woman be sacrificed in the forenoon?” He replied:
“Yea, and the nightfarer may be treated thereto hospitably”
(at̤-t̤âliq, divorced woman, and also “a she-camel
allowed to pasture freely”). He said: “How then if
one slaughters before the appearance of the gazelle?”
He replied: “It is a sheep whose flesh may be sold
(not a sacrifice) undoubtedly” (al-ghazâlah, gazelle, and
also a name for the rising sun, corresponding to
al-jaunah, which is a name of the sun when setting, as
in the words of the poet: tabâdara ’l-jaunatu an taghîbâ,
the sun was setting quickly). He said: “Is it lawful
to make gain by beating wool (or hammering metals)?”
He said: “This is like gambling with dice, there is no
difference” (t̤arq, beating, hammering, and also “the
throwing of pebbles for the purpose of vaticination”).
He said: “May one standing say salâm ‘alek to one
sitting?” He replied: “It is forbidden between
strangers” (al-qâ‘id, one who sits, and also “a woman
who has ceased being menstruous or copulating.” He
said: “May a sensible man sleep under a fool?” He said:
“How lovely it is to do so in the Baqî‘” (raqî‘, a fool,
and also “the sky”; al-baqî‘, the cemetery of Medina).
He said: “Is a Ẕimmî forbidden to kill an old
woman?” He replied: “It is not allowed to oppose
him with regard to wine” (al-‘ajûz, an old woman,
and also “old wine,” which to kill means to mix it
with water [see the Assembly of Tiflîs]). He said:
“Is it allowed that a man should remove [secede]
from his father’s premises?” He replied: “It is
not allowed either to one obscure or to a noble of
birth” (‘imârah, building, edifice, and also “tribe”).
He said: “What sayest thou with regard to becoming
a Jew?” He replied: “This is the key to an ascetic
life” (tahawwud, turning a Jew, and also “turning to
God in repentance,” according to the words of the
Koran, “behold we have returned to thee”). He said:
“What sayest thou with regard to patience in misfortune?”
He replied: “What a great sin it is!”
(ṣabr, patience, and also “tying, fastening, keeping one
imprisoned until death ensues”; baliyyah, calamity,
misfortune, and also “a camel tied to the tomb of her
master,” and neither watered nor fed until she dies, on
which the deceased man was by the Arabs of the
ignorance supposed to ride to his doom). He said:
“Is it lawful to beat the ambassador?” He replied:
“Yea, and also to load therewith the seeker of counsel”
(safîr, envoy, ambassador, and also “leaves falling from
a tree”; mustashîr, one who asks advice from another,
and also “a fat camel,” or “a camel which knows the
pregnant from one that has not conceived”). He said:
“May a man beat his father?” He replied: “The
dutiful does so and refuseth not” (‘azzar, he chastised,
beat violently, and also “he helped, strengthened,
honoured,” as in Koran, xlviii. 9, “and may assist him
and honour him”). He said: “What sayest thou with
regard to him who has impoverished his brother?” He
replied: “Well done of him, how brotherly he has
acted towards him” (afqar, he impoverished, and also
“he lent a camel to ride upon her back”). He said:
“But what if he strips his child of its clothing?” He
replied: “On what a handsome thing he has resolved!”
(‘arâhu, he stripped him, and also “he gave him the
fruit of a date-tree for a year”). He said: “What
then if he bakes his slave on the fire?” He replied:
“There is no sin on him, nor any blame” (al-mamlûk,
a white slave, and also “a dough kneaded repeatedly
until it has become consistent”). He said: “Is it
allowed for a woman to cut her husband?” (in the
Arabic idiom meaning to be undutiful to him). He
replied: “Nobody forbids her doing so” (ba‘l, a husband,
and also “a date-tree,” in which sense “cutting” may
be taken literally, or in the meaning of “gathering its
fruit”). He said: “May then a woman be upbraided
for being bashful?” He replied: “Most certainly”
(khajal, being bashful, blushing, and also “being overbearing
in possession of riches,” according to the saying
of Mohammed to the women: “When ye are hungry
ye fawn, and when ye have your fill ye become overbearing”).
He said: “What sayest thou with regard
to him who has shaved [planed] the tamarisk of his
brother?” He replied: “He has sinned even if he has
given permission to him” (naḥata as̤lat-hu, he shaved
his tamarisk, and also “he backbited him and detracted
from his honour”). He said: “Is it allowed to the
magistrate to appoint a curator for one possessed of a
bullock?” He replied: “Yea, to be safe from the
mischief of violence” (s̤aur, a bullock, and also “madness”).
He said: “But is it open to him to strike on
the hand of an orphan?” He replied: “Yea, until he
is of age” (ẓaraba ‘alá yadi-hi, besides having the literal
meaning given above, is an idiom for: “he appointed a
curator for him”). He said: “Is it then allowed to
him to take for the same (an orphan) a suburban place?”
He replied: “Nay, even if he consents to it” (rabẓ,
buildings outside the walls of a city, and also “a wife”).
He said: “But when may he (the magistrate) sell the
body of an idiot?” He replied: “Whenever he sees
that it pleases him” (badan, body, and also “a short
armour”). He said: “Is it then allowed that he buy
for him jakes?” He replied: “Yea, if they be not
haunted” (ḥashsh, a privy, and also “a palm-plantation”).
He said: “Is it allowed that the magistrate
be an oppressor?” He replied: “Yea, if he be
knowing” (z̤âlim, one who oppresses, and also “one
who drinks milk before it curdles”). He said: “Is
one fit to become a Kadi who has no perspicacity?”
He replied: “Yea, if his conduct be fair” (baṣîrah,
sharpsightedness, sagacity, and also “a shield”). He
said: “But if he is bare of intellect?” He replied:
“This is an indication [the title-page] of excellence”
(‘aql, intellect, wisdom, and also “embroidered silk
stuff”). He said: “But if he have the pride of a
tyrant?” He replied: “There is nothing to be said
against or to make much of” (zahw, pride, and also “a
date which begins to colour”; jabbâr, a tyrant. a shedder
of blood, and also “a high palm-tree whose fruit is out
of the reach of the hand,” opposed to qâ‘id). He said:
“Is it allowed that the witness be a suspected character?”
He replied: “Yea, if he be a sensible man” (murîb,
suspected, exposed to doubt, and also “one who has
plenty of curdled milk”). He said: “But when it has
transpired that he has committed sodomy?” He
replied: “He is like one who has tailored” (lât̤, he
committed the sin of the people of Lot, and also “he
coated a well with clay”). He said: “And if it comes
out that he has been winnowing?” He replied: “Let
his evidence be refused, and not accepted” (gharbal, he
sifted corn, and also “he killed,” as the poet says in the
metre rejez: “Thou wilt see the kings slain around
him.” The word has also an obscene meaning). He
said: “But if it has become manifest that he is a liar?”
He replied: “That is for him a quality which adorns
him” (mân, yamîn, he lied, and also, with aor. yamûn,
“he provided for his family”). He said: “What is
incumbent upon a servant of God?” He replied: “Let
him make oath by the God of creation” (‘âbid al-ḥaqq,
a servant of God, and also “one who gainsays the true
belief,” as some commentators explain the word in
Koran, xliii. 81). He said: “And what sayest thou
with regard to him who has deliberately gouged the eye
of a nightingale?” “Let his eye be gouged, to make
the speech short” (bulbul, a nightingale, and also “a
spare man”). He said: “But if he has wounded the
Ḳaṭa (bird) of a woman and death ensued?” He said:
“Soul for soul, if it has gone” (qat̤a’, sandgrouse, and
also “what lies between the hip-bones”). He said:
“But if a pregnant woman has dropped her fœtus in
consequence of his blow?” He replied: “Let him
atone for his sin by the manumission of a slave”
(ḥashîsh, grass, green herbs, etc., and also “a fœtus
dropped in abortion”). He said: “What is due in law
to one who keeps himself secluded?” He replied: “To
have his extremities cut off for the sake of determent”
(mukhtafî, one who sticks to a place without leaving
it, and also “a spoiler of tombs, a stripper of graveclothes”).
He said: “What then is to be done to him
who has stolen the snakes of the house?” He replied:
“Let his right hand be cut off, if they are worth the
fourth part of a denar” (asâwid, pl. of aswad, snakes,
and also “household utensils, as a washing-tub, kettle,
dish,” etc.). He said: “But if he have stolen a great
worth [value] of gold?” He replied: “There is no
amputation as though he had committed a violent
robbery” (s̤amîn, what is precious, valuable, and also
“the eighth part,” as naṣîf is used for niṣf, half, sadîs
for suds, sixth part, etc.; under gold is in this case to
be understood a gold coin). He said: “What then if
theft is brought home to a woman?” He replied:
“There is no guilt upon her, and she has nothing to
fear” (saraq, theft, and also “white silk”). He said:
“Is a marriage contract valid, which is not witnessed
by starlings?” He replied: “Nay, by the Creator,
the Maker” (qawârî, pl. of qâriyah, a bird of the
starling kind, from which the Arabs take a lucky
augury, especially with regard to rain, and also “witnesses,”
because they follow up matters, from qará, he
followed up). He said: “What sayest thou with
regard to a bride who has passed the first night of a
month, and then has been returned early in the morning
to her previous state?” He replied: “Half of the
dowry is due to her, and the days of probation for
divorce (‘iddah) are not incumbent on her” (lailah
ḥurrah, the first night of a month, and also “a wedding
night in which no consummation has taken place”).
Then the asker of the questions said to him: “Allah
has blessed thee with the fulness of a sea that he who
draws from it lessens it not, and of a man of learning to
whose praise the praiser reaches not.” Thereupon he
looked down with the downward look of the abashed,
and stopped silent with the silence of the tongue-tied.
Said to him Abû Zayd: “Go on, Sirrah, how long
then [wilt thou tarry], how long?” He replied:
“There remains no missile in my quiver, and after the
breaking forth of thy morn there is no scope left for
debate: by Allah then, the son of what country art
thou, and how beautiful was that which thou hast
expounded.” Forthwith he indited with a glib tongue
and a powerful voice:
Then he said: “O Allah, as Thou hast made us of the
number of those who are guided so that they may guide
others, make us also of the number of those who follow
the right way and spend.” Thereupon the people
brought him a drove of camels together with a singing
girl, and begged him to visit them while after while.
Then he rose to go, making them longing for his return,
and carrying off the slave-girl and the drove. Said
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Thereupon I accosted
him, and said: “I know thee a rogue, since when then
hast thou become a legist?” He kept twisting about a
little while and then he indited, saying:
“I alter my coat to the whims of each moment and mix with its
changes of welfare and ill-fare,
And pledge my companion in converse with all that may flatter
his humour to please my companion,
With tellers of tales circulating narrations, with drinkers of wine
circulating the goblets.
Now making the tears by my sermon to pour down, now cheering
the hearts by my jocular sallies,
And feasting the ears, if but op’ning my mouth, by spell of my
speech that will meeken the restive,
And if I am minded my hand makes the pen drop a shower of
pearls to adorn many volumes.
How many a subtlety dim as Sohá that came to be bright as a
sun by my clearing,
How many my sayings that captivate hearts, and leave in the
hearer a yearning behind them,
And virgin Ḳaṣîdehs indited by me, that met with applause
loud expressed and enduring.
Yet plotting of fortune has singled me out, a plotting surpassing
that Tir‘aun’s ’gainst Moses,
And kindles against me a war day by day, I tread through its
blaze on a furnace, a furnace!
And strikes me with ills, such as melt a man’s vigour, and blanch
people’s heads with the whiteness of hoar-frost.
And brings to me near but the alien, the hateful, while banishing
from me the nearest, the dearest!
And were it not but for the vileness of fortune my lot in the
world were not vile, by its fell feud.”
Then I said to him: “Soothe thy sorrows and blame
not fortune, but be thankful to Him who has turned
thee from the way of Iblîs to the way of Idrîs” (Ash-Shâfi‘î).
He replied: “Leave off idle talk, and tear no
veils, but rise with us to make for the Masjid of
Yathrib (Medina), haply we may cleanse away by the
visitation the filth of our sins.” So I said: “Far be it
that I fare with thee, before I learn thy explanation.”
He replied: “By Allah, thou hast imposed duties upon
me, and when thou hast asked, thou hast asked but a
small matter; listen then to what remedies the mind,
and removes ambiguity.” Then after he had made
clear to me the enigmatical and lifted from me my
perplexity, we tightened our saddles, and I fared on,
and he fared on, while he ceased not from his nightly
talk as long as the journey lasted, on such topics that
made me forget hardship and I would have liked with
him “the distance to be long” (allusion to Koran,
ix. 42, “but the distance seemed long to them,” referring
to those who were called upon to join in the expedition
to Tâbûk), until when we had reached the city of the
Prophet, and obtained our desire from the visitation, he
set out Syriawards, and I towards ‘Irâk, he veered to
the West, and I to the East.
In this Assembly Abû Zayd presents himself in the guise of a
mendicant, afflicted with a paralytical contortion of the face, before
a congregation in Tiflis, whom Ḥârith had joined in the performance
of the appointed prayers, and he obtains by an eloquent appeal to their
commiseration, in rhymed prose and verse, a liberal supply of alms
from the captivated audience. Ḥârith follows him, when he departs
with his prey, and after having reached a secluded spot, Abû Zayd
laughingly throws off his palsy and reveals his identity, anticipating
the rebukes of his indignant friend with his usual frank avowal,
that his necessity makes for him the law, if lawful means will not
provide for his necessity. Yielding to the spell of his fascinating
personality, Ḥârith accompanies him in his travels during two years,
after the lapse of which he regrets that circumstances enforced their
separation.
I had covenanted with Allah, be He exalted, since I
was of the age of about a score, that I would not delay
prayer as far as it was in my power, so that with my
roaming in deserts, and in spite of the sport of leisure-hours,
I kept the stated times of prayer and guarded
myself from the sin of letting them slip by, and when
I joined in a journey, and alighted in any place, I
welcomed the summoner to it, and took pattern from
him, who observed it religiously. Now it happened at
a time when I had come to Tiflis, that I prayed
together with a number of poorly-off people, and when
we had finished prayer, and were about to go, there
sallied forth an old man, with a face plainly contorted
by palsy, worn of garments and strength, who said:
“I conjure him, who has been made of the clay of
liberality, and suckled of the milk of good fellowship,
that he but spare me a moment’s hurrying, and listen
to a few words from me, whereafter the choice belongs
to him, and it rests with his hand to spend or refuse.”
Then the people fastened their hoops to him [locked
their knees together to him], and sat still like the
hillocks. Now when he perceived how nicely they kept
silent and how considerate they showed themselves in
their demeanour [deportment] he said: “O ye, endowed
with eyes clear of sight, and visions bright of perception,
does not eye-witnessing dispense with hearsay?
and does not the smoke tell of the fire? Hoariness is
apparent, and weakness oppressive, and disease manifest,
and the inward state thus laid bare. Yet erewhile I
was one of those who possess and bestow, who exercise
authority and rule, who grant help and gifts, who
assist and assault. But calamities ceased not to subvert,
nor vicissitudes to take away scrap by scrap, till the
nest was despoiled and the palm empty, privation
became my raiment and bitterness my life-stay, my
little ones whined from hunger and craved for the
sucking of a date-stone. Yet withal I came not to
stand in this place of ignominy and to disclose to you
things [to be] hidden, but after I had suffered and was
palsy-stricken, and had waxed grey from all I met with,
and, oh! would that I had not been spared!” Then he
sighed the sigh of the sorrowful, and indited with a
feeble voice:
“I cry to the Compassionate, be praise to Him, for fortune’s fickleness
and hostile rancour
And for calamities that have shattered my rock, and overthrown
my frame and its foundations,
Have broken down my stem, and woe to him, whose boughs
adversities pull down and break.
My dwelling they have wasted even as to banish from the wasted
spot the rats themselves;
They left me bewildered and dazed, to bear the brunt of poverty
and all its pangs,
While heretofore I was a lord of wealth, who trailed his sleeves
along in luxury,
Whose leaves the supplicants beat freely down, whose hospitable
fires night-farers praised;
But who is now, as though the world, that casts the evil eye on
him, had never smiled on him,
From whom he turns who was his visitor, and whom he scorns to
know who sought his gift.
So if a good man mourns the evil plight he sees an old man in,
betrayed by fortune,
Then let him ease the sorrow that afflicts him, and mend the state
that puts him thus to shame.”
Said the narrator: Now the company inclined to
ascertain his condition, so as to find out what he might
have concealed, and to sift the truth of his affair. So
they said to him: “We know by this time the excellence
of thy degree, and the abundance of thy rain-cloud,
but make now known to us the tree of thy
branch, and withdraw the veil from thy descent.” Then
he showed himself averse with the reluctancy of one
whom misfortunes have befallen or to whom the tidings
of daughters [born to him] have been brought, and
he indited with emphatic utterance, although in a low
voice:
“By thy life, I assure thee, not showeth the branch by the zest of
its fruit from what root it has sprung,
So eat what is sweet, when it cometh to hand, and ask not the
honey where swarmeth the bee!
And learn to discern, when thou pressest thy grapes, the must of
thy press from the acid it yields,
That by testing thou value the costly and cheap, to buy and to
sell all things by their likes;
For blame would accrue to the witty, the wise, if error of
judgment were fastened on him.”
Then the people were roused by his sagacity and
subtleness, and beguiled by the beauty of his delivery,
along with his disease, so that they collected for him
the hidden treasures of their belts and whatever was
secreted in their breast-pockets, saying to him: “Thou
hast drifted to a shallow well and repaired to an empty
hive; so take this trifle [pittance] and reckon it neither
a miss nor a hit.” Then he made much of their little,
and accompanied its acceptance with thanks, whereupon
he turned away, dragging half his body, and made off,
stumbling on his road. Said the narrator of this tale:
Now the fancy struck me, that he had disguised his
appearance, and shammed in his gait, so I rose to
thread his path and to track his traces, while he glanced
at me askance and gave me a wide berth, until, when
the road was clear and identification [the disclosure of
the truth] became possible, he looked at me with the
look of him who is friendly and glad of the meeting,
and shows his true colours, after he had dissembled,
saying to me: “I imagine thou art a brother of peregrination,
and looking out for companionship. Wouldst
thou then fain have a mate who is kind to thee and
helps thee, and is indulgent with thee and shares in
thy expenses?” Said I to him: “If such a mate came
forward, providence, indeed, would favour me.” He
replied: “Thou hast found, so rejoice, and hast encountered
the generous, so cleave to him.” Then he
had a long laugh, and stood before me, a sound man,
when lo! it was our Shaykh of Serûj, with no ailment
in his body, and nothing doubtful in his outward
tokens. Then I rejoiced at meeting with him, and at
the feignedness of his palsy, and bethought me of
rebuking him for the evilness of his ways, but he opened
his mouth and indited before I could chide him:
“I show me in rags, so that people may say, a wretch that forbears
with the hardships of times.
I feign to the world to be palsied of face, for often my heart thus
obtaineth its wish;
Ay, but for my raggedness find I compassion, and but for the
palsy I meet with my wants.”
Thereupon he said: “No pasture is left me in these
parts, nor anything to be hoped for from their people,
and if thou wilt be my mate, on our way with us, on
our way!” So we fared forth from the place, we twain
by ourselves, and I kept company with him for full
two years, nay, I would fain have associated with him
while my life lasts, but time, the disperser, forbade me.
In this Assembly Abû Zayd appears in the character of a slave-merchant.
Ḥârith, while travelling in Yemen, had lost by death in
the city of Zabîd a faithful servant, whom he found it difficult to
replace. After having commissioned in vain the merchants of the
town, to find him a substitute, he repairs himself to the market,
where a man, muffled up in a Lis̤âm or face-veil offers to him for sale
a youth, whose good qualities he praises in some spirited verses.
Ḥârith is struck by the boy’s beauty, which ominously reminds him
of Joseph, wḥose comeliness had made the Egyptian ladies compare
him to an angel. He asks the boy for his name, but receives no
answer, and only after he has shown his vexation at this, the youth,
less in obedience to his intended purchaser’s wish, than to impart to
him a derisive warning, emphatically says: “I am Joseph, I am
Joseph,” implying thereby that his case is identical with that of the
patriarch, and that he, as free-born, could as little be sold lawfully
as Joseph was by his brothers. The hint, however, is lost on
Ḥârith, who eagerly concludes the bargain, but, after the merchant
is gone, soon finds out his mistake. For the boy, now openly
claiming his freedom, appeals to the Kadi of the place, who confirms
his statement, by mentioning, that only the day before his
father had given in court a declaration to that effect. On further
inquiry, Hârith learns with dismay that the father’s name is Abû
Zayd, and he forswears all future intercourse with the wily Shaykh,
until this one meets him in a narrow road, and again charms him
into more friendly feelings, although this last experience of the
other’s unscrupulous proceedings still rankles in his mind.
Al Hârith, son of Hammâm, related: When I crossed
the deserts as far as Zabîd, I had with me a slave,
whom I had reared up to his full age, and trained until
he had perfected his right conduct, and he was fully
familiar with my ways, and knew how to draw forth
my goodwill, so as not to over-step my intentions, nor
to be remiss in [carrying out] my wishes. Therefore
needs his good services had won him my heart, and I
singled him out [as my companion] in my stay and
travel. But pernicious fate made away with him when
we had reached Zabîd, and when “the sole of his foot was
turned up,” and his voice had waxed still, I was a year
without relishing my food, or looking out for another
servant, until the various inconveniences of solitary life,
and the troubles of getting up and sitting down drove
me to take the bead instead of the pearl, and to hunt
for one who might be a stopgap for my needs. So I
repaired to the slave-sellers in the market of Zabîd,
when I said: “I want a lad who gives satisfaction when
he is probed [tried] and who is approved when he is
tested, and let him be one of those whom the intelligent
have brought out, and poverty alone has thrown into
the market.” Then every one of them bestirred himself
for the object of my search, and bustled about and
exerted himself to encompass it speedily. Thereupon
the new moons completed their round, and turned in
their increase and wane, but there came to pass [the
fulfilment of] none of their promises, and no thundercloud
yielded rain in response thereto. Now when I
saw that the slave-merchants had either forgotten or
pretended to forget, I knew that not everyone who
undertakes a work carries it through, and that naught
will scratch my skin as well as my own nail, so I
abandoned the way of commissioning and sallied forth
to the market with the yellow and the white ones, and
had the slave-boys led past me, inquiring for the prices,
when, lo! there accosted me a man who had the face-veil
drawn over his nostrils, and who held a boy by his
fore-arm, saying:
“Who buys from me a lad who proves deft at his work, and is in
make and manners surpassingly fair?
Equal to any task thou mayest lay upon him, who speeds thee
when he speaks, and spoken to attends;
Who if thou stumble says to thee: ‘Rise to thy feet,’ and if thou
bid him: ‘Enter the fire,’ he enters it.
Who when thou wilt, if but a day, associates thee, and is contented
but with a scrap, if such thy wish.
Although he have his wits collected, when he talks, he neither
tells a lie nor claims more than his due.
He yields not to the call of any wish of his, nor lets a secret,
trusted with him, get out of keep.
And oftentimes he makes one wonder at his skill, excelling both
in prose and verse-stringing alike,
And were it not, by God, for life’s straitening stress, and little
ones that sadly want clothing and food:
Now when I looked at his straight build and his
exquisite beauty, I fancied him one of the youths of the
garden of delight (Paradise), and quoth: “This is not
a man, but for sooth an honoured angel.” Then I
wished him to enounce his name, not from a desire to
know it, but to see whether his elocution matched his
comeliness and how his utterance responded to the
fairness of his countenance. But he spoke not either
sweet or bitter, and uttered not a sound of the son of
slave-woman or a woman of free birth. So I turned
aside from him and said: “Out upon thy impediment
and be gone!” Then he burst out in laughter and
shook with it, whereupon he nodded his head to me,
and indited:
“O thou, whose wrath is kindled if I withhold my name, not thus
a man, who in his dealings shows him fair!
But if thou be not pleased unless it be revealed, then listen:
Joseph I am, am Joseph, hear!
Now have I lifted to thee the veil and if thy wits are sharp, thou
knowest, but I fancy thou knowest not.”
Then he allayed my anger by his poetry, and captivated
my heart by his sorcery, so that I was too bewildered
to perceive the truth, and made oblivious of the story of
Joseph the faithful, and I concerned myself only with
asking his master’s charge for him, and inquiring after
the amount of his price, so that I might pay it in full.
Now I thought he would look askance at me and
demand from me a high sum, but he did not soar
whither I had soared, nor held he on to that to which
I held on, nay, on the contrary he said: “Here is the
boy! if the price is low, and his keep but slight, his
master thinks himself blessed in him and loves him all
the better for it, and I wish above all to make thee fond
of the lad by lightening to thee the price for him; so
weigh out two hundred dirhems if thou wilt, and be
thankful to me as long as thou livest.” So I paid him
the amount at once, as the lawful price is paid in a
cheap bargain, and it occurred not to my mind, that
everyone who sells cheap, makes one pay dear. Now
when the transaction was concluded, and separation was
impending, both eyes of the lad brimmed over with
tears, though they were not the bloody tears of grief;
then he stepped up to his master, and said:
“Allah confound thee! is it right to sell one such as me to fill
the hungry bellies,
And is it walking in the path of justice, to make me bear what
cannot be endured?
To try me sore with terror after terror, though one like me, if
tried, cannot be frightened?
Yet hast thou probed me and experienced from me good counsels,
unalloyed with any falsehood.
How often hast thou set me as a net for game, and I brought
home prey captured in my snares;
And hast imposed on me tasks difficult that were obeyed, though
I might have refused them.
How many a battle that I had to fight in, how many a booty, and
I had no share.
And never, all my days, did I a sin, which, if thou break’st with
me, could be revealed [unveiled],
Nor couldst thou stumble on a fault of mine, praise be to God, to
hide it, or proclaim it.
How canst thou cast me off then so light-heartedly, as skilful
women cast away their shreds?
And why allows thy soul thee to enslave me, and offer me for sale
as goods are sold?
Wouldst thou not shield my honour, as I shield thy own concerns
the day when parting grieves us,
And say to him who bartered for me: ‘This is Sakâbi, neither
to buy nor borrow’?
Now, I am not, for sooth, below that horse, but far above thy
nature is their nature
And boldly sing I out: trading on me, my worth was lost to
them, and what a worth!”
When the old man had understood his couplets and
taken in [the meaning of] his ditty, he fetched a deep
sigh and wept so as to make weep the far away, and
said to me: “I hold this lad in the place of my son, and
distinguish him not from the lobes of my liver, and
were it not for the emptiness of my abode and the
extinction of my lamp, he would not go out of my nest
till he escorted my bier. Now thou hast seen what has
come to him of the pangs of separation, and the believer
is kind and gentle. So wouldst thou have a mind, for
the soothing of his heart, and the removal of his grief,
to stipulate with me for the cancelling of his sale,
whenever I asked for it, and not to find me importune
if I should press for the same, for it is amongst the
choice traditions transmitted by the trustworthy, that
‘he who grants redemption to one repenting of his
bargain, Allah remits to him his transgressions.’” Said
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Thereupon I made to him
a promise, prompted by shame, but within my heart I
thought otherwise. Then he bade the boy to approach
him, and kissed him between both his eyes, inditing,
while the tears were coursing from his lids:
“Bear patiently, my soul may be thy ransom, what thou hast
met of sorrow and of anguish,
May not for long the time of parting last, nor flag the beasts that
bring us to reunion;
Then he said to him: “I commend thee to the keeping
of one who is a good master,” and tucked up his skirt
and turned away. But the lad remained sobbing and
wailing until the other might have gone the length of a
mile, and when he had recovered himself and stopped
the flow of his tears, he said: “Dost thou know for
what I have wailed and what has been my object
therein?” I said: “It is, I trow, the separation from
thy master which has made thee weep.” Said he:
“Thou art in one valley, and I am in another, and
what a distance there is between a wisher and his
wish.” Then he indited:
“By Allah, weeping was I not for friend departed, nor eke for
loss of any pleasure or delight,
But tears were flowing from my eyelids for a fool, whose eyes,
though opened wide, led into pitfalls him,
So that he came to grief and was sadly disgraced, and lost his
white engraven ones, his lustrous coin.
Woe thee, have not those subtle words warned thee enough, that
I was free, and hence not lawful was my sale?
Now I looked at his speech as a thing seen in the
mirror of one who jests, or the exhibition of one
indulging in pleasantry, but he waxed obstinate
[restive] with the obstinacy [restiveness] of one who
claims a right, and protested not to be tainted with the
clay of servile condition; so we jostled about in an
altercation which terminated in fisticuffs and led to an
appeal to the judge. When we had explained the case
to the Kadi, and read to him our Sura, he said:
“Indeed, he who has warned has excused himself,
he who has put one on his guard is like one who has
given information, he who has made one see the state
of affairs, has done no damage. Now what you both
have said in explanation, demonstrates that this lad
has tried to rouse thee, but thou wouldst not be awaked,
and has advised thee, but thou wouldst not understand;
therefore veil the ailment of thy stupidity and hide it,
and blame thyself, but blame not him; beware to lay
hold on him, and to wish to make him thy slave, for he
is free of body, and not subject to be exposed for sale.
It was only yesterday that his father brought him into
my presence, a little while before sunset, declaring him
to be his branch that he had grown, and that he had
no heir but him.” Then I said to the Kadi: “And
knowest thou his father? may Allah put him to shame!”
He replied: “How should Abû Zayd be unknown for
whose wound there is no retaliation, and of whom
every Kadi has stories to tell and proclamation to
make.” Then I gnashed my teeth in anger and said,
“There is no power and no strength, but in Allah, the
Exalted, the Great,” becoming wide awake, but when
the time had slipped, and making sure that his face-veil
was a net of his cunning, and the crowning couplet of
his poem. So my mishap made me cast down my
looks, and I swore that I would never again deal with
the bearer of a face-veil as long as I lived, bewailing all
the while my losing bargain, and the shame to which I
should be put amongst my comrades. Then the Kadi
said to me, when he saw my distress and became clearly
aware of the brunt of my burning grief: “Ay such a
one, thy loss has given thee a lesson, and he who has
roused [awakened] thy wits, has not done thee an
injury; take then warning by thy adventure and conceal
from thy friends what has befallen thee; remember
always what has occurred to thee, so as to keep in mind
the admonition which thy money has administered thee
and mould thyself after the disposition of one who has
been tried and shown patience and who has profited by
the examples set before him.” Said Al Ḥârith, son of
Hammâm: Thereupon I took leave from him, donning
the raiment of shame and sorrow and trailing my skirt
of defrauded folly, and I purposed to show Abû Zayd
my aversion by shunning him, and to cut him for the
remainder of my life, deliberately keeping aloof from
his abode, and avoiding to see him, until he came upon
me in a narrow path, and welcomed me with the
welcome of an affectionate friend, though all I did was
to frown at him and keep silent. Then he said: “What
ails thee that thou turnest up thy nose at thy mate?”
Answered I: “Hast thou forgotten that thou hast
plotted against me, and cheated me, and done the thing
which thou hast done?” Then he puffed his cheek and
cracked it at me in derision, after which he indited
appeasingly:
And featherest the shafts of blame that hit as hard, nay, harder,
than arrows sharp
Cut short thy say, and know I am not the first therein as thou
seem’st to think:
Heretofore the tribes sold Joseph, though they were what people
know they were.
Not had I stood in this place of shame, I swear it, if I owned a
coin.
So excuse thy brother, and bother not with the blame of one who
ignores the facts.”
Thereupon he said: “My excuse is plain and thy
dirhems are gone. But if thy shrinking from me and
thy aversion towards me arises from the excess of thy
tender concern for the remainder of thy pelf, I am not
of those who sting twice and make one tread upon two
cinders, and if thou art cross and givest way to thy
stinginess, in order to escape the bait that hangs in my
nets, the mourning-women will weep over thy wits.”
Said Al Hârith, son of Hammâm: So he deluded me
by his deceitful utterance and his powerful sorcery into
turning his friend and becoming attached to him again,
flinging the remembrance of his exploit behind me,
though it was an abominable thing.
This composition is in the style of the eighth and the earlier part
of the twenty-ninth Assembly. Abû Zayd describes, in a company
of distinguished men of literary tastes in Shiraz, where Ḥârith has
met them, a wine-cask metaphorically under the simile of a maiden,
for whom, as he tells the people, he desires to purchase wedding
attire. They give him money, and it turns out that by the wedding
attire is meant a flagon and a cup, which were necessary to wed
as it were the wine-cask to the drinker. The allegory may have
been suggested by the circumstance that the scene of the event is
Shiraz, a city celebrated for its wine, or rather for the manufacture
of a peculiar kind of wine-flagons, which on account of their exquisite
workmanship are used in preference to others for presenting in them
wines of superior quality.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, narrated: In my roam-ings
I met in Shiraz with an Assembly, who invited the
passer-by to stay, even if he should be in haste, and I
was unable to tear myself away from them, and my foot
would not move to step past them, for I inclined to
them, so that I might test their intrinsic worth and see
how their fruit would be from their blossom. Now
they proved to be select people, and he who inclined to
them was profited, and while we were engaged in talk
pleasanter than the songs of birds and more delightful
than the milk of grapes, there entered our midst a man
in two tattered pieces of clothing who had wellnigh
reached the two terms of life. He greeted us with a
glib tongue, and expressed himself in the delivery of
the eloquent; then he sat down as one joining in the
assembly, with his hands round his knees, and said:
“O Allah, let us be of the rightly guided.” Now the
people made little of him, on account of his ragged
attire, forgetting that they would have to reckon with
the two things smallest in him (his tongue and heart),
and they began to bandy between them the chapter of
rhetoric, counting its aloës as common wood, but he
vouchsafed not a word, nor declared himself by any
sign until he had probed their intellectual powers, and
knew who of them made rise the scale and who weighed
it down. But when he had brought to light their
buried treasures and exhausted their quivers, he said.
“O ye people, if you had known that behind the plug
there is pure wine you would not have slighted a bearer
of tattered garments, but asked what parts he possesses.”
Then he let flow of the springs of learning, and of
choice sayings that whereby he drew forth marvels of
wonderment and which was worthy to be written in
fluid gold; and when he had captivated all their senses,
and made every heart turn to him, he stirred for taking
his departure, and made ready to go. But the company
clung to him and barred the course of his progress,
saying: “We have just seen the sign of thy arrow,
now make known to us the shell of thy egg and its
yolk.” Then he was silent with the silence of one
choked by tears, whereupon he wailed so that he was
pitied by all. Said the narrator: Now when I saw the
mixture and tinge of Abû Zayd, and his wonted ways
and manners of proceeding, I looked hard at the old
man, with all his defacement of countenance and fulsomeness,
and lo! it was he himself. But I concealed
his secret, as an internal disease is concealed, and
veiled his cunning scheme, although he did not think
so, until when he ceased wailing, he blinked at me with
an eye full of laughter, whereupon he began to indite
with the tongue of one who shams tearfulness:
“I crave Allah’s forgiveness, humbling myself, for all the sins
whose heavy load burdens me.
O folks, how many olden maids kept at home, though in assemblies
were their virtues praised about
Have I cut down not fearing from any heir that might revenge
them on me or claim a fine.
And when the sin thereof was laid at my door, I boldly cleared
myself and said: fate it was.
And never stopped my soul its headlong career in cutting damsels
down, and kept going stray,
Till hoariness shone on the crown of my head and checked me
from performing such evil deeds.
So since my temples have turned grey never shed I any more a
maiden’s blood, old or young,
But now I rear, in spite of what may be seen of my condition and
of my slacking trade,
A lass who for a long time has stayed at home, sheltered and
veiled carefully from air itself.
And she in spite of being thus kept recluse, has wooers for her
comeliness and pleasingness.
But for her outfit, at the least, I can’t do without a hundred,
though I try as I may,
While in my hand there is not one silver coin, the ground is empty
and the sky yields no rain.
Now is one here to help me that I may wed her amidst the
singing-girls’ cheering strain,
Then let him wash my grief with its proper soap and cleanse my
heart from sorrows that worry me,
That he may cull my praises, whose fragrancy will only cease to
breathe when man prays in vain.”
Said the narrator: Then there was none left in the
company but his palm opened to him and his kindness
reached him, and when his wish had proved successful
and his hundred was completed, he praised them as
beseems the upright, and tucked up his skirt for
departure. But I followed him, wishing to learn who
was the foster-daughter of his chamber and whom he
had cut down in his early life, and it was as if the
swiftness of my rising had made him aware of my
intention, for he approached me and said: “Hearken
to me,
“‘Cutting down’ means with one like me ‘thinning the wine’
not, O friend, with the lance or sword killing a man.
And the maid, kept at home with me, means the daughter of the
grape-tree, not virgin of high descent [extraction].
And to wed her to cup and flask was the errand, which thou
saw’st me intent upon when I joined you.
Understand then what I have said, and decide on kind forbearance,
if so thy will, or rebuking.”
Then he said: “I am quarrelsome and thou art fainthearted,
so there is a wide gulf between us.” Thereupon
he bade me farewell, and went away, making me
send after him more than one glance of loving affection.
In this Assembly Abû Zayd proposes twenty riddles or conundrums
of a particular kind, and all of the same form, which consists
in finding a word resembling a given short sentence in such a
manner, that its component parts are synonymous with the members
of the phrase in question. The introduction to the Assembly itself
adduces as an instance the query, what is like an-naum fât, Sleep
has departed, to which the answer would be al-karâmât, pl. of
karâmah in the sense of “wonder,” “miracle,” because the initial
part of the word, al-karâ, means “slumber,” and the final syllable,
mât, signifies “is dead.” The English reader of this translation will
not be worse off than Abû Zayd’s Arabic audience, for the author
gives no solution in the body of the Assembly, leaving its discovery
to the ingenuity of the listener, but if his curiosity and interest
are roused by the quaint form of the questions and the lively style
in which they are introduced, he will find at the cost of small
trouble amusement as well as linguistic instruction in the short
commentary, which Ḥarîri himself has attached to this composition.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: I made my
camel of foreign travel kneel down at Maltîyah, and
my pouch was at that time well filled with coin. So I
made it my wont, when I had deposed there my staff,
to frequent the places of entertainment and to hunt
after rare pleasures, so that nothing escaped me worthy
to be seen or heard, and no play-ground or resort of
enjoyment was left unvisited by me, until, when I had
no further business there, and no desire for longer
stay, I resolved to expend my remaining gold in buying
travelling gear. Now when I had completed my preparations,
and was ready for departure, or all but ready,
I saw a group of nine people, who had purchased some
wine, wherewith they had ascended a hillock, and their
winning manners captivated men’s eyes, while their
pleasantry was sweet-spoken. Therefore I wended
towards them from a wish to join in their conversation,
not in their drinking-bout, and from eagerness to mix
with them, not to taste the contents of their tumblers.
Now when I had become the tenth in their string, and
a companion in their forenoon meeting, I found them
to be a medley assemblage thrown together from the
deserts, though the woof of literary culture united
them as with the union of relationship, and matched
them in their ranks, so that they shone like the
luminaries of the Twins, and appeared as a community
whose members are of one kindred. So I rejoiced at
having been guided to them, and praised the lucky star
that had made me light upon them, beginning to shake
my arrow together with their arrows, and to solace
myself with the perfume of their refinement, not with
that of their wine, until the branch-roads of discussion
led us to the proposing of riddles, as if thou sayst,
intending thereby al-karâmat, what is like “al-naum
fât” (sleep has departed), which may be expressed by
“al-karâ mât” (slumber is dead), whereupon we began
to display both Sohá (the smallest star in the Bear)
and the moon, and to cull both the thorn and the
fruit, and while we were spreading out the fresh and
the old, and drawing from [fishing out of] the pot the
fat and the lean, an old man intruded upon us, whose
bloom of complexion and beauty of form had gone,
while knowledge and experience remained with him.
Then he stood as one who listens and observes, picking
up what we were scattering, until the purses were
empty and it became obvious that no more was to be
hoped for. Now when he saw the flagging of their
powers [faculties], and that both he who drew water
from the top of the well, and he who drew it from the
bottom, were equally baffled, he gathered his skirts
together, and turned his back on us, saying: “Not
everything black is a date, nor is everything ruddy
wine.” Then we clung to him as the chameleon clings
to the trees, and blocked his progress as with bars,
saying to him: “The cure of a rent is to stitch it, and
if not, then retaliation! retaliation! So hope not to
wound while thou art safe, and to make bleed the gash
while thou goest scot-free.” Then he turned his bridle,
sitting down in his place for a good stay, and said:
“Since you have challenged me to discussion, I shall
give the judgment of Solomon in the matter of the
sown field. Know, ye owners of literary accomplishments
and golden coloured wine, that the proposing of
riddles is for the purpose of testing the quickness of
wit and bringing out its hidden treasures, under the
condition, that they are founded on a real resemblance
and contain meaning words, and some scholarly nicety.
For if they are of a style different from this they are
refuse [worthless], and not to be put into the casket [as
something worthy to be preserved], and I noticed that
your definitions kept not within these limits, and distinguished
not between the acceptable and the objectionable.”
We said to him: “Thou art right, and hast
spoken the truth. But measure out to us somewhat
from thy select store, and pour upon us from thy main
sea” [ocean]. Said he: “I will do so in a manner
that those who failed may not doubt, nor look at me
with suspicion.” Then he turned to the foremost of the
people, and said:
1. “O thou who excels in sharpness, who strikes the fire-sticks of
merit,
2. “O man of surpassing honour, unsullied by any baseness,
3. “O thou, the children of whose thought resemble coin of ready
course,
4. “O thou who solvest what is intricate of riddles and enigmas,
5. “O such an one of shrewdest wit, endowed with brightest
sagacity,
6. “O thou from whose capacity a rival’s steps stop short by far,
What is like thy saying to him who joins with thee in riddles:
‘Hold in! hold in!’?”
7. “O thou who own’st intellect of brilliancy, in subtleness high
of rank amongst thy friends,
Explain, and, mind, tell aright in doing so, what saying is similar
to ‘brother fled’?”
8. “O thou whose gardens of excellence are fresh with flowers in
bright array,
What is like telling the sharp of wit in solving riddles: ‘he chose
not silver’?”
9. “O thou to whom they point for a mind of ready wit and for
eloquence,
Expound to us, what is like the speech of the riddler: ‘tread
upon the crowd’?”
Said the narrator: Now when he came at last to me, he
patted me on the shoulder saying:
10. “O thou possessed of subtleties to baffle sore and floor
opponents,
Then he said: “I have watered you and allowed you
time, and if you want me to let you have another
draught, I let you have it.” So the brunt [heat] of
thirst drove us to ask for a second drink. Whereupon
he said: “I am not like one who from selfishness stints
his boon-companions, nor of those whose fat remains
in their own dish.” Then he returned to the first, and
said:
11. “O thou whose sharpness unfolds a riddle [unties a ticklish
knot], however tight,
12. “O thou whose eloquence appears clear from his skill in
explanation,
13. “O thou who in sagacity and sharpness art like Asma‘î,
What is like saying by way of riddle: ‘spend lavishly, thou con-querest
then’?”
14. “O thou who if knotty questions arise enlightens their
darkness,
15. “O thou whose intellect lets him not give way to anxious
thoughts and doubt,
16. “O thou endowed with sagacity in which thy perfect worth
appears,
17. “O thou whose wit, brisk of market, gives thee adornment
and honour,
18. “O thou who in fame hast reached a height surpassing every
height by far,
What resembles, tell us, saying: ‘give a crook [crutch] deprived
of the handle-part’?”
19. “O thou who hold’st undoubtedly fine judgment and elocution,
20. “O thou who hast penetrating sharpness of wit in solving
intricate question, bright as a star,
What is resembling the saying: ‘whiz of a muzzle’? Explain so
that thy expounding renders it clear.”
Said Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Now when he had
delighted us with what we had heard, and challenged
us to disclose its meaning, we answered: “We are not
of the horses of this racecourse, and our hands are not
equal to untying these knots; so if thou wilt explain,
thou conferrest a favour, and if thou wilt keep it
hidden, thou inflictest grief.” Then he consulted his
mind for and against and shook both his arrows (of
consent or refusal), until he was pleased to vouchsafe
the bounty, coming forward to the company, and
saying: “O ye people of eloquence and distinction, I
will forthwith make known to you that which you
know not, and thought not you would ever know, so
fasten upon it your vessels and freshen therewith the
assemblies.” Then he began an explanation which
furbished the intellects, and withal emptied the sleeves
(breast pockets), until the understandings became
brighter than the sun, and the pockets as if yesterday
they had not been rich. Now when he bethought himself
of departure, he was asked about his abode. Then
he sighed as sigheth the bereft mother, and said:
Save that for Serûj town my heart is crazed with longing, mad
with love.
And for her mead so rich of growth above all meads I fondly
yearn.
Concluded the narrator his tale: Thereupon I said to
my companions, “This is Abû Zayd, the Serûji, whose
riddles are the least of his elegancies,” and I began to
descry to them the beauty of his diction, and the
obedience of speech to his will. Then I turned round,
and lo! he had leaped up, and was gone with what he
had gained. So we wondered at his performance, when
he had fallen in our midst, and knew not whither he
had wended and swerved.
EXPLANATION OF THE RIDDLES.
1. Hunger is cheered by provisions (jû‘ umidd bi-zâd) resembles
t̤awâmîr, pl. of t̤âmûr, books, rolls, scrolls (= t̤awâ, hunger, + mîr,
pass. of mâr, has been provided for).
2. A back (which is) looked askance at (z̤ahr aṣâbathu ‘ain) resembles
mat̤â‘în, pl. of mat̤‘ûn, pierced with a lance (= mat̤â, back, + ‘în,
pass. of ‘ân, is struck by the evil eye).
3. He met a gift (ṣâdaf jâ‘izah) resembles al-fâṣilah, fem. of al-fâsil,
what separates two things (= alfâ, he found, + ṣilah, a gift).
4. Take a thousand gold coins (tanâwal alf dînâr) resembles hâdiyah,
fem. of hâdî, one who guides aright (= hâ, take, + diyah, fine for
bloodshed which amounts to 1,000 dînârs).
5. He neglects adornment (ahmal ḥilyah) resembles al-ghâshiyah, a
saddle-cloth (= alghâ, he disregarded, + shiyah, finery).
6. Hold in! hold in! (ukfuf, ukfuf) resembles mahmah, a desert
(= mah, stop, repeated for the sake of emphasis).
7. Brother fled (ash-shaqîq aflat) resembles akht̤âr, pl. of khat̤ar,
dangers (= akh, brother, + t̤âr, he flew, took to flight).
8. He chose not silver (mâ akhtâr fiẓẓah (resembles abâriqah, pl. of
ibrîq, pitchers (= abâ, he refused, + riqah, a silver coin).
9. Tread upon a crowd (das jamâ‘ah) resembles t̤âfiyah, fem. of
t̤âfî, what floats on the water (= t̤â, for t̤a’, imp. of wat̤a‘, tread
under foot, trample upon, + fiyah, for fi’ah, a troup of men).
10. Be still my uncle (khâlî uskut) resembles khâliṣah, fem. of
khâliṣ, pure, sincere (= khâli, apocopated vocative of khâlî, my
maternal uncle, + ṣah, hush!).
11. Take this (khuz tilk) resembles hâtîk, this woman (= hâ, take,
as in the 4th riddle, + tîk, fem. of zâk, this).
12. An onager has been decked out (ḥimâr waḥsh zîn) resembles
farâzîn, pl. of firzân, Queens in chess (= firâ, wild ass, + zîn, pass.
of zân, he was adorned).
13. Spend lavishly, thou conquerest then (infaq taqma‘) resembles
muntaqim, one who avenges himself (= mun, imp. of mân, spend
on provisions, + taqim, aor. of waqam, thou subduest).
14. Sniff in the perfume of grape-wine (istanshi rîḥ mudâmah) resembles
raḥrâḥ, vast, wide, ample (= raḥ, imp. of râḥ, smell, + râḥ,
one of the names of wine).
15. Shield the ruined (ghat̤t̤i halká) resembles ṣunbûr, an isolated
palm-tree, a word also of various meanings (= ṣun, imp. of ṣân,
shelter, protect, preserve, + bûr, pl. of bâ’ir, doomed to destruction).
16. He travelled a while at night (sâr bi’l-lail muddah) resembles
saraḥîn, pl. of sirḥân, wolves (= sará, he fared at night, + ḥîn, time).
17. Love a coward (iḥbab farûqah) resembles miqlâ‘, a sling (= miq,
imp. of wamiq, be in love with, + lâ‘, timid, pusillanimous).
18. Give a crock deprived of the handle-part (a‘t̤i ibrîq yalûḥ bighair
‘urwah) resembles uskûb, flowing, shed (= us, imp. of âs, bestow,
+ kûb, a mug without handle).
19. I own the bullock (as̤-s̤aur milkî) resembles al-laâlî, pl. of lu’lu’,
the pearls (= al-la‘â, the wild ox, + lî, to me, mine).
20. Whiz of a muzzle (ṣafîr jaḥfalah) resembles mukâshafah, uncovering,
disclosing (= mukâ, a whistling sound, produced by blowing
into one’s hand, + shafah, lip).
THE THIRTY-SEVENTH ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“OF ṢA‘DAH.”
In Ṣa‘dah, one of the chief towns of Yemen, Al Ḥârith has contracted
an intimacy with the Kadi of the place, whom he occasionally
assists in the decision of law cases. One day an old man
presents himself before them, complaining bitterly of the untractableness
and disobedience of his son. The youth retorts, that his
father urges him to beg, although he had formerly strongly impressed
him with the ignominy of the practice, in support of which he
quotes some verses that his father had taught him on the subject.
The latter rejoins that necessity knows no law, and recites on his
part some lines of the boy’s composition, to the effect, that rather
than meekly to submit to poverty a needy man should appeal to the
liberality of the wealthy. Thus placed on the horns of a dilemma,
the youth sullenly disclaims the use of any such appeal, when
munificence is no longer to be found in the world. This stings the
Kadi, who belongs to the tribe of Temîm, renowned for their
generous disposition, into bestowing a bounty on them, and they
leave the court together, the father well pleased with his booty, the
son simulating earnest remorsefulness. Ḥârith, whose instinct had
told him that the apparent excessive decrepitude of the old man is
only a blind, follows and overtakes them, and a cordial recognition
takes place between him and Abû Zayd, who, however, soon
manages to give him the slip, so as to escape all further inquiries.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: I had travelled
up to Sa‘dah, at a time when I was straight of stature
like a spear-shaft and of vigour that outstripped the
daughters of Sa‘dah (the young of the onager or ostrich).
Now when I had seen its freshness and fed [my looks]
on her meads, I inquired from the most knowing of its
informants, whom of lordly persons and mines of
excellence it contained, so that I might take him for
a beacon-light (ember) in times of darkness, and my
tower of strength in days of oppression. Then there
was pointed out to me a Kadi, wide of range [in
generosity], easy in his circumstances, a Temîmî in
descent and disposition. So I ceased not seeking
approach to him by respectful attendance, at the same
time making myself valuable to him by being chary in
visiting, until I became the echo of his voice, and the
Salmân of his household, and while gathering his honey
and inhaling the fragrance of his bay-tree, I used to
witness the contentions of litigant parties and to mediate
between the unoffending of them and the offender.
Now when the Kadi was sitting to give judgment on
a day of flocking together and crowding, lo! there
entered an old man, in plumage worse for the wear,
of shaky appearance, who looked at the throng with
the sharp look of the money-sifter. Then he stated
that he had an unmanageable adversary, and it was
not but as the scintillating of a spark or the intimation
of a beckoning finger, that a lad was put in presence
[bold] as though he were a lion. Said the old man:
“May Allah help the Kadi, and preserve him from
[ever becoming guilty of] connivance! behold this my
son, like a bad reed-pen or a rusty sword, ignores the
predicaments of equity, and suckles the teats of contravention
[contradiction, opposition, gainsaying]. When
I advanced, he drew back, when I spoke plain, he
shuffled in his speech, when I kindled a fire, he put it
out, and when I roasted, he scattered ashes, although I
had reared him since he first crawled until he was a
youth, and was to him the kindest of trainers and
educators.” Then the Kadi made much of [put great
stress upon] his complaint, and those around him were
amazed at it [as at a case of grave concern]. Thereupon
he said: “I protest that disobedience in children is
one bereavement of twain, and that many an instance
of infertility keeps the eye cooler.” Said the boy whom
this speech had incensed: “By Him who has set up
judges for the sake of justice, and possessed them of
the reins of preferment and discrimination, forsooth, he
never prayed, but I said Amen, and he never made a
claim, but I maintained its truth, he never said
‘labbaika,’ but I donned the pilgrim’s cloak, and he
never struck fire, but I gave sparks, in spite of his
being like one who craves for the eggs of the cock-hawk,
and wants the camels to fly.” Then the Kadi
said to him: “Wherewith then used he to vex thee
and to try thy obedience?” He said: “Ever since
his substance has gone, and he has been visited with
penury, he urges me to roll about my tongue in
begging, and to ask rain from the clouds of bounty,
so that his draught, which was dried up, might flow
afresh in abundance, and what was broken in his
fortunes might be set again. Yet when he had first
taken me into schooling, and taught me culture of
mind, he imbued my heart with the notion, that
inordinate desire is a thing to be blamed, and covetousness
worthy of rebuke, that greed breeds indigestion,
and begging is a reproach. Then he indited to me,
straight from the parting of his lips, with all the polish
of his verse:
“‘Content thyself with scanty means, giving thanks therefor, like
one who recks the little mighty much.
Shun greediness, that never fails lowering the worth of any wight
who may take to it.
Fend thy fair fame and shield it with jealous care, as with a
frown the lion would fend his mane.
Bear thou with patience, and forbear, poverty, as lords of holy
purpose bore patiently;
Spill not the water of thy face even if he whom thou beg’st from
spends on thee gifts galore.
For free is he, who if a mote hurts his eye conceals the mote from
even his pupils twain,
And if his whilom gold-stuff has gone to rags sees not his way by
begging to fret his cheeks.’”
Then the old man contracted his brows and scowled at
his son, and rushed upon him and growled, saying:
“Hush! O thou disobedient one, O thou who art
choking and stifling me! Woe betide thee, wilt thou
teach thy mother how to copulate, and thy nurse how
to give thee suck? forsooth, the scorpion has rubbed
himself against the snake, and the weanlings have
coursed along with the stallions.” Then it was as if he
repented of what had escaped his mouth, and affection
led him to conciliate the boy, for he looked at him with
the eye of the fondly disposed, and lowered to him the
wing of the kindly, saying: “Alas! dear son, those
who are bidden to be contented, and chidden from
self-abasement are the owners of merchandise, and the
workers for gain through handicraft, but as for those
who are possessed of needs, an exception is made in
their behalf with regard to matters prohibited. And
granted thou wast ignorant of this interpretation, and
it has not reached thee what has been said [on this
point], wast not thou he who opposed his father in what
he said, not revering him:
“‘Sit not content with distress and suffering hunger’s pangs, that
people may say he is high-minded and patience full.
See for thyself if a land that is not decked out with plants, is like
a land all around hedged in with trees, rich of growth;
So wend aside from what fools are in their sloth pointing to, for
say, what good can there be in wood that bears never fruit?
And lead thy beasts from a place where thou sustainest brunt of
thirst, to pasture-grounds whereupon in fertile flow falls the rain,
And ask the drought to descend full from the breast of the cloud,
for if thy hands are bedewed then may thy gain prosper thee,
But if thou shouldst be denied, there is no harm in rebuff, for
Moses met heretofore, and Prophet Khiẓr, with the same.’”
Said the narrator: Now when the Kadi saw the contradiction
between the speech of the lad and his action,
and that he adorned himself with that which was not
his own, he looked with wrathful eye, and said:
“Temîmî at one time, and Kaisî at another? Fie upon
him, who belies what he says, and changes colour as
the Ghûl changes colour.” Then the boy said: “By
Him, who has made thee a key for the truth, and an
opener [of justice] amongst mankind, I have been
caused to forget, since I became sorrowful, and my wits
have been turned rusty, since I waxed thirsty. Moreover,
where is the open door, and the ready gift? And
is there one left who bestows with full hands, and if
asked for food says: ‘Take.’” Thereupon the Kadi
replied to him: “Stop! for among the missing arrows
is one that hits, and not every lightning deceives, so
distinguish between the flashes if thou watchest the
clouds [for rain], and testify not but what thou
knowest.” Now when the old man saw that the Kadi
was wroth on account of the generous, and thought it
a serious thing to reckon all men as [to be] misers, he
knew that he would abet his word, and show his
munificence. So he belied him not [was not slow] in
setting his net, and baking his fish before the fire, and
quoth saying:
“O Kadi, thou whose wisdom and kindliness more deeply are
rooted than mount Raẓwá,
This youth maintains, misguided by ignorance, that in this world
none exercise bounty,
Not knowing that thou art the son of a tribe, whose gifts are like
yon quails and you Manna.
Confer thou then that which will make him ashamed of what he
forged of impudent falsehood,
And let me go rejoicing and giving praise for what in helpful
bounty thou spendest.”
Then the Kadi was pleased at his speech, and bestowed
on him liberally of his largess, whereupon he turned
his face towards the boy, for whom he had already
headed the arrows of rebuke, and said to him: “Hast
thou now seen the refutation of thy assertion, and the
error of thy opinion? So be not henceforth hasty in
thy blame, and pare no wood before testing it; and
beware to refuse obedience to thy father. For if thou
return to thy revolt against him, there will alight on
thee from me that which thou deservest.” Then the
youth was dumfounded with repentance (fell to biting
his hand with remorse), and sought shelter by his
parent’s side, and presently rose and sped away, while
the old man followed him inditing:
“Let him whom his fell fortune has treated ill repair to Ṣa‘dah
town and her Kadi.
His bounty shames the bounteous that went before, his justice
baffles those who come after.”
Said the narrator: Now I was bewildered in my
mind as to whether I knew the old man, or not, until
he had started off on his journey, when I persuaded
myself to follow him, even if need be to his abode;
haply I might become aware of his secrets and learn
what tree was the fuel of his fire. So I flung from me
what clung to me, and set out whither he had set out,
and he ceased not to step along and I to follow in his
track, he to get further, and I to come nearer to him,
until both were face to face, and recognition was incumbent
on any two intimates. Then he showed
gladness, and did away with his shakiness, saying:
“He who deceives his brother may not live (enjoy life).”
Accordingly I knew that he was the Serûji and
no mistake, and without change of condition. So I
hastened towards him to shake [clasp] his hand, and
to inquire after his good and evil hap. Thereupon he
said: “Here is the dutiful son of thy brother at hand
for thee” (i.e., let him tell thee what thou wantest to
know), and left me passing his way. The youth, however,
did but laugh, then he fled, as yonder had fled.
So I went back after I had ascertained their identity,
but where was I to find the twain of them?
THE THIRTY-EIGHTH ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“OF MERV.”
“In the thirty-eighth Abû Zayd addresses the governor of a town”
(for Englishmen it may not be without interest that the town in
question is the famous city of Merv) “in some fine verses in praise of
liberality to men of genius.” With these few lines Chenery sums
up this Maḳâmah, and Preston says that it contains little beyond a
repetition of circumstances and phrases which occur in other Assemblies,
and is of inferior interest to most of them. It should, however,
be kept in view that Ḥarîri’s work is not one to be read in uninterrupted
succession, like a production of modern fiction, except perhaps
by scholars. The whole plan of the work renders it almost inevitable
that, to quote once more the words of the former distinguished
translator, “the repetition of similar adventures and similar rhetoric
becomes monotonous.” But Ḥarîri is an author whose book may
be taken in hand by a reader of cultivated mind and refined taste at
any moment in which the mood seizes him, and be opened at
random, when he will always be sure to find much that will entertain,
interest, or instruct him, and if he happens to hit on the present
Assembly, taking it by itself and on its own merits, I have no doubt
that he will proclaim it to be a composition of exquisite beauty,
conceived in Ḥarîri’s most happy vein, and written in his most
brilliant style.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: It had become
dear to me ever since my foot moved and my pen sput-tured,
to take literary learning for my roadway and
the kindling of my torch thereat for my pursuit. Accordingly
I furrowed out its doctors and the treasures
of its mysteries, and when I had found of them [such
as are] the desire of the seeker, and the burning log to
light one’s fire from, I clutched with my hand his
stirrup, and beseeched him for a dole from out his
hoard. Withal I met none that equalled the Serûji in
the abundant shower of his clouds, and in applying the
pitch to the places where the symptoms of scab appear,
save that he used to wander abroad faster than the
proverb, and swifter than the moon in her changes,
wherefore from longing to encounter him, and from my
delight in joining his assemblies, I was eager for peregrination,
and found enjoyment in travel which [according
to a saying of Mohammed’s] is part of the [infernal]
torment. So at a time when I had strayed to Merv,
and no wonder, the rousing of birds, and the presage
which is the harbinger of good, gave me happy tidings
of a meeting with him. Hence I ceased not spying for
him in the assemblies and on the arrival of caravans,
but I found none to give me news of him, nor saw I
any trace or speck of him, until despair got the better
of hope, and expectation became reduced and subdued.
Now one day I was in the presence of the Wâlî of Merv,
who was one of those who combine excellence with
dominion, when lo, Abû Zayd rose to sight in the rags
of one poverty-stricken, and greeted with the greeting
of the needy when he meets a lord of the crown. Then
he said to the Wâlî: “Know thou, mayest thou be
kept safe from blame, and spared sorrow, that on him
who is entrusted with offices, hopes depend, and to him
whose degrees have been exalted, needs [wants] are
referred, and that he is the fortunate, who if he has the
power and destiny aids him, pays the zakât for divine
favours, as he pays the zakât for cattle, and who clings
to the people commanding reverence, as he clings to his
wife and close relations. Truly thou hast become,
praise be to Allah, the support of thy city, and the
pillar of thy age, to whose sanctuary the saddle-beasts
are driven, and from whose generosity bounties are
hoped, to whose court requests are carried, and from
whose palm relief is expected to descend, for Allah’s
grace upon thee has been great, and His beneficence in
thy behalf plentiful. Now I am an old man who
grovels in the dust after having rolled in riches, and
who lacks greencrop when he has waxed hoary. I have
come to thee from a distant place, and a wretched state,
hoping from thy sea a swell, and from thy rank a lift,
and hope is the best means of propitiation for him who
begs, and the best gift of him who gives. Therefore
bestow upon me what is incumbent on thee, and deal
me fair, as Allah has dealt fair with thee, and beware
to turn thy face from him who visits thee, and repairs
to thy house, and to close thy fist [in denial] from him
who asks thy gift and appeals for support to thy
generosity. For he excels not who is stingy, nor goes
he the right way who hoards up. But he is the man
of head and heart (al-labîb), who when he has, bestows,
and when he first earns a profit, profits others, and the
liberal is he who, when he is asked for the gift of gold,
is not afraid to give.” Then he held in, looking out
for the fruit of his planting and watching for the gratification
of his soul. Now the Wâlî wished to know
whether his well was shallow, or whether his spring
had continuity. So he bent his head to think how to
strike sparks from his fire-stick and how to discriminate
the temper of his blade. But the secret of his silence
and of the delaying of his gift was hidden from Abû
Zayd: so he flared up in wrath, and indited improvising:
“Despise not [may never thee a curse betide] men of learning
because they show clad in rags and destitute paupers,
Nor fail to pay due regard to him who comes full of hope, both if
he be glib of speech or if he be tongue-tied.
But give thy bounty to him who solicits help from thee and raise
by thy timely aid one whom thou seest downcast.
For hail the wealth of a man whose wealth obtains praise for him,
the fame of which travellers through all the world blaze forth.
And he who buys fair renown from humankind by his gifts, will
never be overreached, and though he gave rubies.
But for magnanimity the wise would have no excuse, if he aspires
to what goes beyond the mere day’s food.
Yet to acquire eulogy he strives, and moved by his love of nobleness,
lifts his neck to aim at high places.
When he who is generous inhales the fragrance of thanks, he
spurns the fragrance of musk, however fine pounded,
And never meet stinginess and praise so that one would think: a
lizard this, that a fish, in water this, that ashore [on land].
Beneficence is beloved by men for its qualities, whereas the closefisted
wight is all his days hated.
And his excuses to spend his riches with kindliness, keep blame
on him evermore, and people’s stern censure.
Be bountiful then with what thy hands have been gathering, that
he who begs for thy boon be ever dumfounded,
And take thy share, ere a stroke of fortune come over thee that
shows thee thy tree of life deprived of its foliage.
For time is too fickle as in one state to endure, mayst thou
delight in that state or may it be hateful.”
Said the narrator: Then the Wâlî called him near on
account of his ravishing discourse, until he had made
him alight on the seat of the circumciser, whereupon he
dealt out to him from the streams of his donation that
which prognosticated length of skirt and shortness of
night for him. So he rose from his presence with a full
sleeve and a merry heart. But I followed him, keeping
in his direction and tracking his step, until, when he
was well out of the Wâlî’s gate, and had got clear of his
den, I said to him: “Mayst thou thrive on what has
been given thee, and be allowed to enjoy long that
which has been put in thy possession.” Then his face
lit up and beamed, and he continued thanks to Allah,
be He exalted, whereupon he strutted along with a
proud swing, and indited straight off:
“Know, who has gained a portion by plodding dulness, or who
owes rank to virtues of those before him.
That my earnings are due to worth, not to meddling, and my
station to power of speech, not to kings’ grace.”
Then he said: “Out on him who blames learning, and
hail to him who strives after it and makes it his
pursuit;” wherewith he bade me farewell, and went
away, leaving me aflame with longing for him.
THE THIRTY-NINTH ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“OF ‘OMÂN.”
Called by some important business to ‘Omân on the eastern coast
of Arabia, Ḥârith is about to cross the Persian Gulf, when at the
moment of departure an old man begs to be taken on board,
promising the ship-company in return for their kindness to him, a
safe passage, by means of a magic spell in his possession against all
dangers of the sea. They comply with his request, and Ḥârith is
enchanted when he recognises in the stranger his old friend Abû
Zayd. At first all seems to go well. Probably, however, unknown
to the rest of the company, some miscreant was on board, whose
presence counteracted to a certain degree Abû Zayd’s panacea, for
after the voyage had continued for some time under the most
promising auspices, they are suddenly overtaken by a violent storm,
which forces them to seek refuge in the port of an island. When
their provisions begin to run dangerously short, Abû Zayd prevails
on Ḥârith to go with him on land for a foraging expedition. Soon
they arrived at a magnificent mansion, whose numerous servants are
found to be plunged into the utmost grief, because the lady of the
house is labouring in throes of a difficult child-birth, and her life
almost despaired of. Abû Zayd reassures them, pretending to have
another powerful charm for the occasion. With a great display of
solemnity, he writes some verses on a piece of meerschaum in which
he warns the child of the evils of existence and the troubles of life
awaiting it in the world, and which, with delightful humour, are
supposed, according to the innate perverseness of man’s heart, to act
as an irresistible inducement for it to struggle into the light of day.
Wrapped in a piece of silk, and profusely perfumed, the talisman is,
at his orders, tied to the limbs of the labouring woman, and this time
the incantation works well, for soon the confinement is happily got
over. The lord of the mansion, in his boundless joy at the birth of
a long desired son, not only overwhelms Abû Zayd with costly
tokens of his gratitude, but attaches him to his household, with unlimited
control over all his wealth. Ḥârith tries to persuade him to
continue with him the voyage, but Abû Zayd refuses point blank,
paraphrasing in another piece of his charming poetry the popular
saying ubi bene ibi patria, and Ḥârith reluctantly separates from him,
giving vent to his grief and disappointment in a wish, the savagery
of which may playfully be converted into the essence of the milk of
human kindness by the indulgent reader, who remembers the drift
of Abû Zayd’s magical verses, and the words of the Greek poet:
“Best for man not to be born, second best, to die as soon as he
can.”
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: I clung, ever
since the pile under my izâr had grown black, and the
down of my cheek had sprouted, to fare through the
deserts on the backs of Mahrî camels, now ascending a
mountain-tract, now threading my way through lowland,
so as to explore the wilds whether trodden or
trackless, and to get to ken the road-stations and
watering-places, making the blood flow from the hoofs
of horses and camels and jading the swift steeds and the
fleet dromedaries. Once when I was weary of desert-travel,
and some matter of importance cropped up for
me at Ṣuḥâr, I inclined to cross the billowy sea and to
choose the swift-sailing ship. So I removed to it my
chattels, and took along with me my provisions and
water-bags; then I embarked therein as embarketh the
timid, who registers vows, who blames himself and
would fain find excuses. Scarcely had we settled on
board, and hoisted the sails for speed, when we heard
from the shore of the roadstead, while the night was
darkening and waxing gloomy, a caller who said:
“O ye people of this strongbuilt ship, driven on the
high sea, by decree of the Mighty, the All-knowing,
shall I direct you unto a merchandise that will deliver
you from sore torment?” (Koran lxi. 10). Then we
said: “Light for us a brand from thy fire, O thou
guide, and show us the right path, as the trusty friend
shows the right path to the trusty friend.” He replied:
“Will ye take for companion a son of the road, who
carries his provisions in a basket, and whose shadow is
not heavy, wishing for nought but a sleeping-place?”
So we resolved to lower our wings to him, and not to
be stingy in providing for his need. When he had
come aboard of the ship, he said: “I take refuge with
Allah from the paths of destruction.” Then he said:
“We have been told in the Traditions, handed down
by the doctors of divinity, that Allah, be He exalted,
has not made it binding on the ignorant to learn, any
more than He has made it incumbent on the learned to
teach. Now I possess a charm transmitted from the
Prophets, and I have an advice for you sound of proofs,
which it is not in my power to conceal, nor in my
nature to withhold. Ponder then my speech and take
it in, and learn what you are taught so that you may
teach others.” Thereupon he shouted with the shout of
the boaster, exclaiming: “Know ye what it is? It is
the spell of travellers, when voyaging on the sea, and
the shield against anxiety, when the wave of the deep
rages. By it Noah was protected from the flood,
together with what was with him of animated beings,
as the verses of the Koran record it.” Then after some
stories he read out, and some tinselled talk he polished
up, he quoted [from the Koran]: “And he said,
‘Embark ye therein: in the name of God be its course,
and its riding at anchor.’” Thereupon he sighed with
the sigh of those burdened with debt, or of the fervent
servants of Allah, the revered ones, saying: “Behold
me, I have stood amongst you in the stead of the
bringer of tidings, and advised you with the advice of
the zealous, and have entered with you on the path of
those who guide aright, so be Thou my witness,
O Allah, who art the best of witnesses.” Said Al
Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Then his eloquent discourse,
conspicuous by its beauty, made us wonder, and our
voices were raised to him in recitation. But my heart
had from the sound of his voice a tinkling of knowledge
of the true nature of his sun. So I said to him: “By
Him who holds in bondage the fathomless sea, art thou
not the Serûji?” He replied: “Aye, and how could
the son of brightness remain hidden?” Forthwith I
praised my voyage, and revealed my own self since he
had revealed his, and we ceased not sailing, while the
sea was smooth, and the sky serene, and life pleasant,
and our time a sport, and while I was delighted with
meeting him, as the rich delights in his ingot of gold,
and rejoiced in his converse, as the drowning man
rejoices at being saved, until on a sudden the south
wind blew fierce, and the sides [of the ship] bent
[groaned], and the travellers forgot what had been, and
the waves rushed against them from every quarter.
Therefore we veered, on account of this recent calamity,
towards one of the islands, to give rest [to our ship] and
to rest ourselves, until the wind should calm down.
The obstacle to our travelling on, however, continued,
so that the provisions dwindled to a mere pittance.
Then Abû Zayd said to me: “Look here, the gathering
from the tree is not obtained by sitting still: so hast
thou a mind to rouse our luck by going on land?” I
replied to him: “Lo, I follow thee closer than thy
shadow, and wait on thee more obediently than thy
shoon.” Accordingly we descended upon the island,
despite the failing of our strength, to run the chase
after provender, though neither of us twain owned a
scrap, or was able to find a way in it, but we proceeded
to scout within, and to seek shade in its shady places,
until we came upon a lofty castle, with an iron gate,
and a troupe of slaves in front. These we accosted, that
we might make them a ladder to help us up, and a rope
to draw water with, but we found every one of them
mournful, deep in grief, so that we fancied them utterly
broken or dragged into captivity. So we said to them:
“O ye slave-boys, what is this sorrow?” But they
answered not our call, and spoke not either fair or foul.
When we saw that their fire was the fire of the glowworm,
and their state as the mirage of the deserts, we
said: “May their faces wax unsightly, and out upon
the churl, and him who hopes aught of him!” Then
hastened forward a servant whom old age had visited
and weeping overcome, saying: “O ye folks, increase
not our distress, and pain us not with reproach, for we
are truly in sore anguish and in evil plight that makes
us listless of talk.” Said Abû Zayd to him: “Relieve
thy choking sorrow, and speak out if thou have the
power to speak, for thou wilt find at my hand a competent
leech and a healing prescriber.” He said:
“Know thou, that the lord of this castle is the pole-star
of this place, and the Shâh of this territory. Withal he
is not free from grief on account of his being childless.
So he ceased not paying honour to the seed-fields and
selecting from the partners of his couch the most
exquisite, until he was hailed with the happy tidings of
the pregnancy of a noble lady, and his palm-tree gave
promise of a shoot. Then vows were vowed in his
behalf, and the days and months were counted, and
when the time of delivery had come, and necklace
and crownlet [for the adornment of the child] were
fashioned, the throes of child-birth were severe, and
fear was conceived for root and branch; therefore there
is none of us who knows rest or tastes sleep save by
snatches.” Then he burst out weeping and wailed
aloud, and repeatedly called on Allah unto whom we
shall return. Thereupon Abû Zayd said to him: “Be
still, O such a one, and of good cheer, and receive news
of joy and proclaim them, for I possess a spell for childbirth,
the fame of which is spread abroad amongst mankind.”
Forthwith the slaves hastened to their master,
announcing each other the release from their calamity,
when it took no longer than to say “nay,” that one
sallied out who summoned us to him, and as soon as
we had entered unto him, and were standing in his
presence, he said to Abû Zayd: “For sooth thy reward
will prosper thee if thy say is true and thy presage fails
not.” Abû Zayd bade them bring a mended reed-pen,
and some meerschaum, and some saffron macerated in
pure rose-water. In a breath’s time they brought what
he had asked for. Then he prostrated himself, rubbing
his cheeks in the dust, and said praise to Allah, whose
forgiveness he craved, bidding those present to stand
off, and keeping them at a distance. Then he took the
pen with a mighty show of fuss, and wrote upon the
meerschaum with the saffron-solution:
“Child to come, list to one who warns thee beforehand, aye! and
warning belongs to faith’s foremost duties:
Thou art safe now within a home closely guarded, an abode from
all misery well protected,
Nought thou seest there to frighten thee on the part of false a
friend or a foeman frank in his hatred,
But as soon as thou salliest forth from its shelter thou alight’st in
a dwelling hurtful and shameful,
Where the hardship awaiting thee will betide thee drawing tears
from thy eyne in fast-flowing down-pour.
So continue thy easeful life and beware of changing things proved
with things that are all uncertain,
Being heedful of one who seeks to beguile thee, that he hurl thee
the surer in sorry torment.
Now I gave thee, upon my soul, fair advice, but sound advisers
how often are they suspected.”
Then he blotted out the writing unawares, besputtering
it abundantly, and tied the meerschaum in a shred
of silk, after having besprinkled it profusely with
ambergris, and bade fasten it to the thigh of the
labouring woman, but that the hand of none menstruous
must touch it. Thereupon it took no longer
than the taste [lasts on the palate] of drinking, or the
interval that the milker makes in drawing the milk,
when the body of the child slipped out, through the
specific quality of the meerschaum, and the might of
the One, the Eternal. Then the castle was filled with
joy, and its thane and thralls were ready to fly with
delight, and their throng surrounded Abû Zayd, singing
his praises and kissing both his hands and deeming
themselves blessed by the touch of his tattered
garments, so that I was made to fancy him Uways Al-Ḳaranî
or Dobays Al-Asadî. Thereupon he bestowed
on him in presents of requital, and in abundant gifts
that which poured wealth upon him, and brightened
the face of his every wish, and his revenue ceased not
to come in turn after turn, from the time the lamb was
born, until safety was given back to the sea and our
voyage to ‘Omân became easy. Abû Zayd was contented
with the largess received, and prepared for
departure; the Wâlî [governor], however, would not
allow him to move after he had experienced his
blessing, but bade enrol him in his household, so that
his hand might make free with his treasures. Said Al
Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: When I saw that he inclined
to where he might gain riches, I took to rebuking him
and taunted him with the forsaking of his home and
his intimate. He replied: “Off with thee and listen
to me:
“To a native place cling not where folks oppress and hold thee in
scant esteem,
But depart the land that exalts the low above the high in dignity,
And take thy flight to a safe retreat, although it were on the
skirts of Kâf,
With a lofty soar, so as to dwell where naught of soilure attains
to thee
And roam about in the world at will, and where thou choosest,
select thy home,
Not thinking of thy haunts of old, nor breathing sighs for thy
distant friends.
For know full well that a free-born man in his country meets but
with disregard,
As the pearl is slighted within its shell and underrated its
preciousness.”
Thereupon he said: “Suffice thee what thou hast
heard, and well done, if thou act accordingly.” So I
proffered to him my excuses, saying to him: “Make
allowance for me,” wherewith he accepted them, and
excused himself, and provisioned me, stinting naught.
Then he escorted me, as one escorts one’s nearest relatives,
until I had embarked in the boat, when I bade
him good-bye, lamenting our separation, and deprecating
it, wishing heartily the babe and its mother had come
to grief.
THE FORTIETH ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“OF TEBRÎZ.”
This Assembly exhibits Abû Zayd in lively altercation with his
handsome young wife before the Kadi of Tebrîz, he complaining of
her contumacy, she of his abuse of his conjugal rights. Purists and
Puritans will probably object to the tone of this composition. But
in order to judge it equitably, it should not be forgotten that Ḥarîri
is bent on exhausting all the stores, I will advisedly not say all the
treasures, of his native language, of which he is justly proud, and
the rich and sonorous vocabulary of invective, and even of obscenity,
could not be entirely ignored by him. Moreover the grossness, nay
coarseness of expression, with which a wonderful display of learning
is here interspersed, is not represented as inherent in the characters,
but as an assumed part with a view to a specific object. If these
two points are borne in mind, the unprejudiced reader cannot fail to
admire this Assembly as one of the most original, amusing, and
spirited pieces of the whole collection. The miserly Kadi, who by
the astounding eloquence of the couple is reluctantly coaxed and partly
frightened into an act of unwonted generosity, stands out, with his
heartrending lamentations over the loss of his gold coins, as a worthy
prototype of Shylock in Shakespear’s “Merchant of Venice.”
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: I intended
leaving Tebrîz at a time when it was unwholesome
[irksome] for high and low, and empty of patrons and
men of largess; and while I was making ready my
travelling-gear and foraging for some company on the
journey, I encountered there Abû Zayd, the Serûji,
wrapped up in a cloak and surrounded by females. I
asked him about his business, and whither he was bound
with his bevy. Said he, pointing to a woman amongst
them, fair of face, apparently in high dudgeon: “I had
married this one, that she might make me forgetful of
exile, and cleanse me from the squalor of celibacy; but
I met from her with the sweat of [the carrier of] the
water-bag, in that she now kept me out of my right,
and now plied me beyond my strength, wherefore I am
through her jaded with foot-soreness, and an ally to cark
and choking care, and here we are on our way to the
judge, that he may strike on the hand of the oppressor.
So, if he arrange matters between us, let there be
concord, but if not, a divorce, a divorce!” Then I
inclined to ascertain to whom the victory would accrue,
and what the upshot would be. So I put my present
affair behind my back (in the Arabic idiom “behind my
ear”), and accompanied the twain, though I should not
be of any use. Now, when he was in the presence of
the Kadi, who belonged to the number of those who
appreciate parsimony, and stint even tooth-pickings,
Abû Zayd crouched on his knees before him, and said
to him: “Behold, this my palfrey refuses the bridle,
and is much given to bolting, although I am more
obedient to her than her finger-tips, and fonder of her
than her own heart.” Then the Kadi said to her:
“Woe betide thee, knowest thou not that stubbornness
angers thy lord and master, and requires the lash?”
Said she: “But, lo, he is of those who use to prowl
behind the house, and to take the neighbour along with
the neighbour.” Then the Kadi said to him: “Out
upon thee, sowest thou in the salt-marshes, and lookest
out for chicks, where no chicks are to be got? May it
never go well with thee, nor be thou safe from terror.”
Said Abû Zayd: “Lo by Him, who sends down the
winds, she is more of a liar than Sajâḥi.” Said she:
“Nay! by Him, who has adorned the neck of the dove
with a ring, and given wings to the ostrich, he is a
worse liar than Abû Ṣamâmah, when he forged falsehoods
in Tamâmah.” Thereupon Abû Zayd hissed
with the hiss of the flaring fire, and blazed up with the
blaze of the enraged, saying: “Woe to thee, O thou
slattern, O thou strumpet, O thou bane for thy husband
and thy neighbour, art thou resolved in privacy to
torment me, and showest off in public by giving me the
lie? Yet thou knowest, that when I made thee a wife,
and gazed at thee, I found thee uglier than a monkey,
and drier than a strip of hide, and tougher than a palm-fibre,
and more offensive than carrion, and more troublesome
than the cholera, and dirtier than a menstrual cloth,
and more barefaced than the bark of a tree, and colder
than a winter night, and sillier than purslane (the plant
rijlah), and wider than the river Tigris. But I veiled
thy blemish, and disclosed not thy disgrace, though, if
Shîrîn had presented thee with her beauty, and Zobaydeh
with her wealth, and Bilkîs with her throne, and Bûrân
with her carpet, and Zebbâ with her kingcraft, and
Rab‘îah with her piety, and Khindaf with her nobility,
and Khansâ with her poetry [such as she indited] upon
[the death of her brother] Ṣakhr, I would scorn thee
for my saddle-seat or a filly fit for my stallion.” Then
the woman bristled up, and played the tigress, and bared
her fore-arm, and tucked up her skirt, saying to him:
“O thou, meaner than Mâdir, and more ill-omened than
Kâshir, and more cowardly than Ṣâfir, and flightier than
T̤âmir, hurlest thou at me thy own shame, and thrustest
thy knife into my honour, while thou knowest that thou
art more contemptible than Kulâmeh, and more vicious
than the mule of Abû Dulâmeh, and more indecent than
a fart in company, and more out of place than a bug in
a perfume box, supposing thou wert al-Ḥasan in his
preaching and utterance, and ash-Sha‘bî in his learning
and memory, and al-Khalîl in his knowledge of prosody
and grammar, and Jerîr in his love-song and lampoon,
and Koss in his eloquence and address, and ‘Abd
al-Ḥamîd in his facundity and style of writing, and
Abû ‘Amr in his reading [of the Koran] and syntax, and
Ibn Korayb in his tradition-lore from the Arabs,
thinkest thou, that I should like thee as an Imâm for
my prayer-niche, and a sword for my scabbard? Not
I, by Allah, nor as door-keeper for my gate, or a stick
to carry my wallet with.” Said the Kadi to her: “I
see that ye twain are Shann and T̤abaqah (or ‘an old
bag and its doubling’), and Ḥida’ah and Bunduqah
(or ‘hawk and hunter’). So give over, man, the
altercation, and enter in thy conduct on the level road;
but as for thee, abstain from abusing him, and keep still
when he comes to the house by its door.” Then the
woman said: “By Allah, I shall not hold back from
him my tongue, until he clothes me, nor will I hoist
for him my sail, unless he gives me enough to eat.”
Thereupon Abû Zayd swore with the three binding
forms of oath, that he owned naught but his tattered
rags. Thereupon the Kadi looked upon their story
with the eye of the sharp-witted, and pondered with the
thoughtfulness of the sagacious; then he approached
the twain with a face that he made to look stern, and
a buckler that he flourished, saying: “Suffices it not to
you, to vilify each other in the judgment-hall, and to
make bold of this offence, that you needs must proceed
from the disgrace of mutual befoulment to the malice of
defrauding each other? But I swear by Allah, the
fundament of either of you has failed the ditch, and
your arrow has missed the pit of the throat. For the
Prince of the Faithful has appointed me to give judgment
between litigants, not to pay the owings of
debtors, and by the thanks due to his favour which has
established me in this place, and conferred on me the
power of binding and loosing, if ye explain not to me
the truth of your case, and the hidden meaning of your
deceit, I will surely proclaim the pair of you in the
cities, and make an example of you for the wary.”
Abû Zayd looked down before him, as the serpent looks
down, then he said to him: “Listen, listen!
“I am the man of Serûj, she my consort,—the full moon has none
but the sun for equal,—
Her company and mine are never severed, nor is her cloister
distant from my abbot,
As naught I water but my own plantation; five nights, however,
is it now since morning
And eve we wear the sorry garb of hunger, knowing no more
what chewing means, or sipping,
So that from sheer exhaustion of our life-breath we are like
corpses risen from the grave-yard.
So, when our patience failed, and ev’ry comfort, we came by dint
of want whose touch is painful,
To this resort, for good or evil venture, to gain, by hook or crook,
some little money.
For poverty, when it assails the free-born, leads him to don the
shameful cloak of falsehood.
This then is my condition, this my lesson, see my to-day and ask,
what was my yestern.
And bid them mend my case or send to jail me at will, for in thy
hand my weal and woe lies.”
Then the Kadi said to him: “Cheer up and set thy
heart at ease, for it is due to thee that thy fault should
be condoned, and thy donation made plentiful.” Thereupon
his spouse jumped to her feet and drew herself up
to her full length, and pointing [beckoning] to those
present, said:
“O folks of Tebrîz, ye are blest with a judge who ranks by far
ahead of all judges,
No fault in him save that his gift on a day of bounty is dealt out
with short measure.
We came to him so that we might cull the fruit from off his tree
that never fails yielding.
He sent away the Shaykh, rejoiced with his gift, and treated with
regard and distinction,
But turned me off more disappointed than one who watches for
the lightning in August,
As though he knew not that it is I who taught the Shaykh to
versify with such glibness,
And that I could if ever I were so willed make him the laughingstock
of all Tebrîz.”
Said the narrator: Now when the Kadi saw the
stoutness of their hearts and the glibness [readiness] of
their tongues, he perceived that he was visited through
them with an incurable disease and a crushing [an
overwhelming] calamity, and that if he gave to one of
the spouses and turned off the other empty-handed, he
would be like one who pays a debt with borrowed
money and prays the sunset-prayer with two genu-flexions.
So he frowned and knitted his brows, and
raged and fumed, and hemmed and hawed; then he
turned to the right and left, and twisted about in distress
and regret, and began to abuse the office of a judge and
its troubles, and counted up its bothers and vicissitudes,
reviling one who seeks it and applies for it. Then he
groaned as the despoiled one groans, and wailed until
his wailing wellnigh made him appear abject, saying:
“This indeed is an astounding thing! Am I in one
place to be hit with two arrows, am I in one case made
to deal with two debtors, am I able to please both
litigants? Where from, I ask, where from?” Then be
turned towards his Usher, the carrier out of his behests,
and said: “This is not a day of judgment and delivery
of sentences, and of decision and execution: this is a
day of sorrow, this is a day that involves one in debt,
this is a day of crisis, this is a day of loss, this is a day
on which one is deprived of one’s share, not given it.
So rid me of these two babblers and silence their
tongues with two gold coins. Then dismiss the
company, and close the gate proclaiming that this is
an ill-omened day and that the Kadi is in mourning on
it, so that no litigant may come into my presence.”
Accordingly the Usher said the Amen to the Kadi’s
prayer, weeping along with him in response to his
weeping, whereupon he paid out to Abû Zayd and his
spouse the two miṣqâls, and said: “I bear witness that
ye twain are the most crafty amongst men and Jinn,
but [henceforth] respect the court of judges, and eschew
therein ribaldry of speech. For not every Kadi is a
Kadi of Tebrîz and not at all times will people listen to
doggerel rhyme.” So they said to him: “There is not
thy like of Ushers, and thanks are due to thee”; wherewith
they got up and stalked away with their two gold-pieces,
roasting the heart of the Kadi on two fires.
THE FORTY-FIRST ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“OF TANÎS.”
On one of his travels Ḥârith has arrived in the old Egyptian town
Tanîs, from which the Tanitic mouth of the river Nile derives its
name, and he finds in its mosque an eloquent preacher surrounded
by a numerous congregation, who listen attentively to his sermon
full of lofty moral admonitions. The speaker exhorts his hearers
in a powerful address, as usual first in rhymed prose, and subsequently
in sonorous verse, with advancing age to abandon the
pleasures of youth and worldly pursuits, to atone for their past
transgressions by acts of piety and kindliness towards their fellow-creatures,
and to make provision from the wealth which they may
have acquired on earth, by spending part of it in liberality to the
poor. At the close of the discourse, which has moved many of
those present to tears, a half-naked youth comes forward, who
represents himself in his destitute condition as a fit object on whom
to carry into practice the good intentions stirred up in the hearts of
the assembly by the earnest words of the venerable Shaykh, and
the preacher, on his part, endorses the boy’s petition by some
additional remarks, calculated to rouse their compassion and sympathy
for him. Thus the supplicant reaps a plentiful harvest of
bounties bestowed on him, and exultingly walks away, well contented,
and praising the generous dispositions of the inhabitants of
Tanîs. The Shaykh also takes his departure, and Ḥârith, who
thinks he possesses a clue to what is hidden from the unsuspecting
rest of the company, follows him. When both have reached a
secluded spot, the former reveals himself as Abû Zayd, and as the
father of the boy who has so successfully made application of the
sermon delivered in his presence. It must be observed that Preston,
who has translated this Assembly in his volume of Makāmāt, stultifies
it, by letting the boy himself refer to his relationship to the preacher.
There is nothing of the kind in the text, and the introduction of
this gratuitous and unwarrantable interpolation entirely destroys
the artistic merit of the composition.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: I responded to
the calls of wantonness in the bloom of my youth,
wherefore I ceased not visiting dainty damsels and
listening to the tunes of song, until the warner had
arrived and the freshness of life had turned its back on
me. Then I craved for rectitude of watchful conduct,
and repented of what I had trespassed in the face of
Allah. So I began to drive out evil inclinations by
good deeds and to mend wicked ways before it was too
late, for I turned from the morning-call on the fair, to
meeting with the God-fearing and from mixing with
songstresses to drawing near to men of piety, swearing
that I would not associate but with him, who has
rooted out error, and whose dissolute manners should
have returned to the proper bend, and when I found
one loose of rein long of sleep, I removed my abode
far from his abode and fled from his scab and ignominy.
Now when foreign travel had cast me into Tanîs, and
made me alight at its homely [familiar] mosque, I saw
therein a man surrounded by a dense circle and thronged
spectators, who said with a stout heart and clear tongue:
“Poor is the son of Adam, ay, how poor! He relies
upon the world, on that which is unreliable, and asks
from it a stay by that which has no stability, and
through his love for it he is slaughtered thereby without
a knife. He is addicted to it through his folly, and
is rabid after it through his wretchedness, he hoards up
in it through his boastfulness and makes no provision
from it for his future state. I swear by Him who has
poured out both the waters [sweet and salt, Koran,
xxv. 55], and lit up the twain, sun and moon, and
exalted the might of the two [holy] stones, if the son
of Adam were wise, he would not revel in drinking-bouts,
and if he bethought himself of what went before,
he would weep blood, and if he were mindful of the
requital, he would strive to overtake that which escaped
his grasp, and if he looked at the issue he would better
the turpitude of his actions. O wonder of all wonders
at him who plunges into the abode of fire, while he
treasures gold and hoards up riches for his descendants.
Again, it is of marvels unheard-of that, though the
interspersion [sprinkling] of hoariness warn thee, and
thy sun proclaim its setting, yet thou seest not fit to
turn, and to cleanse thee from thy blamefulness.”
Then he broke forth inditing, as inditeth one who
leads aright:
“Woe to the man who warned by his hoariness still blindly rushes
along on youth’s folly bent,
And glances back on pleasure’s fire longingly when all his limbs
already from weakness shake,
Who rides the steed of wantonness, which he deems a softer
couch than chamberlains ever spread,
Not awed by hoary hair which no man of sense sees come without
its starry light startling him,
Nor to himself forbidding what right forbids, or heeding aught
that may impair fair repute.
Ay, such a man, away with him if he die, and if he live, he’s
reck’ed as though not alive,
No good in him: alive he breathes fulsomeness, as though a
corpse, ten days exhumed after death.
But hail to him whose honour sheds fragrance sweet, bright in
its spotless beauty like broidered gown.
So say to him whom stings the thorn of his sin, pluck out the
thorn, poor brother, else thou art lost.
Wipe with sincere repentance out any writ that black misdeeds
have left on thy book of deeds,
And deal with men of ev’ry kind pleasantly, winning with courtly
ways alike fool and sage;
Feather the free whose plumage fair time has stripped, may he
not live who, while he can, feathers not.
Help one oppressed by tyranny: if too weak to help thyself, then
summon up hosts for him,
And raise him who when he has tripped, calls on thee, haply
through him thou risest on gathering-day.
This cup of counsel, drink of it, and bestow on one athirst that
which remains in the cup.”
Now when he had concluded his tear-provoking sentences
and finished the recital of his verses, there rose a
lad to his feet, in the freshness of his youth, bare of
body, and said: “O ye men of discretion, who listen to
injunctions, you have apprehended what has been
indited, and understood what has been directed: so,
whoever of you intends to accept [the proffered advice],
and to mend his future, let him by his beneficence
towards me manifest his intention, not withholding
from me his largess. For by Him who knows all things
secret, and condones obduracy in transgression, my
hidden state is like what ye behold of me, and my face
is well worthy of being spared shame: so aid me that
ye may have aid conferred on you.” Then the Shaykh
held forth what might dispose their hearts kindly
towards him, and make easy for him the attainment of
his wish, until his well came upon a spring and his
desert-soil was covered with green-food. So when his
pouch was right full, he hied away with a swagger, and
singing the praises of Tanîs. But the Shaykh pleased
no further stay, after the youth had retreated. He bade
them raise their hands in prayer, and turned to his
homeward way. Said the narrator: Now I was on the
alert to test him, and solve his mystery. So I followed
him while he strode apace on his road, and vouchsafed
not to break his silence. But when he felt secure of
any sudden intruder and confidential talk became
possible, he turned his neck to me, and greeted me with
the greeting of joyful recognition, and said: “Wast
thou pleased with the sharpness of that fawn?” Said
I: “Ay, by the Faithful, the Guardian.” He said:
“Lo, he is the youngster of the Serûji, by Him
who brings the pearl from out the deep.” Then I
said: “I [dare] testify that thou art the tree on which
his fruit has grown, and the fire from which his spark
has sprung.” So he confessed to the truth of my
surmise, and was gratified that I disclosed my identity.
Then he said: “Hast thou a mind to hasten with me to
the house, so that we may pledge each other with the
cup of the ruddy wine?” But I said to him: “Woe to
thee! Will ye enjoin what is right upon others, and
forget your own souls?” (Koran, ii. 41). He displayed
his teeth, smiling at me, and passed on without demur.
Then it occurred to him to turn back to me, and he
said:
“Drive cark and care away with wine unalloyed, and cheer thy
heart, not pining with fretful grief,
And say to him who blames thee for warding off the pang of
pain: ‘Enough of thee, get thee gone!’”
Then he said: “As for me, I am going where I may
quaff my morning and evening draught, and if thou
wilt not come with me and accord with the mirthful,
thou art no companion for me, and thy road is not my
road. So step out of my way and turn aside from it,
and pry and spy not after me.” Forthwith he turned
his back on me and went, without casting a glance
behind him. Said Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Then
I burnt with grief at his departure and fain would not
have met him.
THE FORTY-SECOND ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“OF NAJRÂN.”
The scene of this Assembly, as the title indicates, is Najrân, a
celebrated town of Yemen, in Mohammed’s time chiefly inhabited
by Christians, whose bishop Ḳoss became proverbial for eloquence
and is said to have originated the famous phrase ammâ ba‘d (and
now to proceed), the formula of transition from the introductory
prayer or preliminary remarks to the principal subject of a discourse.
Al Ḥârith, while making a prolonged stay in this city, meets with
an assembly of people engaged in proposing riddles. An old man,
who joins them, taunts them with the futility of their pursuit, but
when he perceives that his remarks have provoked their violent
anger, he appeases and at the same time dumfounds them, by ten
riddles of his own composition. These riddles hold the middle
between those of the thirty-sixth Assembly, which are of the nature
of our conundrum, and the enigmatical descriptions of the eighth,
the early part of the twenty-ninth and the thirty-fifth, and are like
these largely interspersed with plays on words which frequently
render a readable translation exceedingly difficult. Mr. Chenery
in his summary of the last twenty-four Assemblies adduces the
following instance (vol. i., p. 81), which we reprint in order to give
the reader an opportunity of comparing his translation of the
passage with the metrical rendering attempted in these pages:
“What is he, who weds two sisters, both openly and secretly,
but none accuses him for it?
When he visits the one, he visits also the other; and though
husbands may be partial, he is not so.
He increases his visits as his wives grow grey: now this is an
affection rare among husbands.”
The answer to this is the pencil used to place the koḥl, or ointment
on the eyes: the two eyelids are the wives, each of which it anoints
at the same time without partiality, and as they grow old, the
necessity for anointing them increases.”
Our translation of the riddle runs:
What groom is it who weds, both in secret and openly, two
sisters, and no offence at his wedlock is ever found?
When waiting on one, he waits as well on the other eke: if husbands
be partial, no such bias is seen in him;
His attentions increase, as the sweethearts are growing grey, and
so does his largess: what a rare thing in married men!
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: The castings of
travel and the by-paths of inclination used to throw me
about, until I became a son of every soil and a brother
of every foreign land, save that I crossed no valley, nor
witnessed any Assembly, unless I fetched light from
the torch of learning that consoles for griefs, and raises
the worth of man, so that the habit was known of me,
and became the tale of tongues with regard to me,
cleaving closer to me than love to the Benû ‘Uẕrah, and
bravery to the race of Abû Sufrah. Now when I had
made for a while a stay at Najrân and selected there my
friends and neighbours, I took its assemblies for my
visiting-place, and for the resort of my sportive recreation
and my night-talk, being assiduous in my attendance
at them morn and eve, and seeing therein both what
rejoices the heart and distresses it. Once while I was
in a thronged assembly and a concourse densely
crowded, there crouched before us an aged man,
burdened with senility, who greeted after the fashion of
a beguiler’s greeting, with a glib tongue, whereupon he
said: “O ye full moons of gatherings, and seas of
bounties, forsooth the morning-light is evident to him
who has two eyne, and beholding holds the stead of two
witnesses. So what see you fit to do in what you see
[of my state]: will you vouchsafe help, or recede when
ye are called upon?” Said they: “By Allah, thou
hast provoked wrath, and while thy wish has been to
[open a spring] make spring the water, thou hast caused
it to sink away.” Then he conjured them by Allah to
tell him from what he had interrupted them, so that he
made it incumbent upon them to answer. So they
said: “We were vying in proposing riddles, as people
vie in shooting arrows on a day of battle.” Then he
refrained not from vilifying their missile, and treating
this feat as a futile thing. Forthwith the tongue-gifted
of the people railed at him and tilted at him with the
lances of reproach, and he began to excuse himself for
his slip, and to repent of his speech while they persisted
in upbraiding him, and responded to the war-cry
of his contention, until he said to them: “O my good
people, forbearance is part of generosity of disposition:
abstain then from taunt and foul abuse, rather come on
that we may riddle together, and let him be judge who
excels.” Thereupon the fire of their rage subsided, and
their anger was allayed. They agreed to what he
stipulated against them and for them, and desired him
to be the first of them. Then he kept back as long as a
boot-lace may be tied, or a saddle-girth fastened, when
he said: “Listen, may ye be preserved of levity, and
given your fill of life’s enjoyment,” and he indited
riddling upon a ventilating-fan of canvas (punkah):
“A maiden I know, brisk, full of speed in her ministry, returning
the same track that she went by when starting off:
A driver she has, kinsman of hers, who is urging her, but while
he thus is speeding her on, is her helpmate too.
In summer she is seen dew-besprinkled and moist and fresh,
when summer is gone, her body shows flabby and loose and dry.”
Then he said: “Here is another for you, O ye lords
of excellence, and centres of intellect,” and indited
riddling upon the rope of palm-fibre:
“A son there is of a mother fair, whose root has sprung from her
lofty plant:
He hugs her neck, though for some time, she had erewhile discarded
him:
He who reaps her beauty ascends by means of him and none
forbids and blames.”
Then he said: “Here is another for you, hidden of
signification and fraught with obscurity,” and indited,
riddling upon the reed-pen:
“One split in his head it is through whom ‘the writ’ is known,
as honoured recording angels take their pride in him;
When given to drink he craves for more, as though athirst, and
settles to rest when thirstiness takes hold of him;
And scatters tears about him when ye bid him run, but tears that
sparkle with the brightness of a smile.”
Then he said: “Take this one also, clear of indication,
and perspicuous of expression,” and indited
riddling upon the koḥl-pencil:
“What groom is it who weds, both in secret and openly, two
sisters, and no offence at his wedlock is ever found?
When waiting on one, he waits as well on the other eke: if
husbands are partial, no such bias is seen in him;
His attentions increase as the sweethearts are growing grey, and
so does his largess: what a rare thing in married men!”
Then he said: “Again this one, O ye men of understanding
and standards of learning,” and indited riddling
upon the water-wheel:
“One restless, although firmly fixed, bestowing gifts, not working
mischief,
Now plunging, now uprising again, a marvel how he sinks and
soars:
He pours down tears as one oppressed, yet is his fierceness to be
feared:
For then he brings destruction on, although his inmost heart is
pure.”
Said the narrator: Now, when he had launched
forth the five which he had strung together he said:
“O my good people, ponder these five and close your
five upon them, then as you please gather your skirts
[for departure], or accept an increase from the same
measure.” Then the desire for more made it a light
matter for the people to be taxed with dulness. So
they said to him: “Our comprehension falls short of
thy sharpness, so as to disable us to draw sparks from
thy fire-shaft, and to discern the lineaments of thy
blade: so if thou wilt make the ten full, it rests with
thee.” Then he rejoiced with the rejoicing of one
whose arrow has hit, and whose adversary has been
silenced, whereupon he opened his speech [with the
words] in the name of Allah, and indited riddling
upon the cooling-vessel:
“One veiled as if sorrowful, and gladsome withal to see, although
she alike of grief and of joy is unconscious.
Approached for her offspring sake at times, and how many times
a wife would be divorced were it not that she has a child.
At times she is discarded, though unchanged in all her ways:
discarding one unaltered in manners is cruelty.
When nights begin to shorten we relish her intercourse, as soon
as they grow longer we care not for her embrace.
Her outward attire is showy [pleasing], disdained is her undercloth,
but why should we disdain that which wisdom approveth of?
Then he showed his yellow dog-teeth, and indited
riddling upon the finger-nail:
“One of whose sharpness I fight shy, he grows without either
food, or drink:
Seen during Ḥajj, he disappears on offering-day, how strange to
tell!”
Then he looked askance as looketh the Ifrit, and
indited riddling upon the sulphur-match:
“And who is the slighted one, sought and rejected in turns,
though well thou knowest thou canst not spare her:
She has two heads of most perfect resemblance, though one of
them is opposite the other:
If both are painted, she is put to torture, but spurned without the
paint, and recked for nothing.”
Then he roared with the roar of the stallion, and
indited riddling upon the milk of the vine-tree:
“What is the thing, that when it corrupts, its error turns to
righteousness,
And when its qualities are choice it stirs up mischief where it
appears:
Its parent is of pure descent, but wicked that which he begets.”
Then he placed his travelling staff beneath his arm,
and indited riddling upon a goldsmith’s balance:
“One flighty and leaning with one half to one side, but no man
of sense will upbraid him for either:
He always is raised up on high as a just king is rightly exalted
for aye in his station.
Alike are to him both the pebble and nugget, though truth should
in no wise be balanced with falsehood.
And most to be wondered at in his description, if people regard
him with eyes of discernment,
Is that by his judgment the parties abide, though they know him
as flighty by nature, and partial.”
Said the narrator: Thereupon their thoughts were
wandering in the vales of fancies and straying as the
love-crazed strayeth, until time waxed long and looks
grew sad. So when he saw that they rubbed the fire-shafts
and no spark sprang forth, and that they consumed
the day in barren wishes, he said: “O my good
people, until when will ye consider and how long will
ye delay? Has the time not come for that the hidden
should be disclosed, or the ignorant should surrender?”
So they said: “By Allah thou hast tied it hard, and
set up the net and caught the game: rule then, as thou
wilt, and get the booty and renown.” Then he fixed
for every riddle a fee and claimed it from them in ready
cash. Forthwith he opened the locks, and set a mark
on every [head] piece of his cattle, and wished to
decamp. But the headman of the people laid hold on
him and said to him: “No dissembling after this day,
and tell thy pedigree before thou goest, and reck this as
the dowry of divorce.” Then he looked down sulkily,
so that we said “He is of doubtful birth,” whereupon
he indited while his tears were flowing:
“Serûj the place where my sun rose, the home of my joy and
comfort,
But now bereft of her pleasures, of all my soul took delight in,
I had to change her for exile, embittering past and present:
No biding-place have on earth I, no rest there is for my camel.
My morn, my eve pass on one day in Nejd, in Syria another,
I drag my life out with food that dejects the heart, vile and abject,
No copper-coin own I ever;—a coin! from whom should I get it?
Who lives a life such as I live, has bought it at losing bargain.”
Then he put the select of the money into his belt,
and went to wander on the face of the earth. We conjured
him to return, and made him great our promises,
but by [the life of] thy father, he never came back and
our desire for him booted not.
THE FORTY-THIRD ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“AL-BAKRÎYAH.”
In this Assembly Abû Zayd displays his eloquence and mastery
of the Arabic tongue in various ways. Ḥaḍramowt in Yemen being
celebrated both for its camel-breed and its cordwainery, the use of
terms which might equally well apply to a young camel or a sandal,
gives rise to an adventure, of which Abû Zayd renders a spirited
account. Al Ḥârith, as usually amused and charmed by his friend’s
descriptive powers, asks him whether he had ever met his equal in
the gift of speech. Abû Zayd readily answers in the affirmative,
and relates how once he was about to marry, but in the last moment
grave doubts occurred to him as to the advisability of the step.
After a sleepless night, passed in pondering anxiously the reasons
for and against, he resolves early in the morning to go out and consult
the first whom he would encounter. This happens to be a
youth, a most unlikely person to speak authoritatively on the subject;
he, however, keeping to his resolution, states his case, and
when the lad inquires from him whether he had a maiden or a
matron in view, he says that he has not made up his mind on the
point, but was willing to abide by the decision of his interlocutor.
The latter at once pictures with a celebrated modern debater’s skill
first the white and then the black of either class of ladies, and when
Abû Zayd, bewildered by his contradictory ruling, suggests that
under the circumstances it might be safer to become a monk, he
again confuses him, by severely condemning celibacy and extolling the
advantages of matrimony, and finally leaves Abû Zayd more in doubt
than ever, but determined not to consult striplings again on a question
of home-rule. Ḥârith, however, shrewdly guesses that the stripling is
fictitious, and the whole debate improvised by the Shaykh, as a
fresh feat of his consummate art, which leads him to speak with
effusion in praise of learning and literary accomplishments. Abû
Zayd demurs that nowadays learning is only appreciated when backed
up by wealth and high birth, and soon finds occasion to prove his
assertion in a lively dialogue with a youthful inhabitant of a village
on their road. While thus the enthusiastic Ḥârith is forced to
acknowledge that erudition fetches less than nothing in the market
of a deteriorated world, the unscrupulous Abû Zayd sees in the fact
a sufficient excuse for himself to swindle, for a parting shot, his
friend out of a more saleable commodity.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: Peregrination
that casts a man about, and troublesome travel had
wafted me to a tract where the experienced guide would
lose his way, and the venturesome be seized with terror,
and I met with that which the bewildered and lonely
meet with, and saw sights that I had loathed, though I
made stout my frightened heart and urged on my jaded
beast, journeying forth as one who throws both divining
arrows and resigns himself to destruction, and I ceased
not trotting and cantering and traversing mile after
mile until the sun was nigh setting and light veiling
itself, when I conceived fear because of the downfall of
darkness and the onslaught of the host of Ḥam [the
father of blackamoors], and knew not whether to gather
my skirts and tether, or to face the night and grope
my way. Now while I was revolving in my mind
for what I should decide myself, there appeared to
me the form of a camel in the shelter of a mountain,
and I hoped it to be the riding-beast of one taking rest,
and made for it cautiously. Then my surmise proved
soothsay, and the riding-beast a swift dromedary, whose
resting master was wrapped up in his striped cloak and
drowned in sleep. So I sat beside his head until he
awoke from his drowse; then when his lamps were lit
(i.e., his eyes opened), and he saw who had suddenly
come upon him, he started back, as starts the suspicious,
and said: “[Is it] thy brother or the wolf?” Said I:
“Nay, one groping in the night, who has lost his way:
so give me light, that I also may strike it for thee.”
He replied: “Let thy anxiety be at rest, for thou hast
many a brother whom thy mother bore not.” Then my
fear departed, and sleepfulness came to my eyne. But
he said: “In the morning people praise night-faring;
seest thou then fit what I see fit?” Said I: “Behold,
I am more obedient to thee than thy shoon, and agree
better with thee than thy food.” Then he commended
my friendly disposition, and hailed my companionship
applaudingly, whereupon we saddled our beasts in haste
and set out on our night-travel, and we ceased not to
speed our faring and to battle against sleep until the
night had reached her end and morning raised his
standard, and when the dawn broke and naught remained
that was not clearly visible, I scanned the features
of my mate in the journey, and the partner in my night-talk,
when, lo, it was Abû Zayd, the object of the
seeker’s desire and the road-sign of the rightly guided.
Then we bestowed on each other the greeting of two
lovers who have met after separation, whereupon we
communed our secrets and intimated our mutual tidings,
my camel groaning with fatigue, while his mount flitted
along with the flitting [fleetness] of the young ostrich.
I wondered at the strength of her build and the extent
of her [power of] endurance. So I began to descry
her mettle, and asked him whence he had chosen her.
Said he: “Ay, this camel has a story sweet to listen
to, and pleasant to relate. So if thou likest to hear
thereof, make a halt, and if thou art not so minded,
then hearken not.” Thereupon I made my jaded beast
kneel down for him to speak, and made my ear a
target for what he had to narrate. Said he: “Know
that I had her exhibited to me for sale at Ḥaḍramowt,
and I endured death-pangs to acquire her, and I ceased
not faring on her over the lands, and treading with her
hoofs the sharp stones [or flints], until I found her
doughty for travels, and a provision for the time of stay
(on account of her abundance of milk), whom no fatigue
overcame, with whom no stout camel kept pace, and
who knew not what pitch is. Accordingly I made her
my mainstay for good and evil, and held her in the
place of one who benefits and gives joy. Now it happened
that she had strayed some little while since, and
I had no other mount. So I was overwhelmed with
grief and well-nigh undone, forgetting every calamity
that had gone before, and remaining three days without
being able to travel on, and without tasting sleep but
a little at a time. Then I began to follow up the roads
and to explore the pastures and the halting-stages, but
I got no wind of her, nor the quiet of despair, and
whenever I reminded me of her fleetness and her readiness
to vie with the birds, the remembrance sickened
me and the thought thereof crazed me. One day, while
I was in the tent-village of some clan, I heard a distant
person, and an isolated voice [crying out]: ‘Who has
lost a mount hailing from Ḥaḍramowt, one easy of step,
her hide is marked, and her blemish has been cut short,
and her bridle is plaited, and her back is though it had
been broken and reset. She adorns her who travels
thereon and furthers the journey at the oncoming of
night, and keeps always close to thee, weariness comes
not near her, and footsoreness befalls her not, she needs
no stick, and resists not him who treats her roughly.’”
Said Abû Zayd: “Then the voice drew me towards
the caller, and gave me glad tidings of the recovery of
my lost one, and when I came up to him and had made
salutation to him, I said to him: ‘Give over the mount,
and take thy guerdon.’ Said he: ‘And what is thy
mount, may thy error be forgiven thee?’ I said: ‘A
camel whose body is like a hillock, and her hump like
a dome, and her milk the fill of the pail, and I would
have been given twenty [dînârs] for her, when I alighted
at Yabrîn, and asked more from the bidder, and knew
that he was mistaken [in not buying her].’ Then he
turned from me when he heard my description, and
said: ‘Thou art not the owner of my trove.’ Thereupon
I took hold of his collar, and persisted in giving
him the lie, and strove to tear his garments, while he
said: ‘O such a one, my mount is not that which thou
seekest for, so withhold from thy rashness, and give
over thy abuse, or else sue me before the judge of this
tribe, who is not liable to error, and if he adjudges her
to thee, take her, but if he denies her to thee, jabber no
more.’ Then I saw no cure [or remedy] for my affair,
and no way out of my anxiety, but to repair to the
judge, even though he should cuff me. So we hastened
[or sped] to a Shaykh, stoutly erect, with handsome
headgear, concerning whom one could perceive that the
birds might perch quietly on him, and that he was not
unjust. Thereupon I broke forth complaining of ill-use,
and lamenting, while my companion was silent, not
moving his lips, until, when I had emptied my quiver, and
finished my say, he brought out a sandal, heavy of weight,
ready for the road on rough ground, and said: ‘This
is she whom I designated, and her I described, and if it
is she from whom he expected twenty, there he is with
his eyes open; consequently he has lied in his claim,
and it is an abomination what he has falsely put forth,
by Allah, else let him stretch out his nape, and show
plainly the truth of what he has said.’ Then the judge
said: ‘Oh Allah, [I crave] thy forgiveness,’ and he
began to turn the sandal this side and that side, whereupon
he said: As for this sandal, it is my sandal, and
as for thy mount, it is in my dwelling, so get thee up to
take thy camel, and do good according to thy power.’
Then I rose, and said:
“I swear it by the ancient house, the worshipful, and those who
circumambulate the holy fane,
Thou art a good man to appeal for justice to, the best of Kadis
judging amongst Arab tribes,
So live as long as camels speed the pilgrims on.”
Then he replied without deliberation and on the spur of
the moment, saying:
“Allah reward thee for thy thanks, dear nephew mine, though I
exact no thanks as ever due to me,
For worst of men is he who wrongs, when made a judge, and who,
when made trustee of aught, betrays his trust,
These twain I reckon with the dog alike in worth.”
Thereupon he ordered one into my presence, to hand
over to me my camel, without snubbing me for his
favour, and I went away successful in my suit, and
trailing the skirt of joy, calling out: “How marvellous!”—Said
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Then I said
to him: “By Allah! thou hast told a wonderful tale,
and been lavish in thy praise on a subject thou knowest
well. [Tell me] I conjure thee by Allah, hast thou
ever found one more gifted with the sorcery of eloquence
than thyself, and a finer craftsman in fashioning the
jewellery of speech?” He replied: “By Allah, yea,
listen therefore and enjoy [what thou wilt hear]. I
had intended, at a time when I made for Tihâmeh, on
taking a wife to myself, so that she might be a helpmate
to me. Now when the resident proxy [for the
conduct of the marriage negotiation] had been instructed,
and the affair was all but concluded, I bethought
myself with the thoughtfulness of one who guards
against a mistake, and considers carefully where the
arrow may fall, passing my night in communing with
my tortured heart, and revolving my wavering resolve,
until I decided that I would go out early in the morning
and consult the first whom I saw. So when darkness
had drawn in her tent-ropes, and the stars had
turned their tails, I sallied forth in the morning like
one who seeks a stray beast, and was early with the
earliness of the diviner from the flight of birds. Then
I encountered a youth, whose face pleaded in his favour,
wherefore I augured well from his cheering aspect and
wished to take light from his views on matrimony.
Said he: ‘Wishest thou her to be a matron, or a
maid that gives trouble?’ I replied: ‘Choose thou
for me what thou seest fit, I have put the matter in
thy hands (lit. thrown the loops or handles to thee).”
Then he said: ‘To me then belongs the explanation,
and on thee devolves the application, so listen, may I
be thy ransom after the burial of thy enemies: as for
the virgin, she is a treasured pearl, and a hidden egg,
an early fruit ripe for gathering, and a must that agrees
well with thee, a fresh meadow, and a necklace costly
and precious, none has soiled her with his touch, and
no intimate has come near her, no wanton has plied
her, and no deflowerer has despoiled her. She has a
face suffused with shame, and a bashful eye, her tongue
is faltering, and her heart is pure; withal she is a
playful puppet, and a sportive doll, a frolicsome gazelle,
and accomplished gracefulness, a jewelled belt bright
and new, and a sharer of thy couch that rejuvenates,
not renders hoary. But for the matron: she is the
trained steed, the ready morsel, the desire made easy,
one who has gained knowledge by repeated practice;
the fond companion and confidential friend, the skilful
and well advised, the intelligent and experienced;
moreover, she is the hasty meal of the rider, a slipknot
for the suing proxy [or suitor], an easy mount for
the enfeebled, a booty swiftly snatched by the combatant;
her disposition is gentle, her bonds are light to
bear, her inward state is clearly manifest, and her service
adorns; and I swear by Allah, that I have been truthful
in both descriptions, and have displayed the two
kinds, by which of the twain is thy heart enraptured,
and which rouses thy lust (on which of them stands thy
carnal desire)?’” Said Abû Zayd: “Then I saw that
he was a stone against which the adversary must be on
his guard, and by which the cupping - places of the
veins are made to bleed, save that I said: ‘I had heard
that the virgin is stronger in her love, and less given
to wiles.’ Said he: ‘Upon my life, this has been said
indeed, but how many a say has done harm. Woe
betide thee, she is a filly refusing the bridle, and the
mount tardy to be tamed, the fire-shaft difficult to strike
from, and the fortress hard to conquer; moreover, the
provision she requires is plentiful, and the help she
affords is scanty, her enjoyment is savourless, and her
coquettishness provoking, her hand is clumsy, her
temper a snake that will not be charmed, and her disposition
froward, her night is a long and dark night
forsooth [her night is a night indeed]; to break her
in is a heavy task, and to know her needs the lifting of
a screen, and oftentimes she puts the combatant to
shame, and is averse to the sportive, and angers one
inclined to toy, and humbles the experienced stallion;
moreover, it is she who says: “I dress and sit in
company, so I seek one who holds and spends.”’ Said
I to him: ‘What then thinkest thou of the matron,
O father of all that is sweet?’ He replied: ‘Woe betide
thee! listest thou for the remnant of the dishes, and the
residue of the watering-ponds? for draggled garments
and worn-out vessels? For one dainty, who browses
on every pasture? One lavish of expenditure, a spendthrift,
an impudent shrew? One grasping and never
satisfied? Moreover, all her talk is: “I was and have
become, erewhile when I was wronged I had given me
help, but what a difference between to-day and yesterday,
and where is the moon beside the sun?” [Listest
thou for her] though she be always bewailing [her
former husband], and blest [with adult sons], and
withal a bold-faced wanton; she is a collar [round
a man’s neck] that breeds vermin and an ulcer that
never cicatrizes.’ Then I said to him: ‘Art thou of
opinion that I should become a monk, and enter on that
path of conduct?’ Thereupon he chid me with the
chiding of one who rails at the slip of his pupil, saying:
‘Woe to thee, wilt thou follow in the track of the
monks, when the truth has been manifest? Fy on
thee and the weakness of thy understanding, out upon
thee and them! Showest thou thyself up as though
thou hadst not heard that there is no monkery in Islâm,
and hadst not been told of the wedlocks of thy Prophet,
may purest peace be upon him? Or knowest thou not
that a good helpmate puts thy house in order, and
obeys thy voice, sobers thy sight, and brings thy fame
into good odour? Through her thou beholdest the
coolness of thy eye, and the flower sweet to thy nostrils,
and the joy of thy heart, and the lastingness of thy
memory, and the solace of thy day and morrow (all
this meaning offspring). How then art thou averse
to the ordinance of the sent ones, and the enjoyment of
the wedded, and the path of the guarded, and that
which draws forth wealth and sons? By Allah, ill
pleases in thee, what I have heard from thy mouth.’
Then he turned from me as one enraged, and bounded
aside with the bound of the locust. Said I to him:
‘Allah curse thee! Wilt thou strut jauntily away and
leave me bewildered?’ Said he: ‘I suspect thou
pretendest goodness, and indulgest thyself a bit, so
that thou mayest dispense with a damsel exacting a big
dowry.’ Said I to him: ‘Allah confound thy suspicion,
and allow not thy generation to grow old.’
Whereupon I went away from him shamefacedly, and
repented of consulting striplings.” Al Ḥârith, son of
Hammâm, continued: Then I said to him: “I swear
by Him who has planted the forests that this controversy
was carried on by thee and with thee (i.e., between
thee and thy own self).” So he burst out laughing
exceedingly, and rejoiced with the glee of the thoroughgoing,
whereupon he said: “Lick up the honey and
ask no questions.” Then I began to expatiate in the
praise of learning, and to exalt its owner above the
possessor of riches. But he glanced at me with the
glance of one who taxes with ignorance, and winked at
me indulgently, and when I waxed excessive in my
partiality for the learned fraternity, he said to me:
“Hush, hear from me and inwardly digest:
“They say that a man’s chief adornment and pride, and his beauty
is learning deep-rooted, sound,
Alas, it adorns but the wealthy and him, whose summit of lordship
is rising aloft:
But as for the poor man I reckon for him far better than learning
a loaf and a stew.
What beauty bestows it on him, if they say: a scholar, a school-drudge,
or may be a clerk.”
Thereupon he said: “Presently there will become
evident to thee the truth of my assertion, and the
illustration of my argument.” So we travelled on
with unfailing strength and without flagging in our
exertion, until the journey brought us to a village,
may the good keep aloof from it, and forthwith we
entered it to forage for provender, for we were both of
us short of provisions. Now we had not reached the
halting-place, and the spot assigned for the kneeling
down of the camels, before a lad met us, who had not
known yet [or grown up to the state of] sin, with a bundle
of grass on his shoulder. Abû Zayd greeted him with
the salutation of the Moslem, and asked him to stand
still, and give information. Said he: “And of what
wishest thou to ask, may Allah prosper thee.” He
said: “Are here fresh dates sold for discourses?” He
replied: “No, by Allah.” Said he: “Nor green dates
for witticisms?” He replied: “Certainly not, by
Allah.” Said he: “Nor fruit for night-talk?” He
replied: “Far from it, by Allah.” Said he: “Nor
honey-fritters for poems?” He replied: “Be silent,
may Allah preserve thee!” Said he: “Nor bread in
broth for choice verses?” He replied: “Whither stray
thy wits, may Allah guide thee aright.” Said he:
“Nor sifted flour for subtle sayings?” He replied:
“Give over with this, may Allah restore thy senses.”
But Abû Zayd took pleasure in reiterating question
and reply, and measuring out from this self-same sack,
and the youth perceived that the goal of his talk was
distant, and that the Shaykh was a devilkin. So he
said: “Let this suffice thee, O Shaykh, I know now
what is thy drift, and see clearly thy quiddity. Take
then thy answer in a lump, and be satisfied with it for
thy ken: In this place poetry fetches not a barley-corn,
nor prose a bread-crumb, nor a narrative nail-parings,
nor a treatise slop-water, nor the wise maxims of
Lokmân a mouthful of food, nor the history of battles
a morsel of meat, for, as for the people of this age, there
is none amongst them who bestows a gift when an
encomium has been fashioned for him, none who gives
a reward when a poem has been recited to him, none
who shows himself bountiful when a tale has diverted
him, none who provides support, though he be a prince,
and with them the learned is like a waste spring-dwelling:
if no rain falls in abundance thereon, it has
no value, and no beast approaches it; and in like manner
learning, if no wealth abets it, its study is a weary toil,
and its profit a fagot.” Thereupon he departed in
haste, and went off and ran away. Said Abû Zayd to
me: “Art thou aware now, that learning is slack, and
its whilom aiders have turned their backs on it?” Then
I admitted the sharpness of his sagacity, and resigned
myself to the decree of necessity. Said he: “Let us
by this time leave off discussion, and dive into the
chapter of platters: know that adorned speeches satisfy
not him who is a-hunger, and what is thy advice with
regard to what keeps back the last gasp and quenches
the fire of the entrails?” I replied: “The command
stands with thee, and the reins are in thy hand.”
Said he: “I opine that thou shouldst pawn thy sword
to satisfy thy gut and thy guest: so give it to me and
tarry here, that I may return to thee with something to
swallow.” Now I took his proposal in good faith, and
invested him with the sword and the pledge, and he
lagged not to mount his camel, and to violate truth and
trustiness. I stayed a long time waiting for him, then
I got me up to follow him, but I was like one whose
milk has run short in summer, and met neither him nor
my sword.
THE FORTY-FOURTH ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“THE WINTRY.”
This Assembly contains a series of puzzling statements, made by
Abû Zayd in a circle of guests, who on a cold winter night warm
themselves at the fire and enjoy the profuse hospitality of a generous
entertainer. The intelligibleness of these statements, like that of
the legal questions of the thirty-second Assembly, depends on the
double meaning of the terms in which they are worded. Apparently,
therefore, they refuse translation into any other language, which
cannot supply similar ambiguities, but it must not be forgotten that
the more recondite meanings of the several idioms require explanation
even to the average Arab, who is not initiated in all the subtleties
of his mother-tongue, and notably in this particular instance the
English reader, who consults the short notes, attached to each puzzle,
has even the advantage over Abû Zayd’s audience. For the wily
Shaykh amuses himself by secretly departing in the middle of the
night, without vouchsafing to his fellow-guests the interpretation
promised for the morning, and probably thinking that his noble and
presumably highly cultured host does not need it. He who has
made himself acquainted with the hidden meanings, and then once
more peruses the double-entendres in their entirety, can scarcely fail
to be vastly delighted by the string of seeming absurdities and contradictions,
which, moreover, in the Arab original forms a poetical
composition with the same rhyme running through the whole.
While adhering as much as possible to the metre, the translator had,
as in all other poetical passages of the work, to renounce this
adornment, and be contented with occasional alliterations and
assonances.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: I came in a
night of deepest darkness, black of locks, upon a fire
kindled on a mountain-top, and giving tidings of
liberality, and it was a night whose sky was cold, her
bosom closely buttoned, veiled her stars and her misty
gloom heaped up. I was colder in it than the eye of
the chameleon, and a mangy goat, so I urged on my
sturdy camel, saying “Hail to thee and my own soul!”
until the kindler [of the fire] spied my person and
became aware of my speedy faring, when he came down
in hot haste, and indited in the rejez metre:
“Long life to thee, groping along thy nightly way, whom sheen
of fire has shown, nay, brought him as a gift,
To one of ample bounty and of vast abode, who welcomes, as the
miser welcomes golden coin,
Nightfarers seeking hospitable fare and who evades not visitors
with ‘not at home,’
No tardy one to entertain in friendly guise a guest, when all the
ground is bound with wintry cold,
And storm-portending stars are stingy with their rain. Well is
he wont to ward against the ills of time:
He gathers ashes, sharpens knives, and never fails, be it in daytime
or at night, at morn or eve,
To slaughter well-fed camels, and to kindle fire.”
Then he accosted me with the countenance of the
bashful and clasped my hands with the clasp of the
generous, and led me into a house whose camels roared,
whose cauldrons boiled, whose slave-girls carried provisions,
whose trays went round, and along the sides
thereof were guests dragged hither by him who had
dragged me, and moulded in my mould, who were
culling (enjoying) the fruit of winter and rejoicing
with the glee of those endowed with youthful vigour.
So I joined the place where they warmed themselves,
and found with them the pleasure which the inebriated
finds in wine; and when embarrassment had passed
away and the cold was gone, trays were brought to
us like lunar halos in roundness, and like gardens
adorned with flowers which were laden with the victuals
of festive banquets, and well fenced against [the faultfinding
or cavil of] the blamer and caviller [or faultfinder].
Then we spurned what is said about gluttony,
and saw sense in plunging into it, until, when we had
meted to ourselves with the measure of the greedy and
come nigh the risk of indigestion, we had handed to us
napkins to wipe off the odour of food, whereupon we
settled in the seats of night-talk and every one of us
began to wag his tongue and to display what he had in
his show-case, except an old man whose side-locks were
hoary, both whose upper garments were tattered, for he
crouched apart and kept far aloof from us. So his
reserve, the motive for which was incomprehensible,
and which would have excused anyone who censured
him, angered us, save that we softened our speech to
him and were afraid to encroach on him by questioning,
and each time we wished him to overflow as we overflowed,
and to launch out in what we launched out, he
turned aside as the lofty turns aside from the lowly and
quoted: “Verily this is nought but idle tales of the
ancients” (Koran, vi. 25, and passim). Presently it
was as though shame had smote him, and the forbidding
soul had whispered to him, for he crept up and came
nigh, putting away his fastidiousness and exerting himself
to make amends for what had gone before. Then
he begged a hearing from the night-talkers, and broke
forth like the coursing torrent, saying:
“Marvels I know, seen by me, and told without any lie, for not
in vain am I called the father of wonderment:
Folks have I seen, O my folk, that on a crone’s juice are fed;
not, notice well, mean I though the daughter of grapes by her.
(baulu ’l-‘ajûz, lit. urina anus, is a popular idiom for “cow’s
milk”; al-‘ajûz, old woman, means also “choice old wine.”)
And Arabs, at famine’s time, who relished as dainty food, a
roasted rag, and allayed indeed therewith hunger’s pangs;
(khirqah, a tatter, a rag, and also a swarm of locusts.)
And powerful men I saw, who said when things went amiss, or
when they did carelessly their work: ‘It was fuel’s fault’;
(qâdir, who is able, strong, powerful, and also “who cooks food
in the kettle,” qidr, when it is called qadîr.)
And scribes whose hands never wrote a letter in all their lives,
and who read not any more aught of what is writ in books;
(kâtib, one who writes, a clerk, a scribe, and also “a cobler, a
mender of water-bags,” etc.)
And people who in their flight in eagle’s wake sped along, although
they were heavily arrayed in helmet and steel;
(uqâb, a black eagle, and also “a standard”: Mohammed’s
standard was called al-‘uqâb.)
And gathered folks, men of worth, to whom appeared suddenly a
noble dame and they turned away, to flee far from her;
(nabîlah, a lady of distinction, and also “carrion,” whence the
phrase tanabbala ’l-ba‘îr, the camel became putrid, i.e., died.)
And eke a troop, who for sure have never seen Mecca’s fane and
yet had made pilgrimage on camel’s back without doubt;
(ḥajjat jus̤îyan, they performed the pilgrimage sitting crosswise
[on their camels], and also “they got the better in argument
in that posture,” jus̤îy, being the plural of jâs̤î, one who sits
crosswise.)
And women-folks faring from Aleppo all through the night who
came to Kâz̤imah-town at morn without weariness.
(ṣabbaḥna kâz̤imat-an, they reached in the morning Kâz̤imah, a
town in the dependency of Basra, and also “they wished
good-morning to a woman silent with anger.”)
And people from Kâz̤imah who faring forth during night found
in Aleppo themselves about the time morning dawned.
(aṣbaḥû fî ḥalab, they arrived in the morning in Aleppo [far
distant from the former town], and also “they passed the
morning in milking.”)
A youth I saw who for sure had never touched lady fair, and
yet he had progeny to keep alive name and race.
(naslun min al ‘aqib, progeny of surviving children, and “also
an enemy at his heels.”)
Again one hoary not hiding ever his hoariness, who in the desert
appeared still young of years, far from grey.
(shâ’ibun ghaira mukhfin li ’l-mashîb, one hoary who conceals not
the hoariness, and also “one who mixes milk [with water]
and makes no secret of the milk thus mixed.”)
One suckled with mother-milk, not lisping yet with his lips, I saw
him in hot dispute amidst a brawl loud and fierce.
(fî shijârin baina ’s-sabab, in contention between arguments or
revilings, and also “in an [open] camel-litter between the
cords”; to the latter meaning of sabab Ḥarîri quotes Koran,
xxii. 15: “let him stretch a cord to heaven.”)
And one who sowed millet once, and when it came to be cut, it
turned, for sooth, jujube shrub, which merry men dearly love.
(al-ghubairâ’, an intoxicating liquor prepared from millet, also
called sakrakah, of which a tradition says: “beware of the
ghubairâ’, it is the wine of the world,” and also the Arabic
name of the plant Zizypha rubra Gilanensis.)
And one who was bound and rode upon a horse also bound, but
never ceased all the while to fare along amblingly.
(maghlûl, put in chains, fettered, bound, and ghulla, he was
bound, have also the meaning “thirsty,” and “he was
suffering from thirst.”)
And one I saw, free of hand, who led a fine saddle-beast, in haste,
although captive and a brother of misery.
(ma’sûr, one taken captive, made prisoner of war, and also “one
suffering from strangury.”)
One sitting, while walking, and with whom his beast fell aground,
though strange it seem what I tell, yet it admits naught of
doubt.
(jâlis, one who is seated, and also “one who makes for Najd”;
mâshî, a pedestrian, and also “owner of cattle,” in which
latter sense some commentators explain imshû, in Koran,
lxvii. 15, as a prayer in behalf of mankind for abundance of
cattle and prosperity.)
A weaver too, both his hands cut off, I saw, deaf and dumb, if
this you deem marvellous, well, wonders will never cease.
(ḥâ’ik, a weaver, and also “one who in walking moves his
shoulders, and keeps his feet far apart.”)
One straight of build met I once, whose stature rose like a lance,
on Mina mount, who complained to me of back-crookedness.
(al-ḥadab, being hump-backed, and also “rough rising ground”.)
One who exerted himself in giving all creatures joy, yet cheering
them thought a sin like lying or tyranny.
(ifrâḥ, rendering cheerful, and also “burdening with debts,” as
in the saying of Mohammed: “There is none left in Islâm
burdened with debt [mufraḥ] whose debt has not been
paid.”)
And one who loved people to commune with him secretly, but
never had any need for converse with humankind.
(ḥadîs̤u ’l-khalq, conversation with created beings, and also “the
telling of a lie,” as in Koran passim: “this is but a lying tale
of the ancients.”)
One scrupulous who redeemed always his word faithfully, lacked
none the less conscience according to Arab ways.
(ẕimâm‘ conscientiousness, and also pl. of ẕimmah, “a well with
scanty water,” when the words translated “according to Arab
ways” would have to be taken in the sense of “on the road
of the Arabs,” meaning in the desert.)
One full of strength, never was there yieldingness seen in him, his
softness was manifest withal, and quite unconcealed.
(lîn, softness, smoothness, yieldingness, and also “a palm-tree
or plantation,” whence Koran, lix. 5: “your cutting down
some of their palm-trees.”)
And one prostrating himself on camel’s back, unconcerned at what
he did, thinking it an act of prime piety.
(faḥl, a vigorous camel-stallion, and also “a mat made of the
leaves of a male palm-tree” [fuḥḥâl].)
One who excuses, and pains him whose excuse he accepts, though
coaxingly, while in screams is he who thus is excused.
(âẕir, one who accepts another man’s excuses, and also a “circumciser”;
ma‘ẕûr, one excused, and also “a boy being
circumcised.”)
A town I saw, waterless for him who would scoop a draught,
though water flows over it with torrent’s rush many times.
(baldah, a city, town, district, and also “the space between the
eyebrows,” which is also called buljah.)
A village too, less in size than any nest built by birds, in which
there lived Dailamites on plunder and robbery.
(qaryah, a village, and also an ant-hill; dailam, name of a
people in Gîlân and extended to non-Arabs in general, and
also “a swarm of ants”; khulsatu’s-salab, sudden robbery, and
also “bark of a tree.”)
A star I saw, when it shows, a man is no longer seen, as though a
veil covered him, a veil that naught penetrates.
(kaukab, a star, and also “a white speck in the eye producing
blindness”; insân, man, and also metaphorically “the pupil
of the eye.”)
A ball of dung, highly prized as part of one’s property, the owner
though recks it not by any means much of wealth.
(raus̤ah, the excrement of any hoofed animal, and also “the tip
of the nose.”)
A platter of purest gold, I saw it bought after much hard bargaining
for a grain, a solitary silver grain.
(nuẓâr, pure gold, and also “wood of the na‘b tree,” of which
trays, cups, bows, and similar objects are made.)
One gathering poppy-seed to ward from him off the foes assailing
him, and he was not disappointed therein.
(khashkhâs, the plant called abû ’n-naum, father of sleep, i.e.,
poppy, and also a troop of armed and armoured men.)
And oftentimes passed me by a dog in whose mouth there was a
bull, but know ye, it was a bull without any tail.
(s̤aur, a bullock, a bull, and also “a piece of soft cheese.”)
How many an elephant, I swear it, has seen my eye on camel’s
back, perched upon a saddle and saddle-bags.
(fîl, an elephant, and also “a man of weak intellect, a dolt”.)
How many a man I met complaining in desert-tracts, and no
complaint uttered he in earnest or pleasantry.
(mushtakî, one who complains, and also “one who uses the
small water-bag, called shakwah.)
A pitcher I saw again, a shepherd’s girl in the wold was owning
it, and it looked with twain of eyes bright as stars.
(karrâz, a pitcher with a narrow neck [the Qâmûs reads the
word in this meaning kurrâz], and also “a he-goat on whose
horns a herdsman carries his utensils.”)
How often times saw my eye two springs the water whereof,
though in Aleppo they were, was flowing from farthest West.
(al-gharb, the distant West, applied to Maghrib or West
Africa, and also “the lachrymal gland”; ‘ain, a fountain,
source, spring, and also “the eye.”)
And one who pierces with spears, although his hands never held
a lance, and he never leaped against a foe charging him.
(qanâ, pl. of qanât, a lance, a spear, and also “an aquiline
nose,” applied to which ṣada‘bi-hi means “he disclosed or
uncovered it.”)
How many times came I to a land without any palms, and on the
morrow I saw dates newly grown in their sheaths.
(busr, dates beginning to ripen, and also “rain-water lately
fallen”; qulub, pl. of qalb, pith of the palm-tree, and also of
qalîb, “a well.”)
How often a spacious tray in desert tracts have I seen, that in the
air was on wing and swooping down from on high.
(t̤abaq, a large tray, and also “a swarm of locusts.”)
How many old men I saw that lived in this world for aye, and
who, I ask you, escaped destruction at any time?
(mukhallid, one who lasts eternally, and also “one whose hoariness
is slow to come.”)
How many wild beasts I met complaining of hunger’s pangs with
fluent speech and a tongue more piercing than cutting swords.
(waḥsh, a dumb brute, a wild beast, and also “a famished
man.”)
How often one who had eased his bowels called me and talked to
me, and nor he nor I in manners were lacking aught.
(mustanjî, one who cleans himself after evacuation, and also one
who sits on an elevated place [najwah].)
How oft I made kneel my beast beneath a pomegranate-bud that
would have shaded no end of ‘Ajam [i.e., foreign] and Arab men.
(junbuẕah, the flower or bud of a pomegranate, a bud in
general, and also “a dome, a cupola”; ‘urub, here probably
by poetical license for ‘urb, Arabs, may also be taken as pl.
of ‘arûb, “a woman fond of her husband,” as in Koran, lvi. 36:
“loving their spouses, of equal age with them.”)
How oft I saw one rejoiced a little while, and his tears were seen
to fall freely as the drops of rain from a cloud.
(surra, he was filled with joy, and also “his navel-string was
cut,” the remaining part being called surrah, navel.)
How often times have I seen a shirt that hurt badly him who
owned it maiming his limbs, unnerving him thoroughly.
(qamîṣ, a shirt or vest, and also “a beast given to jumping and
rearing.”)
How many a veil there is, if time but would make away with it,
I trow numerous wayfarers would stay at home.
(izâr, a wrapper or veil covering the upper part of the body, and
also used metaphorically for “woman.”)
So far, and how many more of wondrous arts owns my mind, and
sallies of pleasing wit, and sayings choice, sweet to hear.
So if you are quick to seize the drift of words, you will find that
all is true and my bloom leads you to guess at my fruit.
But if you are baffled, then the fault, forsooth, lies with him who
knows not how to discern ’twixt sandal and common wood.”
Said Al Ḥarîth, son of Hammâm: Then we began to
grapple with his verse, and the explanation of the
riddles proposed by him, while he made game of us as
the careless makes game of the perplexed, saying: “It
is not thy nest, so get thee gone!” until the birth
proved too difficult and the debarment complete.
Therefore we thrust the lead on him, and asked him for
enlightenment, and we were suspended between hope
and despair, he saying: “The coaxing before the call for
milking.” So we knew him to be one of those who
want a return for their gift, and expect a bribe for their
judgment. Now it galled him who had given us
shelter, that we should be exposed to a mulct, or ignominiously
frustrated; accordingly the lord of the mansion
sent for a camel of the breed of ‘Id, and a robe like
Sa‘îd’s, and said to him: “Take them both as a lawful
property, and levy not from my guests [even] a trifle
for a forfeit.” Said he: “I testify that this is a disposition
like Akhzam’s and liberality like Ḥâtim’s.” Thereupon
he approached us with a countenance whose
serenity was translucent and whose brightness beaming,
and said: “O my people, the night is well-nigh gone,
and drowsiness has got the victory, so betake yourselves
to the sleeping-places, and snatch the repose of the
sleeper, so that ye may sip a draught of refreshing rest
and rise invigorated, when ye will understand that
which is explained to you, and things difficult will
become easy.” Then every one approved of his opinion,
and laid himself down on the pillow of his slumber.
Now when the lids were closed in sleep and the guests
had fallen a-doze, he sprang to the camel, and straightway
saddled her; then he mounted her and started her
on the journey, saying, addressing her:
“Serûj, my eamel, is thy goal, so fare apace, now through the
night, now through the day, now day and night,
So that thy hoofs may gladly tread her pastures moist and thou
mayst find thee thence well off and prosperous,
And safe of being jaded over hill and dale: ay haste thee on, my
precious beast, and speed thy pace,
Crossing the flinty mountains, peak by peak, contented with a
chance draught from the wat’ring pond,
And not alighting until yonder goal is reached; for I have sworn
it, and in earnest made my oath
By worship due to Mecca’s lofty-pillared house, if thou but bring
me safely to my native town
Thou wilt for aye be held by me instead of child.”
Said the narrator: Then I knew that it was the
Serûji, who when he had sold out, was wont to start off,
and when he had filled his bushel, to decamp, and as
soon as the dawn of the morrow broke and the sleepers
recovered from their sleep, I informed them that at the
time when unconsciousness had overcome them, the
Shaykh had given them the slip for good, and mounted
his camel and departed. Then a fresh vexation took
hold of them after vexations of old, and they forgot
the good of him for his bad. Thereupon we disbanded
in all directions, and went away under every star of
heaven.
THE FORTY-FIFTH ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“OF RAMLAH.”
Once more Abû Zayd appears, together with his young wife, in a
Court of Justice, this time that of the Kadi of Ramlah, on the plea
of seeking redress for their matrimonial grievances. The first
instance of their quarrels was contained in the ninth Assembly, and
Rückert, in his free translation, or rather imitation of Ḥarîri in
German, has very skilfully interwoven the two compositions into
one. The same subject we have seen treated from a different point
of view in the fortieth, called “of Tebriz,” and as both the ninth and
fortieth are much more elaborate than the present one, it seems to
me highly probable that this Assembly is what we would call the
first sketch or preliminary study to the two former, which he may
have thought fit to insert here, among some of the most artificial
and carefully finished of his compositions, because its comparative
simplicity and soberness endows it with a particular charm of its
own by way of contrast.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: I had gathered
it from men of experiences, that travel is a mirror of
marvels, wherefore I ceased not crossing every desert,
and braving every danger, so that I might bring into
my reach everything wonderful. Now amongst the
finest sights I ever enjoyed, and the strangest adventures
that I reckoned pleasant, was that I found myself
in the presence of the Kadi of Ramlah,—and he one
of the lords of wealth and power,—when there had
appealed to him a worn wight in worn raiment, and a
fair one in faded finery. The old man was minded to
speak, and explain the object of his suit, but the wench
cut short his peroration, and checked his bark. Then
she removed from her face the flap of kerchief and
indited with the tongue of an impudent shrew:
“O Kadi of Ramlah, in whose hands there is for us the date or
else the hot cinder-coal,
To thee complain I of my mate’s cruelty, who pays his pilgrim’s
duty but once a while:
Would that, when his devotion has come to end, and eased his
back is after his pebble-throw,
He followed Abû Yûsuf’s wise rule and wont to join the lesser
with the chief pilgrimage.
This is his way in spite of that since he first took me to him I
never crossed him in aught.
So bid him show me henceforth sweet kindliness, or make him
drink the bitter draught of divorce,
Before he puts from him the last shred of shame, obedient to old
Abû ’l-Murrah’s hest.”
Then the Kadi said to him: “Thou hast heard what
she lays at thy door and with what she threatens thee,
so turn aside from that which disgraces thee and beware
to anger her and come to grief.” Thereupon the Shaykh
crouched on his knees and poured forth the springs of
his utterances, saying:
“Listen, thou whom no blame may reach, to the speech of one
who clears himself of doubts cast on him:
By Allah, not from hatred turn I from her, nor has my heart’s
love for my spouse died away,
But fortune’s fitful freak has come over us, ruthlessly robbing us
of both pearl and bead.
So my abode is empty, as unadorned her neck you see by shell or
gold ornament.
Erewhile my views on love and his creed and cult were those
professed so staunchly by ‘Uẕrah’s tribe,
But since fell fortune fled I left dolls alone, like one who vows
chastity for caution’s sake,
And not from grudge held I aloof from my field, only from fear to
see the seed spring in halm.
So blame not one who in such plight finds himself, rather be kind
to him and bear with his talk.”
Said the narrator: Then the woman flared up at his
speech and unsheathed arguments to fight him, saying:
“Woe betide thee, thou fool, thou lack-food and lack-a-lance,
makest thou a fuss about a child, when for every
grazing creature there is a pasture-ground? Forsooth,
thy understanding has strayed, and thy arrow missed
its aim: thou art a wretch, and thy spouse is wretched
through thee.” Said the Kadi to her: “As for thee, if
thou wert to wrangle with Khansâ’, she would go away
from thee silenced, but as for him, if he is truthful in
his assertion and his alleged poverty, there is enough in
his concern for his growling entrails, to make him
forget his pendulum.” Then she dropped her head,
looking askance, and returning no reply, so that we
said, shame has come back to her, or victory has
encompassed her. Then the Shaykh said to her:
“Out on thee, if thou hast tinselled thy speech or
concealed that which is full well known to thee.”
Said she: “Alas, is there concealment after appeal,
and remains to us a seal upon any secret? There
is neither of us, but says that which is true and
tears the veil of modesty in speaking out: so would
that we had been visited with dumbness, and not
repaired to the judge.” Thereupon she covered herself
with her kerchief, and pretended to weep at her
exposure. But the Kadi began to wonder at their
address, and to admire it, and to blame fortune and
lament over it on their behalf, whereupon he brought
forth of dirhems two thousand, saying: “Content
therewith the two hollows, and resist the mischief-maker
between two friends.” So the twain thanked
him for the handsome way in which he had dismissed
them and departed [as united] as though they were
wine and water. After they had gone, and their persons
were at a distance, the Kadi began to praise their
cultured minds, and to ask: “Is there anyone who
knows them?” Then the foremost of his henchmen
and the most particular of his intimates said to him:
“As for the Shaykh, he is the Serûji, to whose excellence
all the world witnesses, and as for the woman she is his
travelling consort, but as for their litigation, it is a wile
of his device, and one of the hunting-nets of his deceit.”
The Kadi was angered at what he heard, and burned
with rage to see how he was cheated. Accordingly he
said to the informer against them: “Get thee up, and
spy for the pair of them, then pursue and chase them.”
So he rose, shaking his limbs defiantly, and after a
while he returned, defeated. Said the Kadi to him:
“Let us know what thou hast unearthed, and conceal
not from us aught of vileness thou hast found out.”
He replied: “I ceased not following up the roads,
and trying to overcome all obstructions, until I perceived
them entering the desert, and they had already
bridled the beast of separation, when I excited their
eagerness for a second draught, and pledged myself for
their obtaining [the object of] their hope; but the
Shaykh’s heart was disposed to take a despairing view
of the case, and said: “Flight with Kurâb (name of a
celebrated horse) is wiser,” while she said: “Nay,
rather the return is praiseworthier, and cowardice is
weakly.” Now when the Shaykh saw clearly the foolishness
of her notion, and the risk of her venturesomeness,
he took hold of her skirts, whereupon he indited, saying
to her:
“Take my advice, and follow its guarded way, and let the sum
suffice thee for details:
Fly from the date-tree when thou hast had thy pick, and separate
for good from it henceforth,
Bewaring to return to it even though its keeper made it free to all
comers,
For best a thief should not be seen in a spot where he has given
proof of his cunning.”
Whereupon he said to me: “Thou hast taken trouble
in that which thou hast been bid to do: so return to
whence thou hast come, and say to him who has sent
thee, if thou wilt:
“Eh, gently, let not bounty be followed by injury, for else both
thy wealth and fame alike will be lost and gone,
And fly not into passion if a beggar exaggerates, for he is by no
means first to polish and gloss his speech,
And if some deceit of mine is taken by thee amiss, remember, Abû
Mûsá before thee has been deceived.”
Said the Kadi to him: “Allah confound him! how
charming are his ways and how exquisite his arts!”
Then he sent off his spy with two mantles and a purse
full of coin, saying to him: “Fare speedily like one
who turns neither right nor left, until thou seest the
Shaykh and the wench, and moist their hands with this
gift, and show to them how fain I am to be beguiled by
the learned.” Quoth the narrator: Now in all my
wanderings abroad, I never saw a sight as wonderful as
this, nor heard I the like of it from anyone who roved
about and roamed through the lands.
THE FORTY-SIXTH ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“OF ALEPPO.”
After a prolonged stay in Aleppo, Ḥârith passes on his return
journey through Ḥims (Emessa), a place noted for the stupidity of
its inhabitants, like Abdera among the Greeks, or Schildburg in
Germany. Here he meets with a schoolmaster, instructing, in the
open air, his pupils, and, expecting to be entertained by the blunders
of teacher and disciples, he draws near to assist at the lesson or
class, as we would term it, when he finds to his astonishment that
the lads are able to accomplish the most surprising feats. “One of
them,” to quote once more Mr. Chenery’s succinct summary, “recites
a poem consisting entirely of unpointed letters; the next writes out
some which not only have every letter pointed, but are full of
assonances and alliterations; a third produces lines of which the
words consist alternately of pointed and unpointed letters; a fourth
gives verses in which there is tejnîs, or homogeneity in sound or in
letters between each two successive words; the next produces a
couplet each line of which begins and ends with the same syllables.
Then the nature of the exercises changes, and some lines are given
containing words which ought to be written with the letter Sîn, but
about which some Arabs are doubtful. Then come the words which
should be written with Sâd; then those that may be written with
either. One pupil gives in verse the rules for writing the verb
whose last letter is weak. Another repeats a poem comprising all
the words in the language which contain z̤; this table is especially
usaful since a common mistake among the Arabs was to confound z̤
with ẓ [Chenery gives the two letters in Arabic characters, but
would transliterate the second one by ḍ, as in “Tumâḍir,” vol. i.,
p. 387], the old Semitic language having a less variety of sounds
than the cultivated Arabic, as may be seen by a comparison with
the Hebrew. It need not be said that the schoolmaster is Abû
Zayd.”
The linguistic artifices mentioned above, like those which have
preceded in former Assemblies, defy the resources of the translator.
Rückert, in his spirited and ingenious imitation of Ḥarîri, substitutes
similar feats in German, giving for instance a number of verses, in
which the sounds respectively of g and ch (as pronounced in Scotch)
change entirely the meaning of certain words; another piece, in
which the leading words are only distinguished by d and t alternately;
a third, in which the meaning of words is altered by
eliminating the letter s, and so on, with an astonishing amount of
inventiveness. My less ambitious object being to render the
Original into English as faithfully as the difference between the two
idioms will allow, I had to content myself, like Chenery in similar
cases before me, with simply translating the wording of the text.
The memorial verses on Arabic orthography, however, I have tried
in a certain measure to reproduce because I thought that it might
be a useful exercise for the student to learn them by heart. The
insertion of Arabic vocables in transliteration of needs increased the
number of lines in these pieces, and, as the last of them is rather
long, I give only half of it in full for fear of exhausting the patience
of the general reader, relegating the remainder of the words, together
with their explanation, to the Notes.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: An overpowering
longing and a most ardent desire carried me
to Aleppo, and at that time my back was light and I
quick of execution; so I took travelling gear and sped
thither with the speed of the bird, and ever since I had
put up at her dwellings, and was enjoying her spring
season, I ceased not to while away my days in all that
which satisfies the wish and quenches thirst, until my
heart had no longer power to addict itself to aught, and
the raven of separation took wing after his alighting.
Then my mind, free of care and sweet wilfulness
[sprightliness], urged me to make for Ḥims (Emessa),
so as to pass the summer in her territory and to sound
the [proverbial] stupidity of the people of her soil. So
I hastened towards her with the swiftness of the shooting-star
when it falls to stone [the listening devils].
Now when I had pitched my tent in her boundary, and
found the fragrance of her breeze, my eye spied a
Shaykh whose old age was coming on and whose youth
had turned its back on him, and around him ten
youngsters of one root and of diverse roots, and I
yielded to my eagerness to approach him, so that I
might probe in him the learned folks of Ḥims. Thereupon
he met me with a cheerful face and greeted me
with [even] a handsomer greeting than I had given
him. Then I sat down with him to test the fruit of his
speech, and to fathom the essence of his clownishness.
Forthwith he tarried not to point with his little staff to
the oldest of his chicks, and said to him: “Indite the
unadorned couplets, and beware of keeping us waiting.”
Then he crouched as the lion croucheth, and indited
without hesitation:
“Make ready for thy enviers’ weapons sharp, but kindly deal
with him who sets hope in thee,
Cut off thyself from play, avoid wantonness, but ply the camels
and the brown supple spears,
Strive to obtain a lofty place, pillared high, not to enrobe thyself
in gay dalliance,
For lordship means, by Allah, not quaffing wine, nor gain you
glory courting girls full of hip,
Hail to one free of hand and mind, large of heart, whose only joy
is giving joy to the good,
His water-pond is sweet to those seeking it, nor waste his wealth,
when one in need begs for it,
Expectant hope is not refused at his door, and not put off: delaying
hope deems he vile.
He follows not the call of loose sportiveness, nor is the winecup
ever seen in his palm,
Stern discipline and self-reproof make him rule over his heart
and master his lust and greed,
And praise he wins through knowing that one-eyed wives are not
endowed alike with wives sound of sight.”
Said he (the Shaykh) to him (the boy:) “Thou hast
done well, O thou little, full-moon, O thou head of the
fraternity,” whereupon he said to the next, who seemed
to be a brother of the former, “Come near, O Nuwairah
(my little luminary), my moonlet of the little halo.”
Then he came nigh and tarried not, until he was as
close to him as the receiver of a gift, when the Shaykh
said to him: “Display the bridal couplets, even though
they be not of the choicest.” Then he mended his
reed-pen, and nibbed it, whereupon he took the tablet in
his lap and wrote:
“Fair Tajannî has maddened me and bewitched me with her
thousands of wily tricks and beguilements,
Has enamoured me with the droop of her eyelids, as a doe’s,
draining mine of tears through her love-charm.
She approached me, adorned and richly attired, and crazed my
senses with forms that gleam through her movements;
Then I fancied she favoured me and would soothe me by her
speech, but an idle dream proved my fancy.
After using with me her heart’s cruel falsehood, like one faithless,
who would appease rightful anger,
She forsook me, and let me go, softly weeping, and in sorrow that
ceaselessly breedeth sorrow.”
When the Shaykh looked at that which the boy had
deftly devised, and scanned attentively that which he
had written down, he said to him: “A blessing has
been bestowed on thee amongst the fawns, as there has
been a blessing bestowed on yonder olive-tree.” Then
he called out: “Step nigh, O Qutrub.” Forthwith
approached him a lad, resembling a star of a dark
night or the likeness of an ivory-figure, whereupon he
said to him: “Put this into mongrel couplets (the
alternate words of which consist of dotted and undotted
letters), and avoid blunders.” Then the boy took the
reed-pen and wrote:
“Be bountiful, bounty is a jewel, and disappoint none who hopes
for shelter;
Refuse not him who implores assistance, be he prolix in his suit,
or modest;
And think not that time will leave for ever the miser to starve
upon his riches;
Be lenient: men of worth condemn not, their hearts expand with
the joy of giving;
Betray no trustworthy friend and crave not for coin that, when
tested, proves deficient.”
Said the Shaykh to him: “May thy hands not
wither nor thy knives get blunted.” Then he called
out: “O Ghashamsham, O thou [essence of the] perfume
of Mausham.” Forthwith there stood ready to his
bidding a lad like the pearl of the diver, or the young
buffalo of the hunter, when he said to him: “Write
down the twin-couplets, and may no mishap befall
thee.” Then the boy took from him the straightened
reed, and penned without stopping:
“Zaynab’s stature, erect and lithe, kills beholders, and a bane is
her rounded bosom to lovers,
Helping hosts are her neck to her, and her grace, and languid
eyes that dart glances of deadly sharpness,
Proudly bearing herself she swayed full-blown power, now my foe,
now with glowing cheeks drawing nigh me
In the morn or at night, to leave me again in sore distress at the
cruelty of her doings,
Then she came, may I be her ransom, and cooed, and with her
greetings appeased her lovelorn and loved one.”
Thereupon the Shaykh began to scan carefully that
which the boy had set into lines, and let his glance
run over it, and when he had found his writing
beautiful and his punctuation correct, he said to him:
“May thy ten [fingers] not dry up, nor thy odour be
found foul.” Then he called a lad of bewitching looks,
who [on removing his face-veil] displayed blossoms of
a garden, and said to him: “Recite the two bordered
couplets, that silence every speaker, and are sure not to
be matched by a third.” Said the boy to him: “Listen!
and may thy hearing never become hard, nor thy
collected senses be scattered,” and recited without
tarrying and without delay:
“Make thee a mark, whose traces show fair to sight, give thanks
for gifts, though trifling as sesam-seed,
And shun deceitfulness with all might and main, that thou mayst
gain thee lordship and weight with men.”
Said he to him: “Thou hast excelled, O imp, O
father of despoilment.” Then he called out: “Propound,
O Yâsîn, that which is difficult of words written
with Sîn.” Thereupon he rose and tarried not to indite
with a nasal voice:
“In niqs, which means ‘writing-ink,’ and nasgh, ‘the wrist of the
hand,’ the Sîn is used whether they be written or read aloud.
“And so in qasb ‘hard’ (of dates), and bâsiqah ‘lofty palm,’ in
safḥun ‘foot of a mount,’ in bakhs ‘defect,’ iqsir ‘force!’
In iqtabis ‘borrow fire!’ taqassast ‘I heard it said,’ musait̤ir ‘custodian,’
shamûs ‘unbroke,’ jaras ‘bell.’
Qarîs, or else qâris ‘cold’; learn this from me as correct,
lighting thy torch at the fire of knowledge sound and approved,”
Said he to him: “Thou hast done well, O unrest, O
cymbal-beater of the troop.” Then he said: “Get thee
up, O ‘Anbasah (a name of the lion) and explain the
Sâds that are [vulgarly] confounded with Sîn.” Thereupon
he leaped up with the leap of the roused lion-whelp,
and forthwith indited without stumbling:
“With Ṣâd is written qabaṣt ‘I took with the finger-tips,’ and
aṣikh ‘be listening that thou may’st receive the news,’
And baṣaqt ‘I spat,’ and ṣimâkh ‘the ear,’ and ṣanjah ‘cymbal,’
and qaṣṣ and ṣadr ‘the breast,’ iqtaṣṣ ‘he traced.’
Bakhaṣt ‘I gouged his eye,’ and furṣah ‘the proper time,’ and
farîṣah ‘muscles beneath the arm that quake in fear.’
And qaṣartu Hindan ‘I guarded Hind,’ fiṣḥu ’n-naṣârá ‘paschal
feast of the Christians who look out for it,’
And qaraṣt ‘I pinched,’ and the wine is qâriṣah, ‘tart of taste,’
when it pricks the tongue, and all this is orthography.”
Said he: “Allah keep thee, O my son, thou hast
indeed given coolness to both my eyne.” Then he bade
get up one small of body as a chess-pawn, and swift of
motion as a falcon, and commanded him to stick to his
way, and rehearse the words that are differently written
with Sîn or Ṣâd. Then the boy rose, trailing his coat-flaps,
and forthwith indited, gesticulating with both his
hands:
“If so thou wilt write with Sîn, the words I will tell to thee, and
if thou wilt, let them be correctly written with Ṣâd:
Maghs ‘gripes,’ and faqs ‘breeding young,’ must̤âr ‘new wine,’
mummalis
‘Slipped from the hand,’ sâligh ‘shedding teeth,’ sirât̤ ‘path of
truth,’
Saqab ‘approach,’ sâmighân ‘the corners twain of the mouth,’
Saqr ‘hawk,’ sawîq ‘wheat in broth,’ miṣlâq ‘glib-tongued’: thus
they teach.”
Said he to him: “Well done. O thou mite, O thou
eye of a fly.” Then he called out: “O Daghfal (young
elephant), O Abû Zanfal (father of mischief).” Forthwith
a boy stood ready to his bidding, fairer than an
[ostrich’s] egg on the green-sward. Then he said to
him: “What is the rule with regard to the spelling of
the verbs terminating in a weak letter?” He replied:
“Listen, may thy echo never be deaf, nor thy enemies
endowed with hearing,” whereupon he indited, needing
no prompter:
“If ever thou art doubtful of spelling a final weak, then put such
a verb into the second of preterite:
If its Tâ is preceded by Yâ, let a Yâ it be, if not, put an Alif last,
in order to write it right:
And think not that verbs of three or more letters of this class,
or such as contain a Hamzah, will differ in that respect.”
The Shaykh rejoiced at that which the boy had propounded,
saying to him: “I commend thee to the
protection of Allah from the eye of the envier, and fain
would be made thy ransom,” whereupon he said:
“Hither, O Ḳa‘ḳâ‘, O thou bird, cautious as to where
thou sippest water.” Then came forward a lad brighter
than the fire of hospitality in the eyes of the son of
night-faring. He said to him: “Explain the distinction
between Ẓâd and Z̤â so as to cleave thereby the hearts
of the adversaries.” The boy bestirred himself gleefully
at his speech, and forthwith indited with a loud voice:
“Thou who askest about the two letters Ẓâd and Z̤â, in order
to make no error in writing:
Let suffice thee to know by heart those in Z̤â, so hear them like a
man wide awake and retain them,
Namely z̤amyâ ‘with blackish lips,’ al-maz̤âlim ‘plaints for justice,’
iz̤lâm ‘producing obscureness,’
Z̤alm ‘the whiteness of teeth,’ z̤ubá ‘points of weapons,’ al-laḥâz̤
‘the eye-corner next to the temples,’
And ‘az̤â ‘kind of lizards,’ and az̤-z̤alîm ‘male of the ostrich,’
or ‘wronged,’ and also ‘the wronger,’
Z̤abyun ‘antelope,’ shaiz̤am ‘tall,’ z̤ill ‘a shadow,’ and laz̤á ‘blaze,’
shiwâz̤ ‘a flame burning smokeless,’
At̤-t̤az̤annî ‘opinion,’ al-lafz̤ ‘the word,’ and nam ‘a poem,’ and
at̤-t̤aqrîz̤ ‘panegyric,’
Qaiz̤ ‘the summer,’ z̤umá ‘athirst,’ and lamâz̤ ‘taste on the tip of
the tongue,’ ḥiz̤á ‘shares of fortune,’
An-naz̤îr ‘what resembles,’ z̤îr ‘foster-mother,’ jâḥiz̤ ‘goggling,’
an-naz̤îrûn ‘the beholders,’
And tashaz̤z̤î ‘a splitting up,’ z̤ilf ‘the hoof of ruminants,’ and
îqâz̤ ‘awaking a sleeper,’
‘Az̤m ‘a bone,’ and z̤unbûb ‘the bone of the hip,’ and ash-shaz̤â
‘bone of arm or leg,’ z̤ahr ‘the backside,’
Ash-shiz̤âz̤ ‘yoke for carrying,’ ḥâfiz̤ûn ‘those who preserve,’
iḥfâz̤ ‘provoking to anger,’
Al-ḥaz̤îrât ‘the lofts for dates,’ al-maz̤annah ‘likely place where
a thing is found,’ z̤innah ‘notion,’
Kâz̤imûn ‘folks in silent wrath,’ al-waz̤îfât ‘daily rations,’ mughtâz̤
‘enraged,’ kiz̤z̤ah ‘surfeit.’”
Said the Shaykh to him: “Thou hast done well, may
thy mouth never be harmed, nor he be benefited who
speaks thee harshly, for, by Allah, thou art, despite thy
tender youth, a safer keeper than the earth, and more of
a collector than the day of mustering (resurrection).
Now I have made thee and thy comrades drink from
my pure draught, and have straightened you as spear-shafts
are straightened, so think of me, and I will think
of you, and give me thanks, and be not ungrateful.”
Said Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Then I wondered at
what he had displayed of ingenuity blended with stolidness,
and what he had shown of sagacity mingled with
foolishness, and my glance ceased not to look up and
down at him, and to scan and scrutinize him, but I was
like one who tries to see in the dark, or who wanders
in a trackless desert. So when he found my awakening
tardy and my bewilderment evident, he blinked at me
and smiled, saying: “There remains none who reads
features.” Then I pondered as to the purport of his
speech, when lo, I found him to be Abû Zayd by dint
of his smile. Thereupon I began to blame him for
making his home in a den of fools and choosing the
trade of a clown. Then it was as if his face had been
strewn with ashes, or imbued with blackness, save that
he was not slow to indite:
“If Ḥims I have chosen, and trade as buffoon, it was to be blessed
with the portion of fool-borns,
For our age selects but the fool for its favours, and houses its
wealth in the pools of the hollows,
While brothers of wisdom obtain from their age not more than
the donkey tied up in the courtyard.”
Then he said: “But teaching is the most honourable of
crafts, and the most profitable of merchandizes, the
most successful of intercessions, and the most excellent
of eminences, and its possessor is lord of a rule obeyed,
and of awe widespread, and of a flock [subjects] submissive
to his sway, he guards with the guardianship
of a prince, and fixes allowances as a Wazîr fixes them,
and ordains with the authority of the powerful, and
resembles the owner of a great kingdom, save that in a
short while he reaches his dotage, and becomes noted
for far-famed foolishness, and shifts about with small
wits in his dealings, and none can enlighten thee better
[in this matter] than one who speaks from experience.”
Said I to him: “By Allah, thou art the son of the
days and the pattern of patterns, and the wizard who
beguiles understandings, who has access to every
branch-path of speech.” Thereupon I ceased not to
attend at his assembly, and to plunge into the current
of his river, until the bright days passed away and grey
events took their stead, when I separated from him with
tears in my eyne.
THE FORTY-SEVENTH ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“OF HAJR.”
Another lively scene of fictitious altercation between Abû Zayd,
who for once has assumed the popular character of a cupper, and
his precocious son, for the purpose of replenishing their exhausted
pockets. The chief merit of the composition lies again in the
marvellous forcibleness and comprehensiveness of diction, which
runs through all the notes of the oratorial scale, from outspoken
vulgarity redeemed by an amusing touch of quaintness in the
numerous proverbial sayings, to the enouncement of sublime moral
precepts in the most elaborate forms of versification. To quote one
instance of the latter, there is a poem of considerable length, the
permanent rhyme of which consists of two words, consecutive words
each time, of exactly the same sound, but totally different meaning,
as: Iẕâ mâ ’ltahabat aḥshâ’u-hu bi ’t̤-t̤awá t̤awá, “when his entrails
burn with hunger (t̤awá), he bears it silently” (t̤awá). That Ḥarîri
himself attached some value and importance to this Assembly, may
be gathered from the fact, that he accompanied it with a short commentary
of his own, the substance of which will be found embodied
in the notes to this volume.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: I needed a
cupping, while I was staying in Hajr al-Yemâmeh,
and accordingly was directed to a Shaykh who cupped
skilfully. So I sent my slave-boy to summon him into
my presence and kept waiting for him, but he was slow
to return after he had gone, so that I began to fancy
that he had run away, or met with accident after
accident. Then he came back like one who has failed
in his errand and disappointed his master. Said I to
him: “Woe betide thee, for the tardiness of Find, and
thy fire-shaft missing to give a spark.” Then he pretended
that the Shaykh was busier than the woman of
the two butter-bags and in the midst of a battle like
the battle of Hunain. Now I loathed to go to a cupper’s
place, and I was at a loss between sallying forth and
lagging behind. Finally I saw that there was no
rebuke upon him who goes to the privy. Thereupon,
when I had reached his shop and got sight of his face, I
perceived an old man of cleanly aspect, surrounded by
ring upon ring of onlookers and throng upon throng [of
customers]. Before him stood a youth like [the sharp
sword] Ṣamṣâmah, about to be cupped, the Shaykh
saying to him: “I see thou hast stretched forth thy
head, before thou bringest out thy scrap, and hast
offered me thy nape without saying to me ‘This is for
thee.’ But I am not of those who sell ready goods for
owed money, nor look out for the shadow after the
substance. So if thou dole out thy coin, thou wilt be
cupped in both thy neck-veins, but if thou deem stinting
better, and hoarding more becoming in thyself, then read
the Sura, ‘he frowned and turned away,’ and vanish from
out of my sight, or else” Then the youth said:
“By Him who has forbidden the forging of lies, as He
has forbidden the chase in the two sacred precincts, I
am more penniless than the babe two days old, so trust
to the flow of my mountain slope, and grant me a delay
until times have mended with me.” Said the Shaykh
to him: “Fair promises are like the shoot of a tree, that
has an equal chance that it perish, or that the fresh date
be gathered from it. So what will teach me, whether I
am to reap fruit from thy tree, or to derive from it an
ailment? Furthermore what relying is there that, when
thou hast gotten thyself far away, thou wilt fulfil what
thou promisest? For in sooth, treachery has become
as the whiteness in a horse’s forefeet amongst the adornments
of this generation, so rid me, by Allah, of thy
bothering, and take thee off to where the wolf howls.”
Then the lad advanced towards him, overcome with
shame, and said: “By Allah, none breaks faith, save
the mean, the contemptible, and none resorts to the
pond of treachery but the worthless, and if thou knewest
who I am, thou wouldst not let me hear ribald talk;
but thou hast spoken in ignorance, and where it behoved
thee to prostrate thyself, thou hast foully aspersed, and
how abject are exile and poverty, and how beautiful is
the speech of him who said:
“The stranger, who trails his skirt pompously, meets but with
scorn, how will he fare then abroad, if food and drink fail him?
But no distress brings disgrace upon the high-minded man:
camphor and musk, well ye know, though pounded spread fragrance,
The ruby is often tried in Ghaḍa-fire’s fiercest glow, the fire abates
but the ruby still remains ruby.”
Said the Shaykh to him: “O thou bane of thy father,
who causest thy kindred to wail, art thou in a place to
brag of, and of an account to be blazed forth? or in the
place of a hide to be flayed, and of a nape to be cupped?
And granted thy house be such as thou claimest, results
therefrom the cupping of the hind-part of thy neck?
By Allah, if thy father lorded it over Abd al-Manâf, or
if ‘Abd al-Madân humbled himself to thy maternal
uncle, hammer not cold iron, and seek not that which
thou wilt not find, and boast when thou boastest, of thy
belongings, not of thy forefathers, and of thy gatherings,
not of the roots from which thou springest, and of thy
own qualities, not of thy rotten bones, and of thy
valuables, not of thy pedigree. Yield not to thy
ambition or it will abase thee [bring thee to fall], nor
follow thy lust lest it lead thee astray. I commend to
Allah him who said to his son:
“Be upright, my dear son, for the straight tree will spread its
roots, whereas, when it grows crooked it speedily pines away,
Obey not abasing greed, but behave as a man who bears in silence
the pangs of hunger, that gnaw at his vital parts;
And battle against lust that destroys thee, for many who had
soared to the stars, enslaved by lust, fell and came to grief.
Be helpful to thy kinsfolk, for shameful it is to see the pinch of
distress in those depending upon the free.
And keep to the friend who when the times turn their back on
thee, betrays not, but proves faithful, when matters go wrong with
thee.
And pardon if thou art strong, for no good is in a man who
needlessly wounds, when power of wounding is in his grasp
And guard thee of complaining, thou hearest no man of sense
complain, but the fool, who snarls and growls while he checks
himself.”
Then the lad said to the onlookers: “How wonderful!
What a strange rarity! the nose in the sky and the
rump in the water; words sweet as wine and deeds
hard as flint stone.” Then he assailed the Shaykh with
a sharp tongue and in burning rage, saying: “Out
upon thee for a fashioner of fine speeches, who swerves
from the road of kindliness. Thou preachest benevolence
and actest with the ruthlessness of the cat. And if
the briskness of thy trade is the cause of thy crustiness,
then may Allah strike it with slackness and allow it to
be spoiled by thy enviers, until thou art seen more
bereft of customers than the cupper of Sâbât̤, and
narrower, as far as thy livelihood is concerned, than
the eye of the needle.” Said the Shaykh to him: “Nay,
may Allah visit thee with blisters all over thy mouth,
and heat of the blood, until thou art driven to a cupper
of mighty roughness, heavy in charges, with blunt
cupping-knives, snotty and breaking wind at every
moment.” Now, when the youth saw that he was complaining
to one who would not be silenced, and intent
on opening a door that would be kept locked, he
desisted from bandying words and made ready for
departure. But the Shaykh knew that he deserved
blame for what he had said to the youth. So he felt
inclined to pacify him, and vouchsafed to submit to his
claim and not to ask a fee for cupping him. The lad,
however, would not hear but of going and fleeing from
his presence, and the twain ceased not from argument
and abuse, and tugging each other about, until the
youth quaked from the strife and his sleeves got torn.
Then he cried aloud over his exceedingly great loss,
and the rending of his honour and his rags, while the
Shaykh began to make excuses for his excesses, and to
quiet the other’s tears. But the youth would not listen
to his apologies nor abate his weeping until the Shaykh
said to him: “May thy uncle (meaning himself) be
thy ransom, and that which grieves thee pass over.
Art thou not tired of wailing? Wilt thou not learn
forbearance? Hast thou not heard of him, who
exercised forgiveness, taking after the speech of him
who said:
“Quench by thy mercy the fire of anger that recklessly a churl
has kindled in thee, and pardon his trespass,
For mercy is far the best of jewels that grace the wise, and
sweetest fruit, culled by man, is ready forgiveness.”
Then the youth said to him: “Forsooth, if thou wert
to look at my sordid life, thou wouldst excuse my
flowing tears. But the smooth-skinned make light of
what the back-sore feels.” Then it was as if he became
ashamed, and he left off weeping, regaining his composure,
and he said to the Shaykh: “I have now conformed
with thy wish, so patch up what thou hast
rent.” Said the Shaykh: “Get thee gone! thou over-taxest
the flow of the streamlets of my bounty: spy for
another’s lightning, than mine.” Then he rose to go
from row to row, and begged for the gift of the
standers-by, inditing while he was wending his way
between them:
“I swear by Mecca’s holy house, whither flock in pilgrim’s garb
the pious from far and wide:
If I possessed but food for one day, my hand would never touch
the lancet or cupping-cup.
Nor would my soul, that craves for fair fame with men, contentedly
put up with this sign of trade,
Nor had this youth complained of harshness from me or felt the
lacerating prick of my sting.
But, lack-a-day, foul fortune’s fell fitfulness, left me to grope my
way in pitch-darkest night
And poverty brought me to such piteous pass: the blazing pit of
hell I would fain prefer!
Is there a man then whom compassion impels, and tender feelings
prompt to prove kind to me?”
Said Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Thereupon I was
the first to commiserate with his misfortune, and doled
out to him two dirhems, saying [within myself], “They
are of no account, even though he should be a liar.”
So he rejoiced at the first-fruit of his gathering, and
augured well from them for the obtainment of what he
needed; and the dirhems ceased not to pour upon him,
and to come to him from all sides, until he had become
possessed of verdant plenty, and a well-filled saddlebag.
Then he cheered up at this, and congratulated
himself on the event, saying to the youth: “This is a
spring-growth of thy sowing, and a milk-flow of which
one half belongs to thee; come then to take thy share,
and be not abashed.” Thus they divided the money
between them to the nicety with which the fruit of the
dwarf palm splits in two, and rose in perfect agreement,
and when the bond of conciliation was tied between
them, and the Shaykh bethought himself of going, I
said to him: “My blood is heated, and I had directed
my steps to thee, so wouldst thou please to cup me and
rid me of my ailment?” Then he turned his glance
upon me and scanned me sharply, whereupon he came
close up to me and indited:
“What think’st thou of my cunning and beguiling, and what
occurred ’twixt me and my kid yonder?
That I come off as victor in the contest, and feed on fertile
meadows after famine?
Tell me, my heart’s core, tell me, pray, by Allah, hast ever thou
set eyes upon one like me?
To open by my spell each fastened padlock? to captivate all
minds by charm of witchcraft?
To blend the serious with the sportive humour? If Al Iskandarî
has been before me,
The dew precedes the shower, but the shower excels the dew in
fructifying bounty.”
Said the narrator: Then his poetry roused my attention
and made me perceive that he was our Shaykh,
whom every finger points out. So I rebuked him for his
lowering himself and stooping to self-abasement. But
he took no notice of what he heard, and minded not my
rebuke, saying: “Any shoe suits the bare-footed who
walks on flints.” Wherewith he stepped away from
me contemptuously, and started off, he and his son, like
two racehorses.
THE FORTY-EIGHTH ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“THE ḤARÂMÎYEH.”
This Assembly, the first composed by Ḥarîri, is based on a fact,
which has been reported to us by two independent witnesses. Al
Fajandîhi relates, that Ibn Qit̤ri, who was Kadi of Al Mazâr, a town
in the neighbourhood of Basra, had repented of his former indulgence
in wine, but relapsed into his sinful habit. One day he
happened to be present in the mosque of the Benû Harâm in Basra,
that is, of the quarter in which this Arab tribe had settled, when
‘Omar founded the City, and here he was mysteriously moved to
sincere penitence, which prompted him to ask whether any member
of the congregation could point out to him an atonement for his
transgression. Then a stranger stepped forward, who claimed to be
a fugitive citizen of Serûj, which had then fallen into the hands of
the Greeks (here mistaken for the Franks of the first Crusade), and
that his daughter had been made a captive by the enemy, from
whom, in his destitute condition, he was unable to ransom her. He
wound up by saying to Ibn Qit̤ri: “Thy sin will be atoned for if
thou bestow alms upon me, sufficient to set her free,” and the Kadi,
believing his statement to be true, presented him with twenty gold
denars, part of which was forthwith spent by the rogue on wine in
a tavern at a safe distance from the mosque. According to Abû ’l
Ḳâsim ‘Abdallah, Ḥarîri’s son, the latter, who lived in this quarter
and is therefore surnamed Al-Ḥarâmi, assisted at the scene and had
previously to it, like the rest of the company, been much impressed
by an eloquent address of the ragged stranger, who on their inquiry
after his name, had called himself Abû Zayd the Serûji. Ḥarîri
went home and wrote the present Assembly, in which Abû Zayd is
supposed to dictate his tale to Al Ḥârith, a form of narration subsequently
abandoned by Ḥarîri, apparently for obvious reasons of
clearness and stylistic conveniency.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related in the words of
Abû Zayd: I ceased not since I bestrode my stout
camel and departed from my spouse and my sprigs, to
crave for the sight of Basra with the craving of the
oppressed for help, since the possessors of knowledge
and the lords of tradition agreed upon the eminence of
her schools and scholars, and the glories of her tombs
and martyrs, and I begged of Allah to make me tread
her soil, so that I might feast my eyes on her, and that
he would let me alight in her, so as to wander about
her wards and outskirts. Now when good luck had
landed me there and my glances pastured in her freely,
I saw in her all that fills the eye with delight and
makes every stranger forgetful of his native place. So
I set out one morning when the taint of darkness was
vanishing, and Abû Munzir was calling out his admonitions
to the sleepers, to stroll about in her precincts,
and to satisfy the hankering I had to penetrate into the
midst of her. Then my traversing her roads and my
sauntering in her streets brought me into a quarter
noted as sacred and named after the Benû Harâm; that
was possessed of Mosques much visited and of tanks
much frequented, of buildings of solid structure and
mansions of pleasing aspect, of choice excellencies and
numerous rarities.
Thy heart’s desire of holy things and worldly
thou findest there, and neighbours of motley tendence,
One all wrapped up in scripture’s wondrous verses,
the other thrilled by tunes of the trembling lute-string,
One skilled in solving deeply hidden meanings,
the other bent on loosing the bonds of captives.
How many there, who wear their eyes by reading
or wear their trays by feeding the needy stranger,
How many places of resort for learning,
and seats of bounty, lavishing sweets of harvest,
And mansions where not cease from morn to evening
the warblings of the peerless maiden minstrels.
So join, if thus inclined, this one in prayer,
or, if thou wilt, that one in broaching wine-casks,
For there without restraint thou mayst indulge in
the wise man’s converse or the toper’s tankard.
Said he: Now while I was scouting her thoroughfares
and gazing at her fairness, I perceived towards
sundown and the approach of eventide, a mosque,
renowned for its beauties, and deriving splendour from
its frequenters, where the people assembled in it had
started the discussion of interchangeable letters and
were running a race in the course of debate. So I
turned towards them, in order to ask for rain from their
cloud, not to borrow light from their grammar-lore.
Then it was not but as the snatching of a fire-brand of
one in haste, that the voices rose for the prayer-call,
followed by the sallying forth of the Imâm, when the
blades of speech were sheathed, and the loops loosed for
standing up, so that devotions diverted us from asking
for food, and worship from seeking bounty. But when
the due of obligatory prayer was discharged, and the
people nigh dispersing, there emerged from the congregation
an elderly man of sweet eloquence, who possessed
of graceful gifts an easy flow of speech, and the fecundity
of a Hasan. Said he: “O my neighbours, whom I
have chosen before the branches of my own tree, and
whose precincts I have made the house of my refuge,
whom I have taken for my kith and kin, and made my
stay for the time of my presence and absence, know ye
that the vestment of truth is brighter than costly
raiments, and that ignominy in this world is lighter to
bear than ignominy in the world to come, that religion
is the imparting of sincere advice, and guidance the
indication of sound faith, that the consulted has a claim
to confidence, and that the seeker of right direction is
entitled to be counselled, that he proves to be thy
brother, who reproves thee, not he who finds for thee
excuses, and that thy friend in truth is he who tells
thee truth, not he who says ‘true’ to all thou sayest!”
Quoth those present: “O thou, our loving friend and
cherished intimate, what is the secret of thy riddling
speech, and what the explanation of thy concise address,
and what desirest thou to be accomplished by us? For
by Him, who has bestowed upon us thy affection, and
made us the sincerest of thy friends, we shall not
withhold from thee our advice, nor be sparing in our
gift.” Then he replied: “May ye be rewarded with
good and preserved from harm, for ye are of those of
whom a companion need not complain, and from whom
dissimulation proceedeth not, in whom no expectation
is disappointed, and from whom no secret should be
concealed. So I will disclose to you what rankles in
my breast and consult you on the matter that exhausts
my patience. Know ye then, that while my fire-shaft
yielded no spark and luck kept aloof from me, I was
sincere in my purpose of covenant with Allah, and
pledged my vow to Him, that I would never buy wine
nor associate with boon-companions, nor quaff strong
drink, nor don the garb of inebriety. But my misleading
lust and my abasing and deluding sensuality prompted
me to keep company with mighty topers, and to pass
round the cups, to put away gravity and suckle myself
with grape-wine, to bestride the back of the ruddy one,
and be forgetful of repentance, as we are forgetful of the
dead. Nor was I contented with this once, of which I
have told you, in my obedience to Abû Murrah, but I
was addicted to the old vintage even on the fifth day
and allowed myself to be thrown prostrate by the bright
wine during the sacred night. Therefore behold me
contrite for my abandoning the way of return to God,
and exceedingly penitent for my indulgence in constant
drink, greatly in fear from the breach of my covenant
and openly confessing my excess in quaffing the
fermenting must.
Is there then an atonement, ye know of, O friends of mine,
To bring far from my sin me, and near to my Lord again?”
Now when he had loosened the knot of his utterance
and satisfied his need of complaint anent his distress,
my soul whispered to me, This, O Abû Zayd, is an
opportunity for catching game, so tuck up the sleeves
from thy arm and sinew. Whereupon I rose from my
roosting-place, as rises the alert, and sallied forth from
my position in the row of worshippers with the swiftness
of an arrow, saying:
Thou, distinguished by noble rank, great in glory and princeliness,
who desirest a guiding hand to the path of eternal bliss,
I am able to cure the ill, that deprives thee of peaceful sleep:
listen then to a wondrous case, fraught for me with perplexity.
Once I had in Serûj my home, seat of faith and of righteousness,
where obedience was paid to me for my wealth and my lordly
state.
Througs of guests were resorting to my abode and received my
boon,
for with presents I purchased praise, kept my honour by bounty
bright,
Caring naught that my treasures went in profuse liberality,
and I kindled the fire aloft, which the miser is fain to quench,
That the strayer might find with me hoped-for shelter and resting-place;
none athirst watched my lightning’s flash and remained still a
prey to thirst,
None, nor came one to borrow fire from my shaft, and it failed to
flame;
while the times were in league with me spread I round me
prosperity,
Till the Lord wrought a change in what through His favour had
been my wont,
for He settled the Greeks in our country after a feud that rose,
And they seized on the households of all believers in one true God
and deprived me of all my goods either hidden or free to view.
Thus became I an outcast in distant lands and a fugitive,
who beseecheth men’s bounty while ere it had been besought
of me,
And such misery is my lot, that it makes me to wish for death:
for the height of calamity, which has robbed me of all my
cheer,
Is my daughter’s captivity, who was captured for ransom’s sake.
cast a glance then upon my woe, and to help me stretch out thy
hand,
Ay, protect me from fortune fell, that has wronged me and been
my foe,
aiding me to redeem my child from the hostile’s degrading bond.
By such acts are the sins wiped out of a servant who has rebelled,
is repentance accepted from one renouncing all worldliness,
And they are an atonement for him who, guided, has swerved
astray.
though I spoke this in strains of verse yet my speech leads
aright and true;
So accept the advice I give, and my guidance with thankful heart,
and bestow what may be at hand, winning praise from my
gratitude.
Now when I had finished my long and rapid improvisation,
and he whose help I implored, was satisfied
of the truth of my words, his eagerness instigated him
to display generosity in my assistance and zeal incited
him to take trouble in relieving my distress. So he
dealt out to me a ready dole forthwith and was profuse
in ample promise, so that I returned to my nest gleeful
at the success of my stratagem, for by fashioning my
artifice I had obtained the sipping of my sop, and the
weaving of my poem had gotten me the enjoyment of
my pudding-pie. Quoth Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm,
“Then I said to him: ‘Praise to Him who has created
thee, how mighty is thy trickery and how vile are thy
inventions.’ But he burst out laughing exceedingly
and indited without hesitation:
‘Live by deceit, for we live in times whose sons resemble the
forest lions.
Set aflow the rills of wile so that the mill of life may briskly
turn round.
And hunt for eagles, if the chase should fail content thyself with
a tuft of feathers;
Try to cull the fruit, if the fruit escape thee, be satisfied with the
leaves remaining;
And ease thy heart from distracting thoughts at the frowns of
fickle and adverse fortune,
For the ceaseless change of vicissitudes proclaims the doom of our
life’s unstableness.’”
THE FORTY-NINTH ASSEMBLY, CALLED
“OF SÂSÂN.”
According to most commentators, Sâsân, after whom this Assembly
is named, was the eldest son of the king of part of Western Persia,
who was disinherited by his father in favour of a daughter and her
progeny, and fled in high dudgeon from his father’s court, to lead
the life of a nomad shepherd amongst the Kurds. Thus he became
the beau-idéal of beggars and vagrants, and the hero of popular tales,
like the “king of the gipsies.” Others state that, under “the race
of Sâsân,” the Persian kings of the last Dynasty are meant, many of
whose descendants were, after the conquest of the country by the
Arabs, reduced to the utmost poverty and excited popular commiseration
by their tragic downfall. Alluding to this prince of
beggars or beggared princes, Abû Zayd urges his son to practise
mendicancy as a fine art, which he himself had found preferable to
all other recognised means to gain an enjoyable livelihood.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: The report
reached me, that Abû Zayd, when he neared the
(number of years indicated by the) clenched fist (ninety-three),
and the fetter of old age robbed him of the
power of rising, sent for his son, after having collected
his thoughts, and said to him: “O my son,
behold the time for departing from the threshold and
for having my eyes anointed with the koḥl-pencil of
demise has drawn nigh, and thou, praise be to Allah,
art my heir apparent, and the leader of the flock of
Sâsân after me, and for one like thee it needs no
tapping with the staff, nor awakening him by the
throw of pebbles, but he is called upon to exhort men’s
minds, and made to be a furbisher of their thoughts.
So I bequeath thee that which Seth bequeathed not to
Nabat̤, nor Jacob to the tribes. Preserve then my
bequest and eschew disobedience to me; pattern thyself
after my likeness, and ponder well my saws, for if thou
be guided by my counsel and take light from my
morning, thy alighting-place will be rich in herbs and
thy smoke (i.e., the smoke of thy fires of hospitality)
will rise aloft, whereas, if thou be forgetful of my surah,
and cast from thee my advice, the ashes of thy trivet
will be few, and thy people and kin will make light of
thee. O my son, I have tested the true states of things
and experienced the vicissitudes of fortune, and have
seen a man held worth his wealth, not his pedigree, and
inquiry is made after his gain, not after his deserts.
Now I have heard that the means of livelihood are
ministry and commerce, and husbandry and handicraft.
So I have plied these four to see which of them is the
most fitting and profitable. But I have not proved
living by them praiseworthy, nor found ease of life
plentiful in them, for the opportunities of rulerships
and the perquisites of administrations are like the entanglements
of dreams and like the shadows vanishing
with the darkness, and a sufficient anguish for thee is
the bitterness of being weaned therefrom. And as for
the goods of trade, they are subject to risks, and a butt
to depredatory inroads, and how like they are to swift-winged
birds. And as for the undertaking of farms and
applying one’s self to tilling the ground, it is a source
of demeanment and a drag impeding advancement, and
rarely is its pursuer exempt from despisal or blest with
tranquillity of mind. And lastly as for the crafts of
artisans, they yield not more than the merest pittance,
and sell not briskly at all times, and most of them are
dependent on the prime of life. And I see naught easy
to win, sweet to taste, and in its acquirement pure of
nature, but the craft of which Sâsân has planted the
roots and diversified the branches, whose light he has
made to shine in the East and West, and whose beacon
he has kindled to the sons of dust. So I engaged in its
battles, sporting its badge, and chose its mark as my
ornament, since it is the merchandise that never slacks,
and the spring that never sinks, and the lamp to which
all resort and by which the blind and the one-eyed
obtain light. And those who exercise it are the most
powerful of tribes, and the luckiest of folks, no touch of
oppression overtakes them, no drawing of the sword
harasses them, they fear not the sting of biting vermin,
nor submit they to anyone either near or far, they are
not in awe of him who lightens and thunders, nor care
they for him who (in his fretful anger) rises and sits
down again. Their assemblies are pleasant, their hearts
at ease, their food is sped before them, and their times
pass brightly. Wheresoever they alight, they pick up,
and where they slip in, they strip off, they make no
country their home and fear no king, and they differ
not from the birds that are hungry in the morning and
full at eventide.” Then his son said to him: “O my
father, thou hast spoken true in what thou hast said,
but thou hast stitched together, not ripped open. So
explain to me how I may gather in a harvest, and from
which end the shoulder is to be eaten.” Said he: “O
my son, bestirring one’s self is the door to it, and
alacrity its array, and sharpness of wit its lamp, and
pertness its weapon; be thou more on the move than
the Qut̤rub, and travel swifter than the locust, be
brisker than the gazelle by moonlight, and more
aggressive than the tiger-wolf, rub the fire-shaft of thy
fortune by thy effort, and knock at the door of thy
sustenance by thy activity, cross every mountain-pass
and dive into every deep, forage over every pasture-ground
and sink thy bucket into every fountain, weary
not of begging, and be not loath of exertion, for it was
written on the staff of our elder Sâsân: ‘He gets, who
begs, he who roves, makes sure of his loaves.’ But
beware of sloth, for it is a presage of calamities and the
garb of the indigent, the key of poverty and the germ
of affliction, the token of weakness and folly, and the
habit of the helpless, the dependent. He gathers no
honey who has chosen laziness, nor fills he his palm
who deems ease a smooth bed. So step boldly forward,
though it be against the lion, for daringness of the soul
gives speech to the tongue and freedom of motion to the
rein, and by it eminence is reached and affluence
obtained, even as cowardice is the twin of sluggishness,
and the cause of failure, and a hindrance to action, and
a disappointment to hope. Therefore it is said in the
proverb: ‘One who dares, fares well, he who fears, will
fail.’ Sally then forth, my son, with the earliness of
the raven, and the boldness of the lion, and the prudence
of the chameleon, and the cunning of the wolf, and the
greed of the pig, and the nimbleness of the gazelle, and
the craftiness of the fox, and the patience of the camel,
and the blandishments of the cat, and the diversity of
colours of the humming-bird. Beguile by the gilding
of thy tongue and deceive by the sorcery of thy
eloquence; inquire after the state of a market before
bringing thy goods to it, and coax the teat before
milking; ask the travellers before visiting a pasture-ground,
and make it smooth for thy side, before thou
liest down; sharpen thy sight for taking omen from
the flight of birds, and train thy perception for drawing
inferences; for he who is right in reading characters
will have the laugh for a long time, while the prey of
him, who errs in his guess, will be tardy. Make, my
son, thy burden light, and little thy dalliance, be
averse to a repeated draught and content with a drizzle
instead of a downpour, extol the value of the paltry and
be thankful for a trifle, be not disheartened at a refusal,
nor deem it far from possible that the rock should ooze,
and despair not of the mercy of Allah, for none
despaireth of Allah’s mercy but the faithless. And if
thou have to choose between a mite ready at hand, and
a pearl promised thee, incline to the ready, and prefer
the day that is to the morrow that is to be; for delay
leads to losses, and intentions are subject to change,
and promises are prone to be postponed, and between
them and their fulfilment lie mountains, ay, what
mountains! Display then the patience of men of
purpose, and the forbearance of the considerate, shun
the harshness of one who exceeds bounds, and assume
the habits of a cheerful disposition, keep tight the
strings of thy purse, and blend lavishness with parsimony,
hold not thy hand tied to thy neck, nor open
it to its full extent. And when a country disagrees
with thee, or a trouble has befallen thee therein, cut off
thy hope from it and speed away from it thy camel,
for the best of countries is that which betters thy state,
and deem not departure burdensome nor hate removal,
for the chiefs of our sect, and the elders of our tribe
have agreed thereon, that motion is a blessing and the
change of places like a promissory note, whereas they
blame him who holds that peregrination is a bore and
migration an infliction, and they say that it is an excuse
of those who are contented with a paltry pittance and
gratified with poor fruit and bad measure. But if
thou have resolved on journeying abroad, and got ready
for it thy staff and thy wallet, make choice of a helpful
companion, ere thou settest out, for the neighbour before
the house, and the fellow-traveller before wayfaring.
There is, my son, a bequest for thee, such as none afore was
bequeathed yet,
One bright and fraught with the essence of choice rules and
maxims that guide aright.
I selected them as a counseller sincere and earnest in his advice,
So act according to what I teach, as a wise and well-conducted
wight,
That admiringly all people say: ‘This in truth is yonder lion’s
whelp.’”
Said he: “O my son, I have given thee my last behest
and made it right complete. Now, if thou follow it,
well done! but if thou trespass against it, out upon
thee! And may Allah be my substitute with thee, and
I trust thou wilt not belie what I think of thee.” Then
his son said to him: “O my father, may thy throne be
never brought low, nor thy bier uplifted. Thou hast
indeed spoken true, and taught aright, and bestowed on
me that which never yet father has bestowed on son,
and if I be spared after thee, but may I never taste thy
loss, I will forsooth mould my manners after thy
manners, the excellent, and follow thy traces, the
illustrious, so that it may be said how like is this night
to yesterday, and the morning cloud to the cloud of
even.” Thereupon Abû Zayd rejoiced at his answer
and smiled, and said: “He who resembles his father,
wrongs not” (i.e., his mother’s fair fame).
Said Al Ḥarith, son of Hammâm: It has come to
my knowledge that when the sons of Sâsân heard these
beautiful mandates, they prized them above the mandates
of Loḳman, and learnt them by heart, as the
mother of the Koran is learnt, so that they reckon them
to this time the best that they can teach their children,
and more profitable to them than a gift of gold.
THE FIFTIETH ASSEMBLY, CALLED “OF
BASRA.”
This last and crowning piece of Ḥarîri’s work is remarkable in two
directions, which both bring it in close relation to the forty-eighth.
In the latter the author extolled in eloquent strains the quarter of
Basra, which was inhabited by him; here he out-soars the highest
flights of his oratory in a magnificent encomium of his native town
itself. But the present Assembly is still more admirable as a
counter-part of that of the Benû Harâm with regard to the hero of
the romance, who, having given there an account of an incident,
which ominously inaugurated his questionable career, is now represented
as redeeming, under the touch of divine grace, his life of
venturesome expedients, frequently bordering on crime, by sincere
repentance and transports of pure and unremitting devotion.
Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, related: I was one day
wrapped up in sadness, whose brunt was fierce, and
whose impress was visible in me, and as I had heard
that resorting to the assemblies of invocation removes
all veils from man’s thought, I saw for the putting out
of the live coal within me, naught but making for the
cathedral mosque of Basra, whose chairs were at that
time well filled, whose fountains were frequented, so
that the flowers of speech might be culled in its meads,
and the whir of pens was to be heard in its precincts.
So I sped thither without delay and without swerving
to the right or left, and when I had set foot on its
gravel and got sight of its uttermost end, I espied a
man in out-worn tatters upon an elevated stone, round
whom throngs were crowded of uncounted number, and
not engaged in child’s work. Therefore I hasted in
his direction and sought access to him, hoping to find
with him the cure of my disease, and I ceased not
shifting places, heedless of knocks and blows, until I
was seated opposite to him, where I was safe of mistaking
him, when, lo, it was our Shaykh the Serûji, no
doubt in him, nor any disguise to conceal him. Then
at his sight my grief subsided, and the hosts of my
cares were scattered. But when he perceived me and
glanced at the place where I was sitting, he said: “O
ye people of Basra! may Allah keep and guard you,
and strengthen your piety; how far spread is the
fragrance of your fame, and how surpassing are the
virtues that distinguish you; your country is the most
eminent of countries in purity, the richest of them in
natural gifts, the widest in expanse, and the most fertile
in pasture-grounds; she boasts over them the correctest
kiblah, the broadest stream, the greatest number
of rivers and date-palms, the most exquisite beauty in
detail and aggregate, being the gateway to the sacred
land and fronting the door (of the Ka‘beh) and the
station (of Abraham), one of the two wings of the
world, and a city founded on the fear of Allah, that
never was defiled by flames of the fire, whose people
never circumambulated idols, and prostrated themselves
on her ground to none but the Merciful; possessed of
shrines much visited and of mosques thronged with
worshippers, of schools far celebrated, and of tombs
resorted to by pilgrims, of monuments revered and
enclosed precincts. In it meet the ships and the
saddle-beasts, the fish and the lizards, the camel-driver
and the sailor, the hunter and the tiller, the harpooner
and the lancer, the herd and the swimmer, and to it
belongs the spectacle of the tide that rises and the tide
that ebbs. But as for you, ye are of those whose
excellencies not two contest, no enemy gainsays. Your
community are the most obedient lieges to their Lord,
and the most grateful for benefits bestowed on them.
Your ascetic is the most devout of mankind, and the
brightest light on the road of truth; your scholar the
most learned of all ages, and the supreme authority for
all times, and from amongst you came forth he who
created and laid down the lore of grammar, and he who
devised the measures of poetry, and there is no boast of
man, but to you belongs the foremost hand in it, and
the winning arrow; there is no glory, but ye are the
most worthy of it, and the most deserving. Withal ye
have Muezzins far more than the people of any town,
and in worship ye observe the nicest rules, and from
you pattern is taken in performing the ceremonies of
‘Arafât, and became known the morning bounty in
the sacred month for when the slumbers are still and
the sleeper is soundly asleep, there is heard amongst
you a recitation that rouses the somnolent, and rejoices
the wakeful, and the smile of morning dawns not, nor
breaks forth its light in season hot or cold, but the
prayer-call summons you with a murmur, like the
murmur of the wind on the sea-waves. Wherefore
Tradition has disclosed concerning you, and the
Prophet, be peace upon him, has declared aforehand
that your murmur in the mornings would be like the
murmur of the bees in the deserts; honour then to you
for the prediction of the chosen one, and hail to your
city, though it be effaced and nought remain of it but
an outline.” Then he checked his tongue and put an
end to his speech, so that their eyes glanced at him, and
he was suspected of falling short, nay, taunted with
inability to proceed, but he sighed the sigh of him who
is dragged to execution, or whom a lion’s claws have
clutched, when he said: “As for you, O people of
Basra, there is none among you but he is worthy of
renown alike for learning and liberality; but as for me,
he who knows me—well, I am such, and the worst of
acquaintances is he who injures thee; but to one who
knows me not, I will now disclose truly my character.
It is I, who have fared in Nejd and Tihâmeh, in Yemen
and Syria, in the desert and the sea, in deepest night
and early morning. In Serûj I was reared, and in
the saddle I got my training. Forsooth, I have entered
straits, and opened roads that were closed, and witnessed
frays, and soothed tempers, and curbed the restive and
pressed nostrils in the dust, and melted the frozen, and
softened rocks. Ask of me the East and the West, the
hoofs (of camels) and (their) humps, assemblies and
hosts, tribes and squadrons, and gather clear tidings of
me from the reporters of traditions and the story-tellers
at night-talks, from the drivers of caravans, and the
sharp-sighted diviners, that ye may know how many
mountain-passes I have threaded and veils I have rent,
how many perils I have braved and fights I have
fought, how often I have beguiled the minds of men,
and devised novelties and snatched opportunities, and
made lions my prey, how many a high-flown I have
left prone, how many a hidden one I have brought out
by my spells, how many a flint I have ground until it
split, and made spring its sweet water by my wiles.
But there has passed what has passed, while the bough
was fresh and the temple raven-haired, and the raiment
of youth yet new; whereas now the skin has withered,
the straight grown crooked, the dark night waxed light,
and naught remains but repentance, if it avail, and to
patch up the rent that has widened. Now, I had been
apprised by reports well supported, and by traditions
authenticated, that on every day a glance from Allah,
be He exalted, falls upon you, and whereas all men’s
weapons are of iron, your weapons consist in prayers,
and the profession of one God. So I repaired to you,
jading my saddle-beasts, and travelling from station to
station, until I stood in this place before you, though
thereby no obligation be laid upon you, since I sped not
hither but for my own need, and toiled not but for my
own tranquillity, and I crave not your gifts, but beg for
your prayers, nor ask I for your wealth, but solicit
your supplication. Pray then to Allah, may He be
exalted, to accord me grace for repentance and readiness
for my return to Him, for He is the Most High in
dignity and answers prayers, and He it is who accepts
penitence from His servants and forgives transgressions.
“Allah’s forgiveness I crave for sins that, woe me! I have wantonly
committed.
How oft I have plunged in seas of error, and morn and eve walked
in paths of folly,
How oft I have followed passion’s promptings, been arrogant,
greedy and deceitful,
How oft I have spurned the curb in rushing headlong and unchecked
to fell rebellion,
How oft I have reached the bounds of trespass, and never ceased
from careering onwards.
Would that I had been afore forgotten, and never gathered what,
alas, I gathered,
For better far death to him who sinneth, than to pursue such a
course as I sped!
But, O my Lord, grant to me forgiveness: Thy Mercy is greater
than my trespass.”
Said the narrator: Forthwith the congregation commenced
to aid him with their prayer, while he turned
his face heavenward, until his eyelids brimmed with
tears and his agitation became conspicuous, when he
cried out: “Allah is greatest! the sign of acceptance
has appeared and the veil of doubt is removed. May
ye then, O folks of dear Basra, be rewarded with the
reward of Him who guides out of perplexity.” Then
there remained none among the people who rejoiced
not in his joy, doling out to him what he had ready at
hand. He accepted the bestowal of their bounty, and
began to expatiate in thanks to them, whereupon he
descended from the stone and wended towards the
river bank. But I followed in his wake, to where we
found ourselves alone and were safe of being spied and
intermeddled with. Then I said to him: “This time
thou hast done marvels, but what is thy view as to
repentance?” Said he: “I swear by Him who knows
all hidden things and forgives transgressions, my case
is indeed a miracle and the prayers of thy fellow-people
have been answered.” I replied: “Enlighten me more,
so may Allah grant thee more of welfare!” Said he:
“Truly, I had stood before them in the stead of a
doubter, a deceiver, and, lo, I have turned from them
with the heart of the contrite, the devout. Weal then
to him to whom they incline their hearts, and woe
to him on whom they call down their imprecations.”
Thereupon he bade me farewell, and went away, leaving
me in unrest, so that I ceased not tormenting my
thoughts on his account, and looking out for means of
testing the truth of what he had stated. But every
time I sniffed for tidings of him from wayfarers and
roamers in foreign lands, I was like one who talks to
dumb brutes, or hails a mute rock, until after a length
of time and reaching the pitch of anguish, I met with
some travellers returning from a journey, to whom I
said: “Is there any rare news?” Quoth they:
“Indeed, we have news rarer than the ‘Anḳâ and more
marvellous than the sight of Zarḳâ.” So I asked them
for explanation of what they had said, and that they
would mete to me what had been meted to them. Then
they told me that they had made a halt at Serûj, after
the wild asses had left it, and had seen there its
renowned Abû Zayd, who had donned the wool cloth,
and was leading the rows of the praying and had
become a famous devotee. Said I to them: “Mean ye
him of the Assemblies?” Quoth they: “Yea, him
now of all miraculous endowments.” Forthwith longing
urged me towards him, for I saw in him an opportunity
not to be lost. So I set out in all readiness and made
for him full earnestly, until I alighted at his mosque
and the place of his worship, when, lo, he had discarded
the society of his associates, and stood upright in his
prayer-niche, wearing a cloak stitched together with a
tooth-pick, and a patched wrapper. So I was struck
with awe of him, like one who has broken in upon
lions, and found him amongst those whose token is the
trace of prostration in their faces, and when he had told
his rosary, he greeted me with his forefinger without
uttering a word of talk, nor asking for tidings old or
new. Then he proceeded with his recitation from the
Koran, and left me wondering at his devotion, and
envying those whom Allah leads aright amongst his
servants, and he desisted not from adoration and
humiliation, from prostrating himself and bowing down,
from self-abasement and contrition, until he had completed
the performance of the five prayers, and to-day
had become yesterday, when he betook himself with me
to his abode, and gave me a share in his loaf and olive-oil.
Thereupon he rose to enter his Oratory, and
remained alone in converse with his Lord, until, when
the morn shone forth, and the wakeful worshipper was
entitled to his reward, he followed up his vigil with
prayers of praise. Then only he reclined in the posture
of the seeker of repose, and began to chaunt with an
impressive voice:
“Good-bye, my soul, to memories
of vernal camps, and tryste therein,
And fond farewell to trav’ller fair,
yea, bid good-bye to them for aye.
Bewail the time that passed away,
when thou hast blackened pages bright,
And never ceased to steep thyself
in deeds of shame and heinousness.
How oft the night was spent by thee
in sins that none afore has dared,
From lust, indulged without restraint
on wanton couch, in chamber still.
How often spedst thou on thy steps
to unheard-of depravity,
And brokest repentance, slowly vowed,
in swift forgetting sport and play;
How often madest thou bold, O slave,
against the Lord of heavens high,
Not heeding Him and proving false,
ay, false to thy pretended faith;
How often flungst thou, like a shoe
outworn, aside His stern command,
Ungrateful for His benefits
and reckless of His tardy wrath;
How often, running pleasure’s course,
and glibly speaking lies prepense,
Wast thou neglecting carelessly
the duties of His covenant.
So don the garb of penitence,
and shower tears of blood, before
Thy foot commits a fatal slip,
before thy fall has come to pass;
Humbly confess thy sins and fly
for refuge where the guilty flies;
Resist thy lewd propensities
and turn from them with purpose firm.
How long in thoughtlessness and sloth
wilt thou let drift life’s better part,
To what brings loss as only gain,
and never check’st thy mad career.
Perceivest thou not the mingled hue
that streaks with hoary lines thy head,
Yet he whose ringlets blend with grey
is warned of his approaching death.
Woe thee, my soul, redemption seek,
obey, be true, be well advised,
Take warning from those gone before,
in generations passed away,
And fear the stealing on of fate,
be wary, lest thou be deceived.
Walk in the path of rectitude,
for swift, remember, comes thy doom:
To-morrow will thy dwelling be
the bottom of a lonely grave;
Alas, that house of sore dismay,
that station, waste, disconsolate,
That goal of pilgrims of long syne,
of countless pilgrims yet to come;
A house whose inmate will be seen
encompassed, after ample space,
Within the bond of cubits three,
to hold him in their narrow grip.
Who there alights, it matters not
if he a wit be, or a fool,
If poor, or if possessed of all
the riches of a Tobba‘ king.
And after it the roll-call comes,
that musters timid wight, and bold,
And teacher and disciple, and
the ruler and the ruled alike.
Then O the bliss of him that fears
his Lord, and earns the thrall’s roward,
Safe from the dread account and from
the terrors of that awful day.
But O the loss of those who have
sinned and transgressed beyond all bounds,
And kindled discord’s blazing fire,
for sake of worldly goods and joys.
O Thou, in whom my trust is placed,
how grows my fear with every day,
For all the slips and falls that fill
my ill-spent life with guilt and crime.
But, Lord, forgive Thy erring slave,
yield mercy to his welling tears,
For the most Merciful art Thou,
and Best to whom are prayers raised.”
Said Al Ḥârith, son of Hammâm: Thus he ceased not
repeating these words in a low voice and mingling
them with sobs and sighs, until I wept by reason of
the weeping of his eyne, as I had wept heretofore anent
him. Then he sallied forth to his mosque, cleansed by
his night-wake, and I went in his track, and prayed
with those who prayed behind him, and when the
people present dispersed and separated hither and
thither, he took to muttering his lessons and casting
his day in the mould of his yesterday, while he wailed
with the wailing of a bereft mother, and wept as not
Jacob wept, so that I saw clearly that he had joined the
seven saints, and that his heart was imbued with the
love of seclusion. So I formed within me the resolution
to depart and to leave him all by himself in this state.
Then it was as if he had read my purpose or had
revealed to him that which I kept concealed, for he
sighed like one grief-stricken, after which he quoted
(from the Koran): “If thou make a resolution, put
thy trust in Allah.” Thereupon I testified to the
truthfulness of my informants, and knew for certain
that in our dispensation inspired ones are found. So I
went nigh to him, to put my hand in his, and said:
“Give me thy bequest, O servant sincere of counsel,”
when he said: “Keep death before thy eye, and this is
the parting between me and thee.” With this he bade
me farewell, while the tears streamed from the corners
of my eyes, and my sighs rose from within my entrails,
this being the last of our meetings.
NOTES TO THE ASSEMBLIES OF ḤARÎRI.
THE TWENTY-SEVENTH ASSEMBLY.
Ḥarîri himself accompanies this Assembly with a short commentary
on the idioms and Arabic proverbs occurring in it, and his
explanations included amongst the following notes are marked with
(H.).
In the prime of my life.—Arabic fî rayyiqi zamânî, also râ’iq, which
means, in the beginning or early part of it. Another spelling of the
word is raiq, without tashdid.—(H.)
The people of the hair-tents.—Wabar means originally “camel-hair,”
or as the Arabic lexicographers put it, “that which in the camel
corresponds to the wool of the sheep, and is opposed to madar, a
clod of clay or mud. Hence ahlu ’l wabar designates the dwellers in
tents made of a tissue of camel-hair pitched in the desert, and ahlu
’l-madar, the dwellers within mud-walls, the inhabitants of villages
and towns.” By a still bolder metaphor, wabar and madar are used
for those dwelling-places themselves, as in the phrase: “the like of
this I have not seen in desert or town.”
So that I might take after the bent of their forbidding (lofty) souls, i.e.,
that I might follow their example. The verbal noun “taking” (here
translated by bent) is in Arabic aḥẕ or iḥẕ.—(H.).
A string of the groaning.—Al-hajmah (exclusively applied to camels)
is a drove of about a hundred (H.). According to other commentators
it is from forty to a hundred, or between ninety and a hundred, while
a number beyond this is called hunai‘dah.
A flock of the bleating.—As̤-s̤allah is a herd of sheep (H.). As to
“the groaning” and “the bleating,” Ḥarîri quotes the saying: Mâ
la-hu râghiyatun wa ta z̤āghiyatun, for “he has neither camel nor
sheep.”
Stead-holders of kings, i.e., they took the places of kings in their
absence (H.). Ridf, pl. ardâf, is one who rides behind another on
the same beast, hence, metaphorically, one next in rank, a successor,
or substitute, one who sits at the right hand of the king, a wazîr or
minister, and ridâfah in pre-Mohammedan times corresponds to the
wizârah, or office of wazîr in Islâm. The phrase means that each of
them was worthy of and fit for such dignity.
“Sons of saws,” men who owed their fame to their choice sayings,
eloquent speakers, to use the paraphrase of Ḥarîri, who adds: “It is
said of a great orator, he is a son of speeches.”
No arrow struck my (smooth) rock, a proverbial expression for “no
slander was suffered to injure my fair fame.”
Or throw the halter over her hump, i.e., allow her to wander and
graze where she pleased.
So I sprang upon a swift-paced steed.—Tadas̤s̤ur is synonymous
with wus̤ûb, to jump or leap upon the back of the horse, and miḥẓâr
or maḥẓîr, fleet of course, is taken from ḥaẓr, running with a high
step.—(H.)
Exploring every copse and treeless spot.—Iqtirâ = tatabbu‘, following
up, travelling from one place to another; shajrâ’, a place grown
over with trees, mardâ’, one deprived of vegetation. Hence, amrad,
hairless in the face, beardless.—(H.)
When the crier calls to prayer and salvation, in Arabic ḥai‘ala, a verb
formed from the initial words of the Muezzin’s call, ḥayya ‘alá
’l-ṣalâti, ḥayya ‘ala ’l-falâḥ. The infinitive is ḥai‘alah, and similar
formations are hailalah, saying lâ ilâha illâ ’llâhu, there is no God
but the God; ḥamdalah, saying al-ḥamdu li ’llâhi, praise is due to
God; ḥauqalah, saying lâ ḥaula wa la quwwata ïllâ bi ’llâhi, there is
no power and no strength save in God; see basmalah, saying bi’smi
’llâhi, in the name of God; ḥasbalah, saying ḥasbunâ ’llâhu, God is
our sufficiency; sabḥalah, saying subḥâna ’llâhi, adoration be God’s;
ja‘lafah saying ju iltu fidâka, may I be made thy ransom.
And its going to the watering-place found no return, i.e., did not
obtain its object, as animals return from the water only after having
quenched their thirst.
Until the heat waxed blinding, lit., until there came the time of the
little blind one’s stroke or knock, a most idiomatical expression
which sorely taxes the ingenuity of the interpreters. Grammatically
‘umaiy is the diminutive of a‘má, blind, and the Ḳâmûs says that it
means by itself the noonday heat, in which case the effect would
stand for the cause, the blind for the blinding. Other explanations
are (1) that ‘Umay is the name of a famous depredator, who used to
strike by his inroads upon people at mid-day, when they were too
languid to offer much resistance. (2) That the word is applied to
the young of the gazelle, which by the excess of the heat becomes
frantic, and butts at or knocks against anything near it. In the
Arabic Dictionary Muḥit̤, I find the statement that in poetry the
form ṣakkatu ‘umyin (pl. of a‘má) is used, the stroke or knock of the
blind, either with the same reference to the gazelle, or to people
blinded by the heat and groping their way by knocking their sticks
on the ground. I conclude this note, Arabic fashion, with “God
knows best.”
Would have made Ghailân oblivious of Maiyah.—Ghailân was a
renowned poet of the Bedouin Arabs, whose nickname ẕû ’l-rummah,
“the one with the rope,” was given to him by Maiya or Maiyah,
daughter of Kays, when he first saw her, carrying a rope on his
shoulder, and asked her for a draught of water to drink, whereupon
she said, “O thou with the rope,” which simple words, falling from
lovely lips, forthwith enslaved him for life.
Longer than the shadow of a lance.—A long day is compared with
the shadow of a lance, which by the Arabs is considered as the
longest thrown by the setting sun, probably on account of its accompanying
slenderness, as a short day is likened to the claw (lit.,
thumb) of the Ḳata bird. A poet, quoted in Ḥarîri’s commentary,
says: “Many a day, like the shadow of the lance, has been shortened
for us by the blood of the wine-bag and striking the strings of
lutes.”
Hotter than the tears of the bereft mother.—It is said that the tear of
grief is hot, and the tear of joy is cool, whence the prayer: “May
Allah cool his eye”; and the imprecation: “May Allah heat his eye,”
for: May He make him shed tears of joy or of sorrow respectively.
—(H.)
Sha‘ûb would grip me.—Sha‘ûb, a diptote, not taking the article,
is a name of death, meaning the “Separator.”
My boon-companion a booklet.—The Arabic juzâzah, a scrap, is used
both for scrolls, in which beggars state their case, to enlist the
sympathy of the charitable, and leaves of paper containing information.
Adopting the latter meaning, I translate it by booklet, in
accordance with the saying of an Arabic poet, that a book is the
best companion for a man to while away the time, as the saddle of a
fleet horse is the best resort for him to make him independent of
space.
For some end Ḳoṣayr mutilated his nose.—Ḳoṣayr bin Sa‘d was a
freedman of the King of Irak Jathîmet al Abrash, and after his
master had been treacherously murdered by Queen Zebbâ, resolved
to revenge his death on her. This he accomplished by having the
tip of his nose cut off by his master’s nephew ‘Amr, pretending that
the latter had done so because he suspected him of eomplicity in
the betrayal of Jathîmet, and thereby gaining her confidence, which
soon procured him an opportunity of putting his purpose into
execution. Abû Zayd means that Ḥârith must have a good reason
for his lonely journey in the desert during the noonday heat.
In the two months when the camels ail from thirst, lit., the two
months of the thirst-stricken camel, meaning the hottest summer
months, as we would say the dog-days, when the skin of camels and
sheep dries up in consequence of their excessive thirst.
A night such as Nâbighah sings of, alluding to the following line of
this poet: “I passed a night as though one of the spotted snakes
had assailed me, the poison of whose fangs is piercing.”
Like Ash‘ab, a servant of the Khalif ‘Othmân, proverbial amongst
the Arabs for his covetousness, which according to his own confession
was surpassed only by that of his equally proverbial sheep.
The latter had mounted on his roof, and on seeing a rainbow took
it for a rope of the plant qatt (apparently a favourite dainty with
sheep), jumped at it and broke its neck.
Donning the leopard’s skin, a proverbial expression for insolent and
bold, the leopard (namir) being considered as the boldest of animals
and the least patient of injury. Hence the verb tanammara is
derived, he became like a leopard.—(H.)
Of the two good things, allusion to Koran, ix. 52.
One woe is lighter to bear than two, meaning that it is easier for
Ḥârith to put up with the loss of his horse than to lose both horse
and camel together.
After hap and mishap.—Thus I translate, in order to maintain the
alliteration of the original, the words ba‘da ’llataiyâ wa ’llatî, which
it is impossible to render literally. Allataiyâ is the diminutive of
allatî, fem. of the relative pronoun allaẕî. Their idiomatical import
in this place is, according to Ḥarîri’s own commentary, either to
serve as synonyms of calamity (dâhiyah), or to signify misfortunes
small and great.
THE TWENTY-EIGHTH ASSEMBLY.
In accordance with tradition, alluding to the saying of Mohammed
that he who bathes before Friday prayers will have his sins
remitted.
Seeking in the sap of my youth help against the glamours of the mirage,
i.e., finding in the freshness and vigour of youth a safeguard against
the allurements of sensual pleasure, which are deceptive as the sarâb,
or resemblance of water in the desert. With regard to this latter
word, that which I translate with “sap” is in the original mâ’, water,
applied to the face in the sense of brightness and beauty, to youth
in the sense of sprightliness and energy.
When I was entitled to speak of my home, lit., I was master of the
expression ‘indî, which in Arabic is equivalent to, I have or possess.
It differs from the synonyms ladaiya or ma‘î, “I have with me,” by
meaning both “I have with me” and “at home,” which latter
signification justifies the above rendering.
And offer the best of cattle, for “a fattened camel,” in allusion to a
tradition handed down by Ibn Omar, according to which Mohammed
said: He who has taken on a Friday the bath of purification is as
though he had offered a fattened camel (badanah).
People ceased not to enter in troops into the faith of Allah, allusion to
Koran, cx. 2, “And thou seest men entering the religion of Allah
by troops.” The following expression, “singly and in pairs,” also
occurs in the sacred book, xxxiv. 45, where, however, instead of
azwâjan (in pairs), the expression mas̤ná, “two by two,” is used.
And the time had come when a person is equal to his shadow, indicating
the time shortly after noon, when the prayer of z̤uhr is to be performed,
in accordance with the tradition: “Say the prayer of z̤uhr,
when thy shadow is like thyself.”
In the wake of his acolytes (khalfa ‘uṣbati-hi).—The word uṣbah,
troop, is explained by Sherîshi “the company of the muaẕẕins.”
When he gave blessing by waving his right hand, instead of uttering
the words salâmun ‘alaikum, a practice observed by preachers,
following the doctrine of Ash-Shâfi‘î, to which Ḥarîri himself
adhered.
A guide to the right road for the black hued and the red, i.e., for the
Arabs and the nations unable to speak Arabic, and therefore called
‘Ajam, dumb, as the Persians, Greeks, Europeans in general. They
are respectively named black and red, on account of their complexion,
or the colour of their hair.
Of the angel and the frightfulness of his questioning, allusion to the
angels Munkar and Nakîr, said to visit the dead in their graves and
to interrogate them as to their belief in the Prophet and his
religion.
How many roadmarks has it effaced, etc., lit., how often has it
effaced a roadmark, but the renderings given seem more in accordance
with the English idiom.
On destroying the songster and the listener to the song, in Arabic
al-musmi‘ wa ’s-sâmi‘, the one who makes listen to and delights by
his melodies (mut̤rib), and the listener delighted thereby (t̤arib).
It bestows no riches but to show aversion and to reverse your hopes, in
Arabic lâ mawwala illâ mâla wa âkasa ’al-âmâla, the verb mâla
having with the preposition ilá the meaning “he inclined towards,
was favourable,” with the preposition ‘alá, he was biassed against
and proved obnoxious. This passage is full of assonances and
alliterations, for the sake of which I would translate in the following
sentences kalama ’l-auṣâla, to cut the limbs, somewhat freely by “to
harm,” and la‘uma, to stint, by “to harass.”
And Ṣirât̤ your path.—The word Ṣirât̤, which in common parlance
means road, is in the Koran generally accompanied by the adjective
mustaqîm, the straight or right road, that is, the teaching of
Mohammed or Islâm. In Sûra xxxvii. 23, however, the expression
occurs: “guide them to the road of hell” (ilá ṣirât̤i
’l-jaḥîmi), and this has probably given rise to the signification in
which the word is used in the traditions and theological writings as
the bridge across the infernal fire, which is described as finer than a
hair and sharper than a sword. The righteous will pass over it
with the swiftness of the lightning, but the wicked will soon miss
their footing and will fall into the fire of hell.
And the plain your goal, or resorting place, in Arabic wa’s-sâhiratu
mauridukum, taken from Koran, lxxix. 14, where as-sâhirah is
explained as the renewed expanse of the earth, on which the
gathering of mankind on the day of judgment takes place, or as the
surface of the earth, to which they are called by the blast of
resurrection from their graves beneath it. This name, which means
“the wakeful,” is given to the earth, because it watches over
vegetation day and night, and it is also one of the names of hell,
because its inhabitants never close their eyes in sleep.
Are not the terrors of doomsday lying in ambush for you?—At̤-t̤âmmah
means originally an overwhelming calamity, from t̤amma-’lmâ’, the
water has overflowed, and is, generally with the adjective al-kubrá,
“the great,” applied to resurrection, as in verse 34 of the Sura just
quoted. Another Koranic expression is al-ḥut̤amah, the crushing,
applied to hell in Sura civ. 4, 5, where it is said that the backbiter
shall be flung into it. In the text it is called “the firmly
locked,” because no escape from it is possible.
By the fulfilment of fate or befalling of fatality, i.e., the inevitableness
of death. De Sacy, in his commentary, quotes to this passage the
following lines of Mutenebbi:
“There is no help for man of that couch where once placed he never
tosses from side to side;
Thereon he forgets, what erewhile has enraptured him, and the bitterness
that death has made him to taste.
We are the sons of the dead, why then loathe the draught, that needs
must be drained?
We stint to Time our souls, though they be his due,
For these souls are air of his air, and these bodies are dust of his dust;
If the lover bethought himself of what the end will be of the beauty
that entrances him, it would not entrance him.
Yet when we see the bursting forth of the rising sun, our minds doubt
not of his setting.
The shepherd in his ignorance dies, as surely as Galen with his leechcraft.
Nay, at times he will out-live him, and surpass him in the safeness of
his flock.”
A bride without a spot, implying that the address was composed of
words devoid of dotted letters, as in the feminine termination ◌ the
diacritical points are not considered to be inherent in the letter, but
merely an accidental addition, introduced for the sake of euphony
in the case of a vowel following.
And (the moment) for dispersing on the earth had come, allusion to
Koran, lxii. 10: “And when the prayer is ended disperse yourselves
abroad and go in quest of the bounties of God, and often remember
God.”
In the rank of Al Fuẓail, a celebrated devotee and ascetic in the
days of Harûn ar Reshîd, who according to some authorities was
born at Samarcand, the scene of the present Assembly, and whose
life is to be found in Ibn Khallikân, i. 580.
THE TWENTY-NINTH ASSEMBLY.
The country of Wâsit̤.—A town midway between Kufa and Baṣra,
whence its name, or rather two towns, on either bank of the Tigris,
and joined by a pontoon-bridge. The old town on the eastern bank
was mostly inhabited by the chiefs of the surrounding villages.
Wâsit̤ proper, on the western side of the Tigris, was founded by Al
Hajjâj, who built there a cathedral mosque and a castle, which
became after him the seat of the Governors of ‘Irâk. A proverb
says, “Thou art heedless as if thou wert a Wâsit̤î,” the origin of
which is told as follows: Al Hajjâj pressed the people into his
service to build the new city, so that many fled and passed the
night amongst the poor in the mosques of neighbouring towns.
His attendants went in pursuit of them, and called out on entering
such places, “Halloo! O man of Wâsit̤,” and whoever was taken by
surprise and raised his head was seized and carried off.
Not paying overmuch for rent, in Arabic lam unâfis fî ujratin, which
phrase, however, admits also of the translation, not stinting its
rent. Another reading is, lam unâqish fî ujratin, not being close in
my reckoning as to rent. The circumstances in which Ḥârith finds
himself make the above rendering more probable.
Nor thy adversary keep on foot.—The word ẓidd, which is used both
as singular and plural, occurs in the sense of enemy, Koran, xix. 85:
“Those gods (taken beside God) will disavow their worship and will
become their enemies.”
The one of full-moon face and of pearly hue, meaning the loaf or
cake of white bread, whose further description in the following lines
scarcely calls for explanation in all its details. Of pure root, for
instance, refers to the wheat, from which it is made; who was
imprisoned and set free, to the process of grinding the corn in the
milk; who was suckled and weaned, to the water mixed with the flour
to make it into dough, and kept from it while being kneaded.
And exchange for him the pregnant that impregnates, etc., meaning
flint and steel, neither of which produces by itself the spark, but
requires the co-operation of the other, so that both attributes apply
to either of them. The following antithetical expressions and
metaphors, as referring to the flint-stone and the spark, are equally
self-evident as those employed in the description of the loaf. It
must, of course, be remembered that Al Ḥârith was not possessed
of the clue, and might therefore well be puzzled by the seeming
contradictions.
Amongst the rows of market shops, in Arabic naẓâ’ida ’l-ḥawânît,
where naẓâ’id is the pl. of naẓîd, a fa‘îl (agent), in the sense of fa‘ûl
(patient), “what is placed in rows,” or “piled up.” I refer it to
the market-shops themselves, but it may also apply to their piled-up
goods.
On his homeward way.—This translation is taken from De Sacy’s
commentary, which explains rawâḥ, as “returning after going,”
while Sherîshi takes it, in my opinion less satisfactorily, in its
usual sense of “evening.”
I knew that this was of Serûji growth, the feminine of the adjective
of relation, indicating a thing appertaining to or proceeding from
the Serûji; for, “I knew that it was a trick of Abû Zayd’s.”
And makes come forth the fruit from their sheaths, allusion to Koran,
xli. 47: “No fruit cometh forth from its coverings, neither does any
female conceive nor is she delivered, but with His knowledge.”
And which of the twain was thy state? lit., upon which of thy two
descriptions didst thou fly from home, openly or secretly, well
provided for or deprived of means, etc.?
How to procure a loan or gift, in Arabic qarẓ, that for which an
equivalent or compensation is returned, and farẓ, that which requires
no compensation or return.
How then am I to make union between the neck-ring (ghull, a ring of
iron or leather round the neck of a captive, figuratively for a
shrewish wife) and an empty purse (qull, scarcity, poverty)? Ẓull, son
of Ẓull, in the next clause, is a proverbial expression, for an obscure
son of an obscure father. Being related to the root ẓall, to err, go
astray, both in a literal and metaphorical sense, it may be translated
by Scamp, son of Scamp, as in the following couplet of Aṣm‘aî:
“Your Ziyâd is a Scamp, son of Scamp, we have nothing to do with
(or wash our hands of) your Ziyâd.”
Who shall . . . be proxy in and on thy behalf, in the original wakîlan
laka wa ‘alaika, i.e., I shall be thy agent and substitute, securing and
promoting thy interests, and standing security for the fulfilment of
thy engagements.
If Ibrahîm, son of Adham, proposed to them, or Jebeleh, son of Ayham.
—The former one of the Magnates of Khorasan, who renounced his
wealth and lived in voluntary poverty, becoming proverbial for
abstemiousness and disinterestedness; the latter the last king of
Ghassân, equally proverbial for generosity and liberality. As only
a small dowry would be expected from the first, and the second
would offer a large one, the Arabic illâ, “but,” “unless,” means
“neither less nor more” than the sum sanctioned by the practice of
Mohammed himself. The following “on the understanding that no
portion should be claimed from thee” (to be paid at once), “and
thou shouldst not be forced to seek refuge in divorce” [in which
case the dowry would have to be forthcoming], implies that the
whole thing is a farcical plot, devised by Abû Zayd for his own
benefit, and from which poor Ḥârith will have to extricate himself
as best he can.
Who is sharp-witted in the interest of him he loves, a popular saying,
for which see Ar. Prov., i. 717.
So the matter is all but settled, in Arabic ka’an qad, “as though
already,” where the verb kâna, “it had come to pass,” is understood;
an elliptical phrase, to which the editors of the second edition of
De Sacy quote the corresponding French idiom, “c’est tout comme.”
Then he cast a glance at the stars, a Koranic quotation, taken
from Sura xxxvii., verse 86, where it is said of Abraham: “So
gazing he gazed towards the stars and said, ‘In sooth I am ill.’”
The spreader of earth’s couch, the fastener of the mountains, again
expressions borrowed from the Koran, lxxviii. 6; lxxxviii. 20; and
xvi. 15.
An abolisher of the ordinances (or rites) of Wadd and Suwâ‘, two
idols of the people of Noah, the former in the shape of a man, and
worshipped by the tribe Kalb, the other in female form, and
worshipped by Hamaẓâu. De Sacy and the Beyrout edition read
Wudd, but in all copies of the Koran, printed or in MS., which I
have consulted, I find the name spelled Wadd, and this is also the
reading of my own MS. of Ḥarîri (see Koran, lxxi. 22).
To wed your bride, the honoured, reading al-mukarramah, which,
according to a note in my MS., is warranted by the handwriting of
Ḥarîri himself. Another spelling is makzumah, which by Moṭarrezi
is interpreted as an honorary gift offered by the bridegroom to the
bride before nuptials, when mumlîk would have the meaning of
mumallîk, “putting her in possession of,” i.e., “presenting her
with.”
Void of punctuation, in Arabic al-‘âriyyata mina ‘l-i‘jâm, applies to
Abû Zayd’s address, in the same sense as the sermon in the preceding
Assembly was called a bride without spots, as composed of words
the letters of which have no diacritical points. The two compositions
are remarkable as instances of Ḥarîri’s marvellous acquaintance
with and power over his language.
With concord (or ease) and sons, a congratulatory formula addressed
to the bridegroom, and depending on an elliptical, “may thy union
be blessed,” etc. (comp. Ar. Prov., i. 170).
That the people fell prone upon their faces (lit., chins) . . . like the
roots of rotten palm-trees, allusion to Koran, xvii. 109, 110. The
expression, “it was not in quicker time than the eyelids meet,”
corresponds to our “in the twinkling of an eye,” and the construction
in the Arabic idiom is, to use the term of their grammarians,
reversed (‘alá ’l-qalb), for “the time which elapsed until the
people fell on their faces, was not quicker than that in which the
eyelids meet.”
Thou hast done a hateful thing, quotation from Koran, xviii. 73:
“Then they went on until they met a youth, and he (Khiẓr) slew
him. Said Moses, ‘Hast thou slain him who is free from guilt of
blood? Assuredly now hast thou wrought a hateful thing.’”
By him whom Allah kept blessed wherever he might be, i.e., by ‘Îsá
(Jesus), in allusion to Koran, xix. 31, 32: “It (the babe born by
Mary) said, ‘Verily I am the servant of God; He . . . hath made
me blessed wherever I may be, and has enjoined me prayer and
almsgiving so long as I shall live.’”
THE THIRTIETH ASSEMBLY.
Bestriding the back of [a steed like] Ibnu ’n-na‘âmeh.—The Beyrout
edition of the Assemblies says in a note that Ibnu ’n-na‘âmeh [son
of the young ostrich] was the name of a celebrated horse belonging
to Al Ḥaris̤ bin ‘Abbâd. According to other authorities, it means
a generous horse in general, the road, the sole of the foot, the leg,
and human sweat, and Ḥarîri may have left purposely to his
readers the choice between these various interpretations. For the
expression, “with the swiftness of the ostrich,” comp. Ar. Prov.,
ii. 151.
And garlanded [coronated] with begging-baskets, in Arabic mukallal,
from iklîl, a crown, i.e., surrounded with a row of ornamental knobs,
here formed by the begging-baskets, as the draperies of the vestibule
consisted of tattered garments. The various terms for mendicants
employed in the subsequent passage are muqaiyif, one who follows
your track [qîfah] to importune you with his solicitations; mudarwiz,
probably from the Persian darwâz [for dar-bâz], an open gate, one
who goes from door to door asking for alms, or offering his services;
mushaqshiq, one who recites verses of poetry alternately with
another, both standing on opposite platforms, and etymologically
related to shiqshiqah, the throatbag of a camel, which has been mentioned
before, from the verb shaqshaq, to emit a sound, cry out,
roar; mujalwiz, in the argot of beggars, the rehearser of the merits
and virtues of Mohammed’s Companions before a popular audience
in the mosques.
Reluctantly, in the Arabic idiom mutajarri‘an al-ghuṣaṣ, gulping the
choking draughts.
Then lo! there were in it richly adorned state-chairs, etc.—This
display of furniture indicated, according to Sherîshi, that a wedding
was to be celebrated in the house, while the begging-baskets suspended
in the vestibule and the tattered garments hung around it
characterized the building as an inn [finduq] of the beggar tribe,
not appertaining to any distinct owner.
As if he were the (a) son of Mâ’u ’s-samâ [water of heaven], the
surname of a woman from the tribe Namir bin Ḳâsiṭ, so called on
account of her beauty, whose son was Munẕir bin Imr al-Kais, king
of Ḥîra. It is also a laqab of ‘Âmir bin Ḥarîs̤ah al-Azdî (father of
‘Amr, who emigrated from Yemen after the bursting of the dyke
‘Arim), and to whom this name was given on account of his
generosity, which was as rain to his people in the times of drought.
Hence his progeny, who reigned in Syria, were called Benû
Mâ ’as-samâ [comp. Ar. Prov., iii., P. 1, p. 340].
The day and nights . . . morning and evening, the former in Arabic
al-malawân, dual of malá, in the sense of time, the latter al fatayân,
dual of fatá, youth.
When he had sat down on his carpet.—Zurbiyyah or Zirbiyyah, a
word the plural of which, Zarâbiyyu, occurs in the Koran, lxxxviii.
16: “And carpets spread forth.”
And has sternly forbidden the refusal of supplicants . . . and commanded
to feed him that begs and him that refuses to beg.—An allusion
to Koran, xciii. 10, “And as to him that asketh of thee, chide him
not away”; and to xxii. 37, “And feed him who asketh humbly,
and him who scorneth to ask though poor.”
Those who know well that the supplicant and the destitute have a claim
on their riches, lit., and in whose riches is a known claim, etc.
Another allusion to the Koran, lxx. 24, 25.
I take refuge with Him from hearing a prayer void of intention,
meaning the formula bûrika fîka, may a blessing be bestowed on
thee, with which beggars are politely refused, and from which, in
consequence of its frequent use, the noun bûrik, in the sense of
refusal, is derived. To this the commentaries quote the lines:
“Many a crone, cunning and crafty, and quick to refuse the poor,
thinks that a be-blessed is enough for me, when I come forward,
stretching out my right hand.” The expression, “void of intention,”
originates in the anecdote that an Arab, who asked alms from some
people, was answered with bûrika fîka, whereupon he retorted: “May
Allah consign you to the tender mercies of a prayer, in which there
is no intention.”
“And secure to the poor a share from the rich,” i.e., create the
institution of zakât, or legal alms, by which the claim of the indigent
for assistance from the rich is acknowledged and vouchsafed. The
same idea is repeated lower down in the words: he made obligatory
the claims on the possessions of the wealthy, and it runs, as Sherîshi
remarks, in varied forms through the whole of the address, naturally
enough, as the preacher speaks for the edification of the begging
fraternity.
And lowered his wing to the lowly, or showed humility to the
humble, allusion to Koran, xvii. 25.
As well as his elected of the people of the stone-bench, in Arabic
ahl aṣ-ṣuffah, a name given to a number of aliens amongst the companions
of Mohammed, the so-called “guests of Islâm,” poor
strangers without friends or place of abode, who took shelter on a
stone-bench, roofed with palm-branches, in the porch of the Temple
of Medina.
For He said so that you may know: “O ye men,” etc., quotation from
Koran, xlix. 13.
Abû ’d-Darrâj Wallâj, son of Kharrâj, fanciful names, truly
appropriate for members of the craft, which may be translated,
Father of the Tramp, In-slipper, son of Out-goer, the last two epithets
probably meaning one who makes himself at home under all circumstances,
and knows how to extricate himself from all difficulties.
Equally graphic are the names given to the wooed bride: Kanbas,
daughter of Abû ‘Anbas, somewhat like Spitfire, daughter of the
Sire of the frowning Lion. There is much humour in this Assembly,
which, I hope, will be duly appreciated by my readers.
And if you fear poverty or want, Allah will give you a sufficiency out
of His abundance, quotation from Koran, ix. 28. In the Koranic
passage the dreaded event is explained as to be brought about
through the breaking off commercial relations, here, of course, it is
apprehended from the increase of family.
By Him who created the heavens one above another, etc., allusion to
Koran, lxvii. 3.
Whose engrossing cares distract the mind; or, Whose carking sorrow
sore perplexes and distracts me.—A somewhat free translation of the
Arabic khat̤bu-hâ khat̤bun marîjun, lit., whose calamity is a perplexing
calamity (comp. Koran, l. 5, where the word marîj is joined with
amr, “perplexed therefore is their state.”
THE THIRTY-FIRST ASSEMBLY.
Travel fills the provision-bags, i.e., increases a man’s wealth, in
accordance with the saying, “motion produces and rest is barren.”
Readers of the “Arabian Nights” will remember the numerous
quotations of verses in praise of travel contained in it, to which may
be added, from De Sacy’s commentary, the following lines of
Gurrudurru (for whom see Ibn Khallikân, i. 500):
“Press on thy camels to the open plain, and leave fair damsels to abide
in palaces.
For those who cling to their countries are like the dwellers in the graves.
If it were not for resorting to foreign parts the pearls of the seas would
not adorn the necks of beauty.
Rise and bestir thyself briskly in the lands, for he who sticks at home is
looked down upon,
As the Pawn is made little of until, when he moves on, he queens it
right royally.”
The last simile, taken from chess, is a translation into our
phraseology of the game of the Arabic, iẕâ sâra ṣâra farzânan, when
he travels, he becomes a wazîr.
I made up my mind, etc., in Arabic istajashtu, I asked for an army
(jaish) and help from it. The following “started” is in the original
aṣ‘adtu, which generally has the meaning of “I ascended,” but must
here evidently be taken in the sense of tawajjahtu, “I travelled in
the direction of.”
To the mother of cities.—Ummu ’l-qurá, a name given by the
Mohammedans to Mecca, because she is the first and therefore
maternal city created by Allah, and because the people of all other
towns resort to her (ya’ummûna-hâ).
So between night-faring and journeying by day, between trotting and
ambling.—In Arabic baina idlâjin wa ta’wîbin wa îjâfin wa taqrîbin,
infinitives of verbs, signifying various modes of travelling on camels,
amongst which îfâf, the verbal noun of the fourth form of wajf,
occurs in the Koran, lix. 6. I have translated it by “trotting,”
but its literal meaning is “running in leaps” (sâra ’l-‘anaq).
That which rescues on the day of the mutual call, that is, of resurrection,
in allusion to Koran, xl. 34: “And, O my people! I indeed
fear for you the day of mutual outcry,” when, according to vii. 42,
“The inmates of Paradise shall cry to the inmates of the fire, ‘now
have we found what our Lord promised us to be true; have
ye too found what your Lord promised you to be true?’ And they
shall answer ‘Yes’; and a Herald shall proclaim between them,
‘The curse of God be upon the evil-doers.’” Other commentators,
however, explain it as the day of assembly, the expression tanadá
’l-qaum being synonymous with ijtama‘û.
Flocking together from the mountain-paths, an-nâsilîna min al-fijâj,
for which comp. Koran, xxi. 96.
That piety is the tucking up of sleeves.—In Arabic naẓwu ’l-ardân,
which is usually called tashmîr, and done to show readiness for work,
especially in travelling. The word naẓw may also be taken in the
sense of putting off, in which case the sleeves would be pars pro toto,
and the expression would indicate the stripping of the body from
all other garments, in order to don the iḥrâm, or pilgrim-cloak.
But as the latter act does not precede, but follow the separation
from family and country, the former interpretation seems preferable.
In making for yonder building, meaning the Ka‘bah, to which the
preacher had alluded when he said at the beginning of his address:
“Do ye comprehend what ye are about to face?”
For by Him, who prescribed the rites for the devout.—Here in particular
the ceremonies of the pilgrimage, for a description of which see
the article Ḥajj in Hughes’ “Dictionary of Islâm,” pp. 155–159;
Burkhardt’s “Travels in Arabia,” i. 363; and Burton’s “Pilgrimage
to Mecca and Medina.”
The girding with the izâr profits [avails] not when one is burdened with
iniquities.—In the original ma‘a ’l-iẓt̤ila‘i bi ’l-auzâr. The last word
is the plural of wizr, “a heavy load,” and metaphorically “crime,”
“iniquity,” which occurs in Koran, vi. 164: “No soul shall labour
but for itself; and no burdened one (wâzirah) shall bear (yazir)
another’s burden (wizr).”
None prospers by visiting mount ‘Arafât.—In Arabic bi-‘arafata,
without article and imperfectly declined. In this form the word is
the technical term for the ceremony of visiting the holy mountain,
the name of which latter is ‘arafât, a plural without singular.
Another term for the said ceremony is ta‘rîf, verbal noun of the
second form, which is explained as wuqûfun bi‘arifât, the station on
mount ‘Arafât, and which occurs lower down in connection with
ifâẓah, the running down or dispersion from it, as in Koran, ii. 194:
“And when ye disperse from ‘Arafât.”
For a losing bargain of dissemblers it suffices that they plant and reap
not, lit., the sufficiency of dissemblers with regard to or for deception
is that they plant and reap not, for they are sufficiently punished
thereby. The accusative ghabnan is analogous to that in Koran,
iv. 47: wa kafá bi ’llâhi naṣîran, and God is a sufficient helper, lit.,
suffices as to a helper.
For, lo, no hidden deed shall remain hidden from the Compassionate,
allusion to Koran, lxix. 18.
And the threader of the pearl-strings that he had displayed, lit.,
recited (anshada-hâ). Naṣîf al-Yazaji objects to the change of vowel
between anshada, the reading of De Sacy and most manuscripts,
and the preceding anshudu, “I was searching for.” He proposes
unshadu-hâ, aor. pass. of the fourth form, in the sense of “which had
been recited to me.” In this case the verb would govern two
accusatives, one of which has become nominative in the passive
voice, the admissibility of which seems doubtful, and, moreover, the
change of vowel is not avoided thereby. The editors of the second
edition of De Sacy, while preserving his reading in the text, remark
in a note, that if an alteration should appear desirable they would
suggest unshida-hâ, when the meaning would be, “which I am
reciting or quoting throughout my narrative.” Curiously enough
this suggestion is confirmed by my own MS., and it has certainly
much to recommend it.
Until he had climbed up (tawaqqala) one of the mountains, to which
comp. Ar. Prov., ii. 840: auqalu min ghufrin, “a better climber
than the young of a chamois or mountain-goat.”
He made hand fall upon hand, i.e., he clapped his hands, as to
mark time. The word banân, which literally means the finger-tips,
is here used for hand, as in the Koran, viii. 12, it is used, according
to some commentators, for hands and feet, or the extremities in
general.
Curing (lit., tanning) it with sore repentance before the hide all through
is rotten, a popular saying, for which comp. Ar. Prov., ii. 346.
THE THIRTY-SECOND ASSEMBLY.
As the verbal explanations of the legal ambiguities contained in
this Assembly have been, for the convenience of the reader, given
in parenthesis along with the translation, I can restrict myself in
these notes chiefly to some additional illustrations, and the references
to the Koran and the Arabic Proverbs.
When I had completed the rites of the Hajj, and absolved the duties of
[the shout] Labbaika, and the out-pour of the blood of the sacrifice.—In
Arabic waz̤â’ifa ’l-‘ajjī wa ’s̤-s̤ajj, the former being synonymous with
talbiyah the intonation of the prayer beginning with labbaika [I am
ready for thy service, etc.], which is chanted with a loud voice
during the pilgrimage, especially on the last stage before Mecca; the
latter meaning the shedding of a victim’s blood on the day of
sacrifice, both of which are by a tradition declared to be the most
meritorious parts of the pilgrimage.
With a travelling company of the Benû Shaibah, a tribe descending
from Shaibah, who, according to Sherîshi, is identical with ‘Abd al-Mut̤t̤alib,
Mohammed’s grandfather. Other authorities say that he was
a son of ‘Us̤mân, son of T̤alḥah, son of ‘Abd ad-Dâr, son of Kusaiy,
in the custody of whose descendants the keys of the Ka‘bah are kept
until the present day.
And to disengage myself from the tribe of those who perform the Hajj
and neglect him [Mohammed].—Allusion to a reported saying of
Mohammed’s: “He who performs the pilgrimage, and visits me not,
wrongs me.”
So I was bewildered between fear that made me lag, in Arabic yus̤ab-bitunî
, an expression borrowed from Koran, ix. 46: “But God was
averse to their marching forth and made them laggards; and it was
said, ‘Sit ye at home with those who sit.’”
Running as if they were flocking to some idol, quotation from Koran,
lxx. 43, where, however, the interpreters differ as to whether the
word nus̤ub is to be taken for “standard” or “idol.”
The father of lies and tricks, in Arabic ẕâ ’sh-shuqari wa’l-buqari, where
shuqar is explained as “downright lie,” and buqar as an ittibâ‘, or
complementary apposition based on similarity of sound (comp. Ar.
Prov., i. 162 and 309). The word translated by mischief in the next
line is fawâqir, pl. of fâqirah, which occurs in the Proverb ‘amala
bi-hi ’l-fâqirata, meaning according to Maydâni, he has done him an
injury that breaks his vertebræ. Similarly we read in the Koran,
lxxv. 28: “As if they thought that some calamity would be inflicted
on them” (an yuf‘ala bihâ fâqiratun).
And gathered his garment in the approved style, lit., he wrapped himself
up in the deaf fashion (aṣ-ṣammâ’u), said to be thus called
because it left no opening, as the ear is deaf when it is stopped up.
The learned in the law of Islâm describe it minutely in various
ways, and according to Abû Obayd, quoted in the Ṣiḥâḥ, their
reason for discussing it is that Mohammed commended this manner
of dress, hence my translation of the phrase. The same observation
applies to al-qafdâ’, manner of wearing the turban, which precedes in
the text, and the following al-qurfuṣâ‘, manner of sitting, has been
described in vol. i., p. 412, which description justifies my rendering
“he was sitting with his hand knitted in front of his knees.”
For by Him who has created the heavens, etc.—Allusion to Koran
vi. 79, and ii. 29.
Who are averse to the daughters of some one else, in Arabic ‘an banâti
ghairin, meaning lies, falsehood, any deviation from truth. A poet
says: “When thou comest some one else’s daughters are on the
spot, and when thou turnest thy back they hasten their departure.”
Another form of the expression occurs in the proverb: jâ’a bi
’sh-shuqari wa’l-buqari wa banâti ghiyar, where ghiyar is plural of
ghairah, probably in the sense of jealousy, the underlying idea
apparently being that lie is jealous of truth.
The cold has thrown him down.—The meaning “sleep” given in
the reply of the legist to the word bard, which in common parlance
signifies “cold,” is borne out by Koran, lxxviii. 24: “No sleep shall
they taste therein nor any drink, save boiling water and running
sores,” and by the proverb a’l-bardu yamna‘u ’l-barda, cold prevents
sleep. In de Sacy’s Commentary the proverb is quoted man‘u ’l-bardi
’l-bardu, when the sense would seem to be, “the preventive of
(feeling) cold is sleep,” perhaps a grim travesty of the fact that
people overtaken by the cold sleep themselves to death.
What sayest thou with regard to one who has used sand for his ablution?
in Arabic ta-yammamu, for which practice, allowed by Koran,
v. 9, if water is not available, see Dict. of Islâm, p. 631.
And let him avoid the dirty one, an injunction which is based on a
tradition according to which the Prophet exhorted the believers to
keep their court-yards clean.
And thou art free of blame, words addressed by Kosayr, the freedman
of Jathîmet al-Abrash, to the latter’s nephew, ‘Amr bin ‘Adî,
whom he had urged to expel him with his nose cut off, and who
refused to do it, saying, “I am not the man to treat thee thus, nor art
thou the man to deserve such treatment.” “Do it,” replied Kosayr,
“and thou art free of blame,” which answer passed into proverb (see
Ar. Prov., ii. 219, and comp. the Note to Assembly XXVII., p. 190,
above.
A traveller, etc.—As to the exemption from the fast of Ramadân
for travellers, etc., the Koran, ii. 181, says: “But he who is sick, or
upon a journey, shall fast a like number of other days.”
By Him who has made the chase lawful, i.e., by Allah, in allusion
to Koran, v. 3: “And when all (connected with the pilgrimage) is
over, then take to the chase.”
And also she was menstruous.—This interpretation of the word
ẓaḥikat refers to Koran, xi. 74: “And his wife was standing by,
and became menstruous; and We announced Isaac to her; and
after Isaac Jacob.” It must, however, be remarked, that Baydâwi
and most of the other Commentators explain the word in its usual
meaning and in accordance with our Bible.
Is the buying of (meaning on the part of) a caller from a herdsman
allowed? etc.—With regard to this question, a marginal note in my
MS. remarks: “It is said that ad-dâ‘î, the caller, means the cock;
others say it is used for ‘abd,’ slave, as râ‘î (herdsman) stands for
saiyid, lord or master, and that the meaning is, may the judge sell
the slave against, i.e., in spite of the unwillingness of a bankrupt
master, who is debarred from the disposal of his property (majḥûr),
a proceeding which is in perfect accordance with the law.” Bai‘u
’d-dâ‘î may, however, also mean buying on the part of the caller, in
whatever meaning the word may be taken (in Assembly xxvii. it is
applied to the Muezzin, which would explain the following dâ‘î,
collector of the legal alms), and in this case the preposition ‘alá
stands for min, “from,” as in Koran, lxxxiii. 2, after the word
iktâlû: “Who when they take by measure from (‘alá) others, exact
the full.” As for the answer, there is no difference of opinion
amongst the commentators; the selling or buying of the dâ‘î in the
sense of “remainder of milk left in the udder,” is forbidden, like
that of the fœtus in an animal’s womb, because it is majhûl, an
object unknown as to its quality or quantity, a subtlety in the
Mohammedan Law, which here is obviously more of a theoretical
than practical nature.
Ṣaqar, a hawk, and also date-juice, which it is as unlawful to barter
for the fruit, as meat for the living animal (see p. 47, l. 7 from the
bottom).
Yea, and it may be inherited from him when he has died, or people
may inherit from him after his death, indicating that by his act he
ceases not to be a righteous Moslem.
What sayest thou with regard to the dead body of an infidel (as article
of food)?—This can be taken literally, when the abomination would
be self-evident to excess. But a less repulsive interpretation may
be an animal slaughtered by an infidel, which would be as unlawful
as the carcase of an animal after its natural death, because he had
not invoked the name of Allah on killing it.
May a pitcher be bought from the Benû Aṣfar? etc.—Benû Aṣfar,
usually applied to the Greeks, stands here for the enemies of Islam
in general, from whom it would be for a Moslem, if not forbidden,
at least highly objectionable, to buy offensive or even defensive
weapons, as sword or helmet, which may purposely be of bad make,
or have been employed against his co-religionists. This translation
takes the preposition ‘alá in the sense of min (see the note above),
but as bai‘ is bartering, i.e., giving or taking in exchange, it seems
evident that the same preposition, which in case of buying means
“from,” has in the case of a sale the meaning “to,” and the objection
may be against selling weapons to infidels, or against both
transactions, buying from and selling to them.
He replied: “Nay, nor to the co-partner in a yellow she-camel.”—The
point of this is that the right of pre-emption (shu‘fah) applies to
immovables, and the expected answer, if the word ṣaḥrâ’ is taken
in its current meaning, “field,” would be yes, while Abû Zayd’s
negative reply presupposes for it the more recondite meaning, in
which it can be as little an object of pre-emption as a camel or gold.
This is worthier of acceptance, because not being pregnant.
According to the words of the Koran: “Behold to Thee we have
returned,” in Arabic innâ hudnâ ilaika, Sura vii., verse 158. By a
singular mistake, Rodwell translates: “Verily to Thee we are
guided,” probably misled by Flügel, who gives it in his Concordance,
p. 203, under hadá, the passive of which, however, would be
hudînâ, instead of under hûd, of which hudnâ is the preterite active.
A camel tied to the tomb of her master, etc.—If the Arabic balîyah
is taken in this sense, then the word ṣabr signifies the act of binding,
and the custom itself, as a superstition of the pre-Islamitic
times, is strongly condemned; while ṣabru ‘l-balîyah in the sense of
patience under calamity is highly meritorious.
And also he helped, strengthened, honoured, in which meaning the
word ta‘zîr occurs (Koran, xlviii. 9): “That ye may believe on
God and on His Apostle; and may assist Him, and honour Him,
and praise Him, morning and evening.”
Afqar, he impoverished and also he lent a camel to ride upon her back,
the connecting link between which two significations is the word
fiqâr, vertebræ, inasmuch as poverty breaks a man’s back, while the
camel carries him on hers.
A kind of embroidered stuff, meaning that one who abstains from
wearing such, i.e., from habits of luxury in general, shows wisdom
and discretion, and is therefore eminently fit to be appointed judge.
One who denies a debt.—The interpretation of the word ‘âbid, by
“one who denies or repudiates,” is given by some commentators in
explaining Koran, xliii. 81: “Say ‘if the God of Mercy had a son,
the first then would I be to deny him,’” where Rodwell translates
“to worship him.”
As if he had committed an open robbery, in Arabic ghaṣaba, he has
taken with violence, the punishment for which is not amputation,
but imprisonment, etc.
THE THIRTY-THIRD ASSEMBLY.
At a time when I had come to Tiflis, in Arabic Taflîsu and Tiflîsu,
the well-known city in the Caucasus.
Together with a number of paupers.—In some MSS. ma‘a zumratin
(in others ma‘a ‘uṣbatin) mafâlîsa, where the latter word is not
dependent on, but in apposition to the former respectively, while
De Sacy and my own MS. read simply ma‘a mafâlîsa (an imperfectly
declined plural).
Then the people fastened [bound] their loops to him, i.e., they sat down
to listen to him, an idiom for which compare vol. i., p. 412.
Does not eye-witnessing dispense with hearsay? and the smoke reveal the
fire?—I have translated amâ as interrogative, but it may equally
well be taken as the particle of tantîh, and rendered by “assuredly,”
meaning: “You see with your own eyes, without my telling you,
what my condition is, and my appearance sufficiently indicates the
state of my affairs.”
Yet erewhile I was one of those who possess and bestow.—The word
mâla is explained by the commentators by tamawwala, he was
wealthy, in which sense it would be synonymous with the preceding
malaka, he possessed riches. But it has also the meaning, “he gave
part of his property to others,” and this interpretation seems to me
preferable, as it conforms in idea with the phrase, rajulun mâlun
nâlun, a man who is rich and bountiful, in which mâlun corresponds
to malaka, and nâlun to mâla.
But calamities ceased not to subvert.—The word translated by
subvert (tasḥat) occurs in the Koran, xx. 64: “For then will He
destroy you by a punishment.” One of its derivatives is suḥt or
suḥut, anything unlawful, as leading to perdition, especially applied
to usury in Koran, v. 46, 67, 68.
Who trailed his sleeves along in luxury.—The usual phrase is, he
trailed his skirt, but the length of the sleeves of a costly robe
pictures still more forcibly the extravagance of Oriental habits and
habiliments.
Or to whom the tidings of daughters have been brought.—Allusion to
Koran, xvi. 60, 61: “For when the birth of a daughter is announced
to any one of them, dark shadows settle on his face, and he is sad:
He hideth himself from the people because of the bad news: shall
he keep it with disgrace, or bury it in the ground?” For the
practice of the Arabs of the Ignorance to bury infant daughters
alive, compare the exhaustive note in vol. i., p. 434, to the passage:
“Give life to one buried alive.” I repeat from it here the final line
of the poem quoted from the Ḥamâseh in explanation of the reasons
which may have induced a father to put an end to his daughter’s
days: “She desires my life, but I long for her death, through compassion
on her; for to women death is the most generous quest.”
Beguiled by the beauty of his delivery, along with his disease.—The
Arabic ma‘a dâ’ihi, together with his ailment, implies that his
listeners, while delighted with his utterance, were at the same time
moved to compassion for him by his well-simulated palsy.
That which was hidden in their belts and concealed in their bosoms.
—The words translated by “belts” and “bosoms” respectively are
khuban, pl. of khubnah, and s̤uban, pl. of s̤ubnah, which the native
dictionaries explain in almost identical terms as those parts of a
garment which serve as receptacles for money and other objects.
So take this trifle, in Arabic ṣubâbah, rest of water at the bottom
of a well, and metaphorically used for anything of small value.
And reckon it neither a miss, nor a hit, i.e., as a thing neither to
be disdained nor to be made much of, and given more to show our
goodwill towards thee, than to lay thee under the obligation of
thanks.
Made off stumbling on his road, lit., snatching his ways with
stumbling.
And is indulgent with thee.—In the original man yanfuqu ‘alai-ka,
which is explained by “one who buries thy faults in a hole” (nafaq),
i.e., veils and conceals them. Others take the verb in the sense of
having currency, and therefore being acceptable, so that the meaning
would be, who by the pleasantness of his manners makes himself
agreeable to thee.
And hast met with a prize, so cling to it.—A proverb applied to
one who has obtained his wish, and for which see Ar. Prov., ii. 326.
Then he laughed long, and stood before me a sound or perfect man.—
The Arabic for “long” is here maliyyan, which occurs in Koran,
xix. 47: “Begone from me for a length of time.” The final part
of the clause is an allusion to the same Sura, verse 17: “And we
sent our spirit to her, and he appeared before her like a perfect
man.”
With no ailment in his body.—Ailment is in the text qalabah, which
stands originally for an illness which makes a man toss on his
couch, but is used, as here, in a more general sense in the proverb,
mâ bi-hi qalabah, there is no ailment or blemish in him (Ar. Prov.,
ii. 610).
And at his feigned palsy, lit., at the falsehood or lie of his palsy
(‘alá kaẕibi laqwati-hi). Similar, though with the state of construction
reversed, the Koran says, xii. 18: “And they (Joseph’s brethren)
brought his shirt with the blood of lie (i.e., with false blood)
upon it.”
THE THIRTY-FOURTH ASSEMBLY.
When I crossed the deserts towards Zabîd.—This is a prosperous
town in Yemen, the largest and most important after Ṣanâ, the
scene of the first Assembly, from which it is about forty parasangs
distant. It is abundantly irrigated, and therefore rich in gardens
and orchards, which grow fruit of various kinds, especially bananas.
Whom I had reared until he reached the full vigour of life, reckoned
by the Arabs from fifteen to forty years of age. The word used for
it in the original is ashudda-hu, which is variously explained as
plural of shadd, like aflus from fals, or of shudd, like awudd from
wudd, or of shiddah, like an ‘um from ni‘mah, or lastly as a singular
without plural, like ânuk (tin).
And trained until his straightness had waxed perfect, a simile taken
from the straightening of a lance, here to be taken in a moral sense
Therefore needs his good services had won him my heart, literally had
attached themselves or clung to my heart, a proverbial expression,
for which see Ar. Prov., ii. 510 and iii., P. 2, 493.
When the sole of his foot was turned up and his voice had been silenced.—
This translation takes the word na‘âmah in the sense bât̤inu ’l-qadam,
mentioned above, p. 198. According to Sherîshi it has also the
meaning of “bier,” and of “gallows-tree,” the being raised of either
of which is a popular idiom for death and destruction. Others
explain “when his ostrich had fled,” i.e., when he had departed life,
in analogy with the saying shâlat na‘âmatu ’l-gaum, the people’s
ostrich has taken himself off, when they leave a place or disperse.
As for “his voice had been silenced,” sakanat na’matu-hu, it is taken
from the imprecation “may God silence his voice,” askata ’llâhu
na’mata-hu, whence some commentators propose to read in the present
passage sakatat, “was silent,” instead of sakanat, the original meaning
of which is “was at rest,” and tallies better with the secondary
signification of na’meh, movement or motion [ḥarakah].
Who might be a stopgap for my needs.—Sadâd, here rendered by
stopgap, is, according to Maydâni’s remark on this proverbial
expression, a small quantity of milk which has dried up in the udder
and obstructs the flow of the milk (Ar. Prov., i. 616).
Who gives satisfaction when he is tried.—The final part of the clause
is in Arabic iẕâ qulliba, literally when he is turned about, which is
paraphrased by, when he is stripped, to examine the soundness of
his limbs.
That not every one who undertakes a work carries it through, and that
nothing will scratch my skin as well as my own nail.—The first clause of
this proposition alludes to the following couplet, taken from a
poem of Zohayr in praise of Hârim bin Sinân:
“Thou carriest through what thou hast undertaken,
while some undertake but fail to carry through.”
The second is an adaptation of the proverb “Naught scratches my
back as well as my own hand” (Ar. Prov., ii. 602), to which Sherîshi
quotes some lines of the celebrated Imâm Ash-Shâfi’i, in which also
the word “nail” is substituted for the word “hand” of the proverb,
and which exhort, like the latter itself, to self-exertion in preference
to reliance on others.
With the yellow and the white, meaning gold denars and silver
dirhems.
Who if thou stumble says to thee, “Rise to thy feet.”—La‘an or la‘ for
la‘an laka is an exclamation in the sense of a prayer that he may rise
sound and safe, addressed to one who has tripped or fallen, and is
opposed to the imprecatory formula ta‘san, fall or perdition on thee,
which occurs Koran xlvii. 9: “But as for the infidels, let them
perish!” In a disputed passage of the Ḥamâseh fa’t-ta‘su adná la-hâ
min an yuqâla la‘an is explained by Ḥarîri himself in his Durrat al-Ghawwâs
by “she is worthier to be prayed for than to be prayed
against,” while Tabrîzî in his Commentary reads the initial word
fa’n-na‘shu, and interprets: “she has sooner risen than one could
say to her Rise!” The origin of la‘an la-ka is said to be the elliptical
idiom la‘alla-ka “haply thou mayst,” here mentally supplemented
with “rise in safety.”
And were it not, by God, for life’s straitening stress (ẓanku ‘aishin).—
Compare Koran xx. 123: “But whoso turneth away from My
warning, his truly shall be a straitened life,” i.e., a life of misery
(ma‘îshatan ẓankan).
I would not sell him for the realms that Kisrá rules.—To this the
commentators quote the following line of a poet to the same effect:
“Necessity, O Mother of Mâlik, at times compels a man to part
with belongings which otherwise he would guard with a niggard’s
care.”
I fancied him one of the youths of the garden of delight, and said,
“This is not a man but an honoured angel.”—Allusion to Koran
lvi. 11, 12, and 17: “These are they who shall be brought nigh
to God in gardens of delight . . . immortal youths go round about
to them with goblets and ewers and a cup from a fountain.” The
second clause is a quotation of the words with which, in Sûra
xii. 31, the Egyptian ladies praise the beauty of Joseph, a quotation
which, as the sequel will show, proves ominous on the present
occasion.
Whether his elocution matched his comeliness, and how his utterance
tallied with the fairness of his countenance.—Literally where his
eloquence was from his brightness of face, and how his tongue or
language from his fairness, the preposition min, from, here meaning
“considered apart from” or “in contrast with.”
So I turned aside from him.—In Arabic ẓarabtu ‘an-hu ṣafḥan,
another Koranic idiom, taken from ch. xliii. 4: “Shall We then
turn aside this warning from you as if with repulsion, because ye
are a people who transgress?” The accusative ṣafḥan is in this
passage, according to the most plausible explanations, an infinitive of
a verb synonymous with ẓarab, and corroborative of the idea contained
in the latter verb, which we might here translate “I struck
out and away from him.”
Then listen: Joseph I am, ay, Joseph I am.—Allusion to Koran,
xii. 90: “They said, ‘Canst thou indeed be Joseph?’ He said,
‘I am Joseph, and this is my brother.’”
But he did not soar whither I had soared.—Hallaqa, lit., he described
circles (ḥalqah), is applied to a bird, which rises into the air,
and the phrase means here, “he demanded not such a high price for
the boy as I had expected him to do, and was ready to pay,” and in
similar manner the following, nor held he on to that to which I held on,
signifies, “he showed less eagerness to keep the youth than I was
anxious to take possession of him.”
That every thing sold cheap proves dear, a piece of worldly wisdom
which I dare say most of my readers have bought sometime or other
with their own experience.
Both eyes of the lad flowed over with tears, more abundant than the
tear-flow of the clouds, literally, they brimmed over, and not with the
brimming of the tears of the clouds, an idiom for which compare
(vol. i., p. 304) Chenery’s note on the phrase, “With an earliness
beyond the earliness of the crow.”
The hungry bellies, in Arabic a’l-karishu ’l-jiyâ‘u, an idiom remarkable
in more than one respect. Karish is, literally, the stomach of a
ruminant, and denotes metaphorically a man’s children, family, or
household. In this sense we shall meet with it in Assembly XLVIII.,
attakhiztu-hum karishî wa ‘aibatî, which may approximately be translated:
“I took them for my kith and kin,” and is used by Harîri
in allusion to a tradition according to which Mohammed applied the
expression to the Anṣâr, or Helpers, i.e., the Meccans who joined
him after his flight to Medina, and the inhabitants of the latter
town who embraced his cause. The word ‘aibah means originally a
chest or wardrobe to keep clothes in, and has become a popular
metaphor for intimate friends as depositories of a man’s secrets
(comp. Ar. Prov., i. 59). In the present passage of our text it is
further to be noticed that the singular karish is followed by the
plural jiyâ, for which the native grammarians adduce two reasons.
The most natural explanation is that the noun karish, though grammatically
a singular, is here logically a plural, and may therefore
fitly be accompanied by an adjective in that number. The other
view of the case is that the plural of the adjective intensifies its
meaning, and is joined to the substantive singular, in order to
qualify the one subject, as it were, with the aggregate hunger of
several subjects, a rather far-fetched explanation, here only given
as an instance of the subtlety of grammatical discussion in which
the Arabs delight. As another etymological curiosity, I may mention
that the word al-‘aibah figures in the parlance of the common
people as a corruption of ‘al-lu‘aibah, diminutive of lu‘bah, a toy
for children, a doll, from the totally different verb la‘b, playing,
sporting.
This is Sakâbi, not for loan or sale.—Sakâbi, an indeclinable noun
terminating in kasrah, is the name of a famous horse belonging to a
man of the tribe Temîm, who refused to sell it with the above words.
It was thus called from its swiftness, compared to the rushing of
water when poured out.
My value was lost to them, and what a value.—Literally, “they have
lost me, and what a man have they lost,” meaning, according to the
commentators, they have not understood or appreciated my worth,
This is an instance of the rhetorical figure taẓmîn, which consists in
the quotation of part of a well-known couplet or number of couplets
to apply it to the circumstances of the quoter. The words are
borrowed from a poem ascribed to Umaiyah bin Aṣ-Ṣalt, by others
to ‘Abdallah bin ‘Amr bin Us̤mân, and the conclusion of the line is:
“lost for the day of battle or stopping breaches.” The words may
also signify “They have undone me,” and if taken in this double
meaning, are more particularly addressed to Abû Zayd; if taken in
the sense of “lost,” they contain at the same time another warning
to Ḥarîth to be on his guard.
And distinguish him not from the lobes of my liver, in the Arabic
idiom, “from the slices of my liver,” meaning from my children, in
the sense in which one of the poets says: “Our children are amongst
us but our hearts walking on the ground.”
I commend thee to the keeping of one who is an excellent master or
patron.—Allusion to Koran, viii. 41: “But if they turn their back,
know ye, that God is your patron: Excellent patron and excellent
helper!”
For clear as daylight should it be what Joseph meant, namely, that
my sale was as unlawful as that of freeborn Joseph.
And (had) read to him the Sura, i.e., told him our story, in playful
allusion to the chapter of the Koran in which is related the story of
Joseph. For the following, he who has given a warning is excused,
comp. Ar. Prov., xi. 119.
For whose wound there is no retaliation.—In Arabic jurḥu-hu jubâran,
i.e., whose blood might be shed with impunity, as it is said in tradition,
that there is no retaliation or blood-money due for the blood
of ‘Ajams, or non-Arabs. The expression jubâr for the more usual
hadar occurs in the legal maxim founded on another tradition,
al-ma‘danu jubârun, which means that for one who has been killed
by the collapse of a mine no retaliation can be exacted from the
owner or the employer of the man.
Then I gnashed my teeth.— Taḥarraqtu, the fifth conjugation of
ḥaraqa, with fathah on the second radical, he kindled, etc., may
mean, “I burned with rage.” But Sherîshi explains it, “I ground
my teeth, so that they gave forth a sound, on account of the violence
of my anger,” which is the signification of the form harîqa, with
medial kasrah of the primitive verb.
Thy money is not lost, if it has taught thee a lesson, in the original:
“Not has gone from thy substance that which has admonished
thee;” i.e., the money which thou hast lost will not be thrown
away if it teaches thee to be more careful of the remainder, and he
who has roused thee to circumspection and cautiousness has not
done thee an injury (comp. Ar. Prov., i. 435).
He puffed his cheek and cracked it at me in derision.—Aẓraṭa, he
produced a sound in bad odour with good company, means here he
produced an imitation of that sound, and has obtained the sanction
of tradition, which reports that Mohammed, on visiting the public
treasury, expressed in this manner his contempt for the gold and
silver coin accumulated therein.
Heretofore the tribes sold Joseph, though they were what people know
they were.—Under the tribes (asbât̤) the sons of Jacob are understood,
and the laconical expression, wa-humu humu, literally, “and
they (are) they,” signifies, “They are what they are known to be,”
i.e., revered patriarchs. The words in the preceding line, “I am
not the first (lit. an innovator) therein,” are taken from Koran,
xlvi. 8: “Say, ‘I am not the first of Apostles (lit., new amongst
them).’”
I am not of those who sting twice and make one tread upon two cinders.
—The first part of this sentence is an allusion to, or rather perversion
of, a reported saying of Mohammed’s: “The believer is not
bitten twice from out of a snake’s hole.” In the second part,
“upon two cinders” stands for “twice upon cinders or burning
coals,” and the meaning is, “I am not one who injures the same
person a second time.”
Flinging the remembrance of his deed behind me.—In Arabic, nabaẕtu
fa‘lata-hu z̤ihriyyan, which last word occurs Koran xi. 94: “He said,
‘O my people! does my family stand higher in your esteem than
I do? Cast ye Him behind your back,’” where Baydâwi explains
z̤ihriyyan by manbûẕ warâ’a ’z̤-z̤ahr.
THE THIRTY-FIFTH ASSEMBLY.
In my roamings I met at Shiraz.—Shiraz, in Arabic an imperfectly
declined noun or diptote, one of the principal cities of Persia, of
which Sherîshi gives a glowing account in his Commentary, and
which is familiar to the friends of Oriental literature as the birthplace
of the Persian poet Hafiz, and many other men of note.
See how their fruit would fulfil the promise of their blossom, literally,
how their fruit would be from, i.e., in comparison with their blossom,
an idiom for which see a preceding note, p. 213 above.
Who had well-nigh encompassed the two goals of life, in the original
“the two lives,” i.e., that of increase of strength up to forty, and that
of decrease up to eighty, according to others, up to sixty and hundred
and twenty respectively. The critics blame Ḥarîri for connecting
in this passage two verbs of identical meaning, kâda yunâhizu, as if
we would say, “he was near approaching.” But I find that nâhaza,
with the accusative aṣ-ṣaida, game, is explained by bâdara-hu, he
overtook or reached it, and feel, therefore, justified in my translation,
the terms of which seem perfectly legitimate.
A man exists by the two things smallest in him, meaning his tongue
and his heart, or as a poet in the Ḥamâseh puts it:
“One half of man is his tongue, the other half his heart; what remains
is but an image of flesh and blood.
“Many a man who pleases thee when silent waxes taller or smaller by
his converse.” (Ar. Prov., ii. 635, 922.)
Counting its aloes as common wood, i.e., being gifted with surpassing
eloquence themselves, they made little of its choicest points.
For the word khit̤âb, address, many explanations are given, but there
is little doubt that it applies here to that branch of philological
science which treats of rhetoric or the rules of elevated diction and
composition. The expression faṣlu ’l-khiṭâb, here translated with
the “chapter or section of rhetoric,” has occurred in the second
Assembly, vol. i., p. 114, towards the end, where I would render it
“the discrimination of his address,” or “his discriminate eloquence,”
while Chenery prefers “the sagacity of his judgment,” in accordance
with Koran, xxxviii. 19: “And We established his (David’s)
kingdom: and wisdom, and skill to pronounce clear decisions, did
We bestow on him” (comp. the note on the passage, vol. i.,
p. 291).
But he uttered no word of explanation nor made he his meaning clear
by any sign, literally, he explained not with a word, nor cleared
he up by any sign, the Arabic preposition ‘an, “from,” in the
terminology of the grammarians here being used li ’l-isti‘ânah, that
is, standing for “by means of.”
But asked what are his endowments, literally, what is his portion
(khalâq), in allusion to Koran, iii. 71: “Verily they who barter
their engagement with God, and their oaths, for some paltry price—
These! no portion for them in the world to come!”
Now when he had captivated all their senses, in Arabic fa-lammâ
khalaba kulla khilbin, the literal rendering of which would be, “when
he had beguiled every pericardium.”
Make known to us the shell of thy egg and its yolk, for “thy outward
and inward state.” For the preceding phrase, thou hast shown us
the mark of thy arrow, comp. Chenery’s note on the proverb: “Each
man knows best the mark of his arrow,” vol. i., p. 323.
Now when I perceived the traces of the good and bad blended in
Abû Zayd.—This is an approximate paraphrase of an idiom which
defies all attempts at a more accurate translation. Shaubu abî
zaidin wa raubu-hu is explained by the commentators as meaning
the honey of Abû Zayd and his curdled milk, that is to say, his
sweet and bitter, or his truth and falsehood. The proverb (Ar.
Prov., ii. 647 and 878), mâ ‘inda-hu shaubun wa lâ raubun, applies
to a man of indifferent character, somewhat like the English, “he is
neither fish nor fowl.”
When, lo! it was he himself, in Arabic fa-iẕâ huwa iyyâ-hu, with
the objective case of the repeated pronoun instead of the nominative,
according to the grammarians of Basra a popular solecism for
fa iẕâ huwa huwa, as would be the English, “behold! he was him.”
Since Ḥarîri was a native of Basra, it is more than probable that he
shared this view; nevertheless, he adopts the faulty phrase, partly
because he aims at a vivid portraiture of life, partly for reasons
discussed by Chenery in his “Introduction,” vol. i., p. 72, where
similar instances of such disputed grammatical points are mentioned.
Has wooers for her comeliness and pleasingness.—The literal rendering
would be: “Is wooed as with the wooing of one who by her
beauty can dispense with adornments (ghâniyah), and by her pleasant
ways so captivates her husband that he feels not tempted to look at
others (mughniyah).
Then let him wash my grief with its proper soap.—This may be
taken by Abû Zayd’s audience to mean a gift that would allay his
anxiety for the future of his pretended daughter, but for the initiated
it contains an allusion to a saying attributed to Chosroes, that wine
is the soap for grief, and implies that the reprobate intends to spend
the prospective dirhems on the forbidden beverage, which is the real
theme of his improvisation.
Making me send after him more than one glance of loving affection.
—Here again a lengthy paraphrase is needed, in order to render the
Arabic idiom intelligible. Zawwada-nî naz̤ratan min zî ‘alaqin means
literally: “provisioned me with the glance of one possessed of
affection” (comp. Ar. Prov., ii. 747).
THE THIRTY-SIXTH ASSEMBLY.
The explanation of the twenty conundrums contained in this
Assembly has been given at the foot of the translation from Harîri’s
own commentary, and it remains for me here only to add a few more
remarks of general interest, partly from the same short commentary
appended to it by the author, partly from other sources, which I
was able to consult.
I made my camel of peregrination kneel down at Malat̤îyah.—De Sacy
spells the name Malt̤îyah, and I followed him in my own edition of
the text, misled by his statement that the ancient name of the town
was Maldanî, and had by the Arabs been transformed into Maltîyah,
with or without tashdîd on the yâ’. Since then, however, I have
ascertained that the town, situated in Mesopotamia on the western
side of the Euphrates, was formerly called Maladnî. Moreover
Fîrûzâbâdî, the author of the Kâmûs, rejects the form with tashdîd
as faulty, hence it appears that the form Malat̤yah given in De Sacy’s
quotation from Mutenebbi is the only correct one, and that Harîri
has altered it into Malat̤îyah by poetical licence, to make it rhyme
with mat̤îyah, travelling-beast. The old city had been destroyed by
the Greeks, and Kaliph Mansûr rebuilt it a.h. 139, surrounded it
with a wall, and settled in it a number of Arab tribes.
When I had thrown down there my staff, a proverbial expression for
I had given over travelling or made a halt. In a similar manner, it
is said, “I lifted up my staff,” for “I set out on or resumed my
journey” (Ar. Prov., ii. 644; ii. 493).
I saw a group of nine people who had purchased some wine.—The
Arabic term for people is here raht̤, which means a company of
men below ten in number, and who according to an observation of
Ḥarîri in his Durrah, are sons of the same father from different
mothers. If, however, the word is preceded by a numeral, as here
by tis‘ah, nine, it is synonymous with nafs or shakhṣ, a person, and
in using it in this signification, Ḥarîri alludes to Koran xxvii. 49:
“And there were in the city nine persons, who committed excesses
in the land, and did not that which is right.” A few lines lower
down the sons of one father and various mothers are called abnâ’u
‘illât, ‘illah being a fellow-wife, from the root ‘all “drinking repeatedly,”
according to the idea that a man on marrying first took a
single draught (nahila), which he repeats on wedding a second
woman or more in addition. These half-brothers are further qualified
as thrown together from deserts, from which it would appear that
their case was similar to that of the fictitious son of Abû Zayd and
Barrah in Assembly V., vol. i., p. 130, that is that all of them, or at
least some, had a common father, who in his wanderings had
married their respective mothers, and left them pregnant, without
returning to them. On their chance meeting they may have discovered
this tie of relationship between them, which in itself was
loose enough, but strengthened by their common love for Arab lore,
here called the woof of scholarship, and meaning an intimate knowledge
of the Arabic language, oratory and poetry. The laxness of
manners indicated by this supposed state of affairs would account
for their buying wine, for the purpose of a drinking-bout in the
open air, a proceeding which is evidently not approved of by Al
Ḥârith, but which he is ready to condone for the sake of their
accomplishments. I may mention that the term employed for wine
is qahwah, the modern word for coffee, but in the older language
used for any intoxicating liquor, and in particular as a synonym of
khamr. It is said to be thus called because it blunts the sexual
appetite (tuqhî shahwata’ l-jimâ‘).
And appeared as a complex compatible in its parts.—The simile is
either taken from grammatical terminology, in which it means a
compound sentence whose constituent parts are well proportioned
to each other, or it is, according to Sherîshi, a comparison borrowed
from arithmetic, meaning a number whose parts are congruous, i.e.,
one which can be divided into its fractions and fractions of fractions
(half, third of this, fourth of the result, and so on) without leaving a
rest, the smallest of which is 2,520, thus divisible by the first
numbers from 2 to 10. The idea seems to be, that however deeply
these people entered into the discussion of any question, it never
led to a discrepancy of opinion between them.
We began to display both Soha and the Moon, i.e., things insignificant
and brilliant (or obscure and evident; see the note on “Sohayl and
Soha meet,” vol. i., p. 489, and comp. Ar. Prov., i. 527, 528).
An old man intruded upon us.—The Arabic for “intruded” is here
waghala, as in Assembly XXIV., vol. i., p. 244, since those intruded
upon are engaged in drinking, in contradistinction from warasha,
which would mean he joined uninvited a company taking their
meal or celebrating a banquet; see also the note on Ṭofayl, vol. i.,
p. 411.
Whose comeliness and shapeliness had gone, while knowledge and experience
remained with him.—The first clause of this proposition, in
Arabic, ẕahaba ḥibru-hu wa sibru-hu, is borrowed from a tradition, and
ḥibr is explained as the impression or trace of beauty, from ḥabara,
he embellished, whence I translate comeliness, i.e., pleasantness of
aspect. Sibr, on the other hand, is that by which a thing is recognized,
its form, or shape, and if I render it by shapeliness, I have in
my mind the relation which exists in Italian between forma and
formositá, or the more emphatic sense of the word in the English
idiom “he is in good form.” The Arabic equivalents for knowledge
and experience, khubr and sabr, are synonyms for information
obtained by testing and probing.
And that both he who drew water from the top of the well, and he who
drew it from the bottom, were at a loss.—Al mâtiḥ is a man standing
with his legs astride on the brink of a well, and receiving the bucket
filled with water from another standing at the bottom, who is called
al-mâ’iḥ, a practice which has given rise to the proverb: “Thou
knowest this better than the mâ’iḥ knoweth the fundament of the
mâtiḥ” (see Ar. Prov.,, i. 111).
Not every thing black is a date, nor every thing ruddy is wine.—The
proverb, for which comp. Ar. Prov., ii. 627, runs originally: “Not
every thing white is fat, nor every thing black a date,” and is used
to indicate an error in opinion or judgment, and difference of nature
and disposition. Abû Zayd substitutes for the simile “fat” that of
“wine,” in allusion to the pastime in which the party were indulging
and, I suppose, insinuating that he for one would not have any
scruple to take a share in it.
Then we held on to him, as the chameleon holds to the trees.—One of
their proverbs says: “More cautious than the chameleon,” because
it never leaves one branch of a tree before it has firmly seized
another with its fore-feet (Ar. Prov., i. 399).
The cure of a rent is that it be stitched, a proverbial expression for
the reparation of an injury, here referring to the stranger’s sarcastic
remark by which he had wounded the susceptibilities of the audience.
The word ḥauṣ, stitching, means the sowing together of a torn
garment, without using a patch (Ar. Prov., i. 7).
I shall give the judgment of Solomon in the matter of the sown field,
meaning a sound judgment, such as was that of Solomon, alluded to
in Koran, xxi. 78: “And David and Solomon, when they gave
judgment concerning a field, when some people’s sheep had grazed
therein; and We were witnesses of their judgment.” The story
underlying this passage is thus told by Ibn ‘Abbâs: “Two men came
before David and Solomon, one of whom was owner of a field, the
other of some sheep. The former said, O Prophet of the Lord, the
sheep of this man have broken loose at night and pastured in my field,
leaving nothing of its produce. Said David to him: Go, the sheep
shall be thine. But Solomon, who was then eleven years old, quoth:
Methinks another decision would be more equitable towards both
parties. So David authorized him to deliver judgment between the
twain, whereupon he said: I see fit that thou give over his sheep to
the owner of the field, to whom their young, and their milk and
wool and every profit derived therefrom shall belong, and that thou
give over the field to the owner of the sheep, to sow therein seed,
such as his sheep have pastured of, and keep it until in the coming
year it have the same appearance as on the day on which it has been
grazed upon, when he shall return it to its owner, and claim the
return of his own sheep from him. Then David said to him: The
decision be as thou hast decided, and he issued judgment accordingly.”
Golden-coloured cooled (companionable) wine, in Arabic ash-shamûlu
’ẕ-ẕahabîyah, shamûl being a name for wine, either because it gathers
the drinkers sociably together (shamala), or more probably because
it has been cooled by exposure to the north wind (shimâl, comp. the
note on Cooled of the north wind, vol. i., p. 501), and here accompanied
by the feminine of the adjective, because it is a synonym of
the feminine noun khamr. It will be noticed how persistently the
obtruder harps on a subject so congenial to him.
That those who failed may not doubt.—Al-mubt̤ilûna, a term applied
in Koran, xxix. 47, to those who treat the sacred book as a vain
thing, or accuse it of falsehood, has here the more general meaning
of disparaging critics, who raise capricious and frivolous objections.
I am not like him who stints his boon-companion, nor of those whose
fat remains in their own dish.—Who stints is in Arabic man yasta’s̤iru,
lit., “who prefers himself to others.” The second part of the
sentence is an allusion to the proverb, samnu-kum hurîqa fî adîmi-kum
, your fat (butter) has been poured out into your own dish, i.e.,
serves only to render your own food savoury (adîm, a by-dish).
Adîm is also synonymous with niḥy, an earthen pail or leather bag,
used for buttering, when the meaning would be, your butter remains
in your vessel, and is never taken out from it, to prepare food for
guests of yours. In either case the proverb is applied to a person
who keeps his good things to himself, without letting others benefit
thereby. The quotation seems to reprove them for not having
offered him a cup (see Ar. Prov., i. 614).
Then he blinked [made sign with his glance] to the third and said.
—Allusion to Koran, xix. 12: “And he (Zacharias) came forth
from the sanctuary to his people and made sign to them (as though
he would say), ‘Praise God at morn and eve.’” (The note to this
passage in the second edition of De Sacy misprints ix. for xix.)
We are not of the steeds of this race-course, and have no hands for the
untying of these knots.—Two proverbial expressions for: “We are not
equal to this task” (see Ar. Prov., ii. 644, and ii. 493). Another
form of the second of these sayings is, “No two hands belonging
to one man are ten,” meaning “The power of one man is not like
that of ten;” in Arabic: lâ yadai li-wâḥidin bi-‘asharah, where the
dual with its suppressed nûn before the dative particle li stands for
the iẓâfah construction, lâ yadaini wâhidin, as the popular phrase
lâ abâ laka, thou hast no father, stands for la abâka, there is no father
of thine.
I shall make known to [teach] you that which ye had not known.—
Allusion to Koran, ii. 146: “Thus have We sent to you an apostle
from among yourselves, to rehearse our signs to you, and to purify
you, and to instruct you in the book, and in wisdom, and to teach
you that which ye had not known.”
And the pockets (lit., sleeves) became as if yesterday they had not been
rich, for “they became emptied of their money.” This again alludes
to the Koran, x. 25: “Until the earth hath received its golden
raiment, and is decked out: and they who dwell on it deem that
they have power over it! Our behest cometh to it by night or by
day, and We make it as if it had been mown down—as if it had not
been rich only yesterday.”
THE THIRTY-SEVENTH ASSEMBLY.
I had travelled up to Ṣa‘dah.—Ṣa‘dah, without the article and imperfectly
declined, is the name of a large town in Upper Yemen,
about sixty parasangs distant from Ṣan‘â, and was renowned for the
manufacture of a superior kind of leather, and for the beauty of its
women, of which Ibn Batûtah gives a glowing account. The latter
particular has furnished the name daughters of Ṣa‘dah, which in the
following line of the original is given to the Zebra or South African
wild ass, as resembling the women of that place in beauty and
graceful agility. If sa‘dah takes the article, it signifies the shaft of
a lance, which needs no tas̤qîf or straightening, wherefore Al Ḥâris̤,
in allusion to a verse of the Lâmîyet al ‘Arab, calls himself possessed
of a straightness that resembles a lance (yaḥkî ’ṣ-ṣa‘data).
Whom it contained of noble lords, in Arabic man taḥwî-hu mina
’s-sarâti. Sarât stands here for sara’at, pl. of sarîyun, a lord or
princely person, which, according to Jauharî, is the only singular in
fa‘alah of a word of the measure fa‘îl. De Sacy reads surât, which is
the plural of sârî, one who travels by night, and would here evidently
be meaningless. This may be a slip of the pen, occasioned by the
preceding ruwât, pl. of râwî, or simply a misprint, for in his commentary
he quotes the above-mentioned remark of Janharî, and in
vol. i., p. 56, of his second edition he reads correctly sarât. In
Assembly XIII. Abû Zayd says: “I am of the Princes of the
tribes” (vol. i., p. 177), annî min sarawâti ’l-qabâ’il, where sarawât is
a further plural of the plural sarât.
Wide of range, namely, in the exercise of his liberality. Bâ‘, like
the English fathom in its original meaning, is the width between the
extremities of the arms when extended, and raḥîbu ’l-bâ‘ or t̤awîlu
‘l-bâ‘, wide or long of range, is said of a generous man, as on the
contrary a miser is called qasîru ’l-bâ‘, short of range.
A Temîmî in descent and disposition, i.e., descended from Temîm
bin Ad, whose progeny, the Benû Temîm, were celebrated for their
generous disposition, inherited from him. Temîm was the maternal
uncle of Naẓr bin Kanânah, father of Ḳoraysh, through Barrah, the
daughter of his sister Morr, whence the poet Jerîr says:
“The mother who bore Ḳoraysh disgraced not men nor was she barren,
For no son is nobler than Ḳoraysh, and no uncle nobler than Temîm.”
And in a similar strain Farazdak sings in praise of the tribe
Ḳoraysh:
“They are the sons of Barrah, daughter of Morr: how noble their kin
on father and mother’s side:
For no chief purer of descent than Ḳoraysh, no uncle nobler than
Temîm.”
Another poet, however, taxes the Benû Temîm with avarice and
meanness, saying:
“Temîm is a surer guide on the road of vileness than the Ḳaṭa bird
(comp. vol. i., p. 480),
But when they enter on the path of noble deeds, they go astray.”
At the same time endearing myself to him by being chary of visiting,
in accordance with Mohammed’s saying, “Visit intermittingly that
thou make thyself the more beloved.”
Until I became the echo of his voice and the Salmân of his house.—The
former simile is taken from the proverb, “quicker than the return
of the echo” (Ar. Prov., i. 674), in the sense in which it is said of
one who obeys readily: “he is quick as if he were the son of the
mountain (ibnu ’t̤.t̤ûd),” meaning the echo (Ar. Prov., i. 163 and 184,
where the expression “daughter of the mountain,” ibnatu ’l-jabal, is
used). Salmân, the Persian, was an early convert to Islam, and an
intimate associate of Mohammed, who considered him as a member
of his household. It was he who after the battle of Ohud, when
Medina was threatened with an invasion of the hostile tribes,
advised Mohammed to entrench the town (see Muir’s “Life of
Mohamet,” new edition, p. 318). Ibn ‘Abbâs relates that the
Prophet said of him: “The longing of Paradise for Salmân is not
greater than Salmân’s longing for Paradise.” He died A.H. 36.
And inhaling the fragrance of his bay-tree, in Arabic rand, name of
an odorous tree, the inhaling or sniffing of whose scent, like the
preceding simile, stands for enjoying the Kadi’s liberality.
And when I roast meat he casts it into the cinders, taken from the
proverb: “Thy brother has been roasting meat, until when it was
done he dropped it into the ashes,” applied to one who spoils that
which had been done well (Ar. Prov., i. 657). It is said to originate
with the Khalif ‘Omar, who uttered the words when, on passing the
house of a man renowned for his piety, he heard the sounds of
musical instruments and the noises of revelry.
And those around him were amazed at it—wa at̤rafa bi-hi man
ḥawâlai-hi, the translation of which turns on the meaning given to
the word at̤rafa. It may be paraphrased with the Beyrout edition,
atâ-hum bi ’l-ut̤rûfati, having the Kadi for subject, and rendered by
Preston: “(He) represented it to those around as an extraordinary
case.” Or it may have for its subject “those around him,” when it
would signify “they became possessed of wonder (ṣârû ẓawî t̤urfatin)
and said, ‘How strange this is’ (mâ at̤rafa-hu).” This is De Sacy’s
interpretation, and I follow it, as more in keeping with the Arabic
idiom. Preston’s remark: “The words which follow, viz., s̤umma
qâla (thereupon he said), without a repetition of the word qâẓî, seem
to show that the first explanation is the true one,” fails to be conclusive
for two reasons. In the first instance he overlooks and
ignores in his rendering the suffixed pronoun in man ḥawâlai-hi,
which precedes the verb qâla, and may well supply the subject for
it. Secondly, this verb being in the singular, could not by any
possibility of Arabic construction refer to the plurality of persons
surrounding the Kadi, unless it opened the sentence: we can say
qâla man ḥawâlai-hi, but if the verb follows, it must be man ḥawâlai-hi
qâlû? The singular of the verb, therefore, necessitates for its
subject a noun in the singular, which in this place can only be
al-qâẓî.
Disobedience is one bereavement of the twain, lit., one of the two bereavements,
meaning that children, by their disobedience, are as
much lost to their parents as by death, or in the words of a current
proverb, al-‘uqûq s̤uklu man lam yas̤kal, disobedience experienced
from children is the bereavement of him who is not bereft (Ar.
Prov., ii. 92).
Oftentimes barrenness is more cooling to the eye, viz., than children,
which endearingly are called qurratu ’l-‘ain, coolness of the eye, but
frequently become an eyesore by their disobedience and ingratitude.
Preston translates: “And perhaps it would be preferable to be
entirely childless,” which he explains in the note: “And perhaps
utter bereavement is cooler to the eye,” i.e., less painful [than that
they should be disobedient]. This, however, seems somehow to
miss the meaning of ‘uqm, which is sterility, not “utter bereavement.”
Like one who craves for the eggs of the cock hawk—in Arabic, ka-man
yabghî baiẓa ’l-anûqi, a proverbial expression for that which is difficult
or impossible to obtain. In the explanation of the simile the
commentators differ. Some say that anûq is a male hawk, otherwise
called rakham, from whom it would be absurd to look for eggs.
According to others, it is the female bird, and her eggs are said to be
unobtainable, because she builds her nest on inaccessible mountain-peaks.
The latter interpretation is evidently the correct one in the
following line of the poet Akht̤al:
“To seek from the dark-eyed gazelles their intimacy
Is like seeking the eggs of the hawk ensconced in her nest,”
for the feminine adjective mustakinnah shows that the female bird is
meant. (Gazelles, metaphorically for damsels, is the signification
ascribed here to jâzi’ât, which originally means camels, or similar
animals, that are satisfied with the moisture contained in green food
instead of water, therefore leading to the idea of abstemious, chaste,
coy. The word rendered by intimacy is sirr, literally secret, but
here standing for sexual intercourse, connexion, marriage, as in
ch. xi., v. 235, of the Koran: “And no blame shall attach to you
in proposing to such women [within the first four months and ten
days of their widowhood], or in keeping the intention of doing so
to yourselves. God knoweth that ye will not forget them. But
pledge not each other to marriage unless ye speak honourable
words.” Rodwell translates: “But plight not faith to them in
secret,” apparently mistaking the special meaning of the word in
this case, for there is no need for the injunction of avoiding secrecy,
provided the wooing is done in decent language). To return to the
idiom in question, the female hawk seems also to be alluded to in a
passage taken from an anonymous poet:
“When I had a secret entrusted to me, I concealed it like the eggs of
the hawk whose nest is not to be reached.”
In Arabic, lâ yunâlu la-hu wakru, where the pronoun in la-hu
(whose) refers to the collective noun baiẓ, not to the name of the
bird, since the secret concealed in the breast is compared to the
eggs deposited in the nest. Both these instances tally with the
proverb (Ar. Prov., ii. 148), a‘azzu min baiẓi ’l-anûqi, rarer than the
eggs of the hawk, for ‘azîz, of which a‘azz is the comparative, does
not imply absolute impossibility, but difficulty of attainment and
rareness of occurrence, being, for instance, applied to exceptional or
unique grammatical forms, as the plural sarât mentioned p. 224
above. On the other hand, it is stated that Mu‘âwiyeh was asked
by a man: “Wilt thou grant me a loan?” He answered “Yes.”
Said the man: “And to my son?” “No,” answered the Khalif.
“Or to my kindred?” insisted the supplicant. Whereupon Mu‘â-wiyeh
said:
“He wanted the piebald, big with young (t̤alaba ’l-ablaqa ’l-‘aqûq),
When he could not find him, he wished for the eggs of the hawk,”
where ablaq means a male piebald horse or spotted camel, for whom
it is as impossible to conceive as it is for the male hawk to lay eggs,
and consequently the latter phrase here coincides with the popular
expression, “the egg of the cock.” Some, however, will have it
that the cock lays an egg once without repeating the performance,
in support whereof they quote the following verse of the poet Abû
‘Atâhîyah:
“Thou hast visited us once in a lifetime, do so again and let it not be
the cock’s egg,”
i.e., let not thy visit remain solitary like it.
As with a frown the lion would fend his mane.—This alludes to the
proverb: “More unapproachable than the mane of the lion” (see
Ar. Prov., ii. 714). In the text the dual libdatai-hi is used, the
reason for which seems to be that the word libdah (mane) is defined
in the dictionaries as the matted hair between the shoulders and on
the croup of the lion.
As those endowed with firmness bore patiently, in Arabic ṣabra ûlî
’l-‘azmi, a Koranic expression taken from ch. xlvi., v. 34: “Bear
thou up, then, with patience, as did the Apostles, endued with
firmness.”
Spill not the water of thy face, in Arabic lâ turîq mâ’a ’l-muhaiyâ,
for the more usual mâ’a ’l-wajhi, in which the word “water” is
used in a similar sense as when we speak of the water of a gem or
a blade, meaning the smooth surface and serene aspect of the human
countenance, characterising a man who is respected and respects
himself. Thus “the water of the face,” like the Persian equivalent,
âbi rûy, stands for honour, and to spill it is a metaphorical expression
for “demeaning one’s self.”
And if his broidered satin (dîbâj) has gone to rags, sees not his way by
begging to fret his cheeks.—Dîbâj, derived through Persian probably
from the Greek, is brocade or embroidered silk-stuff, and the feminine
form dîbâjah becomes a simile for the forehead and the cheeks,
where again the idea of glossiness and smoothness constitutes the
link of comparison. The fraying or fretting of the tissue of the
face, by rubbing it on the ground in supplication, is an idiom of the
same meaning as that explained in the preceding note, with both of
which compare Chenery in the passage, Fray the tissue of my countenance
, vol. i., p. 280. In addition to the extracts in prose and verse
on the shame and humiliation of beggary given there, the following
may be quoted. Al-Ḥasan, son of ‘Alî, said on this subject: “Let
it suffice thee, as to begging, that it enfeebles the tongue of the
speaker, and breaks the heart of the brave, the valiant, that it
makes stand the freeborn, the noble, in the place of the abject slave,
that it takes away the freshness of colour and wipes away a man’s
honour, that it makes him love death and renders life hateful.”
Al-Asma‘î relates: “I heard an Arab saying: ‘Begging is the highroad
to abasement; it robs the noble of his greatness and the
estimable of the esteem in which he is held.” Mu‘âwiyeh is said to
have presented Abd Allah ibn az Zobayr with 3,000 dirhems for
having recited to him a triplet of Afwah al-Awadî running thus:
“I have tested mankind generation after generation, and seen naught
but deceit and strife,
Nor have I witnessed of calamities one more disastrous and hurtful than
enmity between man and man,
And I have tasted the bitterness of all things, but there is naught that
excels begging in bitterness.”
Wilt thou teach thy mother how to copulate, and thy nurse how to give
suck?—Alluding to and enlarging upon the proverb “like one who
instructs her mother in copulation” (Ar. Prov., ii. 325), said of
a person who affects to teach another more knowing than himself.
In similar manner the popular sayings: “The scorpion has rubbed
himself against the snake, and the weanlings have coursed along with the
stallions,” apply to one who attempts a task to which he is not equal
(comp. Ar. Prov., i. 609).
And lowered to him the wing of the kindly, an expression borrowed
from Koran, xvii. 25: “And lower to them (your parents) the wing
of humility out of compassionate tenderness and say, ‘Lord have
mercy on them both, even as they reared me when I was little.’”
As for those in need, an exception is made for them in matters prohibited.
—This refers to the popular saying aẓ-ẓarûrâtu tabîḥu ’l-maḥz̤ûrâta
, “necessities permit things forbidden,” which is akin to
our proverb “necessity knows no law,” and, according to Sherîshi,
is justified by Koran, v. 5: “Whoso then without wilful leanings
to wrong shall be forced by hunger to transgress, to him, verily,
will Allah be Indulgent, Merciful.
Was it not thou who contradicted his father irreverently in saying?—
This translation presupposes the reading wa qâla, which is that of
the native editions and of most MSS., my own included, assigning
the following verses to the youth, whom his father quotes, as the
son had done with the preceding verses belonging to the old man.
De Sacy reads iẕ qâla, “when he said,” making the father to be their
author also, and thereby to contradict himself by blaming contentment
and resignation which he had praised and commended before.
The editors of De Sacy’s second edition, in remarking that the
former reading supports Rückert’s opinion on the point to the same
effect, add with good reason, that only in this manner the Kadi’s
indignation at the lad’s inconsistency becomes intelligible, who first
refused to beg at his father’s injunction and now deems an appeal to
the generous preferable to bearing distress patiently.
For Moses met it heretofore and al-Khaẓir did the same.—Al-Khaẓir,
more commonly called al-Khiẓr, is the servant of God and companion
of Moses, mentioned in the Sûra of the Cave, xviii., verse 76
of which relates the incident here alluded to: “Then went they on
until they came to the people of a city. Of its people they asked
food, but they refused them for guests.” The Mohammedans consider
him to be one of the Prophets, who has survived from the
time of Moses to the present age, and a legend says that he is
present whenever his name has been pronounced, whence the following
line of the poet Abû t̤-Ṭaiyib:
“As soon as we recall his liberality, he appears, far or near he hastens
to the spot with the foot of al-Khizr.”
Temîmî at one time and Kaisî at another?—In the original Temîmî
and Kaisî stand in the accusative or objective case, which is either
that of condition (ḥâl), or depending on an elided verb: “Showest
thou thyself at one time as a Temîmî, at another as a Kaisî, i.e.,
displayest thou alternately the lofty disposition of the tribe Temîm
and the baseness of the tribe Kais? The form of interrogation has
here the force of an assertion, implying reproof. To Temîmî compare
the note, p. 225, above.
“By Him who has made thee a key for the truth, and an opener
(fattàḥ) amongst mankind, meaning a dispenser of justice amongst
them, as in Koran, vii. 87: “O our Lord! decide (lit., open)
between us and between our people with truth, for Thou art the
best of those who decide,” where the participle fâtiḥ, lit., one who
opens, coincides with the more intensive form fattâḥ of the present
passage.
For among the missing arrows is one that hits, meaning that even a
miser may have a fit of generosity (see Ar. Prov., ii. 625).
So he was not slow (lit., he belied him not) to set his net and to bake his
fish before the fire.—These are two proverbial expressions, according
to a marginal note in “Myths of Modern Origin,” for using stratagem
or planning deceit, the former self-evident, the latter arising
from the practice of a thief, who on seeing a fire, walked up to it
with the purpose of stealing, but when surprised, pretended he had
come to bake his fish by it.
Are rooted more firmly than mount Raẓwá.—This is the name of a
mountain near Medina with far-spreading ramifications, which explains
the comparison here made between its extent and that of the
Kadi’s wisdom and clemency.
Whose gifts are like yon quails and yon manna, allusion to Koran, ii.
54: “And We caused the clouds to overshadow you, and We sent
down manna and quails upon you” (comp. also vii. 160 and xx. 82).
Then the youth repented bitterly.—The Arabic for this: fa-suqit̤a
’l-fatá fî yadi-hi, contains a peculiarity of idiom, which has greatly
exercised the ingenuity of the philologists. Suqût̤, to fall, is a neuter
verb of which the passive can only be used in the third person
singular suqit̤a, with the impersonal meaning “it was fallen,” and
the proverbial expression suqit̤a fî yadi-hi (Ar. Prov., i. 604), which
is applied to one deeply repentant, signifies, a falling into his hand
was caused, namely, of his head or mouth, brought about by his
remorse, since people in a paroxysm of contrition were wont to bite
their fingers. A note in De Sacy’s second edition points out, that
grammatically speaking the phrase is very similar to the Latin “Sic
itur ad astra,” literally, “thus a going or soaring to the stars is
done,” for: this is the road to fame. The Arabic mode of speech
seems to have been unknown to the poets of the pre-Islamite period,
but appears for the first time in the Koran, vii. 148, where it is said
of the worshippers of the golden calf wa-lammâ suqit̤a fî aidî-him, translated
by Rodwell: “But when they bitterly repented.” Mohammed,
no doubt, had heard the locution on his journeys amongst the desert
Arabs, but when the later poets adopted it from the sacred book,
they inadvertently or intentionally overlooked the impersonality of
the passive form, and Abû Nuwâs, for instance, was not afraid to
say: wa niswatin suqit̤t̤u minhâ fî yadî. This is about the same as if
a facetious Latinist of the middle ages had, in the sentence quoted
above, added the termination of the first person to the verbal form
itur, and written: sic ituro ad astra. Intelligent readers would
have understood him to mean: “Thus I do what is done to reach
the stars or the pinnacle of glory,” just as the fellow-countrymen of
Abû Nuwâs perceived his meaning to be: “And there is many a
woman by whom I was made sorely to repent.” In the present case the
construction could have been rendered perfectly correct in two ways
by saying either: fa iẕâ ’l-fatâ suqit̤a fî yadi-hi or fa suqit̤a fî yadi
’l-fatâ, the former signifying “Then, as for the youth, it was fallen
into his hand,” the latter meaning, “Then it was fallen into the
hand of the youth,” where the expression “it was fallen” is to be
explained as has been done in the beginning of this note. Now it
may be asked, why did Ḥarîri, who possessed such a thorough
mastery over his language, choose the more objectionable form
when he knew better? My answer is, that it is not he who speaks
in his work, but the Râwî, who relates Abû Zayd’s adventures, and
Ḥarîri shows his skill in making him speak in the most natural and
life-like manner. Al Ḥârith, who may be supposed to be an Arab of
liberal education, above all well versed in his Koran and the poetry
of his age, had begun with the proverbial and sacred formula fa
suqit̤a, but remembering that the pronoun in yadi-hi would be
without a subject to refer to, as the person mentioned last, was the
Kadi, he throws in at once, by way of parenthesis, the word al-fatá
, “as for the youth,” without waiting for the end of the sentence.
We have seen on various occasions that Ḥarîri likes to introduce
such disputed points of grammar and etymology, partly to
show that he is well acquainted with the controversy, partly perhaps
to provoke further discussion on the subject. Finally I may add,
for the sake of completeness, that one solitary reading of the Koran
substitutes the active saqat̤a for the passive suqit̤a, supplying the noun
al-nadamu, “repentance,” as subject to the former, which interpretation,
however, Ḥarîri himself in his grammatical treatise “Durrat
al-Ghawwâṣ” declares to be faulty; a sufficient reply to those who
would make the same substitution in the text of the Assembly.
And (might) learn from what tree his fire sprang, lit., might know
the tree of his fire, for “his origin and character,” alluding to the
proverb (Ar. Prov., ii. 207, 256): “In every tree is fire, but the
Markh and the ‘Ufâr excel,” viz., in yielding fire when rubbed, or
feeding it, when kindled; so much so that in the hot season frequently
trees of these kinds are set aflame by the friction, brought
about by the wind, and spread conflagration over a whole valley.
A poet of the Hamâseh says:
“Thy fire-shafts are the best of fire-shafts of kings in which the Markh-wood
mixes with the ‘Ufâr.
But even wert thou in the darkness of night to rub a pebble with the
wood of the Naba‘ tree, thou wouldst elicit fire.”
The Naba‘ is a tree whose wood, on account of its hardness, is
preferred for making bows, so that the production of a spark by
rubbing it against a pebble is a striking simile for any marvellous
and extraordinary feat.
To inquire after his good and evil hap, in Arabic li-asta‘rifa sâniḥahu
wa bâriḥa-hu. This is taken from the flight of a bird, or from
game, which are called sâniḥ, if coming from the left and turning
their right to you, which is considered by most Arabs to portend
good, while bâriḥ means the reverse, and is said to augur evil.
According to Sherîshi, however, the people of Nejd regard, on the
contrary, the former as an ominous, the latter as an auspicious sign.
THE THIRTY-EIGHTH ASSEMBLY.
Ever since . . . . my pen sputtered.—The most obvious explanation
of this phrase is that it means: Since I knew how to write, but the
word qalam, pen, is also used metaphorically for ẕakar, membrum
virile, when the idiom allows of the interpretation, “since I had
reached puberty.”
I clutched his stirrup with both my hands, in allusion to the proverb,
ushdud yadaika fî gharzi-hi, tighten thy hands on his stirrup, meaning,
cling to one who has the power to benefit thee, or stick to an
undertaking unflaggingly (see Ar. Prov., i. 660).
In applying the pitch to the places where the scab begins to show, again
proverbial (Ar. Prov., iii., P. 1, p. 541), for being well grounded in
a matter, and knowing how to treat or mend it.
Swifter than the moon in her changes, the last word being in Arabic
nuqal, plural of nuqlah, her movement from one sign of the Zodiac
to the next, which is performed in about two days and eight hours.
Another reading is fî ’l-nufal, during her second three nights (the
first three being called ghurar), when her swiftness means her earliness
of setting during those nights. The preceding expression, to
wander abroad faster than the proverb, refers to the phrase al-mas̤alu
’l-sâ’ir, the current proverb.
Which is part of man’s chastisement (or torment), allusion to a tradition
which is recorded, in the following words, in the Muwat̤t̤â, one
of the oldest collections of the Ḥadîs̤, compiled by the Imâm Mâlik
(†A.H., 179): “Travel is a portion of man’s punishment, it deprives
you of sleep and drink and food; so when one of you has
obtained his object in undertaking it, let him return to his people
in all haste.”
So at a time when I had strayed to Merv, and no wonder.—Merv, in
Arabic Marw, an imperfectly declined noun, whence the oblique
case Marwa, is a large and celebrated town of Khorasan, called the
mother of that country. As the people of Khorasan were renowned
for their stinginess, it is not surprising that the inhabitants of the
mother-town were said to excel in it all the rest of the world.
Witness the story, related in Sadî’s Gulistân, if I remember well, of
the merchant of Merv, who would not allow his son to eat cheese,
but made him rub his bread against the glass cover under which it
was kept. In the title of this Assembly, Ḥarîri uses the regular
form of the noun of relation marwî, in preference to the more usual
marwazî, probably for marghazî, derived from marghaz, an older
name of Merv (compare my Persian Dictionary, p. 1217). The
words in the text, no wonder, in Arabic la gharwa, are, of course,
thrown in to rhyme with marwa, but they are not entirely irrelevant,
as the fame and importance of the city may naturally enough
induce a traveller to visit it.
Nor saw I any trace or dust of him, in the original lâ ará la-hu
as̤ar-an wa lâ ‘is̤yar-an, which final word means dust raised by his
foot in walking, and seems more appropriate than the reading
‘ais̤ar-an of some MSS., the meaning of which, “a slight and feeble
trace,” would appear pleonastic after as̤ar-an.
And clings to the people commanding respect, as one clings to his wife
and his close relations.—The text of this passage, wa ’ltazama li-ahli
’l-ḥurami ka-mâ yultazamu li ’l-ahli wa’l-ḥurami, contains a play on the
double meaning of the words ahl and ḥuram. The latter is the
plural of ḥurmah, which may be synonymous with iḥtirâm, honouring,
paying respect, revering, and if in connection with it, ahl is
taken in the sense of people, the expression ahlu’l-ḥuram signifies
“people of respects,” i.e., to whom respects are due. But the plural
of ḥurmah has also the special meaning of close relatives, comprising
the relations of a man by consanguinity, affinity, or fosterage,
with whom marriage is unlawful, while al-ahl, with the article,
stands for his household or more in particular for his wife. The
reading which I have adopted is that of my own MS. and of the
native editions. De Sacy has al-ḥaram for the second al-ḥuram, but
the former, in the sense of “harem,” would be almost identical with
al-ahl, as his own definition in his commentary shows.
For Allah’s grace upon thee has been great—quotation from Koran,
iv. 113: “And God hath caused the Book and the Wisdom to
descend upon thee, and what thou knewest not He hath caused
thee to know; and the grace of God towards thee hath been great.”
Who grovels in the dust after he had rolled in riches, in Arabic
tariba ba‘da ’l-itrâbi. The verb tariba means he has become poor, as
though he were bent to the dust (turâb) by dint of his poverty, and
itrâb, infinitive of the fourth form of the same verb, signifies being
wealthy, as though a man’s riches were plentiful, like dust.
And hopefulness is the best means of propitiation of him who begs, and
the best gift of him who gives.—The commentators say in explanation
of this: “The trusting hopefulness with which you represent your
need to the generous on approaching him, gains his favour for you
more effectually than the intercession of a third person, and it is a
source of even greater pleasure and gratification to him than the
gift itself, which he may be prevailed upon to bestow on you.”
And deal me fair as Allah has dealt fair with thee.—Taken from
Koran, xxviii. 77: “But seek, by means of what God hath given
thee, to attain the future Mansion; and neglect not thy part in this
world, but be bounteous to others; as God has been bounteous to
thee.”
Then he stopped short, to wait for the fruit of his planting (ukla gharsi-hi).—Ukl
, lit., that which is eaten, occurs in the sense of fruit,
Koran, xviii. 31: “Now set forth to them as a parable two men;
on one of whom We had bestowed two gardens of grape-vines, and
surrounded both with palm-trees, and placed corn-fields between
them; Each of the gardens did yield its fruit (ukl), and failed not
thereof at all.”
Mayst thou forfend a curse, i.e., mayst thou guard thyself or refrain
from doing anything that would bring a curse upon thee, a formula
of greeting, implying a prayer, addressed to kings in the times of
the Ignorance. Jauharî quotes the following verse, which he attributes
to Zohayr bin Janab al-Kalbî, a warrior poet, on whom see
Caussin de Percival’s “Essai,” i. 116; ii. 174:
“For sooth, I have obtained all that man may obtain, except the
salute,”
where the word “salute,” in Arabic at-taḥaiyah, is explained by al-mulk,
i.e., royal power and dignity.
And when he began with a bounty, follows it up with another; in the
text, wa in bada’ bi-‘â’idat-in ‘âda. The verb ‘aud means to come
back, to return, to repeat. Hence the feminine participle ‘â’idah,
that which returns, stands like the English word “return” for
profit, advantage, gain, which, when conferred upon somebody else,
becomes a benefit. ‘Âda has then its usual sense: he comes back to
it, repeats it again and again.
And never meet stinginess and praise, so that one would think a lizard
this, that a fish, etc.—An Arab proverb says, “I shall never do this
until the lizard goes to the water” (Ar. Prov., i. 574), and of two
things or persons utterly incompatible with each other it is said
“they are as far asunder as the lizard and the fish,” because the
former avoids that which is the element of the latter (comp. vol. i.,
p. 431).
Made him alight on the seat of the circumciser (maq‘adu ’l-khâtini), a
popular expression for closest proximity, as mazjaru ’l-kalb, the place
to which a frightened dog is driven, stands for a great distance.
Synonymous with the former idiom are maq‘adu ’l-qâbilati and
maq‘adu ’l-izâri, seat of the midwife, place of the waistband,
respectively, and a more emphatic form of expressing remoteness is
manât̤u ’l-‘uyûq (s̤-s̤uraiyâ), the suspension place of Capella (of the
Pleiades).
That which announced to him length of skirt and shortness of night.—
Length of skirt is a metaphor for wealth and luxury, for which
compare the following passage in the twenty-sixth Assembly, vol. i.,
p. 264: “Until when his gifts had overwhelmed me, and his gold
had lengthened my skirt, I contrived to depart in the fair condition
thou seest.” In similar manner, shortness of night means a life of
pleasure, since the night is short only for him who passes it in
delight and enjoyment, while, as the poet says, the shortest night
becomes long in sorrow and grief. Many conceits of the poets turn
on this subject, amongst others the following play of Abû ’l-Kâsim
as-Sâlimî on the consonance of sound between lailî, my night, and
lailá, name of a mistress:
“My night and Lailá are alike in contrariness, making of me a proverb
in love-matters,
My night is lavish of its length (t̤ûl) whenever Lailá stints me her
favour (t̤aul), and when she is lavish thereof it is my night that stints
me.”
That my earnings are due to worth, not to meddling, and my station to
power of speech, not to kings’ grace.—To this the commentators quote
Mutenebbî’s line:
“Not through my people have I attained to greatness, they are great
through me,
By my own self have I risen, not by my ancestors.”
THE THIRTY-NINTH ASSEMBLY.
On backs of Mahrî camels.—Mahrî is the noun of relation formed
from Mahrat ibn Haydân, chief of a tribe of Yemen, and its
feminine Mahrîyah means a camel descended from those bred by him,
which were celebrated for their swiftness, said to surpass that of
horses.
Some promising business had cropped up for me at Ṣuḥâr.—This is
one of the chief towns of the district ‘Omân, on the south-eastern
coast of Arabia, and an emporium for the trade of the country by
means of the Persian Gulf, with a harbour one parasang square.
The above passage runs in Arabic, wa qad sanaḥa lî arabun bi-Suḥâra,
where I translate arabun, an affair or matter, by “promising
business,” on account of the verb sanaḥa, which, as was mentioned
in a previous note, means: presented itself under favourable
auspices.
Who blames himself and finds excuses, i.e., who reproaches himself
for venturing on a sea-voyage and exposing himself to its dangers,
but at the same time finds excuses, on account of the quantity of his
merchandise, which would render the land journey too tedious and
expensive.
O ye people of this strong-built ship, etc.—Allusion to the following
passages of the Koran, xvii. 68: “It is your Lord, who speedeth
onwards the ships for you in the sea”; vi. 96: “This is the
Ordinance of the Mighty, the Wise”; lxi. 10: “O ye who believe!
shall I direct you unto a merchandise which shall deliver you from
the sore torment?”
Whose shadow is not heavy, for: who is no encumbrance, or will
not prove a bore, taken from the saying: thy shadow weighs heavy
upon me (comp. Assembly XXII., vol. i., p. 230, l. 13; and the
note on Deemed his shadow to be heavy, ibid., p. 473).
And not to be stingy in providing for his needs.—The word mâ‘ûn, here
translated “in providing for his needs,” has occurred in Assembly
XXXVI., p. 80, l. 4 from the bottom, where I have rendered it by
“bounty.” It is, according to most lexicographers, a derivative of
the measure fâ‘ul, from the verb ma‘n, to flow, whence it signifies
rain, and in accordance with the connection existing in the Arabic
mind between the idea of water and moisture and that of bounty, of
which Chenery speaks in his interesting note on A bucket from his
stream (vol. i., p. 282), it becomes synonymous with ma‘rûf, in the
sense of kindness, beneficence, etc. A more far-fetched explanation
is, that it stands for ma‘ûnah, aid, assistance, from the verb ‘aun, to
help, and that the letter of prolongation in the first syllable is
inserted to compensate for the dropped termination of the feminine.
Be that as it may, the term mâ‘ûn is further applied to anything
useful, or borrowed for use, as a kettle, an axe, or household utensils
in general. Abû ‘Obaydeh says, mâ‘ûn has in the time of Ignorance
the meaning of advantage, gift, and in Islâm that of obedience, piety,
legal alms. In modern Arabic, mâ’ûnu ’l-waráq is a ream of paper.
I take refuge with Allah from the paths of destruction.—An ejaculatory
prayer of this kind, on embarking in a vessel, is approved of by
Mohammed in the following words of a tradition: “It is a safeguard
from drowning for my people when they mount their ships.”
Allah . . . has not made it binding on the ignorant to learn, any more
than He has made it incumbent on the learned to teach, i.e., He has
enjoined the one at the same time, or as well as the other. This
alludes to the saying attributed to ‘Alî: “Allah has imposed upon
the ignorant the duty of learning, as he has imposed upon those
possessed of knowledge the duty of teaching.” Similarly Mohammed
bin Ka‘b says: “It is not allowed to one of the learned to be silent
concerning his learning, nor is the ignorant allowed to keep silence
concerning his ignorance, but he should ask.” The equivalent for
“He has made binding upon” is in Arabic akhaẕa, “he has taken
from,” where the word ‘ahd or mîs̤âq, “covenant,” is understood,
which idiom occurs in full, Koran, iii. 184: “Moreover, when God
entered into a covenant with (lit., took a covenant) from those to
whom the Book had been given, . . . they cast it behind their
backs and sold it for a sorry price! But vile is that for which they
have sold it.”
He quoted from the Koran, saying, lit., he read, qara’a, the verb
from which the name Qu‘rân or Koran itself is derived. The passage
quoted is xi. 43.
By Him who holds in bondage the fathomless sea (al-baḥra ’l-lujjîya).
—Lujjî, derived from lujjah, an abyss, is that of which the bottom
cannot be reached, and applies likewise to the sea in Koran, xxiv. 40:
“Or like the darkness on the unfathomable sea, when covered by
billows riding upon billows, above which are clouds: darkness upon
darkness. When a man reacheth forth his hand, he can scarcely
see it! He to whom God shall not give light, no light at all
hath he!”
How could the son of brightness (ibnu jalâ) remain hidden?—a designation
given to a man of fame or mark, either because it is used as
a metaphor for the morning, the moon, or the dawn of day, or after
a notorious depredator, thus called, for whom see Ar. Prov., i. 46.
While the sea was calm (wa ’l-baḥru rahwun), again taken from
Koran, xliv. 23: “And leave the sea behind thee resting in calmness,”
i.e., restored to its natural condition, after it had swallowed
the Egyptians in pursuit of Moses and his people. Rodwell translates
here “the disparted sea,” following the interpretation of those commentators
who explain the word by opened or split asunder, from
rahâ, he opened his legs wide. It is, however, evident, from our
text, that Ḥarîri leans to the former notion.
And the travellers forgot all that had been, i.e., the state of things
which had prevailed in the early part of their voyage.
But we proceeded to search within its inmost part, etc.—Allusion to
the following passages of the Koran, xvii. 5: “So when the menace
for the first crime (the slaughter of Isaiah and the imprisonment of
Jeremiah, punished by the invasion of the Assyrians) came to be
inflicted, We sent against you our servants, endued with terrible
prowess; and they searched the inmost part of your abodes, and the
menace was accomplished”; ibid., xvi. 50: “Have they not seen
how everything which God hath created turneth its shadow right and
left,” where the verb tafaiyu’ is used in the sense of turning one’s
shadow, which in the text of the Assembly has the meaning of
seeking shade; ibid., xxii. 44: “And how many cities which had
acted wickedly have We destroyed, and they are laid low in ruin on
their own foundations, and wells abandoned and lofty castles.”
We found every one of them in the predicament (lit., skin) of one
broken down, and the grief of one taken captive.—This is the reading
of De Sacy and my MS., which I follow in my own edition. The
Beyrout and Boulak prints have instead: But we found every one of
them sorrowful, deep in grief, so that we fancied him utterly broken
down or taken captive.
When we saw that their fire was the fire of al-Ḥubâḥib. — This
refers to the proverb, akhlafu min nâri ’l-ḥubâḥib, more deceitful
than the fire of al-Ḥubâḥib or of Abû Ḥubâḥib (Ar. Prov., i. 454;
ii. 343; iii., P. 1, 28), said to have been a miser, who used to kindle
his fire from thin wood, so that it was extinguished before any
guest, speculating on his hospitality, could approach it. According
to others, the appellative applies to the glow-worm, commonly
called sirâju ’l-lail, lamp of the night, or to the sparks struck by the
hoofs of a horse on stony ground, or produced by the collision of
stones in the air. Al-Kat̤âmî says in the Ḥamâseh:
“For sooth, the fires of Kays in winter-time are to the night farer but
like the fire of al-Ḧubâḥib,”
which Tabrîzî explains: “Like the sparks springing from a stone
under the horse’s hoof.”
And be the churl cursed (qabuḥa), the Arabic verb being taken in
the sense in which it is used in Koran, xxviii. 42: “We pursued
them with a curse in this world, and they shall be of the execrated
(mina ’l-maqbûḥîna) on the day of Resurrection.”
The Shâh of this territory.—The Persian word shâh, king, lends
local colour to a scene enacted on an island of the Persian Gulf, and
at the same time it contains an allusion to the king of chess, in
connection with ruq‘ah, territory, which also means a square of the
chess-board.
When it took no longer than to say: Nay, nay!—For this proverbial
phrase to express shortness of time and quickness of action see
Ar. Prov., ii. 295. It occurs in the following line of Al Komayt ibn
Zayd, of whom an account is given by Chenery, vol. i., p. 320:
“The alighting of the people therein is like (saying) nay, nay, for a
little while, without putting saddle near saddle,”
i.e., without unsaddling. Jerîr uses in the same sense the expression
like nay and like this, in speaking of a short snatch of sleep.
Or an enemy frankly hostile, in Arabic wa ‘adûwin mubînin, allusion
to Koran, xvii. 55: “Enjoin My servants to speak in kindly sort:
Verily Satan would stir up strifes among them; aye, Satan is man’s
avowed foe.”
Sound advisers how often are they suspected, lit., how many a sound
adviser is set down as one to be suspected (z̤annîn), a word borrowed
from Koran, lxxxi. 24, where, however, the reading ẓannîn, niggard,
seems preferable. The Koranic passage refers to Mohammed, of
whom it is said that he does not stint or keep back heaven’s secrets.
With the reading z̤annîn the meaning would be, he is not subject
to the suspicion of falsehood, when he speaks of the invisible world
and its mysteries.
That the hand of none menstruous must touch it, indicating that the
spell is something sacred, in allusion to a woman in this state being
forbidden to touch the sacred book.
Or the interval which the milker observes in drawing milk.—To one
who hurries another on, it is said amhilnî fuwâqa nâqatin, allow me
the collecting time (fuwâq) of a she-camel, i.e., the time in which
she collects a fresh flow of milk, after being milked (Ar. Prov.,
ii. 602).
So that I was made to fancy him Uwais al Karanî or Dobays al-Asadî.
—The former, a native of Karan in Nejd, was the most eminent
ascetic and devotee of Kûfa, who was killed in the battle of Ṣiffîn;
Dobays, known as Amîr Dobays, or Amîr Saif ad-daulat al-Asadî,
a grandee of Bagdad and contemporary of Ḥarîri, noted for his
generosity, of which he gave signal proofs to the author of the
Makâmât on hearing that he had mentioned him in this work.
THE FORTIETH ASSEMBLY.
But I met from her with the sweat of the water-bag, i.e., with the
sweat which the carrying of the water-bag produces in the slave-girl
who is burdened with it, a proverbial expression for misery and
hardship, for which see Ar. Prov., ii. 347; iii., P. 2, 480. Another
explanation is that the sweat of the water-bag means the water
which flows from it or the flow itself, so that the meaning of the
proverb, “I have imposed upon thee the sweat of the water-bag,”
would be either, I have forced thee to travel, when thou needest
the sweat of the water-bag, i.e., its water, or, I have imposed upon
thee a task which makes thy sweat flow as profusely as the water
flows from the water-bag. This would come near the form of the
saying, transmitted by Maydâni (Ar. Prov., ii. 436): “I have met
therefrom with the sweat of my brow.” Lastly, some interpreters
read instead of ‘araq (sweat), the word ‘alaq, synonymous with
mi‘lâq, the handle by which the water-bag is carried, and say the
proverb signifies: “I have imposed upon thee the carrying of the
water-bag,” namely, the necessity of travelling.
What the upshot would be, lit., how the turning-out would be (kaifa
’l-munqalabu).—The word munqalab may be noun of place (turning-point),
or verbal noun (the turning-out of a matter). In the Koran,
xviii. 34, it occurs in the sense of that which takes the turn of
something else: “I shall surely find a better (garden) than it in
exchange (munqalaban)”; and ib., xxvi. 228, it has the meaning of
return: “But they who treat them (the believers) unjustly shall
find out what a return awaiteth them, lit., with what return they
shall return (to God, aiya munqalabin yanqalibûna).
Hence I threw my business behind my back, in the Arabic idiom
“behind my ear,” to which Ḥarîri, in the short commentary attached
by him to this Assembly, quotes Koran, iii. 184: “They cast it
behind their backs” (comp. p. 216, above).
Though I should not be of any help.—The fourth form of the verb
ghaná, which generally means to enrich, is here used in that of
helping, as in Koran, xliv. 41: “A day when a servant shall not
help a master in aught (lâ yughnî), neither shall aid be given to
them (lâ yúnṣarûna).”
And stint even the fragment of a worn toothpick, lit., the spittings of
the siwâk, meaning the splinters of the miswâk, or piece of wood,
used for rubbing and thereby cleaning the teeth before prayer,
which remain in the mouth, and are spit out, when this preliminary
act of ceremonial ablution has been performed (see Hughes’ “Dictionary
of Islâm,” p. 353).
Knowest thou not that contumacy provokes the wrath of the Lord?—
The Lord may mean “thy husband,” as the Beyrout edition explains,
or more probably God Almighty, in allusion to Koran,
xxiv. 8, 9: “But it shall avert the chastisement from her (i.e., the
woman accused of adultery), if she testify a testimony four times
repeated, by God, that he (the accusing husband) is indeed of them
that lie; and a fifth time that the wrath of the Lord be on her, if he
have spoken the truth.”
And punishes the neighbour for the default of the neighbour.—This
and the preceding metaphor are sufficiently transparent to allow
of dispensing with the exceedingly plain-spoken definition of the
neighbour and the neighbour’s neighbour, given by Sherîshi, who
at the same time relates that the saying was addressed by an Arab
to his wife, when she excused herself from meeting his advances in
due fashion on the plea that she was visited by her menses. The
light, thus thrown on the subject, extends also to the following
rebuke of the Kadi, in which the salt-marshes stand for a place
where no plants grow, and where sowing seed is as futile as looking
out for chickens in a place where no chickens are hatched. In the
imprecation, with which he concludes: “May no concern of thine
prosper” (lâ na‘ima ‘aufu-ka), the same double meaning underlies
the word ‘auf, condition, state of affairs, as the word qalam in the
first note to Assembly XXXVIII., p. 234, the affirmative form of
the idiom na‘ima ‘aufu-ka, being addressed to a man on the point of
consummating marriage (Ar. Prov., ii. 747), and in the sentence,
“Mayst thou not be safe in that which thou fearest,” the object of
fear is offspring, either female, which, as we have seen, p. 209 above,
is considered as a misfortune by all ‘Arabs, or offspring in general,
which the poorer classes amongst them dread in reversed proportion,
as it seems, with those amongst ourselves.
By Him who sends down the winds, quotation from Koran, vii. 55,
and passim.
She is more of a liar than Sajâḥi (la-akẕabu min Sajâḥi), according
to Harîri’s commentary, a proper name indeclinable in the letter i,
like that of the celebrated grammarian Sîbawayhi (see vol. i., p. 497,
and comp. barâḥi in Assembly XLVIII.). The woman thus called
was the daughter of al-Munẕir, and made claim to the prophetic
office in opposition to the pseudo-prophet Musaylamah (see “Dict.
of Islâm,” p. 422), whom she went to convert or fight, but whose
cause she subsequently embraced, giving herself to him in marriage.
The proverb concerning her (Ar. Prov., i. 595) is not as quoted in
the text, but aghlamu (azná) min Sajâḥi, hotter (more lecherous) than
Sajâḥi, probably an intentional slip of Abû Zayd’s memory, who
trusted in that of his audience to give the retort courteous to the
accusation of his spouse by a counter-charge.
He is a greater liar than Abû S̤umâmah, the surname of the aforesaid
impostor Musaylamah, also called al-Kaẕẕâb, the liar, who in the
latter days of Mohammed’s life rose in rivalry with him, and after
the Prophet’s death acquired considerable power, until Abû Bekr’s
general, Khâlid ibn al-Welîd, crushed his followers in a sanguinary
battle, in which the false prophet was slain by the negro slave
Wahshî with the same lance wherewith he had killed Mohammed’s
uncle Ḥamzah in the battle of Oḥud.
More barefaced than bark, etc.—Abraza is, lit., more showing forth,
i.e., displaying her face without a veil, a sign of immodesty in a
woman.
Rijlah, which, for the sake of assonance, I translate by “purslane,”
is some kind of bitter herb, which grows on the brink of
rivers, and is therefore proverbially (Ar. Prov., i. 406), called
ḥamqâ, foolish, silly, because exposing itself to be undermined and
carried away by the current. The river Tigris, whose Arabic name
dijlah rhymes with it, is considered one of the widest rivers, so
much so that a flooded country is called dijlah, as resembling it in
width and extent.
If Shîrîn had bestowed on thee her beauty, etc.—Shîrîn, wife of the
Persian king Khosru Perwez, celebrated for her beauty and the
sculptor Farhad’s fatal love for her.—Bilkîs, Queen of Saba (the
Scriptural Sheba, for whom see Koran, xxvii. 22, 23).—Zobaydeh,
wife of Hârûn ar Reshîd and grand-daughter of Manṣûr, possessed
of great wealth, which she spent lavishly in pilgrimage, pious donations,
and the building of mosques.—Bûrân, either the daughter of
Khosru Perwez, who reigned after his death for forty years, or more
probably the wife of the Khalif Ma’mûn, who spread for her on the
wedding night a golden carpet, on which he poured from a large
vessel a heap of pearls for the waiting women, each of whom took
a bead, the remainder being left sparkling on the carpet.—Az-Zebbâ
(see notes to Assembly XXVII., p. 190 above), proverbial for magnificence
and power (Ar. Prov., ii. 147), and thus called from the length
of her hair (zabab), which she trailed behind her when walking.—
Rabî‘ah, daughter of Ishmael, of the tribe Ḳays, a woman of Baṣra,
celebrated for piety (Ibn Khallikan, i. 263).—Khindaf, surname of
Laila, daughter of Ḥulwân bin ‘Imrân, and wife of Alyas bin Moḍar,
surpassing all Arab women in glory, as ancestress of the tribe
Koraysh.—Al-Khansâ, the Pug-nosed, nickname of Tumâḍir bint
‘Amr ibn Harith ibn ash-Sherîd. She lived up to the rise of Islâm,
and was the greatest Arabic poetess, famous especially for her
elegies on her brother Ṣakhr (comp. Ar. Prov., ii. 617, and see
Chenery’s note, vol. i., p. 387, to Being at one time Ṣakhr, at another
time the sister of Ṣakhr).
O thou viler than Mâdir.—Mâdir, nickname of Mokhâriḳ, a man
of the tribe Benû Hilâl ibn ‘Amir, who had taken possession of a
cistern to water his camels, and when it had served his purpose,
coated it with his excrements, in order to render it useless to those
coming after him, and thereby gave rise to the proverb, “more
stingy than Mâdir” (Ar. Prov., i. 190).—Ḳâṣhir, either a camel
stallion belonging to one of the tribes of S‘ad ibn Zayd Manât ibn
Temîm, who covered no she-camel without her dying, or a year of
drought, thus called from its stripping (qashr) the ground of vegetation
(Ar. Prov. i. 690).—Ṣâfir (whistler), a word of disputed meaning
(Ar. Prov., i. 326). Some say it signifies any bird that whistles,
and that cowardice is attributed to it, because it is in continual fear
of birds and beasts of prey. By others it is said to mean a special
kind of bird, which, at the approach of night, clings to some
branches and whistles all night through from fear of falling asleep
and being captured. According to a third explanation, it designates
a man who whistles to a woman, so as to give warning of danger,
and all the while is cowed with fear lest he be caught at his errand.
Lastly, it is stated that the agent “whistling” stands for the patient
“whistled to” (as a signal for flight), as in Koran, lxxxvi. 6, “pouring
(dâfiq) water” (i.e., sperm) stands for “water poured forth
(madfûq)” and in popular parlance “a riding-beast (râḥilah)” for a
beast ridden upon (marḥûlah), a peculiarity of idiom as frequent in
Arabic as, vice versâ, the use of the patient instead of the agent, for
instance, Koran, xvii. 47, “a hidden (mastûr) veil” for a “hiding
or enshrouding (sâtir) veil.”—T̤âmir, the Jumper, with his full title,
T̤âmir ibn T̤âmir, Jumper Jumperson, the flea, on account of his
extraordinary power of leaping here, there, and everywhere, proverbial
for giddiness (Ar. Prov., ii. 52).
More contemptible than nail-parings in a heap of rubbish.—This translation
renders the reading of several manuscripts, my own included,
which adds after qulâmah, nail-parings, the words fî qumâmah, in
sweepings. Although not admitted into the printed editions, it
doubtlessly improves the equibalance of the qarînah, and makes the
phrase more forcible.
More vicious than the mule of Abû Dulâmeh (Ar. Prov., i. 416), a
compendium of all possible depravities, and an impossible one into
the bargain, impossible, I mean, to translate decently, but to be
guessed at by fox-hunters, who remember what reynard is said to
do when hard pressed by the hounds, excusable in his case as a
means of self-defence, but in the mule sheer wanton mischief at the
cost of harmless passers-by. Her master, son of an emancipated
black slave, was a poet who flourished in the days of the last
Omayyides and first Abbasides, and he has immortalised the brute
by a Kaṣîdeh of considerable length and beauty.
More out of place than a bug (or dung-fly) in a perfume-box, in Arabic
aḥyaru minbaqqatin fî ḥuqqat-in, lit., more bewildered, like one who
has gone astray or lost his way, and here meaning that Abû Zayd
contaminates his surroundings, as the malodorous insect spoils the
scents amongst which it is rushing or fluttering about.
And supposing thou wert al-Ḥasan with his preaching and utterance,
etc.—Al-Ḥasan Abu Sa‘îd al-Baṣrî, proverbial for pulpit eloquence,
and a great devotee († A.H., 110; see Ibn Khallikân, i. 188).—
Ash Sha‘bî, ‘Amir ibn ‘Abdallah of the tribe Sha‘b in Yemen, like
the preceding a tâbi‘, or one who had conversed with Mohammed’s
companions, a great scholar, deeply versed in law, and knowing the
Koran by heart. He was a favourite with Ḥajjâj ibn Yûsuf (and
died at Kûfa between A.H. 103 and 107 (Ibn Khallikân, i. 344,
and Ar. Prov., i. 413).—Al Khalîl, or Abû ‘Abd ar-Raḥmân ibn
Aḥmad al-Farâhîdî, the founder of Arabic grammar and prosody, to
the discovery of which latter art he was led by listening to the fall
of the hammers of blacksmiths, sounding to him alternately like
daq, daq-daq, daqaq-daqaq, etc.; and striking on his ear like the
rhythmical measures of the constituent elements of his native
poetry, whereupon he built a most elaborate system of metrology
(born A.H. 100, †160 or 170; see Ibn Khallikân, i. 252).—Jerîr, or
Abû Hazrah ibn ‘Âtîyah, considered the greatest poet of early Islâm,
rivalled only by Farazdak and Akht̤al, and equally distinguished
in erotic and satiric poetry. He died ninety and odd years old,
A.H. 110, in the same year as Farazdak, with whom he had carried
on a lively warfare of “give and take” in lampoons (see Ibn Khalli-kân,
i. 150).—Koss, the eloquent Christian Bishop of Najrân, for
whom see Chenery’s note on the formula And now, vol. i. 269, and
who is mentioned passim in other Assemblies of our author.—
‘Abd al-Ḥamîd ibn Yaḥyá ibn Sa‘îd, was secretary to Marwân ibn
Mohammed, the last Khalif of the House of Omayyeh, and excelled
by the beauty of his caligraphy and style, the use of which, however,
made in the service of an antagonist, incensed the founder of
the Abbaside dynasty against him, who put him cruelly to death.—
Abû ‘Amr Rubbân (according to others, Zubbân) ibn al-‘Alâ, noted for
his profound knowledge of the Koran in its seven readings, made a
vow to recite the whole of the sacred text every three nights. He
was also a great grammarian and lexicographer (born in Mecca
A.H. 70, † in Kûfa about A.H. 154; see Ibn Khallikân, i. 403).—
Ibn Korayb al-Aṣma‘î, spoken of vol. i., p. 319, and frequently
alluded to in the Makâmât. His life will be found in Ibn Khalli-kân,
i. 403.
Ye twain remind me of Shann and T̤abaqah, and hawk and pellet, lit.,
I see that ye twain are, etc.—The explanation of the two proverbs
here alluded to is disputed, but their meaning in this place is,
“I see that you are a match for each other.” The first is, wâfaqa
shannun t̤abaqata, Shann has matched T̤abaqah (Ar. Prov., ii. 800,
835), where, according to most interpreters, the names are those of
two Arab tribes. Others, however, say that Shann was a sharp-witted
Arab, who vowed that he would not wed, unless a woman
his equal in sagacity. While he was roaming about in search of her,
he met with a travelling companion, whom he asked on setting out
together: “Wilt thou carry me, or shall I carry thee?” Said the
man: “O thou fool! carries ever one mounted another who is
mounted also?” Shann kept silent until they came to a sown field,
when he said: “Thinkest thou that this field has already been eaten
up or not?” “Thou idiot!” replied the man, “seest thou not that
it stands in ears?” Another pause of silence, till they were met by
a funeral, and Shann asked: “Reckest thou that the man on the
bier is alive or dead?” Then the man exclaimed: “In all my life
I have never come across a dafter dolt than thou art; fanciest thou
that people escort a living man to the grave?” Presently they
reached the village of the man, who made his fellow-traveller
welcome at his home. Now he had a daughter called T̤abaqah, and
taking her aside, he related to her their colloquy as a piece of rare
fun. But she said to him: “The man was quite right in his
speech, and his questions were all that might be expected from one
like him. When he asked thee, ‘Wilt thou carry me, or shall I
carry thee?’ his meaning was, ‘Wilt thou talk to me, or shall I talk
to thee, in order to make us bear up with the tediousness of the
journey?’ As for his question about the field, whether it had been
eaten up or not, he meant, whether its owners had taken and consumed
the price of its produce in advance or not. Lastly, when he
asked whether the man on the bier was alive, he wanted to know
whether he left a son behind, by whom he would continue to live in
man’s memory, or not.” When the host joined his guest again, and
told him of his daughter’s interpretation of their converse, the latter
sued for her hand and married her, and when he brought her to his
own people, relating the proofs of sense and sagacity which she
had given him, they said: “Shann is well matched with T̤abaqah.”
Aṣma‘î is credited with a third, somewhat lame explanation, to the
effect that shann means a worn-out skin-bag, which, when furnished
with an adequate covering, was fitted for further use, and gave rise
to the saying in question. The actual form of the second proverb
(Ar. Prov., i. 365), applied to one who is frightened by an enemy
or put to the test by his equal, is: khida’a khida‘a warâ’a-ki bunduqah,
the verbal meaning of which turns on that of khida’a, which may
either be the name of a tribe, warned to be pursued by a rival tribe
of the name of Bunduqah, or it may signify the bird thus called
(vulture, hawk), in which case bunduqah is the pellet of the archer,
the tenor of the proverb being: “Hawk, hawk, the pellet is after
(or behind) thee!” Applied to the couple engaged in altercation,
it means in both cases that either party finds a match in the other.
Enter in thy conduct the level road, allusion to the proverb, “He
who enters the level road is safe from tripping” (Ar. Prov., ii. 675),
and here intended as a caution to the husband to approach his wife
in lawful fashion.
I shall not hoist my sail to him, another metaphor which sufficiently
explains itself, considering that it is the sail which makes the ship
to go.
With the three binding forms of oath.—These are either the three
forms of divorce allowed by ash-Shâfi‘î (see “Dict. of Islâm,” p. 87,
iii., and p. 90, v.); or the oath by the name of God in its three
forms: wa’llâhi, bi’llâhi, tallâhi, or divorce, manumission of a slave,
and pilgrimage to Mecca.
The fundament of either of you has missed the pit, a proverbial expression
(Ar. Prov., i. 444) applied to one who misplaces anything
or misses the object of his wish, and arising from a man’s having
dug two holes, the one for keeping provisions in, the other to serve
as a privy. His two sons mistook the former for the latter, when
he addressed them with the words above.
And make an example of you for those who have eyes to see, alluding
to Koran, iii. 11: “In this truly was a lesson for men endued with
discernment.”
And naught I water but my field for planting.—Compare to this the
note on p. 244 above.
That it is I who taught the Shaykh to versify with such glibness, in
Arabic anni ’llatî laqqanati ’sh-shaikha ’l-arâjîzâ. In translating thus
I follow the reading of my own MS. in preference to De Sacy, who,
probably misguided by the French idiom, “C’est moi qui ai,” adopts
the reading: laqqantu (1st person) ẕâ ’sh-shaikha. Naṣîf al-Yazaji,
in his critical letter, censures him on this point, proposing the very
reading which my MS. contains, and Mehren, who has translated
and annotated this letter, defends the French against the Arabic
scholar, but the redactors of the second edition of De Sacy refute
Mehren’s arguments in a lengthy note, which, I think, settles the
question definitely. Arâjîz is plural of urjûzah, a poem in rejez
metre, and as this is a very popular and easy-flowing kind of metrical
composition, I feel myself justified in rendering the word in this
place by “to versify with such glibness,” and a little lower down by
“doggerel-rhyme.”
He would be like one who pays a debt with borrowed money, and prays
the sunset prayer with two inclinations (instead of the prescribed four,
which it is unlawful to cut short, even when travelling), meaning
that what he had done was as if he had done nothing, since a debt
thus paid is still a debt, and a prayer thus curtailed is valueless.
I testify that ye twain are the most crafty amongst men and jinn,
allusion to Koran, lv. 31: “We will settle accounts with you, O ye
men and jinn,” lit., ye two heavy, i.e., troublesome, ones.
THE FORTY-FIRST ASSEMBLY.
Listening to the tunes of song, in Arabic uẕunan li ’l-aghârîd, lit.,
being an ear to songs, a remarkable idiom, closely akin to the
English, “I am all ear.”
And repented of my falling short in my duty towards Allah, allusion
to Koran, xxxix. 57: “So that a soul say, ‘O misery! for my
failures in duty towards God! for verily, I was of those who scoffed.’”
And returned from dissipation to collectedness, lit., whose spreading
out has returned to being folded up (wa fâ’a mansharu-hu ilá ’t̤-t̤aiyi).
A note in my MS. says: “Manshar is an infinitive, in the sense of
the patient or passive participle manshûr, that which is spread out,
i.e., the pages of the book in which his transgressions are recorded,
meaning that by his repentance this book has been folded up or
closed, and De Sacy adopts this explanation in his commentary.
But it seems simpler and more natural to take with Sherîshi man-sharu-hu
in the sense of intishâru-hu, his launching out into the
dissolute pleasures of youth and passion, from which he has returned
by repentance to a proper and self-possessed frame of mind, like a
garment which has been spread out and is folded up again. Preston
translates: “Whose conduct was reformed from laxity to strictness,”
and aptly quotes the Latin rendering of the passage: “Cujus animus
solutus rediisset in plicam,” probably from Peiper’s Latin translation
of the Assemblies, mentioned vol. i., p. 101.
When foreign travel had cast me to Tanîs.—Tinnîs, or Tanis, from
which latter form the name of the Tanitic mouth of the Nile is
derived, was formerly an important town in the Delta, renowned
for the fabrication of costly stuffs of various kinds. It is surrounded
by an inlet of the Mediterranean, into which the Nile rises at the
season of inundation, so that its water is salt during one half of the
year and sweet during the other half.
Through his love for it he is slaughtered without a knife.—This may
mean either simply without the use of a knife, or, as Sherîshi explains,
otherwise than by a knife, for instance, by a stone or a club,
in which case death would not follow instantaneously, but under
prolonged suffering. Preston translates accordingly: “He perishes
by a lingering death,” referring to the torment and misery to which
the worldling is doomed by his wretched devotion to the world.
It seems, however, to me that the preacher intends to say: He is
not bodily killed by violence, but his moral life is destroyed by the
very pleasures and sensual gratifications which the world offers to
him.
I swear by Him who sent forth both the waters, sweet and salt, and lit
up the twain, sun and moon, in Arabic man maraja ’l-baḥraini wa
nauwara ’l-qamaraini, lit., “who set free the two seas and gave light
to the two moons.” Preston renders the former by: “who mingled
the water of the two seas,” and accompanies the word “mingled” by
the note: “If we suppose ‘the two seas’ here spoken of to be the
Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, this rendering of maraja is
best. But if ‘the two seas’ intended be the Mediterranean and the
Black Sea, it is best to translate maraja ‘mix’; and that these are
the two intended is rendered probable by the fact that one of the
titles of the Turkish Sultan is ‘Lord of the two seas,’ i.e., the
Black Sea and the Mediterranean.” This is ingenious enough, as
far as it goes, but it seems strange that he, as well as De Sacy and
the redactors of his second edition, has overlooked the allusion to
Koran, xxv. 55: “And He it is who hath let loose the two seas,
the one sweet, fresh; and the other salt, bitter”; and ibid., lv. 19:
“He hath let loose the two seas which meet each other,” to which
latter quotation comp. ibid., xxxv. 13: “Nor are the two seas alike:
the one is fresh, sweet, pleasant for drink, and the other salt, bitter,”
etc. When, moreover, the dictionaries tell us, that baḥr is a term
both for the sea and for a large river like the Nile, the passage, as
translated by me, appears particularly appropriate to the place
where the scene of the Assembly is laid (see the note on Tanîs
above). As for the expression al-qamarâni, the two moons, for sun
and moon, ash-shamsu wa’l-qamaru, as the two seemingly greatest
luminaries, Sherîshî remarks, that they are designated by the dual
of qamar, moon, on account of its easier pronunciation and masculine
gender, not by that of shams, sun (in Arabic feminine, reversedly
with the English idiom), although the former is less brilliant and
borrows its light from the latter. In similar manner, the two immediate
successors of Mohammed in the Khalifate, Abû Bekr and
‘Omar, are called al-‘Umarân, in spite of the pre-eminence accorded
to Abû Bekr over ‘Omar, because this name adapts itself more
readily to the dual form.
And exalted the dignity of the two (holy) stones.—The two stones are
meant, either for the two precious metals, gold and silver, or for
the black stone of the Ka‘beh, and the holy rock in the Temple of
Jerusalem, to which Mohammed tied his mount Borâk after his
night-journey to heaven; or, the same black stone at Mecca, and
the so-called station of Abraham, the sacred stone upon which
Abraham stood when he built the Ka‘beh, and which is said to bear
the impression of his footmarks. The character of the address
renders it more than probable that either of the two last mentioned
explanations applies here to the exclusion of the first, for which
reason I insert in parenthesis the word “holy” in my translation.
Who plunges into the abode of fire, while he treasures gold and hoards
up riches.—Allusion to Koran, ix. 34: “O Believers! of a truth,
many of the teachers and monks devour man’s substance in vanity,
and turn them from the Way of God. But to those who treasure up
gold and silver, and expend it not for the cause of God, announce
tidings of grievous punishment,” i.e., the torment of the blazing fire of
hell. On the worthlessness and perishableness of worldly goods,
the poets are eloquent. Abu ’l-‘Atâhîyah, for instance, says:
“O thou who exaltest thyself by the world and its pomp, such exalting
is but that of clay by clay;
If thou desirest for the noblest of all men, then gaze at a king in the
garb of a mendicant;
I see man content with the most trifling share of religion, but in life
they are by no means satisfied with a trifle;
Let then Allah suffice thee instead of the world of kings, as the world
suffices kings instead of religion.”
Or, to quote the words of another poet:
“Anybody addicted to this life is nobody in our eyes, and this abode of
perishableness we reck not an abode:
For our riches are but loans, which he who lends will presently take
back from him that borrows.”
Feather the free, etc.—Compare to this Assembly XI., vol. i., p. 167,
l. 4, and the note to it, ibid., p. 368.
By the Faithful, the Guardian.—See Koran, lix. 23: “He is God,
beside whom there is no god. He is the King, the Holy, the Peaceful,
the Faithful, the Guardian, the Mighty, the Strong, the Most
High! Far be the Glory of God from that which they associate
with Him.”
Will ye enjoin on men what is right, and forget your own souls?—
Quotation from Koran, ii. 41: “Will ye enjoin what is right upon
others, and though ye read the Book, forget your own souls?”
Mohammed is related to have said: “In my night-journey I passed
by some men, whose lips and tongues were being cut off with scissors
of fire. Then I asked, Who are these, O Gabriel? He said, These
are the preachers from amongst thy people who enjoin on mankind
that which is right, and forget their own souls.” Abu ’l-‘At̤âhîyah
addresses Manṣûr ibn ‘Ammâr (for whom see Ibn Khallikân, ii. 545)
in the following words:
“O preacher of men, thou hast become suspected, since thou blamest
actions of theirs which thou thyself committest,
Like one who clothes in garments the naked, while his nakedness is
apparent to men, without his trying to conceal it;
Yet the most grievous case known in any soul, after idolatry, is its
blindness for its own sins,
Its knowledge of the faults of others which it clearly perceives, while it
perceives not the fault within itself.”
That will do, a popular English idiom for the equally popular
Arabic qad-ka, which is synonymous with ḥasbu-ka, “let this suffice
thee.” The following “shame on thee” is in the original itta ’ib,
imperative of the 8th form of wa’b, which is generally explained by
istaḥî, be ashamed, in which sense the verb has occurred in Assembly
XVIII., p. 212, l. 10. According to other authorities, it is equivalent
to irja‘, return! be gone! leave off!
He turned his back and went without returning.—This is taken from
Koran, xxvii. 10: “And when he (Moses) saw that it moved itself
as though it were a serpent, he retreated backward and returned not.”
Also xxviii. 31: “And ‘Throw down now thy rod.’ Then when
he saw it stir itself as though it were a serpent, he retreated and fled
and retraced not his steps.”
THE FORTY-SECOND ASSEMBLY.
Clinging closer to me than love to the Benû ‘Uẕrah, and bravery to the
race of Abû Ṣufrah.—The tribe of the Benû ‘Uẕrah were famous for
their fatal love-passion, of which an instance is related in the three
hundred and eighty-fourth of the Arabian Nights. One of their
poets sings:
“If an ‘Uẕrî escapes from death through love, that one, by the Lord of
lovers, is an interloper,”
and the tale goes that an Arab was asked, “From what tribe art
thou?” He answered, “From a people, who when they love, they
die.” Whereupon a damsel, who had heard him, exclaimed: “An
‘Uẕrî, by the Lord of the Ka‘beh.” As for the race of Abû Ṣufrah,
they are his son al-Muhallab, commander of Baṣra under al-Ḥajjâj,
and the sons of al-Muhallab, who were all distinguished for valour
and every knightly virtue, so that a poet in the Ḥamâseh says of
them:
“The race of al-Muhallab are a stock endowed with glory, such as no
Arab has attained, nay, nor comes near attaining.”
Abû Ṣufrah is the kinyeh of Z̤âlîm (oppressor) ibn Ṣarrâq or Ṣârîq
(robber), the ominous significance of which names induced Khalif
‘Omar to refuse him a post of Governor for which he had applied.
His sons and grandsons played a conspicuous part in the troubles
caused by Mu‘âwiyeh’s usurpation of the Khalifate (see Weil,
“Geschichte der Chalifen,” i. 365 and following).
Now when I had alighted at Najrân, in Arabic fa lammâ alqaitu
’l-jirâna, lit., when I had laid down my neck, for which idiom
compare Assembly XIX., vol. i., p. 215, l. 30, and the note at the
bottom of p. 446, ibid. Najrân is a town of Yemen, called after its
founder, Najrân ibn Zayd, and halfway between Sanâ‘ and Hadra-mowt,
in ancient times mostly inhabited by Christians, whose
eloquent Bishop Koss has been mentioned repeatedly.
Forsooth the morning-brightness shows clear to those possessed of eyes,
a proverb (Ar. Prov., ii. 255) which admits of two interpretations.
De Sacy, in his commentary, says it is applied to anything perfectly
self-evident, and the verb baiyana (shows) is here used intransitively
for tabaiyana. Sherîshi, who mentions this explanation without
repudiating it, remarks, however, that the night in its darkness is
the same for the blind and the seeing; but that the morning, when
it appears, reveals all objects to those endowed with eyesight. I
have tried in my translation to preserve the ambiguity.
And beholding holds the stead of two witnesses, i.e., is equally convincing.
The passage alludes to Koran, ii. 282: “And call to
witness two witnesses from among your men; but if there not be
two men, let there be a man and two women of those whom ye
shall judge fit for witnesses,” namely, such as are upright, ‘adl,
which term Ḥarîri uses here as synonym of shâhid, witness.
And responded to his challenge to the combat, in Arabic wa mulabbûna
dâ‘iya munâbaẕati-hi, lit., they were saying labbai-ka to the caller for
combat with him (comp. Ḥarîri’s Preface, vol. i., p. 105, line 10
from the bottom, where a similar expression occurs).
Their wrath was allayed, lit., their knots were loosened, a proverbial
expression for the abatement of anger, for which see Ar.
Prov., i. 251.
A driver she has, kinsman of hers, meaning the rope by which the
canvas fan is led, and which is, like itself, made of hemp.
Through whom the Writ [imâm] is known, as holy recording angels
take their pride in him.—This translation is based on the supposition:
1. That the word imâm is here used in the same sense as Koran,
xvii. 74: “One day We will summon all men with their writ (bi-imâmi-kim)
; then they whose book shall be given into their right
hand shall read their book, and not be wronged a thread.” It is
true that Rodwell renders “with their leaders,” but most commentators
interpret the term as above, and this view of the case is
eminently supported by xxxvi. (the celebrated Sura Yâ Sîn) 11:
“Verily it is We who will quicken the dead, and We write down
the works which they send on before, and the traces which they
leave behind; and everything do We set down in a clear Writ
(fî imâm-in mubîn-in).” Rodwell translates, or rather paraphrases,
“in the clear Book of our decrees,” and says in a note, “lit., in the
clear prototype, that is, in the Preserved Table, on which all the
actions of mankind are written down.” 2. The preceding inference
seems to justify me in assuming that al-kirâm has in our passage the
same meaning as in Koran, lxxx. 11–15: “Verily it (the Koran) is
a warning (and whoso is willing beareth it in mind); Written on
honoured pages, Exalted, purified, By the hands of Scribes, honoured
(kirâm-in), righteous.” Also lxxxii. 10–12: “Yet truly there are
guardians over you—Illustrious recorders—(kirâman kâtibîna) cognisant
of your actions.” A more commonplace explanation is that
under imâm the Khalif is meant, said to be made known by the pen,
because it writes down his commands and decrees, and that kirâm
signifies distinguished official scribes or secretaries, who take pride
in their pen, because it frequently assures to them access to the
highest dignities under Government. Still, the former interpretation
seems preferable, the more so as the word riddled upon, in
Arabic qalam, is in itself an allusion to the Koran, whose Sura
lxviii. has it for its title.
When given to drink he flies about like one athirst, and settles to rest,
when thirstiness gets hold of him, meaning that the pen, when supplied
with ink, hurries along the paper like one in search of drink, and
when it is thirsty, i.e., dry for want of ink, it rests, contrary to
man, who anxiously moves about in seeking for water, when he is
thirsty, but rests when his thirst is quenched.
And no offence at his wedlock is ever found, lit., “In his marriage
there is no way against him,” where the word way or road (sabîl)
is to be taken as in Koran, ix. 92: “It is no crime in the weak, and
in the sick, and in those who find not the means, to stay at home
(in times of war), provided they are sincere with God and His
Apostle. In those who act righteously, there is no cause of blame
(mâ min sabîl-in): and God is Gracious, Merciful.” In this passage
of the sacred text sabîl is explained with t̤arîq bi ’t-ta‘zîb, way for
punishment.
As the spouses are growing grey, lit., with the grey hair (‘inda ’al-
mashîbi), where the article stands for the personal pronoun “their,”
and allows, therefore, the substitution of the nouns to which this
pronoun refers. This use of the article is frequent enough in Arabic,
but the commentators find it worth their while to mention that it is
sanctioned by the Koran, xli. 31: “We are your guardians in this
life and in the next; yours therein shall be what your souls desire
(mâ tashtahî ’l-anfusu [the souls] for anfusakum [your souls]), and
yours therein whatever ye shall ask for.”
One swerving although firmly joined, bestowing gifts not working mischief.
—This seems to me the most simple and natural way of rendering
the play on the word jâfî, which I take first in the sense of
deviating, inasmuch as one of the sides of the water-wheel continually
seems to turn away from the other, although they are inseparably
united (mauṣûl); secondly, in that of exercising tyranny,
doing injury, meaning that the water-wheel, far from causing a
disastrous inundation, fertilizes the fields by irrigating them, and is
therefore called waṣûl, which the commentators paraphrase by kas̤îru
’l-‘at̤â’, abounding in benefits.
Yet is his fierceness to be feared.—His fierceness signifies here excessive
swiftness of rotation, which may put the machinery of the
wheel out of order and damage the receptacles for the water. The
purity of heart refers of course to the limpidity of the water contained
in those receptacles.
And close your five upon them, i.e., close your fingers upon them, for
“preserve them well in your memory.” The expression “five” for
“fingers” has occurred in the seventh Assembly, vol. i., 140.
Now the desire for more beguiled (istafazzat) the people into allowing
themselves to be taxed with dulness.—The verb, here used, is another
idiom borrowed from the Koran, xvii. 66, where, after the refusal of
Iblîs to prostrate himself before Adam, it is said to him: “And
entice (istafziz) such of them (Adam’s offspring) as thou canst by thy
voice.”
One veiled as if sorrowful, yet gladsome apparently.—Here it is
difficult for the translator to do justice to the original. To render
the text at all intelligible, it must be stated that the cooling-flask,
or refrigerator, is a green jar, covered with canvas, whence its name,
al-muzallamah, the enveloped one, and lined between this cover and
its own outer surface with a layer of straw, to keep the water in it
cool in summer time. The middle of it is perforated, and holds a
tube of silver or some other metal, by which people drink out of it.
It is therefore in the riddle called masrûrah, provided with a navel
(surrah), referring to the hole into which the tube is fixed, but also
passive participle of the verb surûr, to rejoice, and therefore translated
gladsome. It is further described as maghmûmah, which may either
mean covered, as the sky is covered by clouds (ghumûm), or grieved,
sorrowful, part. pass. of the verb ghamm, to grieve.
Approached for her offspring’s sake at times, i.e., in summer on
account of the water which is contained in it, like the offspring,
lit., the fœtus, in the mother’s womb. The second “at times”
means, of course, in winter, when the cooling-flask is shelved away,
which is playfully stigmatised as an act of cruelty or ingratitude for
services rendered afore.
Her outward attire is showy, disdained is her undercloth.—The showy
outward attire is a gaily coloured wrapper over the coarse canvas-cover,
and the disdained undercloth (lit., lining) is meant for the
coating of straw, which, however, ought not to be despised, since
it serves the wise purpose of keeping the water cool.
Seen during Ḥajj he ceases to be seen on ‘Îd, how strange to tell.—The
word translated by Ḥajj, pilgrimage, is in Arabic al-‘ashr, for ‘ashru
ẕî ’l-ḥijjah, i.e., the first ten days of the month ẕû ’l-ḥijjah, in which
the pilgrimage takes place, and during which period the nails are
allowed to grow; and the word translated by ‘Îd is an-naḥr, the day
of sacrifice, called ‘îd, or feast, which terminates the pilgrimage,
when the nails are pared again. At the same time, the former word
may signify the ten fingers, the natural place of the nails, and the
latter the throat or chest, where none are to be found, a double
meaning which it is, of course, impossible to render in English.
If both wear painted cheeks, she is put to torture, i.e., if either end of
the match is coated with naphtha, it is made to burn.
What is the thing that when it corrupts, its error turns to righteousness?
—Meaning that wine, which is forbidden to the believer, turns into
vinegar, when it gets sour, and thereby becomes lawful.
One fickle and leaning with one half to one side, etc.—To render this
plain, it will suffice to transcribe Sherîshi’s commentary on the
passage: “In spite of his fickleness and leaning to one side (i.e.,
partiality), he is always seen in an elevated place, like a king who
distributes justice (meaning either that the balance is lifted up by
the hand, or raised on a stand). Common stone and gold are the
same to him, and if thou look at him with the eye of the sagacious,
thou wilt wonder to find that people are satisfied with his decision,
although he is by nature partial to one of the litigants, showing a
bias towards him.”
And reck this to be our dowry of divorce.—The dowry or provision
of divorce (mu‘tatu ’t̤-t̤ilâqi) is a gift made by the husband to a wife,
divorced before consummation has taken place, in obedience to
Koran, ii. 237: “It shall be no crime in you, if ye divorce your
wives, so long as ye have not consummated the marriage nor settled
any dowry on them. And provide for them—he who is in easy
circumstances according to his means, and he who is straitened,
according to his means: this is a duty for those who do what is
right.” Here the meaning is: Let the revelation of thy pedigree
be thy parting gift before we separate.
THE FORTY-THIRD ASSEMBLY.
As one who shakes two divining arrows, i.e., divided between despondency
and hope, like one who shakes the two arrows of success
and failure (comp. p. 80 above). According to others, it alludes to
the popular saying: “Either booty or loss, either dominion or
destruction.”
And the onslaught of the host of Ḥâm, equivalent to the preceding
words, “the downfall of darkness,” Ḥâm, son of Noah, being the
father of blackamoors, and therefore his army a simile for the blackness
of night.
Whether to gather my skirt, and tether or face the night and grope my
way, meaning whether I should tuck my garments round me for
taking my night’s rest, after having tied up my travelling beast, or
continue my journey at all hazards and in spite of all difficulties
and obstacles. In the above translation I use the infinitives of the
verbs, for the sake of conciseness, but in the original the aorist is
employed, “or face the night,” for instance, is expressed by am
a‘tamidu ’l-laila, “or should face the night.” This is the reading of
the native prints, which I adopt in my own edition. De Sacy has
aghtamadu, which is explained by: “should make the night my
scabbard” (ghimd), in a similar sense as it is said in Assembly
XXIX.: “I made night my shirt.” But while the latter comparison
graphically pictures a state of utter denudation and penury,
the simile of the scabbard, seems somewhat far-fetched and inappropriate.
Now while I was revolving in my mind for what I should decide myself,
lit., while I was turning about my deliberation and churning my
resolve, the Arabic for which latter verb is imtikhâẓ, explained as
istikhrâju ’z-zubdati mina ’l-labani, the bringing out of the butter from
the milk.
Drowned in sleep, in Arabic aktaḥala bi-ruqâdi-hi (he had applied
koḥl by his sleep), where the sleep which had taken possession of
him is likened to koḥl, or antimony applied to the eyes. In the next
line these eyes are called “his two lamps,” lit up again on his
recovery from unconsciousness, which, as it were, had extinguished
them.
Thy brother or the wolf, a proverb which also takes the form “the
brother or the night,” and applies to one who is in doubt and perplexity.
The meaning is that Abû Zayd was frightened by the
other’s sudden appearance, and asked himself, Is he whom I see a
friend or foe, but as the words are spoken in the hearing of Al
Ḥârith, they are addressed at the same time to him, implying the
question: Dost thou approach me with friendly or hostile intention?
Wherefore he replies: No, I am but a casual comer, who has lost
his way in the darkness of night (comp. Ar. Prov., i. 75).
So give me light, that I also may strike it for thee, another proverb,
in the explanation of which the commentators exercise their ingenuity,
as is so frequently the case, to little purpose. Some take
objection to it on the ground that he who has the means of striking
a light for himself applies not for a light to another. Maydâni
(Ar. Prov., ii. 8) says it means: “be for me, then I shall be for
thee,” i.e., I shall prove towards thee, as thou provest towards me,
and a further explanation is: “be more for me than I can be for
thee,” since giving light is more than merely striking it. It seems
to me that Abû Zayd’s reply, in connection with what had gone
before, makes the matter sufficiently clear. In apostrophizing himself
audibly to Al Ḥârith with the words, “Thy brother or the wolf,”
he admitted implicitly that the latter had an equal right to suspect
the intentions of a stranger whom he had met accidentally. Al-Ḥarith
therefore says, Enlighten me as to thy own disposition
towards me, and I will model mine accordingly towards thyself.
To this Abû Zayd answers, in allusion to the first-quoted proverb:
“Let thy anxiety be at rest, for thou hast many a brother whom thy mother
bore not,” thereby clearly indicating that he was animated only by
feelings of a most friendly kind. The appropriateness of this second
proverb (Ar. Prov., i. 529, 549) lies more in the sense which it
derives from the context than in its original purport, which, far
from removing suspicion, expresses such. It is attributed to Lok-mân
ibn ‘Âd, who, it is told, found in a house to which he had come
to quench his thirst a woman engaged in dalliance with a man, and
on asking her, “Who is this youth at thy side, for I know that he
is not thy husband,” was answered, “He is my brother,” whereupon
he uttered the above rejoinder.
With the approach of morning people praise night-faring, proverbial
for bearing hardships in the hope of ensuing rest (Ar. Prov., ii. 70).
The saying originates with Khâlid ibn al-Welid, when Abû Bekr
bade him go from Yemâmeh, where he happened to be, to Irak.
He proposed to travel by the waterless desert, when Râfi‘ aṭ-Ṭâ’î
said to him: “I have traversed it in the time of ignorance. It
allows of watering the camels only on the fifth day, and I think
thou wilt not be able to cross it unless providing thyself with
water.” So he bought a hundred generous camels, which he let
grow thirsty, and after having watered them, he sewed up their
pudenda and muzzled them. After two days’ travel in the desert
he feared the effects of thirst on his men and horses, and that the
water in the bellies of the camels might be absorbed. He therefore
drew it off, and made the men and horses to drink, whereupon he
continued his march. In the fourth night Râfi‘ said: “Look out
whether you can see some lofty Lotus-trees; if so, all is well; if
not, we are doomed to perish.” The men did so, and having got
sight of the trees, brought him the tidings, when he exclaimed,
“God is great!” and the people shouted with him, “God is great!”
and rushed towards the water. But Khâlid, recited the following
lines:
“How doughty a wight is Râfi‘, when rightly guided he has crossed the
waterless desert from Qurâqir to Suwá,
A five days’ journey; when the craven travels it, he weeps; no man is
to be found that performed it before him;
With the approach of morning, people praise night-faring, and all that
drowsiness had concealed from them reveals itself in brightness.”
The Arabic for “a five days’ journey” of my translation is khims-an,
objective case of the noun khims, a desert in which water is so
scarce that the camels can only be watered at an interval of five
days, and its nominative has occurred above in Râfi‘’s address to
Khâlid. Qurâqir and Suwá are the names of two watering-stations.
While his saddle-beast flitted along (stepped hurriedly, taziffu) with the
speed of the young ostrich, allusion to Koran, xxxvii. 92: “Then his
tribesmen rushed on him with hurried steps (yaziffûna).”
I had her exhibited to me for sale at Ḥaḍramowt.—Ḥaḍramowt is
as mentioned in the Epitome, an important town on the south
coast of Arabia Felix, noted for its camel breed and its cordwainery,
from which the Arabic titles of this Assembly are derived,
Bakrîyah being the noun of relation of bakr, a young camel, and
ḥaḍramîyah being that of Ḥaḍramowt, applied both to a camel
bred in that locality and to a peculiar kind of shoes or sandals
manufactured there.
And I endured death-pangs to acquire her, an idiom which, as far
as energy of expression goes, is an improvement on the English, I
was dying to obtain possession of her.
Until I found her proof for travels and a provision for the time of stay,
meaning that her strength and power of endurance were equal to the
most fatiguing journeys, and that her milk and foals provided means
of support when I was staying at home. My translation follows the
reading of the Beyrout edition: wa‘uddata qarâr-in, although in my
text revision I had adopted that of De Sacy, and of my own MS.,
‘uddata firâr-in, which would signify “an equipment for flight.”
Who knew not what pitch is, i.e., who never suffered from scab,
which would require the application of pitch to the affected places
(comp. the note to Assembly XXXVIII., p. 234, above).
Now it happened that she had strayed some little while since, in Arabic
muẕ muddatun, where the student should notice the nominative of
the depending noun, in accordance with the rule, stated by Ḥarîri
himself in his grammatical treatise “Mulḥatu ’l-i râb,” on the government
of the two synonymous particles munẕ and muẕ. Both are
equivalents of fî, in, with regard to the present, and of min, from, for,
meaning since, with regard to the past; but while the former
governs the oblique case in either sense, the latter governs the
oblique case with the present, and requires the nominative of the
noun with the past. “I have not seen him to-day” would therefore
be mâ ra’aitu-hu munẕ al-yaumi, or muẕ al-’yaumi, but “I have not
seen him for two days (two days since)” would be munẕ yaumaini
(oblique case), or muẕ yaumâni (nominative). This, at least, is, in
Ḥarîri’s opinion, the more elegant construction, although the lexicographical
authorities have a great deal more to say on the subject.
Nor the quiet of despair, meaning, nor could I persuade myself to
give over further search as hopeless, which would, in a certain
measure, have set my mind at rest, in the sense of the proverb:
“Despair is one of the two kinds of rest.”
Her blemish has been cut short, in Arabic ‘arru-hâ qad ḥusima, which
to him, who understands the mount of Ḥaḍramowt to be a camel,
would mean that she had been cured of the scab, but applied to the
shoe, that the scars of scab in the hide, from which it was made,
had been removed by the knife of the shoemaker. In like manner,
other similarities between the two are more or less forcibly explained,
as, for instance, “her back is as though it had been broken
and re-set,” refers to the elevated part on the upper side of the
shoe-sole, which resembles the swelling that remains in a broken
limb after its re-setting. This part of the shoe is called sanâm, the
usual term for the hump of a camel. To trace the comparisons
further would only weary the English reader, but for the Arabs it
was a favourite theme, even with poets such as Mutenebbi, who in
his poems frequently plays on these double-meanings.
She adorns her who travels thereon, and furthers the journey at the
oncoming of night, a somewhat lengthy rendering of the Arabic
tazînu ’l-mâshiyata wa tu‘înu ’l-nâshiyata, in which I follow Sherîshi’s
explanation as the simplest and most plausible. As referring to the
shoe, he takes mâshiyah, fem. of mâshî, walker, to mean the walker’s
foot, rijl, which, like other double members of the human body, is
in Arabic feminine, while with regard to the camel, mâshiyah would be
any female walking along with it. Nâshiyah stands, according to him,
for nâshi’ah, with change of the Hamzeh into y, to make it conform
with the preceding mâshiyah, and its literal sense is the growing one,
figuratively applied to the early part of night, when, after the heat
of day, travelling on foot or beast is helped on, i.e., becomes less
toilsome in the hot climate. For this meaning of the word nâshi’ah
comp. Koran, lxxiii. 6: “Verily the oncoming of night is most fitted
for earnest devotion, and speech is more collected.” The substance
of this passage is disputed amongst the commentators, but about the
word in question most of them agree.
When I alighted at Yabrîn, a town three days’ journey distant
from Yemâmeh on one side, and from Ḥasâ on the other, and
forming with them a triangle, Yemâmeh lying to the west, Ḥasâ to
the east, and Yabrîn to the south.
On whom one could perceive that the birds might perch quietly, i.e.; the
gravity of his demeanour and his dignified restfulness were such
that they might have emboldened the birds to alight on him.
Similarly a poet of the Ḥamâseh says:
“As though the birds had settled on their heads, no fear of violence,
but the awe inspired by majesty;”
and tradition relates that it was said of Mohammed’s companions
“as though the birds rested upon their heads.” To a grave and
placid person, the proverb is applied: inna-hu la-wâqi‘u ’t̤-t̤airi, “he is
one on whom the birds alight.”
If it is she by whom he expected twenty.—The Arabic û‘t̤iya bi-hâ
‘ishrîna may mean: he was given for her twenty, viz., denars, or
given with her twenty, viz., blows, an ambiguity turning on the
force of the preposition bi, and which I have tried to preserve in the
above translation, which may signify either he hoped to realize by
her the price mentioned, or he was afraid to receive the same
amount of slaps by means of her. It is quite in the character of a
popular jester, like the one introduced here, to speak the next
moment of a thing expected as if it had really taken place, when it
serves his purpose to have the laughter of the audience on his side.
So he presently says the evidence of his own eyes must show him
that nobody would offer twenty for this shoe, or if he wants to prove
that he has got his twenty with it, let him bare the back of his
neck, and everybody would see the traces of the blows.
And do good according to thy power.—De Sacy reads here, wa-’j ali
’l-khaira bi-ḥasabi t̤âqati-ka, which he explains in his commentary:
“Give me for her keep as much as thou canst afford.” The redactors
of the second edition of his text remark to this: “On the margin of
a MS. the words wa-’jali l-khaira are said to mean wa-’shkuru ’llâha,
render thanks to Allah, which seems to us preferable to the interpretation
given in the note. The Kadi is far too generous to demand
payment for the care bestowed by him on the camel which he had
found.” De Sacy himself, however, mentions that some MSS. have
fa-’f‘ali ’l-khaira, and do good, and this, with the substitution of wa
for the initial fa, is indeed the reading of my own MS. and of the
native editions. While, therefore, concurring in the opinion that
the Kadi enjoins gratitude towards Allah to Abû Zayd, I think that
by doing so in the words of the last quoted versions he alluded to
Koran xxii. 76: “Believers! bow down and prostrate yourself, and
worship your Lord, and work righteousness (wa’f‘alû ’l-khaira),” implying
that the most meritorious way of paying thanks to God is by
demonstrations of piety and the performance of good actions.
So live as long as camels speed the pilgrims on.—The original says:
“Mayst thou last as long as the ostrich and the camels last” (dum
dauma ’n-na‘âmi wa-’n-na ami), to which the commentators remark,
that the ostrich is said to live a thousand years, and the race of camels
dies never out, so that the phrase means, live for ever. The word na‘am
is, of course, used for the rhyme’s sake, and na‘âm for that of alliteration,
but although the mention of camels may be justified by the
subject-matter of the Assembly, the ostrich may be easily dispensed
with, and I hope I shall not be blamed for my attempt to bring the
last line into closer connection with the first one and its allusions to
the Ka‘beh and the sanctuary of Mecca. For na‘am some MSS. read
ni‘am, kind deeds, pl. of ni‘mah, which in itself would be appropriate
enough, but make the ostrich appear still more out of place.
Without dinning his benefit into my ears.—The Arabic imtinân is
mentioning to another boastfully the benefits conferred on him, and
making him feel painfully the obligation he has incurred. Hence
the name mannânah, given to a rich woman who has married a poor
man, and keeps harping on the advantages she has bestowed on him
(comp. the note on ḥannânah, p. 270, below).
By Allah, yea, in Arabic allahumma na‘am, lit., “O Allah! yes,”
an idiomatical use of the vocative, which in De Sacy’s commentary
is explained in a lengthy note, translated in full by the redactors of
the second edition, vol. ii., p. 80. It emphasises the negative or
affirmative answer to a question, by apostrophising the Divine
Power, to call it as it were to witness of the truth of the reply, and
will be easily understood by the English reader, if he remembers
such familiar expressions as “Good gracious! no.” “Good heavens!
yes.”
Whose face pleaded in his favour, lit., in whose face there was an
intercessor, taken from a poem of Ibn Ḳanbar, in which he says:
“How ever great an offence he may have committed, he is excused
for what he has done, for in his face there is an intercessor, that
effaces the offence from the hearts of men.” A tradition attributes
to Mohammed the saying: “Three things gladden the eye: to look
at the verdure of the fields, at running water, and at a beautiful
face.”
And a hidden egg, viz., of the ostrich, which hides its eggs in the
grass, to protect them from dust or injury (comp. Ass. XLVI., below),
an allusion to Koran, xxxvii. 47: “And with them (the inhabitants of
Paradise) the large-eyed ones with modest refraining glances, fair
like the sheltered egg.” Beautiful women are compared to the egg of
the ostrich on account of the whiteness of their complexion, and the
yellowish tint which mingles with it. Thus Imr al-Kays, in the
32nd verse of his “Mo‘allaḳah” (Arnold’s edition, p. 14), likens his
mistress to the egg of the ostrich, or, according to others, to a virgin
pearl, whose whiteness is suffused with a shade of yellowness.
No intimate has known her, in Arabic lâ ’staghshâ-kâ lâbis-un, lit., a
coverer has not enveloped her. This alludes to Koran, ii. 183:
“You are allowed on the night of the fast to approach your wives:
they are your garment and ye are their garment,” a simile for the
intimacy and close connection between husband and wife, the former
of whom is accordingly called lâbis, as though he covered the latter
with a garment. Compare the English term to cover, for to
embrace or know carnally.
The experienced who repeats her favour, in Arabic al-mu ‘allilah, the
active form of the participle, of which the passive occurs in verse 15
of the “Mo‘allaḳah,” just quoted:
“Then I said to her, Travel on, loosening the camel’s rein, and repel me
not from the repeated culling of thy fruit.”
An easy knot for the wooer, i.e., a knot easily untied, in allusion to
the proverb mâ ‘iqâlu-ki bi-unshût̤at-in, the tether of thy love is not
lightly loosened (Ar. Prov., ii. 621).
And have displayed the two hinds—al-mahâtainî, dual of mahât, a
wild cow, with whose eyes the eyes of a woman are compared, in
analogy with the Homeric epithet , bestowed on the queen of
the gods.
And which rouses thy appetite?—a translation which I beg the
indulgent reader to consider rather as a modest rendering of the
asterisks, which the Beyrout edition substitutes to the unsophisticated
words of the text than of the words themselves.
A stone to be feared by the adversary, in Arabic al-murâjim, which
Sherîshi explains, he at whom thou throwest stones and who throws
stones at thee.
From which the cupping-places are made to bleed, meaning the shoulder
and lower part of the neck.
Her intercourse is unprofitable, lit., is a thunder-cloud without rain
(ṣalifatun) from ṣalaf, little rain, accompanied with much thunder,
whence the proverb, many a scanty rainfall is under the thundercloud,
applied to a man who praises himself much and has little
merit, or who assumes a threatening air without standing his
ground when it comes to the point (Ar. Prov., i. 535). Sherîshi,
however, explains ṣalifah by fastidious, disdainful, deriving it from
ṣalîf, side of the neck, the showing of which to a person corresponds
to the English idiom “showing him the cold shoulder.” Lastly, it
is said to mean untractable, difficult to manage, from arẓun ṣalifatun,
a hard ground which resists cultivation.
Her hand is clumsy (kharqâ’).—This word is variously interpreted as
“foolish,” “unskilful in handiwork,” “too proud to work with her
fingers,” “wanting in gentleness,” “lavish in household expenditure.”
A proverb says: al-kharqâ’u lá ta‘damu ‘illat-an, the foolish
woman is not at a loss for pretexts (Ar. Prov., iii., P. 1, p. 364).
Her night is a night indeed.—One of the many grammatical resources
of Arabic is to create comparatives of any noun, by forming
the measure af‘al from the respective root. I remember to have
read somewhere an amusing story of a judge who, being carried
across a swollen stream astride on the back of a client, uttered the
prayer: “O Allah, strengthen this ass, to bring me safely over.”
Said the client within himself: “Thou callest me an ass, and
makest use of me as such, but thou art a greater ass than I” (aḥmar,
more of an ass, comparative of ḥimâr, ass), presently dropping him
into the water, where the poor man would have been drowned if his
judicial embonpoint had not served him as a life-buoy, that floated
him comfortably to the shore. In similar manner the noun lail,
night, forms the comparative alyal, more of a night than night itself,
which occurs in the phrase khâbit̤u lailin alyali (by metrical license
for alyala, the comparative form being imperfectly declined), which
Chenery translates: one stumbling in the night-dark night (see
vol. i., p. 129, six lines from the bottom). The fem. of alyal is lailâ’,
as in the passage now under consideration, the Arabic of which is:
wa-lailata‘hâ lailâ’u, the objective case of the noun depending on
the preceding inna. The same expression has been met with in
Assembly XV., where Al Ḥarith is made to say: “Until I formed
a wish that I might be granted a talk-fellow, who (as Chenery
again renders it) should shorten the tedium of my night-dark night
(li-yaqṣura t̤ûla lailatî ’l-lailâ’i, see vol. i., p. 186, and the corresponding
note, ibid., p. 398). The native Dictionaries describe both
lailun alyalu and lailatun lailâ’u as synonyms of lailun lâ’ilun, where
lâ’il has the force of an active participle, as we would say “nighten-ing”
for “darkening,” and which they explain as a long and dark
night, or as one of the three nights preceding the new moon. In
the present instance I think my translation, “her night is a night
indeed,” expresses sufficiently the idea which the precocious youth
wishes to convey.
And to know her needs the lifting of a veil.—This may mean, her
real character is a mystery to the husband, which only reveals itself
to him after long acquaintance and intercourse, or, according to
others, it refers to her virginity and its physical sign.
And subdues the experienced stallion, in Arabic wa’ẓra‘ati ’l-fanîqa
’l-bâzila, literally, she subjugates the stallion, who has grown the
tooth bâzil, and is then called by the same name, an event which
takes place with the camel of either sex, when it has reached the
ninth year. The term stands here metaphorically for a man of
whom we would say, “he has cut his wisdom-teeth.” For the verb
aẓra‘at comp. the proverb: “The fever has humbled me before
thee,” or in another version, “The fever has made me succumb to
sleep,” which professes submission to a calamity, and is said to
originate with an Arab of the tribe Kalb, named Murîr, or Murîn,
who uttered the words when, in an attempt to liberate his brothers
from the captivity of the Jinn, he was, in consequence of a fever,
overpowered by sleep, and fell captive himself to one of them
(Ar. Prov., i. 364).
So I look out for one who holds and spends, i.e., one who has hoarded
up money and expends it freely, so that I may indulge in fine
raiment and pleasant companionship.
One dainty (ẕawwâqah, of fastidious and changeable taste, especially
in matters matrimonial), alluding to a saying attributed by tradition
to Mohammed, in answer to a man who had told him that he had
divorced his wife: “Allah loves not the dainty, either man or
woman.”
I was and have become, meaning “under my former husband I
was honoured and well-to-do, but now I am despised and poverty-stricken.”
And if she thus be a habitual lamenter, blest with family and withal a
bold-faced wanton.—A lamenter, ḥannânah, is a woman who always
bewails the late lamented, and blest with family, barûk, is explained
as one who has up-grown sons. For the following “and withal”
De Sacy reads “or,” which in itself would be preferable, but is not
warranted by the native editions and the MSS. consulted by me.
Then he chid me as the tutor chideth at the slip of his pupil.—The
word translated with chiding (intihâr) is taken from Koran, xciii. 10:
“And as to him that asketh of thee, chide him not away (lâ
tanhar).”
Dost thou bethink thee of what thou hast heard? in Arabic aturâ-ka
mâ sami‘ta, lit., wilt thou be made to see or ponder? where the
pronominal suffix of the first verb is not considered as a maf‘ûl or
objective case, but as corroborative of the inflectional pronoun, just
as we might say: “Wilt thou be made to see for thyself,” or “with
thy own eyes?” Compare Koran, vi. 40, and Bayḍâwi’s commentary;
also De Sacy, Gramm., i. 1189, and ii. 866, note.
That there is no monkery in Islâm, alluding to a tradition which
makes Mohammed say: “In Islâm there is no monkery (ruhbânîyah)
and no celibacy (tabattul),” the former Arabic term being derived
from ruhbân, a Christian monk, the latter from the verb batl, cutting
off, which in its fifth form means cutting one’s self off from all
worldly concerns, and in particular abstaining from sexual intercourse.
To the same root the word batûl, virgin, is to be traced,
which is applied to the Virgin Mary and to Mohammed’s daughter
Fât̤imeh. Another tradition relates that the Prophet asked of
‘Akâf ibn Wadâ‘ah: “O ‘Akâf, hast thou a wife?” and when he
answered in the negative, Mohammed said: “Then thou art of the
brothers of Satan; if thou belong to the Christian monks, stick to
them; but if thou belong to us, one of our ordinances is the
married state.”
Sobers thy sight, i.e., prevents thy eyes from looking at other
women.
Through her thou beholdest the coolness of thy eye, and the flower sweet
to thy nostrils.—These two similes, and the metaphorical expressions
which follow them, stand for offspring.
How, then, art thou averse to the ordinance of the sent ones, refers to
the traditional saying of Mohammed: “Four are the ordinances of
the apostles, the use of scents (for hygienic purposes), the cleansing
of the teeth by the miswâk, matrimony, and a bashful behaviour”
lastly, “the advantages enjoyed by the owners of a household” alludes to
another tradition by which Mohammed is recorded to have said:
“Two inclinations (in prayer) of those who possess a family are
better than eighty-two of a celibate.”
And darted aside as the locust darts, an allusion to the proverb
anzá mina ’l-jarâdi, more given to darting off than locusts (Ar. Prov.,
ii. 791).
So that thou mayst indulge thyself a bit, and dispense with a damsel
thou wouldst have to endower.—Here again I am obliged to tone
down the terse literalness of the original, while trying to preserve
the idiomatical force of its two diminutives, at least in form,
‘umairah, a name given here to the hand, as instrumental in a
vice severely denounced by Mohammed, and muhairah, diminutive
of mahîrah, a woman of noble birth, and therefore exacting a large
dowry.
And not let thy generation grow to man’s estate, i.e., mayst thou die
young, for if Allah shortens the lives of those who belong to the
same generation with him, his own life will be but short.
By Him who has planted the forests, in Arabic bi-man anbata ’l-aika,
the final word being a plural, the singular of which occurs in Koran,
xxvi. 176, and passim.
Lick up the honey and ask no questions, viz., ask not where it comes
from, or as a modern proverb has it: kuli ’l-baqla wa lâ tasal ‘ani
’l-maqbalah, eat the cabbage, and ask not for the cabbage-field (comp.
Ar. Prov., ii. 393).
That the goal of his talk was distant, and that the Shaykh was a
mighty sharp one.—The former idiom, in Arabic ash-shaut̤u bat̤înun
(for which comp. Ar. Prov., iii., P. 1, p.262) is taken from a racehorse,
whose course up to the goal is called shaut̤. The second, in
the original ash-shaikhu shuwait̤înun, means literally the Shaykh is a
devilkin, the epithet being the diminutive of shait̤ân, Satan, which,
as a note in my MS. remarks, “is fai‘âl of shut̤ûn, being distant, on
account of his remoteness from the Mercy of Allah.” But shait̤ân,
applied to men and Jinn, has also the meaning of haughty, mischievous,
cunning, and the diminutive is explained as ṣâḥibu adabin
wa dahâ’-in, possessed of learning and sagacity.
And see clearly thy quiddity, in Arabic istabantu inna-ka, which
may be interpreted: “I fully perceive what inna-ka means, when
thou art concerned.” It will be remembered that the inchoative
particle inna, behold, is placed before a nominal sentence, governing
the accusative of the subject, which of course may be an affixed
pronoun, and the nominative of the predicate, for instance, inna
Zayd-an (inna-hu) la-‘âlimun, behold Zayd (behold he) is learned
indeed, which is more emphatical than the simple sentence, Zaydun
âlimun (huwa ‘âlimun) Zayd is learned (he is learned). The youth,
therefore, intends to say, I know perfectly what kind of a man
thou art, and am not at a loss how to complete my speech when I
begin it with inna-ka, “behold thou art.” The word quiddity, as
an abstract noun derived from another part of speech, seems a fair
equivalent.
In this place poetry fetches not a barley-corn, etc.—The satire, contained
in this and the preceding passage, is a favourite theme with
the poets. One, for instance, says:
“If the eloquence of Sahbân, and the caligraphy of Ibn Muklah, and the
intellect of the Benû Kand, and the piety of Ibn Adham
Were collected in one man, and that man poor, though free-born withal,
he would not be worth a dirhem,”
where the attribute “free-born,” besides implying that he has en
joyed a liberal education and is highly cultivated, at the same time
suggests that he is of no value, even if he is sold as a slave, because
such a sale would be invalid, as amusingly illustrated in Assembly
XXXIV.
THE FORTY-FOURTH ASSEMBLY.
I came in a night of deepest darkness, in Arabic ‘ashautu fî lailatin
dâjiyati ’z̤-z̤ulmati. The verb ‘ashautu means originally I came at
nightfall, but subsequently it took the signification of “I came” in
general, in which it governs the preposition ilá, to. Followed by
the preposition ‘an, from, it occurs in the sense of departing in
Koran, xliii. 35: “And whoso shall withdraw from (man ya‘shu ‘an)
the Warning of God of Mercy, We will prepare a Satan for him,
and he shall be his fast companion.”
Her bosom closely buttoned.—This simile is explained by the following
qarînah, the purport of which is that the heaped-up clouds
covered the sky so completely that no interstice was left for the
stars to shine through.
I was colder therein than the eye of the chameleon and a mangy goat,
two proverbs to the same effect, for which see Maydâni’s Collection,
i. 743. The eye of the chameleon is said to be cold, because,
according to the popular belief, it always seeks the sun and the
warmth emanating from it, while the denudated state of the mangy
goat sufficiently accounts for her suffering from the severity of the
seasons. The word used for cold (ṣard, in the comparative aṣrad) is
in this signification borrowed from the Persian sard, the Arabic root
ṣard having different meanings, as being scanty, missing the aim, etc.
In the short commentary, attached by Ḥarîri to this Assembly, he
mentions that some lexicographers declare the second of the above
proverbs to be a misreading of the first, caused by displacing the
diacritical points of ‘aini ’l-ḥirbâ’i, which thereby becomes ‘anzi
’l-jarbâ’i. Prosaic matter-of-fact people deemed probably the former
too fanciful, and thinking the shivering goat a more appropriate
comparison, tried to improve on the eye of the chameleon, although
they had to introduce a spurious al before the word ‘auz, which
article has nothing whatever to do with the word ‘ain of the original
proverb, as this noun governs another noun in construction.
Well is he wont to ward against the ills of time with gathered ashes,
sharpened knives, literally: “he is against the evil of time, accustomed
to evil, one gathered of ashes, sharpened of knives,” a
thoroughly idiomatic expression for: his heaped - up ashes and
sharpened knives proclaim that he is always ready to kindle his fires
and slaughter his animals for the benefit of those who suffer from
the hardships of time and take refuge with his hospitality.
Whose camels [‘ishâr] bellowed, whose cauldrons [a‘shâr] boiled.—The
connecting link between the two words ‘ishâr and a‘shâr is the
numeral ‘ashar, ten, the former being pl. or collective noun of
‘usharâ’, a she-camel who has been pregnant for ten months or
thereabouts, when she drops her young, during the whole of which
time she goes by the above name; the latter, originally the pl. of
‘ushr, a tenth part, is applied to a kettle so large that it equals ten of
ordinary size in capacity.
Who were gathering the fruit of winter, i.e., enjoying the warmth of
the fire. Ḥarîri, in the above-mentioned commentary, quotes the
following lines of a later poet:
“Fire is the fruit of winter; who then desires in winter to taste fruit,
let him warm himself,
Ay, fruit in winter is worth wishing for, but fire is for the frozen the
best that he can taste.”
And when embarrassment had passed away, in Arabic wa lammâ an
sará ’l-ḥaṣaru. The word ḥaṣar, which has occurred in Ḥarîri’s
Preface, vol. i., p. 103, l. 12, and was translated there by
“hesitation,” has here the meaning of embarrassed silence, which
would be natural at the first meeting of many persons hitherto
unacquainted with each other.
Proof (lit., protected) against the blamer and caviller, i.e., the most
fastidious and dainty eater would not have been able to find fault
with them.
Then we heeded not what is said about gluttony.—This alludes to the
proverb: al-bit̤natu ta’fanu ’l-fit̤nata, gluttony does away with sense,
with regard to which the meaning of the next clause is, “on the
contrary, we found sense in indulging it.” It is reported of the
Khalif ‘Omar that he used to say: “Be on your guard, O men,
against gluttony, for it corrupts the body, and makes you neglectful
of prayer, and heirs to sickness.” (Comp. Ar. Prov., i. 180.)
For he crouched apart.—This alludes to the proverb: “he grazes in
company (wasat̤an, literally, in the middle, i.e., amongst the rest),
and lies down by himself,” applied to one who is ready to partake
in another’s affluence, but turns aside from him at the approach
of misfortune (Ar. Prov., ii. 910).
And were afraid of being worsted when we questioned him, in Arabic
wa khashînâ fî ’l-mas’ilati ’l-‘aula, literally, “we feared in questioning
the disproportionality,” an idiom taken from the Mohammedan law
of inheritance, for which see Chenery’s note on the passage the day’s
duties pressed upon us of Assembly XXI., vol. i., p. 462.
Verily this is naught but stories of those gone before (lit., of the first or
former ones)—quotation from Koran, vi. 25: “and though they see
all kinds of signs, they refuse faith in them until, when they come to
thee to dispute with thee, the infidels say, ‘Verily, this is nothing
but fables (asât̤îr) of the ancients.’” I translate the Arabic term
asât̤îr with stories, because its singular ist̤ûr, or ust̤ur, has etymologically
been identified with the Greek . Its derivation from
sat̤r, writing, as that which has been written down, appears, however,
quite as legitimate, if not more so.
Then he begged a hearing from the night-talkers.—In the original the
singular “night-talker” (sâmir) is used, to which Ḥarîri comments:
sâmir is a collective noun, standing for the plural summâr, as ḥâẓir,
lit., one present, is a name for a tribal division alighting at a
watering-place, and as bâqir means a herd of cattle, or, according
to others, cattle together with their herdsmen. The word sámir
itself is derived from samar, the shade produced by the moon, in
which the night-talkers mostly assemble, whence the proverb, “lâ
ukallimu-hu ’l-qamara-wa-’s-samara”—“I shall not talk to him in the
moon-light, or in the shade of the moon” (Ar. Prov., ii. 418;
compare also vol. i., p. 303, the note on “His talk-fellow”).
The second signification of “nasl” is “running fast.”—In this sense
the word occurs Koran, xxi. 96: “And they shall hasten (yansilûna)
from every high land.”
In a camel-litter between cords (sabab).—For the meaning of cord,
as applied to the word sabab, comp. Koran, xxii. 15: “Let him who
thinketh that God will by no means aid his Apostle in this world,
and in the next, stretch a cord to heaven,” etc.
It is what the world knows as wine.—This seems to be the meaning
of khamru ’l-‘âlami, the wine of the world, to which De Sacy
remarks, “i.e., the Ghubairâ’ is like wine, such as its qualities are
known to mankind, in which regard there is no difference between
them.”
In which latter sense some commentators explain the Koranic imshû.—
This occurs Koran, lxvii. 15, where, however, Rodwell translates:
“Traverse then its (the earth’s) broad sides” (fa’mshû fî manâ-kibi-hâ
). According to the interpretation mentioned here by Ḥarîri,
the meaning is: “may ye have abundance of cattle,” by way of
prayer for their prosperity, which is in keeping with the concluding
part of the passage: “and eat of what He has provided—unto Him
shall be the resurrection.”
Dumb withal.—Dumbness, says De Sacy’s commentary, is ascribed
to him in order that the hearers should not think ḥâ’ikan to be a
metathesis of ḥâkiyan, one who relates a story, as shâkî, one clad in
full armour, is transposed into shâ’ik. Without having recourse to
the supposition of such a metathesis, I may mention that ḥâ’ik
denotes also one who composes poetry, which to the Arab mind
appears as the spontaneous outpour of the emotions of the soul, and
therefore naturally as improvisation. For this reason I translate
somewhat freely “deaf and dumb,” since from a person afflicted
with this infirmity, poetical effusions would scarcely be expected.
Wonders will never cease, lit., then, how many wonders are there in
creation!
And also “the telling of a lie.”—In the passage of the Koran
quoted to this (xxvi. 137), the expression khalqu ’l-auwalîna is used
in the same sense as asât̤îru ’l-auwalîna in that quoted, p. 275,
above.
And also the lachrymal gland.—Sherîshi mentions a third signification
of gharb, a large bucket, and explains in this connection ḥalab
with saiyalân, running, streaming, which, however, scarcely yields a
satisfactory meaning, and seems not to have been in Ḥarîri’s mind
when he composed this line.
Of Arabs and wives beloved.—This translation follows De Sacy’s
reading min ‘urbin wa min ‘urubi, which is also that of my MS. The
native editions have min ‘ujmin wa min ‘urubi, where ‘ujm is pl. of
‘ajam, one who speaks Arabic badly or not at all, a foreigner.
And also used metaphorically for “woman.”—Compare the expression
libâs, garment, in the same sense which occurs in the Koranic
passage quoted, p. 267, above.
It is no nest of thine, so get thee out, in Arabic laisa bi-‘ushshi-ki fa-’drujî
, a proverb applied to one who claims or usurps that to which
he is not entitled. Ḥarîri, in his commentary to the Assembly,
remarks that ‘ushsh is the term for a nest built on a tree, while wakr
is a nest made on a wall or in a mountain-cave.
He taunted us with the taunt of the unconcerned towards the troubled.—
Comp. Ar. Prov., ii. 612, 815; also i. 720.
The coaxing before provoking the milk-flow, in Arabic al-înâsu qabla
’l-ibsâsi, another proverb (Ar. Prov., i. 94), taken from the habit of
the milker to coax the camel before he draws the milk, saying to
her during the act, bus, bus, in order to keep her quiet and elicit a
copious flow. The camel which gives milk freely when this is said
to her is called basûs (compare Chenery’s note on The war of Al
Basûs, vol. i., p. 526 and foll.). The meaning of the passage in the
context is, of course, that Abû Zayd expects to be gratified by a
gift before vouchsafing the explanation of his verbal puzzles.
One of those who want a return for their gift.—The four concluding
words of this sentence are in Arabic represented by the single word
shukm, the opposite of which is shukd, a free gift. In some manuscript
copies of Ḥarîri’s commentary the following line of a poet is
quoted:
“My gift to be returned (shukmî) is ready, and likewise my free gift
(shukdî), for good and evil there is a place with me,”
where, however, the meaning seems to be, I am equally prepared to
return evil for evil, as good for good.
It grieved our host, in the original sâ’a abâ mas̤wá-nâ, lit., the father
of our place of shelter, or, as Ḥarîri explains, the entertainer, to
whom they had repaired, and whose hospitality they were enjoying.
An ‘Îdî camel and a robe like Sa‘îd’s.—An ‘Îdî camel means, according
to the author’s commentary, either one descended of a generous
stallion of the name ‘Îd, or the noun of relation refers to ‘Îd ibn
Mahrah, a tribal division, which, like the tribe Mahrah itself,
was renowned for its camel breed (comp. the note on Mahrîyah,
p. 238, above). A robe like Sa‘îd’s alludes to a garment in which
Mohammed clad Sa‘îd ibn al-‘Aṣ when he was a youth.
A disposition like Akhzam’s, a proverb the origin of which is
ascribed to Sa‘d ibn al-Ḥashraj, grandfather of Ḥâtim T̤ay, the prototype
of generosity with the Arabs and the people of the East in
general, when he found that the youth Ḥâtim, in growing up,
had developed more and more the liberal and magnanimous qualities
for which his own grandfather Akhzam was renowned, saying: “a
disposition which I know from Akhzam” (Ar. Prov., i. 658).
Maydâni (ii. 688) adduces the authority of Ibn al-Kalbî for the
statement that the proverb originated with the father of Akhzam,
which latter is said to have been a disobedient and undutiful son to
him. When Akhzam died he left sons behind him, who one day
assaulted their grandfather and wounded him severely, whereupon
he indited the following verses:
“Children of my own blood have stained me with my blood, whoever
meets with lions amongst men, will be wounded, a disposition known to
me from Akhzam.”
The verses occur in the Ḥamâseh, p. 646 of Freytag’s edition, where
the Commentary attributes their authorship, implying that of the
proverb, to various other persons. Ḥarîri, in his own notes to this
Assembly, asserts that they were composed by ‘Akîl ibn ‘Ullafah,
and that the final words are only a quotation of the current proverb.
This is probable enough, and in this case ‘Akîl evidently means
simply to say, that the disposition of his sons was inherited from
their father, as that of Ḥâtim was from his grandfather Akhzam.
He sprang to the camel and straightway saddled her, etc.—This
passage has been translated as interpreted in Ḥarîri’s commentary,
which takes occasion from the term “saddled” (raḥala) to supplement
the explanation of râḥilah, saddle-beast, mentioned p. 247
above, by the remark that it applies as well to the male as the
female camel, and that its feminine termination has no reference to
the sex, but is that of intensity (mubâlaghah). To the word
“mounted” (irtaḥala), the author quotes a characteristic anecdote
recorded of Mohammed, to the effect that once, when he was prostrated
in prayer, and his grandson Ḥasan riding on his back, he
prolonged his devotion and afterwards said: “The little one had
mounted me (irtaḥala-nî), and I was loath to curtail his pleasure.”
Lastly to “hastened on” he refers to the tradition: “At the
approach of the hour (of resurrection) a fire will come forth from
the bottom of ‘Aden, which will hasten on mankind.”
Contented with a chance draught, nashḥ, lit., a draught insufficient
to quench the thirst, and, according to the dictionary Muḥît̤, by
opposition, drinking one’s fill.
And went away under every star of heaven, a proverbial expression
applied to those who separate and travel on different roads (comp.
Ar. Prov., i. 508).
THE FORTY-FIFTH ASSEMBLY.
And checked his bark, in Arabic khasa’at-hu ‘ani ‘n-nubâḥi, lit., scared
him away from his bark. The verb, which is here transitive in the
sense of driving away a dog, etc., is also used intransitively for
taking one’s self off, as in Koran, xxiii. 110: “He will say (to those
whose balances at the day of judgment shall be light), ‘Be ye
driven away into it (ikhsa’û fî-hâ, the pronoun referring to hell-fire),
and address Me not.’”
And eased his back after his pebble-throw.—Jamrah, here translated
with “pebble-throw,” is the ceremony of stoning the devil at Mina,
which concludes the rites of the pilgrimage, and thereby removes
the weight, which, as it were, is imposed on the back of the pilgrim
by his religious duties. A marginal note in my MS. says, ‘aná bi-hâ
’l-nut̤fata, the author means by it the semen virile, and however
distasteful the repeated allusions to the pilgrimage and its ceremonies
may appear to the European mind, in connection with these matrimonial
squabbles, we must not forget that Orientals look on such
matters simply as natural facts, and, far from intending blasphemy,
honestly believe they mitigate in this way their language in speaking
on subjects of that kind.
He followed Abû Yûsuf’s view.—This eminent lawyer, a disciple of
Abû Ḥanîfeh, was born at Bagdad A.H. 113, and died A.H. 182,
after having filled the office of Chief Justice (qûẓî ’l-quẓât) under
Hârûn ar-Reshîd and his two immediate predecessors. The lesser
pilgrimage, or ‘umrah, consists in the performance of the ceremonies
of circumambulating the Ka‘beh, and running between al-Marwah
and aṣ-Ṣafâ, but omitting the sacrifices and other observances of the
Hajj. The practice of combining the ‘umrah and the ḥajj, wearing
the same iḥrâm, or pilgrim’s cloak, is called qârin “joining,” that
of performing the ‘umrah before the ḥajj in the same year, but in a
different iḥrâm, is termed tamattu‘, “reaping advantage,” because it
procures the advantages of both ceremonies. Lastly, the name
ifrâd (isolation) is given to either act, if performed separately in
different years.
Obedient to old Abû ’l-Murrah’s hest.—Abû ’l-Mûrrah is a nickname
given to Iblîs, because it was that of the old man of Nejd, in whose
likeness he appeared to the Koraysh, instigating them to destroy
Mohammed by the sword.
Who clears himself from doubts cast on him, lit., who explains his
excuse in that which causes her to doubt.
Professed so staunchly by ‘Uẕrah’s tribe.—Compare the note on
the Benû ‘Uẕrah, p. 255, above.
Like one who vows chastity for caution’s sake, in Arabic hijrâna ‘affin
âkhiẕin ḥiẕra-hu, with the renouncing of the chaste, who takes his
precautions, in allusion to Koran, iv. 73: “O ye who believe, make
use of precautions” (khuẕû hiẕra-kum; the passage refers to the
mode of warfare to be adopted against the infidels).
And not from grudge held I aloof from my field.—The final word, in
the sense in which it is used here, is again taken from the Koran,
ii. 223: “Your wives are your field; go in therefore to your field
in what way soever ye will; but do first some act for your soul’s
good; and fear ye God, and know that ye must meet Him; and
bear these tidings to the faithful.”
Thou lack-food and lack-a-lance, lit., “O thou who art no food and
no tilting,” i.e., neither possessed of the one nor fit for the other.
De Sacy and the Beyrout edition read here: yâ man huwa lâ t̤a‘âmun
wa lâ t̤i‘ânun, with the full nominative termination of the two nouns;
while my own MS. has lâ t̤a‘âma wa lâ t̤i‘âna, in the accusative
without tanwîn. These are the most approved of the legitimate
five modes of construing the repeated absolute negative lâ with two
nouns, which are illustrated in Palmer’s “Arabic Grammar,” p. 255,
by the different manners of expressing the celebrated ejaculatory
prayer: “There is no strength and no power but with God,” in
Arabic. In the above passage of our text the negative and noun
together form logically a compound, as rendered in my translation.
The word t̤i‘ân, infinitive of the third conjugation, stands here
metaphorically for jimâ‘, copulation, which has the same grammatical
measure fi‘âl.
When for every grazing creature there is a pasture ground, in Arabic
wa li-kulli akûlatin mar‘án.—The woman affects in this speech the
language of the proverbs, intending to say that everybody has his
appointed share in the bounty of the Creator, and therefore ought
to be contented with his lot, and trust in Providence. But although
the saying does not appear in this form amongst the proverbs of the
Arabs, its leading words are contained in the proverb: mar‘án wa
là-akûlata, “a pasture, but none to graze on it,” which is applied to
a rich man, who allows no other person to take part in the enjoyment
of his wealth (Ar. Prov., ii. 619). Akûlah means originally a
sheep, which is fattened in order to be slaughtered for food, but is
here used in a general sense for any grazing animal, and the above
sentiment is taken from Koran, xi. 8: “And there is no moving
thing on earth whose nourishment dependeth not on God, and
He knoweth its haunts and final resting-place; all is in the clear
Book.”
If thou wert to wrangle with al-Khansâ she would go away from thee
silenced.—For al-Khansâ comp. the note, p. 246, above.
There is enough in his concern for his growling entrails (qabqab) to
make him forget his pendulum (ẕabẕab).—This alludes to the proverb:
man wuqiya sharra laqlaqi-hi wa qabqabi-hi wa ẕabẕabi-hi faqad wuqiya
’sh-sharra kulla-hu, which may be translated freely: “He who is safe
from the mischief of his rattler (tongue), and his growler (belly),
and his swinger (penis) is safe from all mischief” (Ar. Prov., ii. 663).
After appeal to the judge, in Arabic ba‘da ’l-munâfarah. This is
originally a technical term for the contention before an umpire on
the titles of a man or tribe to nobility or honour over others, for
which see Chenery’s note on Pride to Assembly XII., where the
word occurs in the form nifâr (vol. i., p. 375). Here, however, it
is merely a synonym of muḥâkamah, judicial contest, litigation in a
court of justice, or of taḥâkum, which a little lower down will be
translated “resort to the judgment-seat.”
Content therewith the two hollows.—Al-ajwafân, the two hollows, is
equivalent to al-ghârân, the two caves (os et pudenda), for which
compare the note, vol. i., p. 460).
Resist the stirrer of mischief (nâzigh) between two friends, allusion to
Koran, vii. 199, where the same verb is applied to Satan: “And if
stirrings to evil from Satan stir thee, then fly thou for refuge to God;
He verily heareth, knoweth!”
For the handsome way in which he had dismissed them, in the text
‘alá ḥusni ’s-sarâḥi. The word sarâḥ, which originally means allowing
the cattle to pasture freely, if applied to a woman, signifies
divorce, and has here the sense of dismissal, as in the proverb
as-sarâḥu mina ’n-najâḥi, dismissal is part of success (Ar. Prov., i. 602).
In explanation of this the commentators say: “If thou art not able
to supply a man’s want, thou shouldst make him despair, i.e., renounce
all hope of obtaining it.” It is therefore tantamount to the
proverb, “Despair is one of the two kinds of rest,” which we have
met with in a former Assembly (see p. 264 above).
So he rose to go defiantly, but came back defeated.—This translation
is more in accordance with the spirit than the letter of the two
proverbs quoted in the text. He rose to go defiantly is in Arabic
nahaẓa yanfuẓẓu miẕrawai-hi, lit., he rose shaking the extremities of
his buttocks, a proverbial expression for the threatening and arrogant
deportment of an adversary, which ‘Antarah did not hesitate
to use in one of his ḳaṣîdehs (Ar. Prov., i. 301). He came back
defeated, ‘âda yaẓribu aṣdarai-hi, alludes to the saying, “He came
beating his shoulders” (Ar. Prov., i. 288), which means, “He came
empty-handed, without having accomplished his object.”
Flight with Qurâb is the wiser thing.—Here again I follow the
reading of my MS. in preference to De Sacy, who writes kirâb with
kasrah instead of qurâb with ẓammah. The latter is the name of a
generous steed which belonged to ‘Abdallah, the brother of Durayd
ibn aṣ-Ṣimmah. They were engaged in war, and Durayd, considering
himself and his people inferior in force to the enemy, advised
his brother to flee, with the words quoted above, implying that
speedy flight was more prudent than fighting on unequal terms.
Abdallah, however, would not listen to him, but resolved on combat,
in which he was killed and the horse taken captive. Abû Zayd in
this version, therefore, means to say that to flee in the utmost haste
was the safer course for them. On the other hand, qirâb signifies
the scabbard of a sword, or any case in which a mounted traveller
keeps his utensils; or it may be synonymous with qarîb, that which
is near at hand and easily carried off. In this form the proverb is
said to originate with Jâbir (according to others, Khâlid) ibn ‘Amr
al-Mâzanî, who, while journeying with some companions, saw the
tracks of two men on the road, and, through his skill in reading
footprints, discovered them to be men of great violence and rapacity.
He therefore urged his companions to take to flight with the most
portable of their goods, before losing the rest of them together with
their lives. Thus the purport of the proverb, and its application in
the present instance, would be to enjoin contentment with small
advantages, such as the couple had already reaped, without running
into danger in the hope of getting more (see Ar. Prov., ii. 210).
Nay, the return to the charge is praiseworthier, in Arabic bali ’l-‘audu
aḥmadu. The comparative aḥmad is formed from the passive
participle maḥmûd, praised, when the sense would be, if a beginning
is to be praised, the return to the same line of conduct is still more
so (Ar. Prov., ii. 130). Some interpreters take the adjective in
a personal sense, “one praiseworthier,” and contend that al-‘aud
stands for ẕû ’l-‘aud, “he who returns,” as, according to this view,
firâr in the preceding note stands for ẕû ’l-firâr, he who takes to flight.
But as Abû Zayd in the verses following repeats the word al-‘aud
in the sense of return, in evident allusion to the words of his wife,
the former explanation seems to me more appropriate.
Even though its keeper made it free to all comers.—The Arabic
sabbalu-hâ, here rendered with “made it free to all comers,” means
the same as ja‘ala-hâ fî sabîli ’llâhî, gave it over in the way, i.e.,
service of Allâh to the use of the public (others read fî sabîli
’l-khairi, by way of a good action, or explain the phrase by aḥalla-hâ
li ’bni ’s-sabîli, made it lawful to the son of the road, i.e., the
traveller).
Abû Mûsá, before thee, has been deceived.—The text says: Before
thee the Shaykh of the Ash‘arîs has been deceived, alluding to Abû
Mûsá ‘Abdallah ibn Kais al-Ash‘arî (†A.H. 44), who was appointed
together with ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aṣ, to be arbiter between ‘Ali and
Mu‘âwiyeh after the battle of Ṣiffîn, and was outwitted by ‘Amr to
Ali’s detriment (see Weil, “Geschichte der Chalifen,” i. 230 and
following).
THE FORTY-SIXTH ASSEMBLY.
A most ardent desire, in Arabic t̤alabun yâ la-hu min t̤alabin; a
thoroughly idiomatic expression, the literal rendering of which
would be “a desire, O what of a desire it was,” the vocative
particle yâ referring to the pronoun of the third person, and this
itself being affixed to the so-called lâmu ’t-ta‘ajjub, or particle of
admiration. Similar constructions occur in the beginning of the
lines of the “Hamâseh,” quoted vol. i., p. 449, in the Note on The
guarded domain of Kolayb: “Oh lark! (yâ la-ki min qubburatin), the
valley is open to thee in this pasture land,” and in the poet Ẕû
’l-Rummah’s verse: “Oh, oval cheek (yâ la-ki min khaddin asîlîn),
and tender speech and form, that only a caviller would presume to
blame.” In both these examples the vocative particle and that of
admiration have the same reference to the suffix of the second person
feminine, which they have ir our text to the third of the masculine.
To sound the stupidity of the people of her soil.—The character of
dulness and stupidity was, according to Mot̤arrezi, so well established
in public opinion, as to the natives of Emessa, that if the people of
Bagdad wished to denote a man as a consummate fool, they called
him Ḥimsî, one born at Ḥims.
With the swiftness of the shooting-star when it swoops down to stone,
viz., the Shait̤âns stealing a hearing from the angels, allusion to
Koran, lxvii. 5: “And of a surety We have decked the lower
heaven with lights, and have placed them there to be hurled at the
Satans, for whom We have prepared the torment of the flaming fire.”
Also xv. 17, 18: “And We guard them from every stoned Satan,
save such as steal a hearing: and him do visible flames pursue.”
Whose old age was coming on and whose youth had turned its back
on him, a reversal of the proverb adbara gharîru-hu wa aqbala
harîru-hu (Ar. Prov., i. 484), generally explained by “whose pleasant
disposition had departed and whose peevishness had come,” taking
harîr in the sense of yelping or snarling, like an ill-natured dog.
But Sherîshi rightly remarks, that this description is not borne out
by the schoolmaster’s demeanour towards his pupils, whom he treats
in the sequel of the Assembly with playful kindliness. He, therefore,
derives the word from the idiom harra ’sh-shauk, the thorn has
dried up and grown hard, like the teeth of a cat (hirr), and considering
it as a synonym of yabs, dryness, brought on by old age,
renders it by haram, senility. With regard to gharîr, he observes
that one of it?? meanings is “one who stands security or bail,” and
refers it to youth, as a guarantee for length of life. This seems
sufficiently to justify my translation, which at the same time is not
inconsistent with the first mentioned interpretation.
So that I might test in him the learned folks of Ḥims, meant, of course,
ironically, as presently indicated by the avowed intention of the
narrator to fathom the essence of the man’s foolishness.
And greeted me with even a handsomer greeting than I had given him,
in accordance with the injunction of the Koran, iv. 88: “If ye are
greeted with a greeting, then greet ye with a better greeting, or at
least return it; verily God taketh count of all things.”
Indite the unadorned couplets, in Arabic al-abyâta ’l-‘awât̤ila, i.e.,
those which contain only words consisting of letters without
diacritical dots.
Nor gain’st thou glory courting girls full of hip, lit., and the place for
seeking glory is not a damsel with heavy hips. This translation is
based on the reading marâdu ’l-ḥamdi, which is that of the native
editions and of my MS., the governing noun marâd, with fatḥah,
being explained by Sherîshi as a synonym of mar‘á, pasture ground.
De Sacy prefers murâd, wish, which, however, seems here less
appropriate, and gives scarcely a satisfactory sense.
And praise he wins, etc., lit., his knowledge that the one-eyed are
not endowed with the dowries of the sound, has obtained praise for
him, meaning that he is deservedly commended for his discernment
in discriminating between the relative value of things and actions.
Display the bridal couplets.—The couplets following in the original
are called bridal, i.e., adorned like brides, because all the letters
contained therein are dotted, in direct contradistinction from the
preceding ones. According to Sherîshi, it was a custom with the
ancient Arabs to apply to the cheeks of brides beauty-spots, painted
with saffron, and called nuqat̤, pl. of nuqt̤ah, which is also the
grammatical term for the diacritical points of letters.
A blessing has been bestowed on thee amongst fawns, as a blessing has
been bestowed on yonder olive-tree.—The Arabic text contains here two
expressions, which require explanation. The word translated by
fawns is t̤alâ, the young of any cloven-hoofed animal, as a cow, a
sheep, a gazelle. The olive-tree is designated by lâ wa lâ (lit., “neither
nor”), suggestive of the passage of the Koran, xxiv. 35: “God is the
Light of the Heavens and of the Earth. His Light is like a niche
in which is a lamp—the lamp encased in glass—the glass, as it were,
a glistening star. From a blessed tree it is lighted, the olive, neither of
the East nor of the West (lâ sharaqîyatun wa-lâ gharabîyatun), whose
oil would well-nigh shine out, even though fire touched it not. It
is light upon light!” etc. In illustration of this, it is told that an
Arab addressed to Abû Ḥanîfeh the question “With one wâw (letter
w for the conjunction wa), or with two wâws?” He replied
“With two,” whereupon the Arab said to him, “A blessing has
been bestowed in thee, as a blessing has been bestowed in lâ wa-lâ.”
After he had gone, Abû Ḥanîfeh’s disciples asked him what the
man’s question had meant. Abû Ḥanîfeh answered, “He demanded
me whether the profession of faith should be said with two wâws,
like that of Ibn Mas‘ûd, namely, ‘I testify that there is no (lâ) god
but God and (first wâw) that Mohammed is His servant and (second
wâw) Apostle,’ or with one wâw, like that of Abû Musá al-A‘sharî,
to wit, ‘I testify that there is no god but God, and that Mohammed
is his Apostle.’ In approval of my decision, he called me blessed,
and alluded to the passage of the sacred book on the blessed olive-tree.”
With regard to the latter a tradition goes, that a man saw
the Prophet in a dream, and complained to him of an ailment from
which he suffered, whereupon the Prophet said to him: “have
lâ wa lâ.” Ibn Sîrîn, a celebrated interpreter of dreams (for whom
see Ibn Khallikân, i. 635) was consulted on the meaning of these
words, and declared it to be “Eat olives” (or olive oil).
O Qut̤rub,—which may be translated “O fidget,” being the name of
a little animal, which is continually on the move, proverbially applied
to one who travels much about, and used as a nickname ever since
the grammarian Sibawayh called by it Mohammed ibn al-Mustanîr
(see Ibn Khallikân, i. 693, and comp. Ar. Prov., i. 643).
Or the likeness of an ivory-doll, allusion to the proverb aḥsanu minu
’d-dumyatî (mina ’z-zûni), more beautiful than a figure or image, both
of which, according to Maydâni, mean idols (Ar. Prov., i. 408).
Write down the mongrel couplets, in the original urqum al-abyâta ’l-al-
akhyâf, i.e., verses, the alternate words of which consist of dotted
and undotted letters in turn. The term akhyâf is applied to sons
of the same mother by different fathers, or to men of heterogeneous
character and condition, and is derived from khaif, the quality of
having one eye blue and the other black in a horse.
O stiff-neck, O [essence of the] perfume of Mausham, two epithets for
bold and mischievous, the first of which, in Arabic ghashamsham, is
applied to a man of unbending nature, who bows his head to no one,
and whom nothing can avert from his purpose. The second alludes
to the proverb ash’amu min ‘it̤ri maushamin, more ill-omened than the
perfume of Mausham, the most plausible explanation of which is
that Mausham is the name of a woman trading in perfumes, who
was surprised and despoiled of her goods by a gang of robbers.
When she complained of this to the people of her tribe, they pursued
the pillagers, and killed every one on whom they smelled the scent
of the perfume. See Ar. Prov., i. 155, 692, where other readings
and interpretations will be found.
Kills beholders, in the sense in which the Irish speak of a killing
beauty, and in which presently her rounded bosom, or, according to
others, her swelling hip, is called a deadly bane for the enamoured
admirer.
The two bordered couplets, in the text al-baitaini ’l-mut̤rafaini, meaning
that the beginning and ending of either couplet form a rhyme,
and thereby resemble a cloak which is bordered with embroidered
designs. Some MSS. read mut̤rifaini, participle of at̤rafa, he produced
something novel and wonderful, when the sense would be the
two couplets, which fill the hearers with marvel or challenge comparison.
A third rendering is mut̤arrafaini, in allusion to a horse,
which is called mut̤arraf when its head and tail are white.
And are sure not to be matched (lit., abetted or strengthened,
yu‘azzazû) by a third is taken from Koran, xxxvi. 13: “When We
sent two unto them and they charged them with imposture, therefore
with a third We strengthened them (‘azzaz-nâ), and they said,
‘Verily we are the Sent unto you of God.’”
Make thee a mark whose traces show fair to sight.—The initial words
are in Arabic sim simatan, impress a sign (viz., on thy conduct, which
in pause would read sim simah, in conformity with the final simsimah,
a grain of sesame or coriander-seed. In similar manner the second
couplet opens with wa’l-makru mahmâ, “and fraud or craftiness as
far as” (supply “thou art able—do not practise it”), the first four
syllables of which are identical in sound with the terminating
wa’l-makrumah, “and honour, reverence, fair fame amongst men.”
O father of despoilment, in Arabic yâ abâ ’l-ghulûl.—Ghul-ûl is
originally the purloining of part of a booty to the detriment of one’s
companions, and the meaning is here that the beauty of the boy is
such, that it pre-eminently captivates the minds of the beholders so
as to curtail the legitimate share of his fellow-pupils in the admiration
due to them.
O cymbal-beater of the troop (yâ ṣannâjata ’l-jaishi).—The Persian
sanj, cymbal, has furnished Arabic with the word ṣannâj, a cymbal-beater,
which in the form ṣannâjah with the feminine termination
of intensity occurs in the nickname by which one of the bards of
the Ḥamâseh, A‘shá Kays, is known as sannâjatu ’l-‘arab, on account
of his facundity as an orator and poet.
Well done, O thou mite, thou eye of a fly.—In default of a better
equivalent, I translate with “mite” the Arabic ḥibiqqah (according
to Sherîshi, a fart), which is used in taunting a man with his
diminutive size. Other authorities say it means long or lanky, but
this would scarcely tally with the following “eye of a fly,” another
playful and endearing term, indicating excessive smallness of person,
which Tradition puts into the mouth of Mohammed, when dandling
his grandsons, al Ḥasan and al-Ḥosayn.
Saying to him: I commend thee to the protection of Allah from the eye
of the envier, and fain would be made thy ransom.—This is, of necessity,
the ponderous paraphrase of ‘auwaẕa-hu wa faddâ-hu, second form of
the verbs ‘auẕ and fadá respectively, which means to pronounce the
formulas translated above in full.
O Ḳa‘ḳâ‘, a male proper name, for an instance of which see vol. i.,
p. 471, and the etymological explanation of which is disputed. Of
the various meanings assigned to it, here that of “loud-voiced”
seems the most appropriate, since it is said of the boy that he
recited his verses in a high-pitched key. The following “O thou
bird cautious as to where thou sippest water,” in Arabic yâ bâqi‘ata
’l-baqâ‘i, lit., “O crafty bird of the water-pools,” alludes to the
proverb (Ar. Prov., i. 162), mentioned and explained vol. i.,
p. 318.
Brighter than the fire of hospitality to the eyes of the son of night-faring.
Another proverbial saying, for which see Ar. Prov., i. 408.
Thou who askest me about the two letters Ẓâd and Z̤â.—For the reason
stated in the epitome to this Assembly, I restrict myself to giving
here the remainder of this long string of words without regard to
versification, together with their English equivalents. They are
muwâz̤ib, one who persists in; intiz̤âr, expectation; ilz̤az̤, importunity;
waz̤îf, thinnest part of the leg of a horse or camel; z̤âli‘,
crooked; ‘az̤îm, great; z̤âhir, helper; faz̤z̤, water in a camel’s
stomach (also harsh, cruel); ighlâz̤, rough treatment; naz̤îf, clean,
tidy, neat; z̤arf, a vessel; z̤alaf, continence; z̤âhir, evident; faz̤i‘,
sweet water (also ugly, difficult); wu‘‘âz̤, preachers; ‘ukâz̤, place of
the annual fair between Mecca and Tâ‘if, the name being derived
from the verb ‘akz̤, in the sense of thronging together; z̤a‘n, travelling;
maz̤z̤, wild pomegranate; ḥanz̤al, colocynth; qâriz̤ân, the two
tan-gatherers (see p. 6 above); aushâz̤, pl. of washîz̤, mixed crowd,
rabble; z̤irâb, hillocks; z̤irrân, sharp stones; shaz̤af, distress; bâhiz̤,
heavy to bear, oppressive; ja‘z̤arî, boaster, vainglorious; jawwâz̤,
profligate (also gluttonous); z̤arâbîn, pole-cats; ḥanâz̤ib, male
beetles; ‘unz̤ub, male locust; z̤ayyân, wild jessamine; ru‘z̤, hole in a
spear or arrow to fix the head in; shanaz̤î, surroundings of a
mountain; dalz̤, pushing back; z̤âb (z̤âm), clamour, noise (also
brother-in-law); z̤abz̤âb, ailment; ‘unz̤uwân, a saline plant; jin‘âz̤,
fool; shinẓîr, ill-tempered; ta‘âz̤ul, hanging together of locusts or
dogs in copulation; iz̤lim, indigo; baz̤r, clitoris; in‘âz̤, erection.
With the exception of a few more words of exceedingly rare occurrence,
this list is said to be complete, and cognate forms are, of
course, as far as the letter z̤â is concerned, spelt alike, for instance,
qaiz̤, excessive heat, and qâz̤û, they were hot, etc.
May thy mouth never be harmed.—Thus Chenery translates (vol. i.,
p. 183, last line but one) the idiom lâ fuẓẓa fû-ka, which also occurs
in the fourteenth Assembly. The literal rendering would be, “may
thy mouth not be broken,” where mouth is said to stand for
“teeth.” The expression was, according to Tradition, used by
Mohammed, when the poet Nâbighah recited to him his ḳaṣîdeh in
the letter Râ, terminating in the lines:
“We have reached the summit in praise, and glory and lordship, yet we
hope to attain to a station even above this.”
“Whither to, O father of Lailá?” asked the Prophet, and on the
poet’s answer, “to Paradise,” he said to him approvingly: “lâ
afẓaẓa ’llâḥu fâ-ka,” “may Allah not harm thy mouth.” The substitution
of “teeth” for “mouth,” in the interpretation of the commentators,
is in congruity with the original meaning of the verb
faẓẓ, “breaking a seal.”
A safer keeper than the earth, alluding to the proverb: aḥfaz̤u
mina ’l-arẓi wa aktamu wa âmanu, “more keeping and more concealing
and more trusty than the earth,” because it keeps safely what is
buried in it of wealth, etc., like a custodian, and pays back what is
confided to it like a trustee, and on account of the saying “speak
not ill of the dead, so that the earth may not shield him better than
thou.”
Therefore remember me: I will remember you; and render thanks to
me, and be not ungrateful to me—quotation from Koran, ii. 147.
But I was like one who tries to see in the dark, etc.—My translation
follows here the reading of my own MS.: wa ana, “but I,” or of
the native editions: wa kuntu, “but I was,” instead of that of
De Sacy: “wa huwa, “but he,” which seems to me an evident misprint
or slip of the pen, overlooked by the editors of the 2nd edition.
Than one who speaks from experience, in Arabic mis̤lu khabîrin.
Compare Koran, xxxv. 15: “If ye cry to them (the false gods),
they hear not your cry, and if they heard they would not answer
you; and in the day of Resurrection they will disown your joining
them with God. And none can instruct thee like Him who is informed
(khabîr) of all.”
Thou art the son of the days, i.e., well acquainted with their conditions
and proof against their vicissitudes, as we would say “a
thorough man of the world.”
THE FORTY-SEVENTH ASSEMBLY.
While I was staying at Ḥajr of Yemâmeh.—Yemâmeh is one of
the most fertile districts of Ḥijâz, and at the same time the name of
its chief town, situated in the east of Mecca. It has been mentioned
in Assembly XL., p. 103, above, as the scene of the Musay-limeh’s
insurrection under the Khalifate of Abû Bekr, which was
crushed by a sanguinary battle, in which the impostor himself was
slain. The Shuhadâ’, or martyrs on the Moslem side, were buried
in Ḥajr, the second town of importance in the district, about two
days’ journey distant from Yemâmah town to the north-west.
Or met with accident (lit., state, condition) after accident, in Arabic
rakiba t̤abaqan ‘an t̤abaqin, where the preposition ‘an, from, takes the
meaning of ba‘da, after, as in Koran, lxxxiv. 19: “(And I swear,
etc.) that state after state ye will encounter.”
Who has disappointed his master, lit., who is a burden (kall) to his
master, again taken from the Koran, xvi. 78: “God also propounds
a comparison between two men, one of whom is dumb, and hath no
power over anything, and is a burden to his lord (wa huwa kallun ‘alá
maulâ-hu): direct him where he will, he cometh not back with
success.”
Is this the tardiness of Find along with the failure of thy fire-shaft?
—This is meant as a reproach for being late on his errand, and,
after all, returning without having accomplished it. The allusion is
to the proverb abt̤a’a min findin, “slower than Find,” a freedman of
‘Âyeshah bint Sa‘d, who sent him one day to fetch fire from a neighbour’s
house. On his way he met some people who were travelling
to Egypt, and, joining them, he stayed away for a whole year. After
his return, he borrowed the fire-brand for which he had been sent,
and ran home with it, but he stumbled and fell, and the fire got
extinguished, whereupon he exclaimed, “Hurry be cursed!” (Ar.
Prov., i. 197, 236).
More busily engaged than the woman of the two butter-bags, in the
original ashghalu min ẕâti ’n-niḥyaini, a proverb of which Ḥarîri
himself gives the following account: She was a woman of the tribe
Taim Allâh ibn S̤a‘labah, who was present at the fair of ‘Okâz with
two butter-bags. Khauwât ibn Jubair (who afterwards was converted
and became one of the Helpers or Anṣârîs) took her aside
under the pretext of buying them, opened them, tasted the contents,
and returned them to her one after the other, and while she was
holding them under her arms and kept their mouths closed with
her hands, he outraged her. When he went away from her, she said
to him: “May it do thee no good.” As for the tribal name Taim
Allah, it is a corruption of Taim al-Lât, servant of Lât, an idol of
the time of Ignorance, for which the religious ardour of the Faithful
substituted the name of the true God in their anxiety to eliminate
all traces of paganism from their early history. The comparative
ashghalu is another instance of the measure af‘al, derived from
maf‘ûl instead of fâ‘il, for which comp. the note on aḥmad, p. 283,
above (Ar. Prov., i., 463, 687).
There is no blame on him who goes to the privy.—Sherîshi here
inserts the story of the youth of Kufa, who visited an uncle of his
at Medina, and during a year’s stay was never known to enter that
place. When he had returned to his home, it came out on inquiry,
that whenever he had asked his uncle’s slave girls for it by one of
the numerous names by which it is more or less euphemistically
called by the Arabs, they answered him by a verse of some popular
poem, in which the same word occurred with a different and perfectly
guileless meaning, leaving the poor lad no wiser than before,
and throwing him mercilessly back on his own resources for
expedients, to which he took with a vengeance.
A youth like Samṣâmah, i.e., straight and sharp like a sword.
According to Sherîshi, Ṣamṣâmah is in particular the name of a
sword belonging to ‘Amr Mad‘ákarib, the sharpness of which was
such as to cut iron as easily as iron cuts wood.
Nor seek traces after the substance is gone.—Comp. Ar. Prov., i. 221,
and Chenery’s note, vol. i., p. 362.
He frowned and he turned his back, beginning of Sura lxxx., to
which Rodwell remarks in a note: “We are told in the traditions
that, when engaged in converse with Welid, a chief man among
the Koraysh, Mohammed was interrupted by the blind Abdallah Ibn
Omm Maktûm, who asked to hear the Koran. The Prophet spoke
very roughly to him at the time, but afterwards repented, and
treated him ever after with the greatest respect. So much so that
he twice made him Governor of Medina.”
So trust to the stream of my mountain-slope, i.e., to my word and
promise. If no confidence is felt in the sincerity of a man’s protestations,
it is said to him, “I trust not in thy mountain-slope”
(lâ as̤iqu bi-tal‘ati-ka), viz., that any water will flow down from it,
the water, as has been mentioned frequently, serving as a simile for
liberality and generous disposition (Ar. Prov., i. 49). The expression
tal‘ah, lit., a rising ground, or the watercourse down from a
mountain, occurs also in the proverb: “I am afraid of nothing but
the current from my mountain-slope,” meaning thereby one’s nearest
relations.
Where the wolf howls, metaphorical for a deserted place, a “howling”
wilderness.
If thy father had lorded it over ‘Abd Manâf, or if ‘Abd al-Madân
had been thrall to thy maternal uncle.—‘Abd Manâf, surnamed al-Mugh
airah, was the eldest son of Koṣṣai, and one of the most famous
chiefs of the tribe Koraysh, for whose glory, as the Commentators
remark, it would suffice that he belonged to the ancestors of
Mohammed. ‘Abd al-Madân was proverbial for nobility and
prowess in warfare. The poet Laqît̤ alludes to him in the line:
“I drank wine until I fancied myself to be ‘Abd al-Madân or Abû
Kâbûs.”
Beat not cold. iron, from the proverb “thou beatest cold iron”
(Ar. Prov., i. 218), which is applied to one who wishes for something
unattainable. Al-Mubarrid quotes the following verses of
Abû ’sh-Shamaqmaq on Sa‘îd Ibn Salm:
“Alas! thou beatest cold iron if thou wishest for a gift from Sa‘id;
By Allah, if he were possessed of all the seas together and a Moslem
came to him in the time of flood
Begging from him a draught to perform his ablution, he would deny it
to him and say, Make thy ablution with the sand of the ground.”
The nose in the sky and the rump in the water, proverbially said of
a grandiloquous boaster whose performances are poor (Ar. Prov.,
i. 23).
And art ruthless with the ruthlessness of the cat, allusion to the
proverb a‘aqqu mina ’l-hirri, more ruthless than the cat, who is said,
like the hyena, occasionally to devour her young. It was applied
by a poet amongst the partisans of Ali to ‘Âyeshah, when she set
out for the battle of the camel. As I have a tender corner in my
heart for this animal, which I consider much maligned by those
who call it devoid of affection, I gladly take note of the statement
of Ḥamzah Al Iṣbahânî, that the Arabs say also, in flat contradiction
to the above, “more affectionate (abarru) than the cat,” maintaining
that the devouring, if it is done now and then, proceeds from pure
excess of love, in order to preserve the little ones from all future
trouble. It is true he adds that they offer no satisfactory argument
in proof, but then he ought to repeat their arguments, such as they
are, and allow us to form our own judgment. Meanwhile I am fain
to credit the soundness of their saying and solemnly declare on
behalf of my four-footed friends: “Well said, ye Arabs, faithful
believers in feline kindliness, who deserve for aye to live in the
grateful remembrance of the tribe of Puss, son of Grimalkin, son of
Caterwauler.”
Less occupied than the cupper of Sâbât̤ (Ar. Prov., ii. 227).—The
tale goes that for want of customers he cupped soldiers for a dâniq
(small fraction of the dirhem) apiece, payable at their convenience,
and when for some length of time none presented himself, he
practised on his mother, so as not to be reproached with idleness,
until her blood was exhausted, and the poor lady died of inanition.
Heavy of hand.—Here I have taken a liberty with the words of
the text, s̤aqîlu-’l-ishtirât̤i, the literal translation of which would be
“heavy in making stipulations.” But as this would come pretty
much to the same as the preceding “excessive in his charges,” I
hope the substitution will be condoned, while it introduces a fresh
item into the description of what a cupper ought not to be.
That he was complaining to one who would not silence his complaint, a
proverbial expression applying to a person who is not concerned at
another’s condition, and does not care for the removal of his complaint,
for if he alleviated it, the other would cease complaining (see
Ar. Prov., i. 219). Thus a poet says, addressing his camel:
“Thou complainest to one who will not still thy complaint; so bear thy
heavy burden patiently or die.”
Of a similar purport is the proverb which will follow a little lower
down: hâna ‘alâ ’l-amlasi mâ lâqâ ’d-dabira, “what befalls the back-sore
sits lightly on the smooth-skinned” (Ar. Prov., i. 653).
His sleeve became torn, literally, his sleeve recited the Sura inshiqâq,
the splitting asunder (lxxxiv.), the sound of the tearing garment
being whimsically compared to the sound of a reading voice.
Hast thou not heard what is said of him who exercises forgiveness?—
Allusion to a saying reported by Tradition of Mohammed: “He
who remits the offence of a believer, Allah will remit to the same
his offence on the day of resurrection.”
My surroundings over-tax my liberality, meaning, that his household
expenditure leaves him no surplus, which he might spend on others.
The Arabic for surroundings is shi‘âb, pl. of shi‘b, a mountain cleft
or valley, here used in the sense of nawâḥî, neighbouring parts, for
family, etc.
They are of no account, even though he should be a liar, in Arabic
lâ kânâ wa lau kâna ẕâ mainin, lit., the two have not been, even if he
be possessed of lying, which a marginal note in my MS. paraphrases
by: “There is no value in the two dirhems, even if the old man
should have told a lie.”
A milk-flow, half of which belongs to thee, taken from the proverb:
uḥlub ḥalaban la-ka shat̤ru-hu, milk the milk of which half shall be
thine, inciting to the pursuit of an object by the promise of an equal
share in the result (Ar. Prov., i. 345).
As nicely as the fruit of the dwarf-palm splits, in Arabic shiqqa
’l-ublumati (also read ablimati and ablamati).—According to Sherîshi
ublumah is synonymous with daumah, wild or dwarf palm, whose
leaves split into two equal halves. Abû Ziyâd says it is a plant
growing horn-shaped fruits like beans, and which splits lengthwise
in two halves of perfect equality. Hence the proverb: al-mâlu bainî
wa baina-ka shiqqa ’l-ublumati, the money is or shall be equally divided
between myself and thee, where the accusative shiqqa is that of the
infinitive of corroboration, i.e., divided with the splitting, etc. (Ar.
Prov., ii. 618).
Any shoe suits the bare-footed who walks on flints, said of one who
adapts himself to the circumstances as best he can (Ar. Prov., ii. 317).
THE FORTY-EIGHTH ASSEMBLY.
That He would let me alight in her, in Arabic yumt̤iyanî qarâ-hâ,
lit., would make me bestride her back.
Abû munẕir had called out his admonition to the sleepers.—Abû
munzir, the father of the admonisher, is a nickname of the cock,
because he exhorts the sleepers to rise for prayer, which idea I
preserve in adding the supplementary words “his admonition” to
the translation of the verb hatafa, “he had called out.” De Sacy
quotes here a tradition, reported by Abû Hurayrah, according to
which Mohammed used to say: “When ye hear the cocks crow they
have seen an angel: so ask Allah for His bounty; but when you
hear the braying of asses, they have seen a Satan: so take refuge
with Allah from Satan, the stoned.”
One all wrapped up in signs of the twice-read chapter, the other charmed
by tunes of the strings twice twisted.—The couplet, and those which
follow in connection with the preceding expression, “holy things
and worldly,” in Arabic dîn wa dunyâ, lit., religion and world, offer
an instance of the rhetorical figure tasfîr, which is closely related to
that called laff wa nashr, and for the benefit of the student, both
may here be illustrated together. The latter one means verbally
“rolling up and unfolding,” and an example of it has occurred in
Assembly XXX., p. 30, above, in the line:
“And her sons and their abodes are lustrous stars and astral mansions.”
It consists in the juxtaposition of two nouns, here “sons” and
“abodes,” which are followed by two joined attributes or predicates,
here “stars” and “astral mansions,” leaving it to the discernment
of the hearer to refer either of them to the proper subject. Similarly
we read in the Koran, xxviii. 73: “Of His mercy He hath made for
you the night and the day that ye may take your rest in it, and
that ye may seek what ye need out of His bounteous supplies,”
where Rodwell himself has made the adjustment which the text
reserves to the reader in translating: “the night that ye may take
your rest in it, and the day that ye may seek,” etc. Tafsîr, on the
other hand, which in a more general sense means commentary, in
particular of the Koran, in the present special signification, consists
in enouncing a word or several words, and then, on the supposition
that they want an explanation, supplementing such explanation in
the sequel of one’s speech. Thus, Koran, xi. 107–110 says: “When
that day shall come no one shall speak a word but by His leave, and
some shall be miserable and others blessed. And as for those who shall
be consigned to misery—their place therefore the Fire! their lot
therein sighing and moaning!—Therein they abide while the Heavens
and the Earth endure, unless thy Lord shall will it otherwise; verily
thy Lord is the mighty worker of His will. And as for the blessed
ones—their place therefore the Garden! therein they abide as the
Heavens and the Earth endure, unless thy Lord shall will otherwise
an uninterrupted boon.” A more complicated instance is contained
in the following verses of Ibn Ar Rûmî:
“Your views, your faces, your swords, when calamities gloom, are
stars:
Therein they are road-signs for guidance, and lamps that light up the
darkness, and lastly showering missiles,”
meaning that their counsels lead their people to success, as the stars
guide the wanderer in the desert, that their faces resemble the stars
in cheering brightness, and that their swords bring destruction on
the enemy, as the stars are hurled against the listening Satans. In
the passage of our text “signs” (âyât) is the well known term for
Koranic verses. “The twice-read chapter” and “the strings twice
twisted” are in Arabic mas̤ânî, for which, in the former sense, see
vol. i., p. 301, and in the latter signification compare Assembly XXI.,
ibid., p. 228: “I charm as charm not the triple-twisted strings.”
How many there who wear their eyes by reading, or wear their trays by
feeding the needy stranger.—In the original this runs: wa kam min
qâri’in fî-hâ wa qârin aẓarrâ bi ’l-jufûni wa bi ’l-jifâni, lit., how many
a reader is therein, and how many an entertainer, who spoil their eyelids
(pars pro toto for the eyes), and their platters; another instance
of the figure laff wa nashr, described in the preceding note: these two
nouns “reader” and “entertainer” are qualified by the statement that
by excessive indulgence in their favourite pursuit they damage their
sight and their substance respectively. My translation follows here,
for the sake of greater clearness, the example set by Rodwell in
rendering the above-quoted passage of the Koran.
At sundown, in Arabic, ‘inda dulûki barâḥi.—Dulûk, for the setting
of the sun, occurs in the Koran, xvii. 81: “Observe prayer at
sunset, till the first darkening of the night” (li-dulûki ’sh-shamsi), and
barâḥi is a nickname of the sun, undeclinable in kasrah (i) like
Ḥaẕâmi, laqab of Zarḳâ’ Al Yemâmeh, on account of the sharpness of
her eyesight, from the verb ḥaẕm, to cut.
The discussion on interchangeable letters, i.e., the letters which in
certain dialects can take each other’s place, as a and w in aḥad, for
waḥad, one; t̤ and s in nât for nâs, men; f and s̤ in jada for jadad,
tomb; j and y in ‘ashijj for ‘ashiyy, evening; h and ḥ in ẓahl for ẓaḥl,
a small quantity of water; ḥ and kh in ḥamṣ for khamṣ, the subsiding
of a wound.
As the snatching of a firebrand of one in haste, a proverbial expression
for time that passes quickly or for speed. A poet says:
“And many a visitor whose visit is no visit, as though he had come to
borrow fire” (see Ar. Prov., ii. 344).
The loops were loosed for standing up, in Arabic, ḥullati ’l-ḥubá li
’l-qiyâmi.—To loose the loops is in itself a metaphor for rising, as
has been shown vol. i., p. 412. Here the word qiyâm, rising, is
added because it is used in the technical sense of standing up for
prayer, in conformity with the injunction of the Koran, ii. 239:
“Observe strictly the prayers, and the middle prayer, and stand up
with devotion before God (qâmû li ’llâhi qâtinîna).” Qâtin, translated
“with devotion,” is active participle of the verbal noun qunût,
occurring in the next sentence, the original meaning of which is
sukût, silence, according to the traditionist Zayd ibn Arkam, who
relates: “We used to converse during prayer, until the words
of Allah qâmu li ’llâhi qâtinîna, rise to Allah in silence, were revealed.”
The facundity of al-Ḥasan, for whom see the Notes to Assembly
XL., p. 247, above.
Whom I have taken for my intimates and confidants (karishî wa ‘aibatî),
lit., for my stomach and wardrobe, karish being the stomach of a
ruminant, and ‘aibah, a travelling trunk or cloth-press. The meaning
is therefore, whom I have made the recipients of my affections
and the depositories of my secrets, and the pithy expression is said
to originate with Mohammed, who applied it to his companions.
That religion consists in the sincerity of advice, allusion to the
traditional saying of Mohammed: “Religion is the imparting of
sound counsel.”
Of whom it is said “No ill-fate has he who sits with them,” referring
to the proverb (Ar. Prov., ii. 540) mentioned vol. i., p. 471: “No
ill-fate has he who sits with Al Ḳa‘ḳâ‘,” since it was his custom, as
Chenery adds, to relieve all who visited him.
But my misleading soul . . . prompted me, in Arabic fa-sauwalat liya
’n-nafsu ’l-muẓillatu, an idiom borrowed from Koran, xii. 18: “And
they brought his (Joseph’s) shirt with false blood upon it. He said:
Nay, your own minds have contrived this affair” (lit., your own
souls have prompted to you a thing, sauwalat la-kum anfusu-kum
amran).
To be boon-companion to the mighty topers, and to pass round the
tankards.—The translation “mighty topers,” for abt̤âl, literally, “a
valiant man,” is founded on Sherishi’s explanation that it means
here fursânu ’l-khalâ‘ah, knights of debauchery or profligates. The
tankards, art̤âl, are, according to the same commentator, the four of
which Abû Nuwâs speaks in the lines:
“I found the tempers of men to be four originally, therefore four to the
four, to each temper a tankard.”
On the fifth day . . . and during its sacred night, in the text fî yaumi
’l-khamîsi . . . wa fî ’l-laitati ’l-gharrâ’i, on the fifth day, the day of
jum‘ah, also called al-yaumu ’l-azhar, the resplendent day, and in the
bright night, i.e., the night of Friday. Both expressions are taken
from the Tradition: “increase your prayers on the resplendent day
and in the bright night.”
When he had satisfied his need, in Arabic lammâ qaẓá ’l-wat̤ara, alluding
to Koran, xxxiii. 37, where, however, the context requires the
slightly altered translation: “And when Zayd had settled the necessary
matter of her divorce,” etc.
Though I spoke this in strains of verse, yet my speech leads aright and
true, a stricture on the poets, in the sense of Koran, xxvi. 224–226:
“It is the poets whom the erring follow: Seest thou not how they
rove distraught in every valley? And that they say that which
they do not?”
On the spot, in the text ‘alá ’l-hâfirah, lit., on the ground which
the hoofs of horses have dug, taken from the proverbial phrase, on
bargaining for a horse: an-naqdu ‘inda ’l-ḥâfirah, the meaning of
which is “ready money to begin with.” From the signification
“beginning” the word passes to that of initial condition, as in
Koran, lxxix. 10: “The infidels will say, Shall we indeed be
restored to the former state?”
THE FORTY-NINTH ASSEMBLY.
When he had neared ninety-three years, lit., the fist, al-qabẓah,
which, in the method of calculation carried on by the hand and
fingers, indicates the said number. Others explain the word by
“the grip of death.”
For one like thee it needs no tapping with the staff, nor an awakening
by the throw of pebbles.—This alludes to the proverb: “The staff is not
knocked to the ground for him, nor are pebbles thrown for him”
(Ar. Prov., ii. 343), which is applied to one experienced and wide
awake. The first part of it refers to ‘Âmir ibn az̤-Z̤arab, a judge in
the time of ignorance, who, when he had reached a great old age,
committed errors in his decisions, so that people began to doubt
him. This came to the knowledge of his daughter, and she remonstrated
with him, whereupon he enjoined on her to tap with his
staff on the floor whenever she noticed that his wits were beginning
to wander, in order to call his mind back to the point. The throwing
of pebbles is originally a kind of vaticination from the figures
which they form when shaken and cast on the ground. Here,
however, allusion is made to a custom of the Arabs, when they
wished to test the fitness of a man for participating in a journey or
a raid. They left him by himself, until he had fallen asleep, when
one of them took up a small pebble and threw it in his direction.
If the faint sound awoke him, they trusted him, but if not, they
would have nothing to say to him. More on the subject will be
found in the passage of Maydâni, quoted above, and ibid., i. 55, but
it would here be out of place as irrelevant for the explanation of the
context.
He has been called upon to give warning, allusion to Koran, li. 55:
“Yet warn them, for, in truth, the warning will profit the believers.”
That which Seth bequeathed not to Nabat̤, viz., something better
than it, a form of expression for which comp. vol. i., 304, the note:
“With an earliness beyond the earliness of the crow.”—Nabat̤ is a collective
noun for the Nabateans, who, according to the commentators,
were the descendants of Seth, thus called because they inhabited the
lowlands between the two Iraks, which abounded in water (nabt̤).
Nor Jacob to the tribes (asbât̤), i.e., to the twelve patriarchs, his sons,
as the progenitors of the Jewish tribes. His behest to them is
recorded as follows in the Koran, ii. 126: “And this to his children
did Abraham enjoin, and Jacob also, saying: O my children!
truly God has chosen a religion for you; so die not without having
become Moslems.”
Thy smoke will arise aloft, i.e., thou wilt be able to kindle the fires
of hospitality, and akin to the idiom “he whose ashes are heaped up
or plentiful,” for which see p. 274, above, and the opposite of which
occurs in the next qarînah but one.
The means of livelihood are ministry (imârah), and commerce
(tijârah), and husbandry (zirâ‘ah), and handicraft (ṣinâ‘ah)—a division
which broadly coincides with the popular German classification of
the four social orders: Wehrstand (order of warding off for civil
and military government), Mehrstand (order of making more, for
commerce as increasing the wealth of the nation), Nährstand (order
of providing nourishment, for agriculture), and Lehrstand (order of
teaching, for the learned and technical professions).
Like the entanglements of dreams, allusion to Koran, xii. 44: “They
said: They are confused dreams (aẓghâs̤u aḥlâmin, confusions of
dreams), nor have we knowledge in interpretation of dreams.”
The bitterness of being weaned therefrom, meaning of being dismissed
from office, neatly expressed in the line of a poet:
“The intoxication of power is pleasant, but the state that follows is
bitter exceedingly.”
Similarly a proverb says: “Command is sweet to suckle, but bitter
to be weaned of” (Ar. Prov., i. 145).
They are subject to risks, in Arabic ‘urẓutun li ’l-mukhât̤arâti, the
word ‘urẓah being synonymous with nuṣb, butt, target, object to be
aimed at, as Koran, ii. 225: “And swear not by God that ye will
be virtuous and fear God,” the lit. translation of which Rodwell
gives in a note as: “Make not Allah the scope for your oaths.” As
for the dangers to which merchandise is exposed, Tradition records
the saying of Mohammed: “Verily the traveller and his goods are
at the very brink of destruction (‘alâ qalatin), save that which
Allah takes under His protection.”
Easy to win, lit., cold of booty, said of spoil which is obtained
without exposing one’s self to the heat of battle or exertion.
To the sons of dust, i.e., the poor, in Arabic li-banî ghabrâ’a, so
called because the ground is their bed, without pillow or cover. In
the 55th verse of Ṭarafeh’s Mo‘allakah they are opposed to the
“owners of the wide-spread leather tent,” meaning the rich, who
enjoy every comfort and luxury (see Arnold’s edition, p. 54).
Who rises and sits down again, i.e., who demeans himself with
impotent and uncontrollable anger.
Wheresoever they alight they pick up, a proverb, for which see May-dâni,
i. 416.
Thou hast stitched together, but not ripped open, in the vernacular
idiom rataqta wa mâ fataqta, for thou hast summarised in thy speech,
but not entered into details or particulars.
From which end the shoulder is to be eaten, allusion to the proverb:
“He knows from where the shoulder is eaten,” applied to the sharp-sighted
and experienced, who is well aware how a difficult matter is
to be treated in the most efficacious manner (see Ar. Prov., i. 63;
ii. 144). Aṣma‘î mentions that the Arabs say of a man of weak
intellect, “He does not eat the shoulder neatly,” and quotes the
verse:
“I know, in spite of what you see in me of old age, from which end the
shoulder must be tackled,”
i.e., I am in the full possession of my senses.
Be more on the move than the Qut̤rub.—For this and the following
popular sayings as far as “more aggressive than the wolf that plays
the tiger,” see the proverbs: ajwalu min qut̤rubin (Ar. Prov., i. 329;
i. 643); asrá min jarâdin (ibid., i. 463); anshat̤u min z̤abyin muq-mirin
(ibid., ii. 184, 788); aslat̤u min ẕi’bin mutanammirin (ibid.,
i. 641).
Let down thy bucket into every fountain, taken from the proverb
adli dalwa-ka fî ’l-dilâ’i, let down thy bucket among the buckets, for
which see l.c., ii. 436, and the note in vol. i., p. 402.
With the earliness of the raven, and the boldness of the lion.—The
raven, or crow, is called in the text abû zâjir, father of the scarer,
because he is roused by shouting, to take augury from the direction
of his flight, and he is proverbial for earliness (see vol. i., p. 304).
The name given to the lion is abû ḥâris̤, father of the prey-winner,
because he is the most powerful of wild beasts for securing his prey,
and he has given rise to the proverb: “Bolder than the bearer of
the mane” (Ar. Prov., i. 329, 334, 335).
The caution of the chameleon, here called abû qurrah, father of coolness,
with reference to the proverb “Colder than the eye of the
chameleon,” for which see p. 273, above. The reason for its being
proverbial for cautiousness has been mentioned in a note to Assembly
XXXVI., on p. 222. The kinyehs, or nicknames, used in the sequel
of the passage are abû ja‘dah for wolf, which is explained in various
ways, the most probable being that ja‘dah is here synonymous with
rakhl, lamb, the wolf’s favourite tit-bit; the proverbs concerning him
are to be found in the Majma‘, i. 464, 637; ii. 151, 191. Abû ‘uqbah,
father of (numerous) progeny, for pig, concerning whose greed the
following anecdote is recorded of Buzurjmirh (see Kalilah wa Dimnah,
p. 9): he was asked “By what means hast thou obtained thy successes?”
and answered, “By earliness like the earliness of the crow,
and eagerness like the eagerness [covetousness] of the pig, and
patience like the patience of the ass.” Abû was̤s̤âb, father of the
leaper, for gazelle, the proverb with regard to whose nimbleness has
been quoted on the preceding page. Abû ’l-ḥuṣain, father of the little
castle, for fox, on account of his elaborately-constructed hole, or the
cunning manner in which he protects himself, proverbial for deceitfulness,
stealth, and craftiness (Ar. Prov., i. 577). Abû aiyûb, father
of Job, for camel, proverbial for endurance (Ar. Prov., i. 737). Abû
ghazawân, father of warfare, viz., against rats and mice, for cat, anent
whom De Sacy’s commentary here quotes again the proverb recorded
p. 293, above, “More affectionate than the cat,” and mentions the
following saying of Ibn al-Muḳaffa‘: “I have adopted from everything
that which is most beauteous in it, as from the pig its eagerness
for that which is good for it and its earliness in providing for
its needs, from the dog his sensibleness and watchfulness, from the
cat the insinuating gentleness of its purr, its quickness in seizing
its opportunity for game, and its pretty ways of asking,” the last of
which accomplishments Sherîshi describes with all the glee of an
appreciative observer and connoisseur. Abû barâqish, for a bird,
probably of the heron kind, for which I substitute the hummingbird,
because it is the variegation of its plumage which forms its
characteristic, and has occasioned its figurative use to designate a
person of variable disposition (see Ar. Prov., i. 409, and comp.
vol. i., bottom of p. 477).
Inquire after the state of the market before bringing thy goods to it.—
This and the following idioms are amplifications of the proverb
(ii. 259): “Before shooting arrows let the quivers be full,” to the
effect that one ought to make all necessary preparations before
engaging in an important undertaking.
And despair not of the mercy of Allah, taken from Koran, xii. 87:
“Go, my sons, and seek tidings of Joseph and his brother, and
despair not of God’s mercy (rauḥ), verily none but the unbelieving
despair of the mercy of God.”
Promises have their reversals, in Arabic (li ’l-‘idâti mua‘qqibâtin, objective
case dependent on the preceding inna), allusion to Koran,
xiii. 41: “And if God pronounces a doom, there is none to reverse
(mu‘aqqib) His doom, and swift is He to take account.”
Display then the patience of those endowed with firmness, an expression
borrowed from Koran, xlvi. 34: “Bear thou up, then, with patience,
as did the Apostles endued with firmness,” and applying, according to
the most trustworthy interpretation, to Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
Jesus.
Hold not thy hand tied to thy neck, etc., quotation from the same,
xvii. 31: “And let not thy hand be tied up to thy neck; nor yet
open it with all openness, lest thou sit thee down in rebuke, in
beggary.”
And gratified with poor fruit and bad measure, proverbially applied
to one who meets with two evils or calamities. Aṣma‘î relates that
Abû Ja‘far al-Manṣûr encountered an Arab in Syria, and said to
him: “Praise be to God that He took from you the plague under
our government.” The prompt reply was: “Allah does not bestow
on us at the same time poor fruit and bad measure, to wit, your
government and the plague” (Ar. Prov., i. 368).
For the neighbour before the house, and the fellow-traveller before setting
out on the road, two popular sayings of self-evident meaning, for
which see Ar. Prov., i. 368.
If I be spared after thee—but may I never taste thy loss, a figure of
speech, called by grammarians ḥashw, parenthesis, as in Koran,
lvi. 74, 75: “And I swear by the places where the stars do set,—
And that is surely a great oath if ye only knew it.”
How like is the night to yesternight, i.e., how like is the son to the
father (Ar. Prov., ii. 615). This proverb, expressive of perfect
equality, is said to originate with the following couplets, ascribed to
Ṭarafeh, although they are not to be found in his dîwân:
“Every familiar I have treated with true friendship, but as for them,
may Allah not leave them a tooth to show in their smile,
All of them are falser than the fox, how like is the night to yesternight.”
“A tooth to show in their smile” is a paraphrase of the Arabic
wâẓiḥah, which is explained as a tooth that becomes visible in
laughing, and the phrase itself is a counterpart of the idiom “may
thy mouth not be harmed,” mentioned in the notes to Assembly
XLVI., p. 289, above.
He who resembles his father does not go wrong, a proverb the meaning
of which is, “he misplaces not his resemblance, because none is
worthier of the son’s likeness than the father.” Its origin is ascribed
to the line of Ka‘b ibn Zohayr:
“I am the son of one who has never opposed me in his life heretofore,
and he who is like his father does not go wrong” (Ar. Prov., ii. 665).
Above the mandates of Lokman, the Sage, after whom Sura xxxi. of
the Koran is named, to the title of which Rodwell remarks: “The
opinion most generally received is that Lokman is the same person
whom the Greeks, not knowing his real name, have called Æsop,
i.e., Æthiops.”
THE FIFTIETH ASSEMBLY.
Not engaged in children’s business, lit., whose children were not
called upon. This proverbial expression is variously interpreted, but
the most satisfactory explanation seems to be that of Abû ‘Obaydeh,
who says it is applied to an affair of great importance, to which no
children are summoned, but only their elders. It appears, however,
from various quotations in De Sacy’s commentary, that in course of
time the original meaning of the phrase has been forgotten, and
that it has been joined to any noun, in order to emphasize the idea
contained in it. For instance, tûbah, “repentance,” followed by lâ
yunâdá walîdu-hâ, lit., “whose child is not called upon,” would
signify a repentance of intense acuteness (see Ar. Prov., ii. 895).
Heedless of knocks and pushes, in Arabic ughẓî li ’l-lâkizi wa ’l-wâkizi,
“conniving at him who strikes with his fist and him who pushes
aside.”
She boasts of them the straightest ḳiblah, for it is stated that the
kiblah for the people of Baṣra, that is to say, the direction to be
observed by them in prayer, points exactly to the door of the
Ka‘beh.
Opposite the portal and the station, i.e., the door of the Ka‘beh (see
the preceding note) and the structure which is called the station of
Abraham, and for which see the article “Maqûmu Ibrahîm” in the
“Dictionary of Islâm,” p. 313.
One of the two wings of the world, alluding to a saying attributed
to Abû Hurayrah, that the world represents the shape of a bird,
whose wings are Baṣra and Cairo, and that, if those two were
destroyed, a general downfall would ensue. Others say: “The
world is a bird, with Baṣra and Kufa for its wings, Khorasan for its
breast, Transoxania for its head, Mecca for its heart, Yemen for its
rump, Syria and Maghrib for its thighs, and Egypt for its skull.”
A city founded on the fear of God, as built by the Moslems under
the Khalif ‘Omar, and not inhabited, like the surrounding places,
by fire-worshippers and other idolaters.
Therein meet the ships and the saddle-beasts, on account of its being
equally accessible by roads traversed by travellers on land, and
sea-routes frequented by voyagers. Similar meanings are conveyed
by the meeting of the fish and the lizard, as the former lives exclusively
in the water, which is avoided by the latter; by that of the
camel-driver and the sailor, of the herdsman and the swimmer,
while other juxtapositions point to the variety of trades pursued in
a city of such importance.
The marvel of the tide that swells and the ebb that sinks, the fluctuations
of the Indian Ocean affecting the river up to Baṣra in a similar
manner as the tide influences the Thames at London.
Your ascetic is the most devout of mankind, etc.—The ascetic here
alluded to is Ḥasan Al-Baṣrî, who has been mentioned in Assembly
XL., p. 247, above. Your scholar is meant for Abû ‘Obaydeh, born
a.h. 110, the same year in which Ḥasan Al-Baṣrî died, and deceased
about a.h. 200, a great grammarian and the first who explained the
gharîbân, or more recondite expressions in the Koran and the
Traditions. He who originated and laid down the doctrine of grammar
is Abû ’l-Aswad Z̤âlim ibn ‘Amr, who was slain in the battle of
Ṣiffîn, and he who discovered the measures of poetry is Khalîl, of whom
also mention has been made in Assembly XL., p. 248, above.
The imitation of the ceremonies at ‘Arafât . . . the morning bounty in
the holy month.—Yauma ‘arafata is the ninth day of the month Ẕû
’l-ḥijjah, on which the pilgrims congregate and pray on Mount
‘Arafât, and it became the custom of Mohammedans living in towns
distant from Mecca to imitate on that day the ceremonies performed
on this occasion by processions and devotions outside their
gates, a practice which was called ta‘rîf, and is tersely explained by
the commentators as “a celebration of the day of ‘Arafah without
Mount ‘Arafât.” It was instigated at Baṣra by Mohammed’s cousin,
‘Abdallah Ibn ‘Abbâs (for whom see vol. i., p. 332), and the observance
soon spread to other Moslem communities. Tasḥîr, from
saḥar, the dawn before sunrise, is another custom introduced by the
inhabitants of Baṣra, which consisted in holding a market for the
supply of food in the early mornings during the month of Ramadân,
where the poor were allowed to satisfy their wants on their asking
for leave.
But as for me, he who knows me—well, I am such, i.e., as he has
learnt to know me from long acquaintance, meant, in connection
with the clause following, as a hint to Al Ḥârith not to betray him,
which would be a mean action under the present circumstances.
The hoofs of camels and their humps.—This may be taken literally,
meaning the camels that have carried me on my numerous journeys,
or figuratively, as a note in my MS. explains, in the sense of “people
high and low.”
How many a flint I have made to split by my spells, lit., on how
many a stone I have practised magic until it split asunder, i.e., how
many a miser I have wheedled into liberality.
And the hair of my temple raven-black, in Arabic wa ’l faudu
ghirbîbun.—The commentators agree that the meaning of the word
ghirbîb is “intensely black,” but while some derive it from ghurâb,
raven or crow, others trace it to the infinitive of the 4th from
ighrâb, being far removed, as a black which surpasses in blackness
everything else, and consider the name of the raven to be a derivative
of the same verbal noun, either on account of his colour, or of
his living at a distance from human habitations. In the Koran the
term occurs in a corroborated form, which by Zamakhshari is explained
with great subtilty and described as a highly energetic mode
of expression, in the passage xxxv. 25: “Seest thou not that God
sendeth down water from the Heaven, and that by it We cause the
upgrowth of fruits of varied hues, and that on the mountains are
tracks of varied hues, white and red, and others are of a raven black.”
The last two words of Rodwell’s translation are in the original
gharâbîbu sûdun, literally, ravenish (or exceedingly) black, and the
peculiarity of the idiom as a corroborative consists in the idea being
twice expressed, first in an implied form (gharâbhîbu, pl. of ghirbîb)
and then in reality (sûdun). Similarly the poet Nâbighah says:
“By Him who protects the seekers of refuge, the birds, whom the
pilgrims to Mecca pass between Ghîl and Sanad,”
where the birds who first were intimated by the expression “seekers
of refuge” are subsequently explicitly named by way of explanation
and corroborative emphasis.
That on every day a glance from Allah, be He exalted, falls upon you,
i.e., a glance of compassion and benevolence. A tradition attributes
to Mohammed the prophetic saying: “On every day God Almighty
vouchsafes two glances, one upon the people of the earth to the
East and West, the other upon the people of Baṣra.”
For He is lofty in dignity, etc., allusion to Koran, xl. 15: “Of
exalted grade,” and xlii. 24: “He it is who accepteth repentance
from His servants, and forgiveth their sins and knoweth your
actions.”
Would that I had been afore forgotten, in Arabic nisyan, or nasyan, a
thing forgotten that on account of its contemptibleness does not
occur to the mind, a word borrowed from the Koran, xix. 23: “And
the throes came upon her (Mary) at the trunk of a palm. She said:
Oh would that I had died ere this, and been a thing forgotten,
forgotten quite (nasyan mansîyan).”
To whom their hearts incline, in Arabic ṣaghat qulûbuhum ilai-hi.
The verb ṣaghw, like its synonym mail, may have the meaning of
inclining, tending towards, or of declining, deviating from, according
to the preposition by which it governs. Here this preposition is
ilá, to, but the same verb occurs in the opposite sense, Koran, lxvi. 4:
“If ye both be turned to God in penitence, for now have your
hearts gone astray (ṣaghat qulûbu-kumâ),” where ‘an-hu, from him, is
to be supplied, so that the literal translation would be “your hearts
have declined or deviated from him.”
Is there any rare news?—In the original: hal min mugharribati
khabarin, lit., “is there any astounding matter of a report,” a proverbial
expression (Ar. Prov., ii. 883), as frequently employed as
the favourite Yorkshire phrase “Aught fresh?” Instead of the
usual reply, “Nought” (to be pronounced “noute”) with which the
latter meets, here the answer is, “News rarer than the ‘Anḳâ,” alluding
to the fabulous bird (Ar. Prov., i. 356) so frequently mentioned in
Oriental poetry, “and more marvellous than the sight of Zarḳâ,”
proverbial for sharpness of sight (Ar. Prov., i. 192, 401; ii. 68).
Who had donned the wool-cloth (ṣûf), i.e., who had become an ascetic
or Sufî.
Amongst those whose token is the trace of prostration in their faces,
taken from Koran, xlviii. 29: “Thou mayst see them bowing
down, prostrating themselves, imploring favours from God and His
good pleasure in them. Their tokens are on their faces, the traces of
their prostrations.”
And fond farewells to farer fair, lit., and (memories) of the
traveller bidden (or bidding) farewell. In this translation I take
the word zâ‘in, which by the Commentators is simply rendered with
musâfir, traveller, although grammatically a masculine, as logically a
feminine, similar to ḥâmil, a pregnant female, or ḥâ’iẓ, a menstruous
woman, because the verb za‘n means more particularly travelling in a
za‘înah, litter, an essentially feminine mode of locomotion, from which
a woman travelling in a litter is herself called za‘înah. This appears
also to be the opinion of the editors of the second edition of De
Sacy, who say: “This first verse seems to refer to the usual
beginnings of Ḳaṣîdehs, in which the places now desolate and forsaken
are celebrated, that had formerly been inhabited by a mistress.”
Readers who prefer the letter to the spirit are at liberty to substitute
“faring friend” instead of “farer fair.”
And reckless of His tardy wrath, in the original aminta makra-hu,
lit., thou held’st thyself secure against His scheme or stratagem,
meaning the punishment He has planned for thee. This is an
allusion to Koran, vii. 97: “Did they then think themselves secure
from the deep counsel of God? But none think themselves secure
from the deep counsel of God, save those who perish.”
How often . . . wast thou neglecting carelessly the duties of His covenant
, lit., didst thou not observe that which is incumbent of His
injunction to be followed, again alluding to Koran, xxxvi. 60: ‘Did
I not enjoin on you, O sons of Adam, Worship not Satan, for that
he is your declared foe?”
That goal of pilgrims of long syne, of countless pilgrims yet to come.—
Compare with this the following lines of a poet:
“Life is a sleep, and death the awakening thereof, and man between
them a phantom that fares at night;
Fulfil then your needs hastily, for your existence is but a journey
amongst journeys.”
Possessed of all the riches of a Tobba‘ king.—Tobba‘ is the name
of three kings of Yemen, the first of whom, called Shamar, is said to
have conquered China and devastated Samarcand; the second,
As‘ad, slaughtered, according to popular tradition, six thousand
camels at the holy house, and provided it with a door of gold;
while the third, Abû Ḥassân, is not credited with any particular
feat of his own, but seems to have contented himself with the glory
of his predecessors (comp. Caussin de Perceval’s Esai, i. 61 and
following, and Reinaud’s Introduction to his “Géographie
d’Abulféda,” p. 355).
Separated hither and thither, in Arabic tafarraqû shaghara baghara, a
proverbial expression for dispersing in all directions, for which see
Ar. Prov., i. 502.
And wept as not Jacob wept, allusion to Koran, xii. 84: “And he
turned away from them and said, Oh! how I am grieved for
Joseph! and his eyes became white with grief, for he bore a silent
sorrow.”
If thou makest a resolution, put thy trust in Allah, quotation from
Koran, iii. 153: “Therefore forgive them and ask for pardon for
them, and consult them in the affair of war, and when thou art
resolved, then put thou thy trust in God; Verily God loveth those who
trust in Him.”
Keep death in view, lit., make death the target of thy eye, taken
from the proverb ja‘altu-hu naṣba ‘ainâya, I have made him or it the
target of both my eyes. For naṣb most Arabs say nuṣb, a fu‘l with
the meaning of maf‘ûl, like ukl, food, for ma’kûl, that which is
eaten, so that nuṣb would stand for manṣûb, that which is set up,
hence a butt or target.
INDEX.
[Whenever the references to names or subjects are very numerous, the numbers
of the pages alluding to them will be found in Appendix A, so that the Index
itself may be shortened.]
Aaron, i. 267
Abâbîl, supposed by some to be the name of certain birds, but Bayḍâwi
says it means “in heaps,” i. 331
‘Abâdileh, The, or the four Abdallahs, the four transmitters of Traditions
of the same name in the first century of the Hijra, i. 396
‘Abbâd ibn Auf, the story about his giving a bribe, i. 375
Abbaside Khalifs, The, i. 3, 457; ii. 247, 248
‘Abbâs, son of ‘Abd al Muṭṭalib, and uncle of Mohammed, i. 332
‘Abbâs, son of Merdâs and of Khansâ the poetess, i. 52
‘Abd al Ḥamîd, famous for eloquence and caligraphy, i. 81; ii. 104, 248
‘Abd al Ḥârith, said to have been the name of the first child of Eve, so
called in honour of Al Ḥârith the Devil, i. 378
‘Abd al Madân, an Arab proverbial for nobility and courage, ii. 158, 293
‘Abd al Melik ibn Merwân, the fifth Omayyide Khalif, i. 94, 350
‘Abd Manâf, ancestor of Mohammed, a chief of the tribe of Koraysh, and
surnamed Al Mughairah, ii. 158, 293
‘Abd al Muṭṭalib, grandfather of Mohammed the Apostle, i. 269, 332, 439;
ii. 204
‘Abd al ‘Ozza, or Abû Lahab, uncle of Mohammed, and his great enemy
and persecutor, i. 439. See Abû Lahab
‘Abd al Wahhâb, nephew of Al Manṣûr, the second Abbaside Khalif, i. 493
‘Abd al Yaghûth, father of Al Hakam, the archer, i. 404
’Abd Allah and ‘Abd-ar-Raḥmân, the most acceptable names to God, i. 278
‘Abd Allah bin ‘Amr bin ‘Usmân, a poet, ii. 215
‘Abd Allah, brother of Durayd ibn as Simmâh, and owner of the horse
Karab, ii. 282
‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbâs, the Traditionist, commonly called Ibn ‘Abbâs,
which see, i. 14, 327, 332, 396; ii. 307
‘Abd Allah ibn al Moḳaffa‘, the Persian, translator and author, i. 33; ii. 303
‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al ‘Âṣi, the Traditionist, i. 396
‘Abd Allah ibn Az Zobayr, the Traditionist, and one of the revisers of the
Koran, i. 93, 396, 482; ii. 230
‘Abd Allah ibn Ghaṭafân, The tribe of, i. 411
‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ûd, the Traditionist, i. 396
‘Abd Allah ibn Muljim, the murderer of ‘Ali, the fourth Khalifah, i. 327
‘Abd Allah ibn Omm Maktûm, a blind man twice Governor of Medina,
ii. 292
‘Abd Allah ibn Rawâḥah, a poet on the side of Mohammed, i. 430
‘Abd ‘Amr, a favourite of ‘Amr, King of Hira, i. 360, 361
‘Abd ar Raḥmân, son of Hassân ibn Thâbit, the questions asked him by
his father, i. 430
Abdera, a Greek town, i. 82; ii. 146
‘Abd Shems, an Arab ancestor, i. 376, 426
Abel, i. 296, 531, 538
Abgarus, the King of an old city, since called Edessa and Ar Roha, and
connected with the legend of Christ’s picture, i. 489
‘Abḳar, a residence of the Jinn, said to have been in the region of
Yemâmeh, i. 478, 479
‘Abḳari, a sprite of Abḳar, i. 478, 479
Ablaḳ Al, a castle in Taymâ, i. 490, 491
‘Ableh, the damsel wooed and won by the poet-warrior ‘Antarah, son of
Sheddâd, i. 317
Ablution, one of the five things on which Islâm is founded, i. 392; ii. 37,
39, 40, 41, 205, 293
Abraham, the Patriarch, i. 87, 267, 315, 316, 325, 396, 400, 427, 431, 461,
467, 489; ii. 19, 32, 34, 177, 196, 253, 300, 304, 306
Abrahet al Ashram, or Abraheh, an Abyssinian King who marched against
Mecca, i. 279, 331
Abû ‘Abd Allah, the Wazir killed at the instigation of Ar Rabî‘, i. 493
Abû ‘Abd ar Raḥmân ibn Aḥmed al Farâhîdî, the great Grammarian,
ii. 248. See Khalil
Abû Adîneh, or Odayneh, a poet, i. 377, 496, 522
Abû Akhzam, said to be connected with a proverb, i. 485, 522. See
Akhzam
Abû ‘Ali Ḥosayn al Khoshnâbi, father-in-law of Hamadâni, i. 272
Abû ‘Ali, the Grammarian, i. 508
Abû ‘Amr ash Shaybâni, celebrated for Koran-reading, i. 81, 539; ii. 104
Abû ‘Amr Rubban, or Zubban ibn al ‘Alâ, noted for his profound knowledge
of the Koran, ii. 248
Abû Barâḳish, a bird of gaudy and changing plumage, used figuratively to
express a person of variable disposition, i. 232, 477, 478
Abû Bekr al Berathîni, a person referred to by Ar Râzi, the Commentator,
i. 24
Abû Bekr ibn al Ḥosayn ibn Dorayd, a composer of forty stories of rare
and strange phrases, i. 271
Abû Bekr Mohammed az Zâhiri, i. 399
Abû Bekr, the first Kalifah, i. 14, 52, 93, 289, 305, 318, 473, 479; ii. 245,
253, 262, 290
Abû Bekr Yaḥya ibn ‘Abd ar Raḥmân, celebrated for his compositions in
various metres, i. 367
Abû’d-darrâj Wallâj, son of Kharrâj, fanciful names, ii. 28, 200
Abû Dulaf al ‘Ajili, the celebrated general of the Khalifs Ma‘mûn and
Mo‘taṣim, and rebuilder of the city of Kerej, i. 76 note, 515
Abû Dulaf al Khazraji, a poet, i. 76 and note, 287
Abû Dulâmeh, son of an emancipated black slave, and a poet who immortalized
his mule by a Ḳaṣideh, i. 80; ii. 104, 247
Abû Dulâmeh’s mule, often referred to in Arabic literature for his dirty
tricks, i. 80; ii. 104, 247
Abû Farwat al Ḥaffâr, ancestor of Ar Rabî‘, i. 493
Abû Ḥâmid al Isfarayni, i. 358. See Shaykh Abû Hâmid
Abû Ḥanbal at Tâ‘i, a model of faith-keeping, i. 493
Abû Ḥanîfeh, i. 392; ii. 279, 286
Abu Ḥassan, one of the Tobba‘ Kings of Yemen, ii. 310
Abû Hazrah ibn ‘Âtîyah, ii. 248. See Jerîr
Abû Hurayrah, the Traditionist, i. 445, 473, 515; ii. 295, 306
Abû Ja‘far ibn Ṭofayl, the writer of a philosophical romance, i. 278
Abû Ja‘far al Manṣûr, ii. 304
Abû Jahl, a great persecutor of Mohammed, i. 375, 415, 438
Abû Ḳalamîm, the lizard, used figuratively to express a person of variable
disposition, i. 478
Abû Kârib, Governor of Hejer or Bahrayn, i. 361
Abû Kayd, the father of Deceit, i. 242, 490
Abû Kilâbeh, the Arab who saw Irem al ‘Imâd, i. 369
Abû Lahab, uncle of Mohammed, and his great enemy and persecutor.
Also name of Sura cxi. of the Koran, i. 52, 439, 440
Abû Maryam, an expression used to designate under that name the officers
or ushers of a Kadi’s court, i. 157, 349
Abû Mohammed al Hosayn ibn Wakî‘, a writer on the plagiarisms of the
poet Mutenebbi, i. 483
Abû Mohammed al Ḳâsim ibn ‘Ali ibn Mohammed ibn ‘Othman al Harîri,
the full name of Harîri, i. 3, 186, 337
Abû Mohammed ibn Ṣârat ash Shantarîni [of Santarem], i. 516. See Ibn
Ṣârah
Abû Munzir, a nickname of the cock because he exhorts the sleepers to
rise for prayers, ii. 164, 295
Abû Murrah, or Abû ’l Murrah, a nickname for the devil, i. 278; ii. 142,
166, 280
Abû Mûsá Abdallah ibn Kais al Ash’ari was appointed arbiter with Amr
ibn al As between ‘Ali and Mu‘âwiyeh after the battle of Siffin, ii. 146,
283. See Mirkhond, Part II., vol. iii., pp. 351–359 for the story
Abû Na’âmeh, or Na’âmet al Katâri ibn al Fujâ’ah, a poet and orator,
head of the rebellious Azâriḳah sect, i. 135, 326, 327
Abû Nuwâs, the poet, i. 525, 526; ii. 232, 299
Abû ‘Obâdeh, the poet, i. 114, 292. See Boḥtori
Abû ‘Obaydeh, the Philologist and Grammarian, i. 411, 521; ii. 205, 239,
305, 306
Abû ‘Othmân al Mâzini, the Grammarian, story told about him, i. 497, 499
Abû Sa‘îd ‘Abd ar Raḥmân ibn Mohammed ibn Dôst the Hâkim, a
collector of Hamadani’s epistles, i. 270, 271
Abû Ṣufrah, an Arab ancestor and race descended from him, ii. 114, 255
Abû Sâliḥ, the story about him, i. 471
Abû Samâmah, or Sumâmah, surname of the false prophet Musaylimeh,
also called Al Kazzâb the Liar, ii. 103, 245. See Musaylimeh
Abú ’sh Shamaqmaq, a poet, ii. 293
Abû Sofyân ibn Ḥarb, the father of Mu‘âwiyeh, the first Omayyide Khalif,
i. 375, 405, 439
Abû Ṭâhir, a commentator of Harîri’s Assemblies, i. 32
Abû Temmâm, or Ḥabîb ibn ‘Ows, the poet: his Hamâseh is celebrated,
i. 55, 57, 292, 482
Abû Therr al Ghafâri, a Companion about whose future Mohammed
prophesied, i. 421
Abû Wâthîlet Iyâs ibn Mu’âwiyet ibn Korrah, called Al Muzanî, i. 333.
See Iyâs
Abû Yahya. Yahya is an Arabic name for John the Baptist, but Abû
Yahya is used as a bye-name of Death, i. 216, 447
Abû Yûsuf, an eminent lawyer, ii. 142, 279
Abû Zayd, the name of the Improviser in Ḥarîri’s Assemblies (his first
appearance at Basra, i. 21, 22; his character, i. 23, 24), i. 25–28 (his
wit and cynicism, i. 35), i. 37, 38, 42, 58, 71, 75–83, etc. For further
references to him, which are very numerous, see Appendix A
Abû Ziyâd, an Arabic author, ii. 295
Abû ’l ‘Abbâs Aḥmed ibn ‘Abd al Mu’min al Kaysî ash Sherîshi, the Commentator,
i. 265. See Sherîshi
Abû ’l ‘Abbâs Aḥmed ibn ‘Omar ibn Surayj, i. 358. See Ibn Surayj
Abû ’l Abbâs al Layti, a friend of Sherîshi, i. 405
Abû ’l Abbâs Mohammed, son of Harîri, and succeeded his father in hi
post at Meshân, i. 38
Abû ’l ‘Ala, the poet, i. 14, 56, 337, 460, 479
Abú ’l Aswad ad Du’li, the Grammarian, i. 7, 66, 94, 458; ii. 306
Abû ’l Aṭâhîyah, the Poet, ii. 228, 253, 254
Abû ’l Faḍl ar Rabî‘ ibn Yûnus, the Chamberlain to Mansûr, the second
Abbaside Khalif: his story, i. 493. See Ar Rabî‘
Abû ’l Faḍl Aḥmed ibn al Hoṣayn ibn Yaḥya ibn Sa‘îd al Hamadâni, commonly
known as Badi‘ az Zemân, or “The Wonder of the Time,” i.
13, 270. See Hamadâni and Badi‘ az Zemân’
Abû ’l Faraj Al Isfahâni, his allusion to the poetry of Abû ‘Obâdeh or
Boḥtori, i. 292, 340
Abû ’l Faraj [Barhebræus], i. 489
Abû ’l Faraj Ibn Ja‘far Ibn Ḳodamet Ibn Ziyâd, a scribe of Bagdad, i. 274,
275. See Kodâmeh
Abû ’l Faraj Mohammed ibn Aḥmed al Ghassani, called Al Wâwâ, a poet,
i. 294
Abû ’l Fatḥ al Iskenderi, the name of the Improviser in Hamadâm’s
Assemblies, i. 19, 25, 28, 38, 105, 271, 272
Abû’ Fatḥ, the story about him, i. 457
Abû ’l Futûḥ al Ghazzali, i. 526. See Ghazzali
Abû ’l Ḥasan, i. 457. See Ibn Sam’ûn
Abû ’l Ḥasan ‘Ali the Kâtib, his biography, i. 469, 470, 471
Abû ’l Ḥasan Mohammed, the Hâshimi, an elegant poet of the fourth
century of the Hijra, i. 523. See Ibn Sukkereh
Abû ’l Ḳâsim ‘Abdallah, the son of Harîri and an official at Bagdad, i. 21,
38; ii. 163
Abû ’l Ḳâsim Ali ibn Aflaḥ, i. 28
Abû ’l Ḳâsim as Salîmi, a poet, ii. 238
Abû ’l Ḳâsim Ḥammâd, the celebrated reciter, a marvel on account of his
memory, i. 17, 383, 384. See Ḥammâd
Abû ’l Khaṭṭâb Ḳatâdeh, a blind man: the story about him, i. 468
Abû ’l Manṣûr ath Tha‘labî, an account by him of Badi‘ az Zemân’ or
Hamadâni is given in the Commentary of Sherîshi, i. 270. See
Tha‘labî
Abû ’ṭ Ṭâhir ibn Mohammed ibn Yûsuf, of Cordova, who wrote fifty
Assemblies in imitation of Harîri, i. 97
Abû ’ṭ Ṭâhir Mohammed ibn ‘Ali al ‘Ilâf, the story told by him about Ibn
Sam‘ûn, i. 457
Abû ’t Taiyib, a poet, ii. 231
Abyssinia, i. 446, 467
Abyssinian, i. 279, 280, 331
Abyssinians, i. 64, 372, 467
Academy of Letters, i. 66
Account, Art of, i. 230, 231
Accountants, i. 230–232
‘Âd, an Arab ancestor and his descendants, i. 368, 433, 441, 516
‘Âd, The people of, a wicked tribe destroyed by God, i. 31, 213, 423,
431–433, 441, 442, 466; ii. 9. For the story compare the Koran,
Tabari, and Mirkhond
Adah, wife of Lamech, i. 43
Adam, i. 267, 296, 329, 342, 350, 378, 398, 404, 440, 459, 474; ii. 39, 109,
110, 258, 309
Aden, i. 369, 441; ii. 279
‘Adî ibn ar Ruḳâ‘, an amatory poet, i. 275
‘Adî ibn Naṣr, married Raḳâsh, sister of Jathîmet al Abrash, King of Ḥira,
and was the father of ‘Amr, the lost prince, i. 42, 494, 495
‘Adnân, an Arab ancestor, i. 9, 466, 520
Æacus, the myth or legend about him is connected with the colonization
of Ægina, i. 92
Æneas, of Trojan war renown, i. 92
Æsop, i. 33, 277, 362, 477; ii. 305
Afrasiab, King of Turan, i. 539
Africa, i. 9, 410; ii. 138, 224
Africa, Eastern, people of, i. 467
‘Afrit, a demon supposed to be of superior nature and more formidable
powers than the Jinn or the Ghûl, i. 330. See Ifrit
Afwah al Awadi, a poet, ii. 230
Aghlab [Al] al ‘Ajili, said to have been the first composer of a regular
poem or Kasideh in rejez metre, i. 55, 304
Aḥkâf [Al], tracts of sand in the region of Ash Shiḥr, i. 441, 517
Ahlwardt, William, of Greifswald, a German Orientalist, i. 340
Ahwâz, a town and district, i. 258, 499, 525
A‘jamî, or foreign, i. 66; ii. 139, 192, 215, 277
‘Ajâz [Al], a poet, i. 55
‘Akâf ibn Wadâ‘ah, a man alluded to by Mohammed, i. 370; ii. 271
Akameh, a place in Yemen, i. 404
Akhfash [Al], The Elder, or Abû ’l Khaṭṭâb the Grammarian, i. 55, 301,
498
Akhfash [Al], The Younger, also a Grammarian, i. 498, 499
Akhnas [Al] ibn al Ka‘b, a man of Johayneh, his story, i. 476
Akhṭal [Al], the great poet of the tribe of Temîm, i. 349; ii. 227, 248
Akhzam, an Arab of very generous disposition, whose name is connected
with a proverb, ii. 140, 278. See Abû Akhzam
Aḳîl ibn ‘Ullafeh, a poet of Koraysh, the story about him, i. 485;
ii. 278
Akk, Land of, on the sea-coast in the northern part of Yemen, i. 425
Aḳra‘ [Al], a person mentioned in some verses by Abbâs, son of Merdâs,
addressed to Mohammed, i. 52
Aktham ibn Sayfi, an elder of the Benû Temîm, to whom is attributed a
proverb, i. 273
‘Alaaddin Abû’sh Shâmât, Story of, in the “Thousand and One Nights,”
i. 440
Al ‘Abd, son of Sofyân, son of Harmaleh, of the tribe of Bekr Wâ’il, and
father of the poet Tarafeh, i. 359
‘Alaḳ [Al], the name of the ninety-sixth Sura, or chapter, of the Koran, i. 52
Aleppo, ii. 135, 138, 146, 147
Alexander the Great, i. 92
Alexandria, i. 88, 105, 151, 152, 157
Alexandrian, The, i. 38, 273. See Abu ’l Fath al Iskenderi
Alfîyeh, The, by Ibn Mâlik, the most complete and celebrated of the
Arabic grammatical poems, i. 12, 55, 98, 273, 290, 303, etc. See
Appendix A
‘Ali, son of Al Mahdi, the third Abbaside Khalif, i. 523
‘Ali, the fourth Khalifah, son of Abû Ṭâlib, adopted son and cousin of
Mohammed, i. 7, 14, 31, 60, 281, 290, etc. See Appendix A
Alif, the first letter of the alphabet, ii. 35. See Elif
Alkali, its qualities described, i. 144
Alḳamat ibn ‘Olâtheh, the story about him, i. 375, 488
Alḳamat ibn Khaṭafah, the father of Zebbâ, the wife of Al Harith ibn
Sulayk, the Asadi, story about them, i. 408
Allât, a goddess, one of the Arab idols, i. 404, 405; ii. 291
Alms, one of the five things on which Islâm is founded, i. 392, 460; ii. 27,
31, 37, 46, 58, 163, 206
Alp Arslan, the second Sultan of the Saljukide dynasty, i. 5, 526
Alphabetical poems and pieces as given in the Bible and other works,
i. 87–89
Alyas, son of Moḍar, an Arab ancestor, and husband of Khindàf, i. 10;
ii. 246
Amalek, or Al Amalek, an ancestor and tribe, i. 397, 466
Ameuney, Professor, of King’s College, London, i. 101
American Indian, i. 386
American missionaries, i. 367
‘Âmileh, Tribe of, i. 362
Amîn [Al], son of Hârûn ar Reshid, and sixth Abbaside Khalif and pupil
of Al Kisâ’i, the Grammarian, i. 498
Âmineh, mother of Mohammed, i. 364
‘Âmir bin Ḥarisah al Azdî, father of ‘Amr Muzaykîyâ, ii. 199; called also
Mâ’u’s-samâ, which see
‘Âmir ibn az-Zarib, a judge in the Time of Ignorance, ii. 300
‘Âmir ibn aṭ Ṭofayl ibn Mâlik ibn Ja‘far, the story about him, i. 375, 488
‘Âmir ibn Hârith, i. 351. See Kosa’î
‘Âmir ibn Sinân, of the tribe of Temîm, and father of Sulayk, i. 352. See
Sulayk
Ammon, i. 87
‘Amr, a friend of Munthir ibn Mâ’as Semâ, King of Hira, and buried alive
by the latter, i. 385
‘Amr al Jâhiz, an author, i. 266
‘Amrân the Diviner, brother of ‘Amr ibn ‘Âmir Muzayḳîyâ, i. 423, 425
‘Amr ibn ‘Adî, son of ‘Adî ibn Naṣr, and of Raḳâsh, the King Jathimeh’s
sister, the story about him, i. 494, 495; ii. 190, 206
‘Amr ibn al ‘Aṣ, appointed as arbiter with Abû Mûsa after the battle of
Siffin, ii. 283. See Abû Mûsa
‘Amr ibn Al Hârith ibn Al Moḍâd, prince of the Jorham, to whom some
beautiful verses are attributed at the expulsion of his family from
Mecca, i. 384
‘Amr ibn Abî Rabî‘at al Muzdalif ibn Thohl, the story about him, i. 529
‘Amr ibn ‘Amir Muzayḳîyâ, the Tearer, and husband of Zarîfeh, who predicted
the bursting of the dyke of Marab, i. 41, 42, 288, 372, 423–426
‘Amr ibn Al Ḥârith ibn Shaybân, the story about him, or ‘Amr ibn ‘Adî
above, i. 529
‘Amr, King of Hira, son of Munthir III., and commonly called ‘Amr ibn
Hind, the name of his mother. He caused the death of the poet
Ṭarafeh, i. 61, 358, 360, 361
‘Amr ibn Kulthûm, a pre-Islamite poet-warrior, and author of one of the
Mo‘allaḳât, i. 56, 351, 361, 376, 501, 539
‘Amr ibn ‘Obayd, a celebrated ascetic and preacher, i. 228, 467, 468
’Amr ibn ‘Odas, author of a proverb, i. 74
Amr ibn ‘Othmân ibn Ḳanbar, the full name of Sîbawayh, the Grammarian,
i. 497. See Sîbawayh
‘Amr Mad‘âkarib, the owner of the sword Ṣamṣâmah, ii. 292
‘Amr, son of Barrâk, a great runner, i. 353
‘Amr, son of Ḥârith, son of Sherîd, son of Sulaym, and father of Khansâ,
the celebrated Arab poetess, i. 387
’Amr, son of Homran, whose generous speech is connected with a proverb,
i. 443
‘Amr, son of Jâbir, a man of the Fazârah, with whom Imr al Ḳays the
poet sought protection, i. 491
‘Amr to Zayd, a phrase meaning “from one person to another,” i. 257, 522
Anacreon, the Greek poet, i. vii
‘Ânah, a city celebrated at an early period for its wine, i. 168, 172, 173,
351, 374
An‘am, or Ashkam, or Mâthân, son of Loḳmân the Wise, i. 477
Anas ibn Mâlik, the transmitter of Traditions, i. 364, 401, 450
Anas, son of An Naḍr, a martyr for Islâm, i. 401
‘Anazeh, tribe of, i. 472
Ancyra, the place where the poet Imr al Ḳays died, i. 492
Andalusia, i. 2, 34, 265, 304, 410
Andalusian, i. 69
Andalusians, The, i. 368
‘Anḳâ, The, a fabulous bird, i. 469; ii. 181, 309
Anmàr, a sub-tribe of the sons of Kays, i. 476
An-Nâs, the name of the 114th Sura, or chapter, of the Koran, i. 52
Anṣâr, The, helpers and auxiliaries of Mohammed at Medina, i. 295, 373,
398, 429; ii. 214, 291
‘Antarah, the warrior-poet, son of Sheddâd, i. 30, 56, 295, 317, 318, 331,
352, 390, 438; ii. 282
“Anthologie Grammaticale Arabe,” by De Sacy, i. 12, 296, 384, etc. See
Appendix A
Antioch, i. 531
Antiquities, i. 46, 63, 100
Antiquity, i. 62, 73, 91, 92, 426
Anûshirwân, the Wazir, i. 25, 26. See Sheref ad Dîn Abû Naṣr Anûshir-wân
al Iṣfahani
Anwâri Sohayli, a Persian story-book, i. 33
Arab, i. 3, 5, 10, 12, etc. See Appendix A
Arabia, i. 9, 10, 41, 43, etc. See Appendix A
Arabia Felix, ii. 263
Arabia, the daughter of Justin II., i. 492
Arabian, i. 50, 66, 126, 321; ii. 39
“Arabian Nights,” The, i. 308, 330, 345; ii. 201, 255. See “Thousand
and One Nights”
Arabic, i. v–vii, ix, x, 1, 2, 4, 5, etc. See Appendix A
“Arabic Authors,” ii. xi.
Arabic Proverbs, ii. ix, 187, 204
Arab manners and customs, i. 6, 13, 15, 18, 22, 54, etc. See Appendix A
Arabs, i. ix, 4–8, 10, 13–16, etc. See Appendix A
“Arabum Proverbia,” Freytag’s edition in three volumes, i. 273, 277. See
Proverbs, Arab
‘Arafah, Day of, ii. 307
‘Arafât, Mount, i. 392; ii. 34, 178, 202, 203, 306, 307
Archæologists, i. 90
Arcturus, a constellation mentioned in the Book of Job, i. 336
‘Arim, ii. 199. See Sayl al ‘Arim
Arḳam [Al], the Ghassani, father of Ḳaylah, said to have been the
ancestress of Ows and Khazraj, the sons of Tha‘labeh and the heads
of two tribes who inhabited Yathrib or Medina in the time of the
Prophet. The quarrel between these two tribes, in which the latter
were defeated, brought the Khazraj to Mecca to obtain assistance
from the Koraysh, which was refused. They then applied to
Mohammed, and this led to the two meetings at ‘Akabah, and
eventually to the flight from Mecca, i. 295. Comp. Tabari and
Mirkhond
Armenian, i. 21
Arnold, Fr. Aug., his edition of the “Mo‘allaḳât,” i. 332; ii. 267, 301
Arphaxad, an ancestor, i. 369
Ar-Raḳîm, The men of: their story, i. 414, 415
Arthur, our legendary King, i. 539
‘Arûs, a man connected with a story about a proverb, i. 346, 347
Aryan, i. 312
As‘ad, one of the Tobba’ Kings of Yemen, ii. 310
Asad, son of Mudrik, slayer of Sulayk, i. 352
‘Aṣâm, an old woman referred to in a proverb, i. 356
A‘sha [al], or Maymûn al A‘sha the Great, son of Ḳays, a renowned poet,
i. 389; ii. 288
Ash‘ab, a servant of the Khalif ‘Othmân, proverbial for his covetousness,
ii. 6, 190
Ash‘ath [Al] ibn Ḳays al Kindi questions the Prophet, i. 520
Ashmûni [Al], the Grammarian, i. 315, 508, 512, 514
Asia, i. 5, 92
Asia Minor, i. 13, 493
Asia, Northern, i. 466
Asia, Western, i. 489
Asîd ibn Jâbir, a famous runner, i. 353
Aṣma‘î [Al], the most famous man of letters of his time, born a.d. 740,
died a.d. 831. He was a complete master of the Arabic language, an
able grammarian, and the most eminent of all those who transmitted
orally historical narrations, anecdotes, stories, and rare expressions
of the language, i, 18, 132, 255, 281, 319, 340, 368, 391, 394, 475, 487,
498, 520, 521, 539; ii. 79, 196, 229, 248, 249, 302, 334
Assemblies of Abû ‘ṭ Ṭâhir, of Cordova, written in Arabic in imitation of
Ḥarîri, i. 97
Assemblies of Hamadâni, supposed to have been imitated by Harîri, i. 13,
19, 20, 62, 305
Assemblies of Harîri, i. viii–x, 2, 8, 12, etc. See Appendix A
Assemblies of Naṣîf al Yazaji, of Beyrout, i. 62, 98–101, 314, 382, 393, 396,
464, 487, 518, 525
Brief Summary of each of Harîri’s Assemblies.
Assembly I.—Of San‘â. Abû Zayd preaches against self-indulgence, and
exhorts to repentance, but which he does not put into
practice, as the sequel shows, i. 108
Assembly II.—Of Ḥolwân. Full of rhetorical subtleties, i. 112, 113
Assembly III.—Of Ḳaylah. Abû Zayd improvises both in praise and dispraise
of money, i. 117
Assembly IV.—Of Damietta. Discourse on duty towards a neighbour
between Abû Zayd and his son, i. 121
Assembly V.—Of Kufa. How Abû Zayd obtains money from a company
of generous scholars, i. 126, 127
Assembly VI.—Of Merâghah. About an address to the Governor, with
pointed and unpointed letters, i. 132, 133
Assembly VII.—Of Barḳa‘îd. About Abû Zayd and the old woman who
circulates his curious papers, i. 139, 140
Assembly VIII.—Of Ma‘arrah. About Abû Zayd and his son, and their complaints
to the Kadi of that place, and the sequel, i. 145, 146
Assembly IX.—Of Alexandria. About the complaints of Abû Zayd’s young
wife to the Kadi against her husband, i. 151, 152
Assembly X.—Of Raḥbah. About Abû Zayd and his son before the
Governor, and the sequel, i. 158
Assembly XI.—Of Sâweh. An elaborate sermon on the certainty of death
and judgment, in rhymed prose and in verse—a masterpiece,
i. 163, 164
Assembly XII.—Of Damascus. Abû Zayd prepares a magic form of words
for the safety of certain travellers, and the sequel, i. 168,
169
Assembly XIII.—Of Bagdad. Abû Zayd, disguised as an old woman,
followed by some lean and feeble children, obtains alms by
his address and his verses, i. 176
Assembly XIV.—Of Mecca. Abû Zayd and his son obtain relief through
their representations and verses, i. 181
Assembly XV.—The Legal. This contains a legal puzzle about the heirs to
certain property, and a long story to introduce it, i. 185,
186
Assembly XVI.—Of the West. Abû Zayd performs an extraordinary
feat of scholarship in reciting lines of poetry, each of
which may be read forwards or backwards without
change of sense, i. 194
Assembly XVII.—The Reversed. Another Assembly of the same kind as
the last, in that the words themselves being reversed
produce a perfect sense, i. 200
Assembly XVIII.—Of Sinjâr. Abû Zayd gains a splendid present by the
narrative of an alleged misfortune. One of the most
poetical in the whole work, and a wonderful description
of a maiden, i. 206, 207
Assembly XIX.—Of Naṣîbin. Abû Zayd tells his son, in the Ṭofayli
jargon, to bring a repast for some friends who had
visited him, i. 214, 215
Assembly XX.—Of Mayyâfâriḳîn. Abû Zayd, by his representations,
asks the bounty of the company to provide a shroud,
i. 220
Assembly XXI.—Of Rayy. Abû Zayd preaches a sermon on life and
morals, and afterwards indites another discourse in
reproof of the Governor, i. 223
Assembly XXII.—Of the Euphrates. Abû Zayd delivers a rhetorical
address on the comparative merits of secretaries and
accountants, and the sequel, i. 229
Assembly XXIII.—Of the Precinct. Abû Zayd shows his skill in artificial
composition, bringing his son before the Governor, or
criminal judge, of Bagdad on a charge of theft, and
finally getting some relief for his necessities from the
Governor, i. 234
Assembly XXIV.—Of the Portion. This Assembly contains grammatical
riddles and disquisitions, i. 243, 244
Assembly XXV.—Of Kerej. Abû Zayd, naked and shivering, crouches on
the ground. Reciting some verses on his unhappy state,
he obtains furs and cloaks, i. 253
Assembly XXVI.—The Spotted. Abû Zayd entertains Ḥârith, the son of
Hammâm, and finally explains how he was rewarded
for a eulogistic composition in which the alternate
letters were pointed and unpointed, i. 258
Assembly XXVII.—Of the Tent-dwellers. Story about the lost camel, the
search for it, and the result, ii. 1, 2
Assembly XXVIII.—Of Samarcand. Abû Zayd preaches on the instability
of human destinies, and on the certainty of death. The
sequel, especially the verses, ii. 13
Assembly XXIX.—Of Wâsiṭ. An amusing story, first full of fanciful and
enigmatical language, and then a proposal for a matrimonial
alliance, followed by the wedding, which is preceded
by a wonderful address, and the sequel, ii. 14, 15
Assembly XXX.—Of Ṣûr. Relates an adventure near Cairo at a wedding
ceremony, where Abû Zayd delivers a discourse on the
duties of the rich towards the poor, and on the divine
purpose in founding the institution of matrimony, ii.
24, 25
Assembly XXXI.—Of Ramlah. A composition of exquisite beauty on the
duties of true religion, spoken by Abû Zayd at Mecca,
ii. 31
Assembly XXXII.—Of Ṭaybeh. One of the most elaborate, important,
longest, and most difficult of the Assemblies, in which
Abû Zayd assumes the character of a Mufti, who
answers various questions on canonical and legal
points, ii. 37, 38
Assembly XXXIII.—Of Tiflis. In the guise of a mendicant afflicted with
palsy Abû Zayd appears, and by an eloquent appeal to
the congregation obtains a liberal supply of alms, and
the sequel, ii. 58
Assembly XXXIV.—Of Zabîd. Abû Zayd appears in the character of a
slave-merchant, and sells his son as a slave to Ḥârith.
The boy repudiates the sale, protesting that he is
Joseph. They go before the Kadi, and the sequel,
ii. 62, 63
Assembly XXXV.—Of Shiraz. Abû Zayd describes a wine-cask metaphorically
under the simile of a maiden, for whom he
desires to purchase wedding attire, and the result, ii. 71
Assembly XXXVI.—Of Malṭîyah. Abû Zayd, proposes twenty riddles, or
conundrums, of a curious kind, and leaves without explaining
them. Harîri himself does this in a short
commentary at the end of this Assembly, ii. 74, 75
Assembly XXXVII.—Of Sa‘dah. Abû Zayd and his son again before the
Kadi, and account of the dispute between them, ii. 83
Assembly XXXVIII.—Of Merv. Abû Zayd addresses the Governor of Merv
in some very fine verses in praise of liberality to men
of genius, ii. 89, 90
Assembly XXXIX.—Of ‘Omân. About a sea-voyage and a magic spell
against the dangers of the sea. A storm, landing
at the port of an island, and what happens there,
ii. 93, 94
Assembly XL.—Of Tebrîz. A lively altercation between Abû Zayd and
his young wife before the Kadi of Tebrîz, he complaining
of her contumacy, she of his abuse of his conjugal
rights, ii. 101, 102
Assembly XLI.—Of Tanîs. Abû Zayd preaches a sermon full of lofty
moral admonitions, and what happens at the close of
it, ii. 108, 109
Assembly XLII.—Of Najrân. Abû Zayd again propounds a series of
riddles, ii. 113, 114
Assembly XLIII.—Al Bakrîyah. Abû Zayd displays his eloquence and
mastery of the Arabic tongue in various ways. The
discussion between him and a youth on the subject of
matrimony is worthy of Rabelais, ii. 113, 114
Assembly XLIV.—The Wintry. Abû Zayd furnishes a series of puzzling
statements, which show the double meanings and
curious subtleties of the Arabic language. He leaves
secretly without explaining them, ii. 132
Assembly XLV.—Of Ramlah. Account of another matrimonial dispute
between Abû Zayd and his young wife before the Kadi
of Ramlah, ii. 141, 142
Assembly XLVI.—Of Aleppo. Abû Zayd appears as a schoolmaster, and
his pupils accomplish the most surprising feats in
linguistic artifices, ii. 146, 147
Assembly XLVII.—Of Ḥajr. Another fictitious altercation between Abû
Zayd in the character of a cupper, and his son, for the
purpose of obtaining coin from the assembled company,
ii. 156
Assembly XLVIII.—The Ḥarâmîyeh. Supposed to be the first Assembly
composed by Ḥarîri, with the first appearance of Abû
Zayd the Serûji on the scene, ii. 163
Assembly XLIX.—Of Sâsân. Abû Zayd urges his son to practise mendicancy
as a fine art, he himself having so practised
it to his profit. A most interesting discourse, and,
Chenery says (p. 83), “one of the finest pieces of
rhetoric in the work,” ii. 169
Assembly L.—Of Bsara. The repentance of Abû Zayd, described by
him along with a magnificent encomium of Basra. He
settles down to his devotions, and his farewell verses
are most interesting and breathe the purest spirit of
devotion. Chenery says (p. 83): “But perhaps the
first place in regard of merit should be given to the
Fiftieth and last Assembly,” ii. 175, 176
[The figures in italics under each Assembly of Harîri denote the page where
each assembly and the notes thereon begin; the other figures denote the references
to each.]
Assembly the 1st.—i. 37, 108, 278, 294, 302, 328, 385, 387; ii. 211
Assembly the 2nd.—i. 106, 112, 274, 285, 303, 304, 319, 338, 356, 357, 384,
448, 453; ii. 217
Assembly the 3rd.—i. 55, 75, 97, 117, 229, 295, 300, 310, 344, 381
Assembly the 4th.—i. 121, 302, 328, 331, 365, 394, 417, 463, 473
Assembly the 5th.—i. 55, 126, 300, 304, 308, 322, 398, 417, 500; ii. 220
Assembly the 6th.—i. 75, 132, 274, 321, 349, 396, 414, 416, 446, 524
Assembly the 7th.—i. 139, 328, 334, 339, 417, 509; ii. 258
Assembly the 8th.—i. 75, 79, 145, 336, 347; ii. 71, 113
Assembly the 9th.—i. 151, 344, 436; ii. 141
Assembly the 10th.—i. 158, 336, 339, 351, 381, 393, 409, 456, 465, 532, 537
Assembly the 11th.—i. 163, 364, 375, 429, 490; ii. 254
Assembly the 12th.—i. 80, 168, 289, 353, 368, 420, 435, 538; ii. 281
Assembly the 13th.—i. 176, 296, 299, 355, 380, 391, 396, 477; ii. 225
Assembly the 14th.—i. 181, 391, 465; ii. 289
Assembly the 15th.—i. 185, 398, 407, 419, 434, 449; ii. 269
Assembly the 16th.—i. 194, 274, 308, 408, 410, 422, 456, 463, 480, 483
Assembly the 17th.—i. 41, 200, 274, 288, 322, 402, 419, 442
Assembly the 18th.—i. 206, 371, 414, 417, 427, 441, 464; ii. 255
Assembly the 19th.—i. 214, 287, 320, 324, 408, 443, 450, 456, 527; ii. 256
Assembly the 20th.—i. 36, 220, 452, 460, 464
Assembly the 21st.—i. 223, 455; ii. 275, 297
Assembly the 22nd.—i. 11, 229, 383, 409, 469; ii. 239
Assembly the 23rd.—i. 234, 274, 340, 480, 486, 500
Assembly the 24th.—i. ix., 72, 243, 274, 493, 497, 499: ii. 221
Assembly the 25th.—i. 106, 253, 274, 514
Assembly the 26th.—i. 75, 258, 274, 348, 363, 449, 460, 488, 524, 537;
ii. 237
Assembly the 27th.—i. 277, 417, 441, 539; ii. 1, 187, 206, 246
Assembly the 28th.—i. 75, 274, 526; ii. 8, 15, 191, 194, 197
Assembly the 29th.—i. 75, 79, 274, 290, 434, 526; ii. 14, 71, 113, 194,
261
Assembly the 30th.—i. 76, 215, 287; ii. 24, 198, 200, 296
Assembly the 31st.—i. 76, 416; ii. 31, 201
Assembly the 32nd.—i. 34, 77, 79, 81, 82, 274, 284, 305, 319, 402, 455, 489;
ii. 37, 38, 132, 204
Assembly the 33rd.—i. 78, 291, 294, 382; ii. 50, 58, 208
Assembly the 34th.—i. 78, 318, 383, 472; ii. 62, 211, 273
Assembly the 35th.—i. 71, 79, 460; ii. 71, 113, 217
Assembly the 36th.—i. 73, 79, 81, 490, 514, 525; ii. 74, 113, 219, 239, 302
Assembly the 37th.—i. 72, 79, 280, 311, 318, 332, 383, 418, 525, 537; ii.
83, 224, 233
Assembly the 38th.—i. 79, 390, 431, 531; ii. 89, 234, 235, 244, 263
Assembly the 39th.—i. 80, 412, 418, 495; ii. 93, 238
Assembly the 40th.—i. 80, 82, 152, 347, 484; ii. 101, 102, 141, 142, 243,
290, 298, 306
Assembly the 41st.—i. 81, 336, 368, 399; ii. 108, 109, 251, 253
Assembly the 42nd.—i. 81, 341; ii. 113, 255
Assembly the 43rd.—i. 81, 310, 312, 370; ii. 119, 260, 263, 266
Assembly the 44th.—i. 81, 299, 303, 402, 485, 522, 527; ii. 132, 273, 277,
278
Assembly the 45th.—i. 36, 82, 348, 391, 460; ii. 141, 142, 279
Assembly the 46th.—i. 82, 274, 311, 321, 368, 471, 500, 524, 525; ii. 146,
267, 284, 289, 305
Assembly the 47th.—i. 37, 38, 83, 272, 321, 479; ii. 156, 290
Assembly the 48th.—i. 21, 24, 37, 83, 108; ii. 163, 175, 214, 245, 295
Assembly the 49th.—i. 37, 83, 287, 288, 332, 382, 402, 406, 537; ii. 169,
299
Assembly the 50th.—i. 6, 7, 9, 37, 83, 296, 382, 431; ii. 175, 305
Assyrians, ii. 240
Astronomy, i. 100
Aswad [Al], son of Munthir, King of Hira, i. 377, 496
Aswad [Al], the rival prophet slain at the time of Mohammed’s death,
i. 279
Athenian, i. 6
Athens, i. 88
Atlas, Mount, i. 344
A‘yâṣ, The five, of the tribe of Koraysh. These were five sons of ‘Abd
Shems, who had all similar names, i. 376
‘Âyisheh, third wife of the Prophet, i. 14, 93, 308, 337, 329, 353, 355, 364,
383, 390, 401, 418, 430, 473; ii. 293
‘Ayn ibn Ḍobay‘, father of Nawâr, wife of the poet Farazdaḳ, i. 350
Âzar, father of Abraham, i. 467
Azâriḳah, a fanatical sect, implacable enemies of the House of Omayyah,
or the Omayyides, i. 326, 327
Azd, an Arab ancestor, i. 423. See Benû Azd
Azerbijan, the north-west province of the present Persian monarchy, i. 132
Azz ad Din al Muḳaddasi, a writer of moral allegories, edited by Garcin
de Tassy, i. 277
Babylon, i. 209, 325, 434
Bacchanalian, i. 35, 168
Badî‘ az Zemân, or “The Wonder of the Time,” a title give to Hamadâni,
i. 20, 26, 27, 105, 106, 186, 270–272, 278, 315, 455. See Hamadâni [Al]
Bagdad, i. 5, 6, 18, 26–29, etc. See Appendix A
Baghîḍ, an Arab tribe, i. 316
Bâhileh, one of the least esteemed of Arab tribes, i. 309, 520, 521
Bahman, a Persian Prince, i. 287
Baḥrayn, i. 10, 361, 446, 452
Bajazet i., the Ottoman Sultan, i. 489
Bajîleh, Tribe of, i. 353
Baki, a Turkish poet, i. vi.
Bâḳil, a man of Rabî‘ah or of Iyâd, who had an impediment in his speech,
and is alluded to in the proverb as “more tongue-tied than Bâḳil,
i. 197, 263, 417, 537
Balaam, i. 44
Baldwin, one of the Crusaders, i. 13, 20, 489
Baqî‘, the cemetery of Medina, ii. 50
Barâjim, a tribe, i. 361
Barâḳish, wife of Loḳmân ibn ‘Âd, i. 516
Barka‘îd, a place described as the chief town of the Diyâr Rabî‘ah, and
near Mowsil, i. 139, 140, 329
Barrah, a celebrated woman’s name among the Arabs; one sister of
Temîm, another ancestress of Ḳoraysh, i. 318; ii. 225
Barrah, mother of the boy Zayd, i. 130, 132, 318; ii. 220
Basîṭ, an Arabic metre, i. 55, 56, 524
Basra X., i. 1, 3, 6–11, 13, 18, etc. See Appendix A
Basrian, The, i. 90, 315
Basrians, The, i. 72, 503, 505
Basûs [Al], an Arab woman, i. 527, 528
Basûs, an Israelitish woman, i. 530
Basûs, War of, i. 74, 260, 317, 382, 449, 526, 527, 530; ii. 277
Bathîleh, or Sulayma, wife of the warrior Sakhr, the brother of Khansâ,
the poetess, i. 388, 389
Batîḥah, Swamps of the, ii. 15, 22
Bâtir, an ancestor, i. 369
Baṭn Marr, in the territory of Mecca, i. 288
Battle of the Camel, ii. 293. See Mirkhond, Part ii., vol. iii., p. 212
Bawwân, The valley or pass of, i. 368
Bayḍâ, near Shiraz, and the birthplace of Sibawayh, the Grammarian, i. 498
Bayḍâwi, the Commentator on the Koran, i, 31, 39, 96, 97, 267–269, etc.
See Appendix A
Beautis of the I‘râb, or desinential syntax, a treatise on Grammar by
Ḥarîri, i. 12
Becca, another pronunciation of Mecca, i. 391
Bedouin, i. 4, 64; ii. 1
Bedr, Battle of, i. 31, 324, 438, 440
Beggary or Begging, ii. 83, 85, 229
Beggary, Shame of, i. 280, 311
Bekr ibn Wâ‘il, an Arab ancestor and tribe, i. 352, 359, 515, 527
Belḳayn, a contraction of Benû’l Kayn, i. 340
Benjamin, youngest son of Jacob, i. 398, 417
Benû ‘Abs, an Arab tribe, i, 130, 316, 317
Benû ‘Âmir ibn Ṣa‘ṣa‘ah, i. 375
Benû Asad, i. 64, 340, 348, 357, 386, 388, 401, 408, 491
Benû Aṣfar, ii. 48, 207
Benû Azd, i. 353, 425, 426
Benû Bekr, i. 10, 455, 527, 529, 530
Benû Ḍabbah, i. 428
Benû Fezârah, i. 375, 376, 396, 491
Benû Ghassân, i. 64, 133, 138, 154, 248, 288, 289, 295, 327, 377, 496
Benû Ghaṭafân, i. 64, 316, 318, 387, 401, 405, 411, 428, 476
Benû Ḥarâm, i. 10, 21, 24; ii. 163, 164, 175
Benû Ḥarb, ii. 38
Benû Hilâl ibn ‘Âmir, i. 375, 376; ii. 246
Benû Hothayl, i. 64
Benû Iyâd, or Iyyâd, i. 64, 417, 538
Benû Ja‘far, i. 502
Benû Jothâm, i. 64
Benû Kand, ii. 272
Benû Khozâ‘ah, i. 64, 426, 434
Benû Kinâneh, i. 64, 434
Benû Ḳoḍâ‘ah, i. 64, 495
Benû Ḳoraysh, the most distinguished of the Arab tribes, i. 8, 16, 30, etc.
See Appendix A
Benû Lakham, i. 64
Benû ’l Ḥârith ibn Ka‘b, i. 428, 498, 537, 538
Benû Mâ ’as-samâ, ii. 199
Benû Mâzin, i, 497
Benû Murrah, i. 387
Benû Nomayr, i. 207; their descent, i. 427, 428
Benû ‘Oḳayl, i. 467
Benû Omayyeh, Mosque of the, i. 369; the tribe, i. 406
Benû Rabî‘ah, i. 64, 352
Benû Sa‘d ibn Thobyân, i. 351
Benû Salamân, i. 353
Benû Salîh, i. 288, 289
Benû Sa‘ṣa‘ah, i. 428
Benû Shaibah, ii. 38, 204
Benû Shaybân, a branch of the Benû Bekr, i. 529
Benû Sulaym, i. 387–389
Benû Taghlib, i. 10, 376, 448, 527, 529, 530
Benû Ṭay, i. 292, 348, 426, 491
Benû Temîm, a distinguished Arab tribe, i. 10, 31, 38, 64, 94, 273, 349,
352, 361, 430, 434–436, 453, 497, 527; ii. 83, 214, 225, 231
Benû Thaḳîf, i. 64, 405
Benû ‘Uzrah, ii. 114, 255, 280
Benû Yarbû‘, i. 518
Beyrout, i. 41, 98, 367; ii. 197, 198, 226, 241, 244, 263, 268, 280
Bible, The, i. 45–47, 85, 97, 316, 407; ii. 206
Biblical, i. 88
Bidpai, Fables of, i. 33
Bilḳîs, Queen of Sheba, i. 80, 283, 425; ii. 104, 245
Black Sea, ii. 252
Bohemian, ii. 1
Boḥtori [Al], the Poet, 14, 292, 294, 418, 482, 487. See Abû ‘Obâdeh
Bokhari [Al], the Traditionist, i. 268, 316, 365, 393
Borâk, the name of the animal on which Mohammed made the reputed
night journey to heaven, ii. 253
Bosphorus, The, i. 4
Boulak, i. 300, 315, 508; ii. 241
Bunduqah, the name of a tribe, or a pellet, ii. 104, 249, 250
Bûrân, probably the wife of Mâmun, the seventh Abbaside Khalif, i. 80;
ii. 104, 246
Burdeh, The, or Poem of the mantle, by Ka‘b ibn Zohayr, i. 397, 501
Burjân, People of [the Danubian Bulgars], i. 466
Burkhardt’s “Travels in Arabia,” ii. 202
Burton, Sir Richard, the Traveller and Orientalist, ii. xi, 202
Butter-bags, Story of the woman of the two, ii. 157, 291
Buzurjmihr, minister of Nushirvân, King of Persia, ii. 303
Byzantine, i. 90, 381, 539
Byzantines, The, i. 22, 92, 391
Cabul, i. 467
Cæsar, name applied to Roman Emperors, i. 451, 491, 532
Cain, i, 43, 296, 340, 531, 538
Cairo, i. 25, 41; ii. 24, 25, 30, 306
Calcutta, i. 39, 99, 316, 481
Calendar, Arabian, i. 391
Callirhoe, or Antiochea, a very ancient city, so called under the Seleucidæ,
afterwards named Edessa and Roha, i. 489
Cambridge, i. 101
Canaan, Land of, i. 44, 87
Canaan, or Yâm, the son of Noah who refused to enter the ark,
i. 466
Canaan, the father of Nimrod, i. 369
Canticles, The, or Song of Solomon, i. 348, 425
Capella of the Pleiades, ii. 237
“Cassandra,” or “Alexandra,” of Lycophron, an iambic poem of 1470
lines, very famous in antiquity, i. 91
Caucasus, The, ii. 208
Cave, The men of the, or the seven sleepers alluded to in the Koran, i. 196,
414–416, 450
Cave, The, name of the 18th Sura, or chapter, of the Koran, i. 414, 416;
ii. 231
“Chalef elahmar’s Qasside,” edited by W. Ahlwardt, of Greifswald, i. 340
Charlemagne, i. 539
Chenery, Thomas, translator of the first twenty-six Assemblies of Harîri,
ii. vii–xi, 31, 37, 89, 113, 146, 147, 214, 217, 218, 229, 239, 242, 246,
248, 269, 275, 277, 281, 289, 292, 298
Cherithim (see Ezekiel xxv. 16), i. 87
Chess, ii. 241
“Chiliads,” The, a work by John Tzetzes, i. 539, 540
China, ii. 310
Chinese, i. 344, 466
Chosroes, a title given to certain Persian kings, i. 31, 218, 451, 539; ii. 219
“Chrestomathie Arabe,” by De Sacy, i. 101, 139, 151, 270, 271, etc. See
Appendix A
Christ, i. 88, 425, 530
Christendom, i. 1
Christian, i. 3, 13, 32, 38, 45, 98, 267, 269, 350, 370, 385, 397, 414, 465,
489, 500; ii. 270, 271
Christianity, i. 289, 385, 537
Christians, i. 34, 46, 164, 322, 347, 421, 439, 442; ii. 113, 152, 256
Cities of the Plain, or the subverted cities, i.e., Sodom and Gomorrah,
i. 431
Colocynth, i. 461, 462
Commentaries, i. 67, 70; ii. 199
Commentary, i. 77, 92 note, 101, 356, 362, 382, 390, 391, 394, 429, 436,
442, 446, 449, 495, 529, 531; ii. 1, 75, 187, 189, 243, 273, 274, 278, 296
Commentary of Bayâwi on the Koran, i. 96, 269, 312, 325, 404, 407, 432,
433; ii. 270
Commentary of De Sacy on Harîri’s Assemblies, i. 98, 269, 312, 318, 347,
370, 375, 381, 382, 385, 414, 420, 441, 444, 451, 456, 479, 482, 483,
487, 488, 495, 500, 518, 520, 525, 537; ii. 193, 195, 201, 205, 207, 225,
251, 256, 266, 276, 303, 305
Commentary of Harîri, ii. 189, 191, 219, 244, 273, 274, 277, 278
Commentary of Ibn ‘Aḳîl on Ibn Mâlik, i. 99
Commentary of Sa‘d at Taftazâni, i. 99
Commentary of Sherîshi, i. 308, 322, 350, 353, 356, 438, 451, 467, 483, 520;
ii. 217, 259
Commentary of Tabrîzi, ii. 212
Commentary of Zamakshari on the Koran, i. 39, 97
Commentary on the Arab Proverbs, i. 362, 363, 385, 390
Commentary on the Mo‘allaḳah of ‘Amr ibn Kulthûm, i. 539
Commentary on the Mo‘allaḳah of Imr al Ḳays, i. 386
Commentary on the Mo‘allaḳah of Ṭarafeh, i. 407
Commentator, i. 39, 96, 265, 266, 294, 340, 357, 368, 413, 415, 420, 429,
444, 446, 471, 573, 504; ii. 299
Commentators, i. 39, 63, 70, 73, 90, 145, 329, 345, 414, 451; ii. 187, 202,
203, 206, 208, 209, 211, 213, 215, 218, 227, 236, 238, 240, 256, 258, 261,
265, 266, 276, 282, 290, 293, 300, 307, 309
Companions of the Prophet, i. 6, 14, 104, 401; ii. 28, 198, 200, 247, 265,
298
Composer, i. 231, 232
Composition, i. 230, 232, 234, 265, 273, 274, 297, 359, 382; ii. 156, 217, 251
Compositions, ii. 197
Confession or Shahâdeh of the Moslem faith, “There is no God but God,
and Mohammed is the Apostle of God,” i. 392
Constantine, the Emperor, i. 289
Constantinople, i. 88, 90, 91, 320, 397, 491
Conundrums, i. 79, 81, 84, 274
Corinthians, Epistle to the, i. 279
Criticism, i. 47
Crusade, i. 3, 20, 347, 489; ii. 163
Crusaders, i. 13, 38
Ḍabbah, or Ḍabbat, son of Udd, son of Ṭâbikhah, son of Elyas, son of
Moḍar, i. 428. The story about him, and how his name became connected
with a proverb, i. 474, 475
Dachtenûs, wife of ‘Amr ibn ‘Odas, i. 74
Dâḥis, the name of a horse which caused the war of Dâhis, i. 316, 317
Dailamites, name of a people in Gîlân, ii. 137
Daj‘am, House of the, the reigning family of the Benû Salîh, i. 289
Damascus, i. 16, 57, 168, 206, 207, 368, 369, 437, 489
Damietta, i. 121
Damon, the Pythagorean, celebrated for his friendship with Pythias, i. 385
Damrah, son of Damrah, the judge in a munâfarah, who is said to have
taken a bribe, i. 375
Daniel, Book of, i. 88, 380
Dârâ, or Darius, the Persian King, ii. 13
Dardanus, the mythical ancestor of the Trojans, i. 92
David, the King, i. 33, 44, 46 209, 267, 269, 291, 292, 422, 436, 453, 476;
ii. 217, 222
Daylam, a region of which Rayy was the seat of government, i. 455.
See Rayy
Death, i. 150, 163, 165, 166, 224, 461, 488; ii. 4, 8, 10, 13, 23, 34, 180, 185,
229, 252, 310
Deborah, Song of, i. 44
Decius, the Emperor, i. 414
Dedan, one a brother of Sheba, son of Raamah, and another a brother of
Sheba, grandson of Abraham, i. 426, 427
Denar and denars, i. 117, 119, 120, 141, 149, 158, 160, 210, 229, 233, 298,
300, 310, 470, 499; ii. 82, 163, 212, 265
Derenbourg, who, with Mr. Reinard, wrote the preface to the second
edition of De Sacy’s Harîri, i. 3 note
Deskereh, a place between Holwân and Bagdad, i. 257, 523
Deuteronomy, Book of, i. 44, 46, 516
Devil, The, i. 141, 378
Dictionary of Islam, by Hughes, ii. xi, 202, 205, 244, 245, 250, 306
Dieterici, editor of some Arabic poems, i. 300, 462
Dimeshḳ, son of Nimrod, son of Canaan, or, as others say, Dimeshḳ, son
of Bâtir, son of Mâlek, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah.
The Moslem legend is that Damascus received its name from its
founder, Dimeshḳ, i. 369
Ḍirâr [Aḍ], the angel of Paradise, i. 350
Dirhem and dirhems, i. 139, 142, 149, 156, 298, 309, 408, 417, 470; ii. 14,
18, 65, 70, 144, 161, 212, 219, 230, 272, 294, 295
Dîwân, or collection of poems of any one author, i. 394, 427, 446, 447, 453,
479, 485, 491, 492, 525, 539; ii. 304
Diyâr Rabî‘ah, a country between Syria and Irak, i. 10, 139, 206, 215
Do‘aymiṣ of the Sands, a negro slave, i. 403
Dobays the Asadî, son of Sayf ad Dowleh Ṣadaḳah, the Arab prince of
Ḥilleh, i. 38; ii. 100, 242
Dowsar, the name of a squadron of cavalry alluded to in a proverb, i. 436
Dozy Reinhardt, the eminent Dutch Orientalist, and author of several
works, i. 459
Duprat, Benjamin, Libraire de l’Institut, Paris, i. 459
Durayd, brother of Hâshim, son of Ḥarmalah: the story about him,
i. 387, 388
Durayd ibn Aṣ Ṣimmâh, a most celebrated hero and poet of his time, and
held by the Arabs to be equal to ‘Antarah: the story about him and
Khansâ, the poetess, i. 387, 390; ii. 282
‘Durrah,’ The, or ‘Durrat al Ghawwâs,’ a work by Harîri, i. 280, 283, 290,
296, 304, 318, 331, 345, 347, 348, 400, 401, 409, 413, 418, 419, 427, 497,
511, 513, 524, 525, 538; ii. 212, 220, 233
East, The, i. vi, 3, 5, 13, 27, 34, 59, 90, 98, 204, 206, 262, 277, 285, 317,
352, 370, 410, 473, 477; ii. 57, 171, 179, 265, 278, 286, 308
Eastern, i. 1, 21, 32, 89, 112, 411, 451
Ecclesiastes, i. 86, 89
Ecclesiastical, i. 6
Eden, i. 30, 56
Edessa, a city in Northern Mesopotamia, i. 13, 21, 488, 489. See Roha
Educational, i. 6, 12, 36
Egypt, i. 341, 398, 466, 471; ii. 25, 291, 306
Egyptian, ii. 62, 108, 213
Egyptians, i. 286, 341, 370, 392; ii. 240
Eirenopolis, the Byzantine name of Bagdad, i. 391
Elam, i. 87
Elephant, The men of the, viz., the soldiers of Abraheh, the Abyssinian,
i. 331
Elephant, Year of the, i. 279
Elif, a letter of the Arabic alphabet, and prefixed to certain chapters of the
Koran, i. 96
Elijah, i. 267
Emessa, or Ḥimṣ, i. 82, 337; ii. 146, 148, 284
Emperors of the East, i. 3
Endymion, i. 414
England, i. 534; ii. xi
English, i. viii, x, 1, 45, 281, 294, 377, 401, 412, 453, 462, 504, 505, 534;
ii. xi 74, 132, 147, 192, 218, 221, 225, 237, 251, 253, 254, 259, 263, 264,
266–268, 289
Englishman, i. 283, 400
Englishmen, i. 70; ii. 89
Enoch, i. 207
Ephesus, i. 414
Esau, i. 44
Euphrates, The, i. 9, 158, 168, 229, 374, 445; ii. 219
Euphuists, The, of the polished cities of Irak, i. 215
Europe, i. 47, 78, 92, 323, 473, 531, 539; ii. 37
European, i. ix., x., 46, 58, 59, 66, 98, 101, 112, 176, 243, 273, 275, 285,
373, 459, 504, 534, 535; ii. viii, 279
Europeans, i. 1, 83, 132, 270; ii. 192
Eve, i. 342, 398, 415
Ewald, G. H. A., a German Orientalist and critic, and author of “Dichter
des Alten Bundes” and “Ausführliches Lehrbuch des Hebräischen
Sprache,” i. 88 note, 514
Exodus, Book of, i. 44, 46, 87, 409, 425, 521
Ezekiel, the Prophet, i. 87, 88, 325, 446
Fables, i. 32, 33, 107, 277, 477, 478
Faḍl [Al] al Ḳasbâni, a Grammarian and teacher of Ḥarîri, i. 10
Fajandîhi [Al], or Fanjadîhi, an author mentioned in Sherîshi’s Commentary,
ii. 163
Falak [Al], the name of the 113th Sura, or chapter, of the Koran, i. 52, 452
Farazdaḳ [Al], the Poet, i. 157, 318, 349, 350, 406, 436, 458, 485, 523;
ii. 225, 248
Farḍ, an observance commanded by the Koran, or by the most weighty
Tradition, an obligatory duty, i. 329, 411, 412. See Nefl
Farghânah, name of a region and city of Transoxiana, now in the Khanate
of Kokan, i. 152, 344
Farhad, the Sculptor. His fatal love for Shîrîn is a favourite subject in
Persian poetry, ii. 245
“Fariac, La vie et les aventures de,” written in Arabic by Fâris ash
Shidyâḳ, which see, i. 458, 483
Farîd ad Dîn ‘Aṭṭâr, the Persian poet and mystic, i. 277
Faris ash Shidyâk, a Syrian author possessed of an extraordinary knowledge
of the Arab vocabulary, i. 367, 458, 459, 483
Farḳadân, The, two bright stars in the Little Bear, i. 143, 239, 336, 494
Fast and Fasting, ii. 37, 43–45, 206
Fate, the Father of Wonders, i. 129, 314
Father of various qualities and things, i. 218, 219, 274, 450, 451
Fâṭimeh, daughter of Mohammed, ii. 271
Fâṭimeh, daughter of Rabî‘ah, sister of Mohalhil, and mother of Imr al
Ḳays, the poet, i. 60, 448
Fayd, a place in the Nejd, halfway between Mecca and Bagdad, i. 130,
316
Finance, Minister of, his qualities and his duties, i. 232
Find, a freedman of ‘Âyishah bint Sa‘d, ii. 156; the story about him, ii. 291
Firâseh, an Arab term for (1) skill in judging of a horse; (2) art of
physiognomy; (3) discernment generally, i. 332
Firdousi, the great Persian poet, i. 5, 526, 539
Fire of war, and other traditional fires, i. 226, 463
Fire, People of the, i.e., the inhabitants of Hell, i. 213, 441; ii. 202, 296
Firûzâbâdi, the author of the “Kâmûs,” ii. 219
Flügel, the well-known German Orientalist, i. 266; ii. 208
Foḥûl ash Shu‘arâ, or “the Heroes of the Poets,” a collection of poetical
pieces like the “Hamâseh,” i. 57
Foḳaym, a family belonging to the Temîm tribe, i. 453
France, i. 534
Frankish, i. 100
Franklin, Dr., i. 316
Franks, i. 13, 21, 23, 489; ii. 163
French, i. 312, 458; ii. 196, 250
Freytag: his translation of Arab Proverbs into Latin in three volumes is
well known, a standard work often quoted in these two volumes,
i. 273, 277, 298, 324, 366, 367, 392, 397, 398, 403, 405, 430, 500; ii. xi,
278
Friday, ii. 191, 299
Fuḳahâ, or jurisconsults, i. 4
Funerals described in the “Kitâb al janâ’iz,” in the first volume of
Bokhâri, i. 365
Furât [Al], The sons of, i. 229; full details about them, i. 469–471. These
were four brothers, who became highly distinguished in the service of
several of the Abbaside Khalifs. The family generally were able
official administrators
Fuzail [Al], a celebrated devotee and ascetic, ii. 13, 194
Gabriel, the Angel, i. 31, 267, 268, 233, 416, 440, 445, 452, 474, 531; ii. 254
Galen [Jâlînûs], the physician, i. 473; ii. 193
Garden, People of the, i.e., the inhabitants of Paradise, i. 213; ii. 296
Genesis, Book of, i. 87, 312, 348, 380, 426
German, i. 2, 354; ii. 141, 147, 301
Germany, ii. 146
Gesenius, Frederick H. W., a distinguished German Orientalist, i. 336, 340,
354, 357, 368, 380
Ghabrâ, a mare, one of the causes of the war of Dâḥis, i. 317
Ghaḍa, a wood proverbial for making a powerful and lasting fire, i. 321,
360; ii. 158
Ghânah, a city of the Sûdân, i. 152, 344, 345
Ghassân, a lake, i. 288, 425
Ghassân ibn Wa‘leh, a poet, i. 435
Ghassân, Kings, princes, nobles, and race of, i. 113, 127, 130, 154, 286,
289, 295, 327, 362, 426, 519
Ghassân, Tharîd of, a highly-esteemed Arab food, i. 383
Ghassânide, i. 289
Ghaṭafân, an Arab ancestor and tribe, i. 411, 427. See Benû
Ghaṭafân
Ghaylân, or Ghailân, the poet, ii. 3, 189
Ghazal, or ode, one of the four kinds of Persian poetry, i. 62 note
Ghazzâli [Al], the lawyer, mystic, and philosopher. His works are very
numerous, and all very instructive, i. 392
Gholayyân, a camel stallion, i. 528
Ghomdân, The, a palace of Ṣan‘â, the most magnificent edifice in ancient
Arabia, i. 279, 280
Ghûl, and Ghûls, malignant demons, or goblins of a nature akin to the
Jinn, i. 4, 329, 330, 398; ii. 87
Ghûṭah, The. This is the fertile plain on which the city of Damascus is
situated. It means “a well-watered plain,” i, 169, 368
Gibbon, i. 391
Glass, i. 206–208, 211, 229, 434
Godfrey, the Crusader, i. 20, 489
Gold, i. 117, 229, 233, 264, 434, 481; ii. 55, 72, 75, 78, 92, 97, 107, 110,
138, 163, 175, 207, 212, 216, 237, 253, 260
Göttingen, i. 373
Grammar, i. v, 7, 10, 12, etc. See Appendix A
Grammarian, i. 8, 65, 312, 377, 498; ii. 245, 248, 306
Grammarians, i. 39, 72, 90, 98, 251, 275, 300, 395, 438, 502–506, 508, 514,
533; ii. 197, 214, 218, 304
Grammatical, i. vi, ix, 7, 12, 15, etc. See Appendix A
Granada, The Vega of, i. 368; the cold of, i. 515
Greece, i. 46
Greek, i. 1, 34, 64, 66, 84, 88, 90, 92, 279, 313, 345, 357, 405, 415, 492;
ii. 94, 229, 275
Greeks, i. 5, 69, 73, 82, 90, 320, 355, 381, 443; ii. 48, 146, 163, 168, 192,
207, 219, 305
Guadalquivir, The, i. 27
Guebres, or fire-worshippers, i. 322
Gulistan of Sa‘di, i. 5, 473; ii. 235
Ḥabîb ibn ‘Ows, i. 57; commonly known as Abû Temmâm, which see
Ḥabîb, the carpenter, i. 531
Hâbîl, i. 296. See Abel
Ḥadâ‘iḳ al Balagheh, or gardens of eloquence, a Persian treatise on rhetoric
and plagiarism, translated by Garcin de Tassy, Paris, 1844, i. 481
Hâdi [Al], the fourth Abbaside Khalif, i. 493
Ḥaḍramowt, a province of Arabia, i. 438, 441, 445; ii. 119, 122, 123, 256,
263, 264
Ḥafiz [Al] al Bendehi, the Imam, i. 24
Hafiz, the Persian poet, i. 451; ii. 217
Ḥajj, The, or Pilgrimage, i. 76, 391–393; ii. 31, 33, 34, 38, 46, 47, 117,
202, 204, 259, 280
Ḥajjaj [Al] ibn Yusûf, commonly called “The Tyrant,” i. 65, 94, 474, 520;
ii. 194, 247, 255
Hajji Khalfeh, a Turkish historian and geographer, but an Arabic encyclo-pædist
and bibliographer, i. 269; ii. x
Ḥakam [Al] ibn ‘Abd Yaghûth, the Manḳarî, the best archer of his time:
the story about him, i. 404
Ḥâkim Abû Sa‘îd, i. 270, 271. See Abû Sa‘îd
Ḥâkim [Al], the ninth Spanish Khalif, i. 34
Ḥalfeh, a nun, i. 350
Ham, one of the sons of Noah, i. 228, 466, 467; ii. 121, 260
Hamadân, a town and country, i. 18, 105, 364, 426, 514
Hamadâni [Al], poet, reciter, and author, the first person who composed
an Assembly, i. 13; his birth and death, i. 18; his Assemblies, i. 19,
20, 25, 27; other references to him, i. 28, 30, 35, 37, 38, 62, 105, 186,
207, 270, 272, 305. See Badî‘ az Zemân
Ḥamâseh, The, a collection of fragments from the warrior and other
poets of the pre-Islamitic period, compiled by Abû Temmâm, himself
a good poet of the third century of the Hijra [a.d. 816–913], i. 55, 57,
etc. See Appendix A
Hamazân, an Arab tribe, ii. 197
Ḥammâd ibn Selemeh, the Grammarian and instructor of Aṣma‘î and
Sîbawayh, i. 498
Ḥammâd, the great reciter, called Ar Rawiah, and famous for his great
knowledge of Arab poetry, etc., i. 17, 383, 384. See Abû ’l Ḳâsim
Ḥammâd
Hammer Purgstall, Baron Joseph von, German Orientalist, i. 320, 390,
399, 430
Ḥamzah al Isfahani, ii. 293
Hamzah, the ninth son of Abd al Muttalib, the grandfather of Mohammed,
and killed at Ohud, i. 401, 473; ii. 245
Hamzeh, The sign of, and its application, i. 533–536; ii. 153, 264
Haram ibn Koṭbah, the Fezâri, who was judge in the most celebrated
munâfarah of the Ignorance, i. 375, 488
Ḥarâmîyeh [Al], the name of the forty-eighth Assembly of Ḥarîri, but
said to be the first that was written, i. 21, 24, 37, 83, 108; ii. 163
Harb, an Arab tribe, ii. 38. See Benû Harb
Ḥarb and Murrah, the most hateful names to God, i. 278
Ḥarb, the grandfather of Mu‘âwiyeh, the first Omayyide Khalif, i. 439
Ḥarim ibn Sinân, a noble Arab of the Ignorance, i.e., before Islam, ii. 212
Ḥarîri [Al], the author of these Assemblies (his biography, i. 3–13; further
biography, i. 20–30, 32–40; explanation about the connection between
Harîri and Ḥârith, son of Hammâm, i. 278; his full name described,
i. 315). For the complete number of references to Ḥarîri see Appendix
A
Ḥarîri, Arabic text of his Assemblies, ii. iii, ix
Hâris [Al], ii. 224, read Al Ḥârith
Ḥârith ibn ‘Abbâd, the owner of the celebrated horse Ibnu ’n-na‘âmeh,
ii. 198
Hârith [Al], a name for the Devil, i. 378
Ḥârith [Al] ibn ‘Amr al Kindi, the legend about him, i. 299
Ḥârith [Al] ibn ‘Amr, King of Kinda, connected with a proverb, i. 356
Ḥârith ibn Ḥillizeh, a poet, and author of one of the seven Mo‘allakât,
i. 56, 61, 383
Ḥârith [Al] ibn Ka‘b: the story about him, i. 474, 475
Ḥârith [Al] ibn Sulayk, the Asadi, connected with a proverb, i. 408
Ḥârith [Al], the son of Hammâm, the Râwi or Reciter of Abû Zayd
throughout these Assemblies. Under the name of Al Ḥârith, son of
Hammâm, Ḥarîri is supposed to have signified himself, i. 278. For
the complete number of references to Hârith, see Appendix A
Ḥârith, the Ghassâni prince: the story about him, i. 492
Hârûn ar Reshîd, the fifth Abbaside Khalif, i. 18, 34, 72, 285, 319, 320,
351, 437, 455, 498, 499, 515; ii. 245, 279
Hârût and Mârût, i. 434. For the story about them compare Koran, ii.
96; Mirkhond, Part i., vol. i., and Bayḍâwi
Ḥasâ, a town, ii. 265
Ḥasan [Al], son of ‘Ali, the fourth Khalifah, ii. 229, 278, 288
Ḥasan [Al], Abû Sa’îd al Baṣri, proverbial for pulpit eloquence and a great
devotee, i. 81, 350, 467, 468; ii. 104, 165, 247, 298, 306
Hâshim, son of Harmalah, i. 387, 388
Hâshim, the ancestor of Mohammed, i. 269, 320, 332, 383, 520, 523
Ḥassân ibn Thâbit, a blind poet, and in favour of Mohammed, i. 429–431,
518, 519
Ḥassân ibn Tobba‘, King of Yemen, i. 381
Ḥaṭi’eh [Al], a poet, i. 482
Hatim Ṭay, a man famous for his generosity, i. 300, 471, 472; ii. 140, 278
Ḥayy ibn Yaḳzân, the Living, son of the Awakened, the hero in the philosophical
romance of Abû Ja‘far ibn Ṭofayl, i. 278, 467
Hebraists, i. 46
Hebrew, i. vi, 32, 43–48, etc. See Appendix A
Hell, i. 412, 439, 441, 460; ii. 192, 193, 253, 279
Heraclius, the Emperor, i. 289, 442
Herat, i. 18, 270, 272
Herodotus, i. 354, 404, 405
Heshbon, i. 87. See Jeremiah xlviii. 2
Hezej, an Arabic metre, i. 330, 349, 366
Hida‘ah may be the name of a tribe or a hawk, ii. 104, 249, 250
Hijâz, a district or province of Arabia, i. 9, 63, 288, 295, 350, 376, 406, 432,
516; ii. 290
Ḥijr [Al], the country between Hijâz and Syria, i. 432
Ḥijra, or Mohammedan era, i. 3, 7, 17, etc. See Appendix A
Ḥiḳf, a strip of sand on the sea-coast of Ash Shihr in Yemen, i. 441
Ḥilleh, a place, i. 38
Ḥimṣ, or Emessa, i. 82, 336; ii. 146, 148, 155, 284, 285
Ḥimṣi, one born at Hims, ii. 284
Ḥimyar, a place, and a tribe or race of early Arabs, i. 359, 382, 438, 448,
527
Ḥimyar, son of Saba, or ‘Abd Shems, i. 426
Ḥimyarite, i. 381
Ḥimyaritic, i. 426
Hind, a country, i. 467
Hind, mother of ‘Amr, King of Hira, i. 360, 361
Hindustani, i. 84
Hira, city of, i. 495, 519
Hira, Kings of, i. 10, 42, 74, 286, 289, 358, 377, 385; ii. 199
Hirr, mistress of Imr al Kays, the poet, i. 337
Hishâm, the tenth ‘Omayyide Khalif, i. 17, 320, 349, 350, 371, 383, 384
Hishâm ibn al Kelbi relates the story about the man of Johayneh, i. 475,
476
History, i. 63, 71, 98
Hitopodesa, or Friendly Advice, a Sanscrit story-book, i. 33
Ḥobâb [Al], the keeper of the idols at Thamûd, i. 433
Hobal, an Arab idol, i. 325
Ḥodaybiyeh [Al], a place where a treaty was made between Mohammed
and the Koraysh, i. 442
Hojr, or Ḥajr, a place in Yemâmeh, i. 397; ii. 156, 290, 291
Ḥojr, the father of Imr al Kays, the poet, i. 386, 491
Ḥolwân, a town in Irak, east of Bagdad, i. 106, 112, 113, 274, 285, 472, 523
Ḥolwân ibn ‘Ali ibn Koḍâ‘ah, the founder of the town of Holwân, i. 285
Ḥomaya, daughter of Bahman, i. 287
Homer, i. 8
Homeric, ii. 268
Ḥonayf al Hanâtim: story about him and the subject of a proverb, i. 403
Ḥonayn, Shoes of, i. 162, 260, 363, 532
Horace, i. vii, 430
Horse race, Separate names for the positions of the different horses in a,
i. 487
Ḥosayn [Al] ibn ‘Abd Yaghûth: the story about him and his brother
Ḥakam, i. 404
Hosayn [Al], the son of ‘Ali, the fourth Khalifah, i. 162, 350, 363, 406,
458; ii. 288
Ḥosayn ibn ‘Amr ibn Mo‘âwiat ibn Kilâb, or, as others say, Ḥosayn of
Ghaṭafân, a vagabond, i. 476
Hospitality, i. 193, 409
Hothayfeh, or Ḥothayfet ibn Bedr, owner of Ghabrâ, a mare, who was the
cause of the war of Dâḥis, i. 317
Ḥowrâ, First and second day of, i. 387, 388
Hûd, the Prophet, i. 213, 267, 268, 423; his pedigree, i. 441, 442. About him
compare the Koran, Tabari, and Mirkhond
Hughes, the author of the ‘Dictionary of Islam,’ ii. xi, 202, 244
Ḥuhâḥib [Al or Abû], said to have been a miser, and the story about him,
ii. 241
Ḥulwân bin ‘Imrân, father of Khindaf, which see, ii. 246
Ḥunain, Battle of, ii. 157
Husheng, one of the Peshdâdian Persian kings, i. 455. See Mirkhond,
Part i., vol. ii., and Tabari
Huskisson, i. 71
Ḥuṭamah [Al], the crushing, a Koranic expression applied to Hell, ii. 11,
193
Huthalî, or Huthalîyun, Dîvân, i. 367, 539
Iblîs, the Moslem name for the Devil, i, 175, 273, 296, 378, 379, 440;
ii. 57, 258, 280
Ibn ‘Abbâs, cousin to Mohammed, and the greatest of the early expounders
of the Koran, i. 143, 332, 333, 379, 415, 483; ii. 222, 226. See
Abdallah ibn ‘Abbâs
Ibn Abî Ṭarafeh: his story about the Arab, i. 346
Ibn Adham, ii. 272. See Ibrâhim, son of Adham
Ibn Aḥmar, a poet, i. 518
Ibn ‘Aḳîl, a commentator, i. 99, 300, 503
Ibn al Anbâri, a poet, i. 487
Ibn al Ghazz, the Ayâdi, a very strong man: story about him and the
woman, i. 490
Ibn al Ḥajjâj, a poet of the fourth century of the Hijra, a rival of Ibn
Sukkereh, i. 523
Ibn al ‘Ishrîn, or the youth of twenty years, a name applied to the poet
Ṭarafeh, i. 361
Ibn al Kalbi, ii. 278
Ibn al Moḳaffa‘, or Muqaffa‘, the Persian translator and author, i. 33;
ii. 303. See Abdullah ibn al Moḳaffa‘
Ibn ‘Arabshah, the historian and author of the history of Timur, or Tamer-lane,
i. 50, 98
Ibn Ar Rûmi, a poet, ii. 296
Ibn Batûtah, Geographer and Traveller, ii. 224
Ibn Dorayd, a composer of forty stories full of rare and strange phrases,
i. 271; ii. 45. See Abu Bekr Ibn al Hosayn
Ibn Fâris ar Râzi, the Poet and Grammarian, i. 270, 455
Ibn Hishâm, the Historian, and author of the Sîrat ar Resul, i. 371, 502,
513, 514
Ibn Ḳanbar, a poet, ii. 267
Ibn Khaldûn, the Historian, i. 64, 65, 289, 438, 497
Ibn Khallikân, the Biographer, i. 7, 10, 25, etc. See Appendix A
Ibn Ḳorayb, a reciter, and famed for his knowledge of Arab tradition,
i. 81; ii. 104
Ibn Mâlik, the Grammarian, and author of the “Alfîyeh,” i. 12, 55, 98,
99, 273, 290, 300, 442, 496, 503, 509
Ibn Mas‘ûd, one of the ten most intimate Companions of the Prophet,
ii. 286
Ibn Morr, The dogs of, i. 355
Ibn Muḳlah, the Calligrapher, ii. 272
Ibn Muslimeh, a poet, i. 345
Ibn ‘Omar handed down a tradition, ii. 191
Ibn Qitri, Kadi of Al Mazar, ii. 163
Ibn Rashiḳ, the Poet, i. 301
Ibn Sam‘ûn, a celebrated preacher, i. 224, 456–458
Ibn Ṣârah, a poverty-stricken poet of Spain, i. 515, 516. See Abu
Mohammed ibn Sarat
Ibn Sinbis, The dogs of, i. 355
Ibn Sîrîn, a celebrated interpreter of dreams, ii. 286
Ibn Sirîn, a great lawyer of Basra, i. 350, 351
Ibn Sukkereh, an elegant poet of the fourth century of the Hijra, and rival
of Ibn al Ḥajjâj, i. 253, 257, 523
Ibn Surayj, a great doctor of the rite of Shâfi‘î, and Kadi of Shiraz, i. 161,
358, 399
Ibn Surayj, a musician, i. 437
Ibn Ṭofayl, an Arab writer, i. 467. See Abû Ja‘far
Ibnu ’n-Na’âmeh, name of a celebrated horse, ii. 25, 198
Ibrâhim, son of Adham, a magnate of Khorasan who renounced his wealth
and lived in poverty, ii. 18, 196, 272
Ibrâhim, the father of Isaac, or Isḥâḳ, the musician, he himself being also
a celebrated musician of his time, i. 437
‘Îd and ‘Îdi, name of a celebrated camel, or of a breed of camels connected
with ‘Îd ibn Mahrah, ii. 140, 277
‘Îd, a feast which terminates the pilgrimage, ii. 259
Idrîs, or Ibn Idris, stands for Ash Shâfa‘î, whose full name is Abû Abdallah
Mohammed ibn Idris Ash Shâfa‘î, ii. 57. See Shâfi‘î
‘Ifrît, or ‘Afrit, i. 345, 379; ii. 118. See Afrit
Ignorance, Time of, or Arabs of the, i.e., before Mohammed’s time, and
before Islâm, i. ix, 8, 14, etc. See Appendix A
Iḥrâm, the pilgrim’s cloak, i. 392, 393; ii. 280
Ij‘âm, or system of diacritical pointing now in use in Arabic writing, i. 94
‘Ijli [Al], a powerful Arab family, i. 515
Ikhlâṣ, The, or 112th Sura, or chapter, of the Koran, i. 52
Iḳtibâs, or quotations from the Koran or other works, i. vi, 281, 483
Ikhtiyârât, or Selections, a compilation similar to the Hamâseh by Abû
Temmâm, i. 57
‘Illîyûn, a word used in the Koran, but about which there is a diversity of
opinion, i. 268
‘Imâd ad Dîn, secretary to the Sultan Saladin, i. 11, 26
‘Imâd ad Dîn, the Sultan, i. 489
Imâm, i. 24, 243, 358, 416, 490; ii. 20, 104, 165, 235, 256, 257
Imams, i. 5; ii. 43
Imamship, ii. 43
Improviser, i. 19, 20, 62
Imr al Ḳays, the Poet, and author of one of the Mo‘allakât, i. 14, 16, 56,
60; son of Mohalhil’s sister Fâṭimeh, i. 61, etc. See Appendix A
Index, i. x; ii. vii–x
India, i. 9
Indian, i. vi
Indian Ocean, ii. 252, 306
Indus, The river, i. 4, 27
Introduction [Chenery’s], i. x, 1–102, 469, 496, 498, 526; ii. 31, 218
Invocation, i. 50
Irak, i. 3, 4, 10, etc. See Appendix A
Iran, i. vi, 539
Irem, son of Shem, i. 479
Irem thât al ‘Imâd, or Irem with the Columns, the city of Sheddâd, an
ancient legendary city in the deserts of Yemen, mentioned in the
Koran, i. 368, 369, 441, 468; ii. 9
Irish, ii. 287
‘Îsa, Moslem name of Jesus, ii. 197
Isaac, or Ishâk ibn Ibrâhim, commonly known as Ibn an Nadîm al
Mowṣili, a great and celebrated musician, i. 437, 438
Isaac, son of Abraham, i. 44, 87, 267, 464; ii. 206
‘Îsa ibn Hishâm, the narrator in Hamádâni’s Assemblies, i. 19, 105
‘Isa ibn ‘Omar, one of the instructors of Sibawayh, i. 498
Isaiah, i. 47, 60, 86–88, 406; ii. 240
‘Iṣâm, son of Shahbar, a man who rose by his own merits to be chamberlain
to No‘mân ibn al Munthir, King of Hira, known as No‘mân Abû
Ḳâbûs, i. 255, 518–520
‘Iṣâmi, a person who rises by his own merits, i. 520
Isfendiyâr, a Persian hero, i. 31, 287, 539
Isḥâḳ ibn Khalaf, a poet, i. 435
Ishmael, or Ismâ‘îl, son of Abraham, i. 267, 466
Iskandarî [Al], ii. 162
Islâm, i. 1, 4, 9, 10, etc. See Appendix A
Islâmi, i.e., one who was born after the rise of Islâm, i. 67
Ispahan, i. 514, 515
Israel, i. 44, 87, 465, 530
Israelite, i. 373
Israelites, The, i. 354, 521
Italian, i. 59, 74; ii. 221
Italy, i. 92
Iyâs, called “al Muzanî,” was Kadi of Basra, and celebrated for his
wonderful acuteness, i. 143, 196, 333; stories about him, i. 334, 335,
417. See Abû Wâthilet Iyâs
Iyâs, one of the Companions of the Prophet, and grandfather of the above,
i. 334
Izâr, a waist-wrapper or loin-cloth, i. 33, 396, 397; ii. 33, 94, 139, 202
Jack the Giant-killer, i. 59
Jâbir, or Khalid ibn ‘Amr al-Mazani, a man skilled in reading footprints,
ii. 283
Jacob, the Patriarch, i. 44, 78, 161, 184, 267, 357, 398; ii. 5, 170, 185, 206,
216, 300, 310
Jafneh, a prince of the family of Ghassân, i. 289, 426
Jaḥdar ibn Dobay‘ah, a poet, i. 530
Jabr, i.e., constraint, or unlimited predestination, i. 467
Jair, the sons of, i. 86. See Judges x. 4
Jalinus, the physician, i. 473. See Galen
Jamrât (or Jamrah) of the Arabs, name applied to three tribes, two of
whom became extinct, i. 428
Japhet, one of the sons of Noah, i. 87, 228, 466
Jâr Allah, or “the neighbour of God,” a name given to Zamakshari, which
see, i. 39
Jathîmet al Abrash, or Jathîmeh, King of Hira, i. 42, 73, 244, 277, 494,
495; ii. 190, 206
Jauhari, author of a celebrated dictionary called the “Ṣiḥâḥ,” ii. 224,
225, 236
Jayrûn, The gate of; Jayrûn is said to be the name of an ancient patriarch,
son of the builder of Damascus, i. 169, 173, 369, 370
Jebeleh, or Jebelet ibn al Ayham, the last prince of Ghassân, i. 289, 396,
397; ii. 18, 196
Jedîd, a Persian metre, i. 57
Jedîs, an Arab ancestor and primeval tribe, i. 381, 466
Jehovah, i. 44
Jehuda the Rabbin, son of Al Khâriji. He wrote some Assemblies in
Hebrew, i. 97
Jelâl ad Dîn ‘Amîd ad Dowlat ibn Ṣadaḳah, the Wazir, i. 26
Jelâl ad Dîn Mohammed, author of the “Talkhîs al Miftâḥ,” a work on
rhetoric, i. 99
Jelîleh and Mâwîyeh, wives of Kolayb Wâ’il, and daughters of Morrat ibn
Thohl ibn Shayban ibn Tha‘labeh, i. 527
Jelûleh, Battle of, 285
Jenûb, the sister of ‘Amr thû ’l kelb, a poetess, i. 367
Jeremiah, i. 60, 87, 354, 377, 393, 434; ii. 240
Jeremiah, The Lamentations of, i. 88, 89
Jerîr, the great poet of early Islam, i. 81, 349, 350, 458, 523; ii. 104, 225,
242, 248
Jerome, i. 47
Jerusalem, i. 3, 325, 370, 489; ii. 253
Jesus, son of Mary, i. 267, 413, 469, 531; ii. 197, 304
Jessâs, son of Morrat ibn Thohl, and brother to Jelîleh and Mâwîyeh
wives of Kolayb Wâ’il, who was killed by him, i. 527–529
Jew, i. 90, 334, 397, 452; ii. 50
Jewish, i. 46; ii. 300
Jews, i. 31, 46, 69, 88, 283, 393, 403, 409, 415, 416, 421, 434
Jez’ ibn Kolayb, a poet, i. 436
Jihâd, or war against infidels, i. 454
Jinn, supposed by some to be men of a peculiar race, by others genii, or
evil spirits or demons. They are frequently mentioned in the Koran
and “Arabian Nights,” i. 4, 256, 285, 307–309, 329, 330, 345, 372, 373,
378, 379, 403, 423, 445, 478, 479, 494, 521; ii. 36, 108, 251, 270, 272.
See Ghûl and Ifrît
Jinnî, or Shaiṭan, with whom the Arabs compare an energetic man, i. 479
Jith‘, of the tribes of Ghassân and connected with a proverb, i. 289,
295
Job, one of the Prophets, according to Moslem belief, i. 267, 368
Job, Book of, i. 45–47, 60, 86, 311, 336, 369, 393, 399, 445, 464
Joel, the Prophet, i. 60
Johayneh, or Jofayneh, a man and a place, i. 231, 475, 476, 517
Joḥfah [Al], place of burial of Ẓarîfeh, which see, i. 372
John, an Apostle, i. 531
John the Baptist, i. 267
Jokhtan, an Arab ancestor, i. 426. See Ḳaḥtân
Jonah, a Prophet according to Moslem belief, i. 267, 415
Jondo‘, son of ‘Âmir, chief of a party in Thamûd who believed in the
Prophet Ṣâliḥ, i. 433
Jones, Sir William, the Orientalist, i. 46, 50, 221 note, 451, 453
Jonathan, son of Saul, i. 44, 453
Jorhom, an Arab ancestor, i. 425, 466
Jorjâni, the author of the Ta’rîfât, which see, i. 266
Joscelin ii., Prince of Edessa, i. 489
Joseph, son of Jacob, i. 78, 267, 357, 358, 398, 417, 499, 538; ii. 62, 65, 68,
70, 210, 213, 215, 216, 298, 303, 310
Josephus, i. 46, 47
Joshua, i. 26
Judas Iscariot, i. 439
Judges, Book of, i. 86, 348
Juḥfah, an assembling station of pilgrims, ii. 32
July, i. 146, 147 note
Justinian, the Emperor, i. 491, 492
Ka‘b, or ankle, used in phrases connected with honour, fortune, or reputation,
i. 481
Ḳa’beh, or Ḳa’bah, The, at Mecca, i. 155, 222, 279, 315, 316, 348, 370, 405;
ii. 47, 177, 202, 204, 253, 255, 266, 280, 305
Ka‘b ibn Ḳurt, the Anṣâri, conqueror of Rayy, i. 455
Ka‘b ibn Mâlik, a poet on the side of Mohammed, i. 430
Ka‘b ibn Mâmeh, a man famed for his generosity, i. 471, 472
Ka‘b ibn Zohayr, the Poet, and author of the “Burdeh,” or Poem of the
Mantle, i. 62 note, 397, 501; ii. 305
Ḳâbil, i. 296. See Cain
Ḳâbûs, brother of ‘Amr, King of Hira, i. 360, 361
Ḳa‘ḍab, a maker of the points of lances, i. 446
Ḳadar, or determining power, i. 467
Ḳadari doctrine which attributes free will and optional actions to man,
i. 467
Kadi, a judge or magistrate, i. 38, 58, 79, 80, etc. See Appendix A
Ḳâf, a mountain barrier which surrounds the world, i. 469; ii. 101
Kâfs of winter. This applies to seven things beginning with the letter Kâf
requisite for comfort during winter, i. 253, 255, 257, 524
Kâfûr, the clever and strong-minded negro eunuch, i. 471
Ḳâhir [Al], the nineteenth Abbaside Khalif, i. 470
Kahlân, son of Saba or ‘Abd Shems, an Arab ancestor, i. 423, 426
Ḳaḥṭân, an Arab ancestor, i. 426
Kai-Khosru, the heroic Persian monarch, i. 539
Ḳaisi, i.e., of the tribe Ḳais, ii. 87, 231
Ḳa‘ḳâ [Al], son of Showr, famous for his generosity, and alluded to in a
proverb, i. 229, 471, 472; ii. 153, 288, 298
Ḳalansuweh, The, or high-crowned cap of a dervish or preacher, i.
459
Kalb, an Arab tribe, ii. 196, 270
Kalîleh wa Dimneh, a Persian story-book of the same kind as the Sanscrit
“Puncha Tantra” and “Hitopadesa,” from which it is said to be derived,
i. 33, 277; ii. 303
Kâmil, an Arabic metre, i. 55, 56, 306, 328, 417, 421, 451, 463, 479, 484,
488, 496, 537
Ḳâmûs, or Qâmûs, a work by Firuzabâdi, i. 313, 397, 500, 530; ii. 138,
188, 219
Ḳanbas, or Qanbas, daughter of Abû ‘Anbas, fanciful names, ii. 29, 200
Ḳaran, a place in Nejd, ii. 242
Ḳarîb, a Persian metre, i. 57
Karinetân, two corresponding sentences rhyming with each other, i. 54
Karûn, river, i. 525
Kashgar, i. 67, 344
Ḳâṣhir, either a celebrated camel stallion or a year of drought, ii. 104,
246
Kashshâf, or Keshshâf, a work by Zamakhshari, i. 97, 316
Ḳaṣîdeh, or regular poem, i. 41, 55, 58, 60, 61, 62 note, 76, 271, 287, 340,
366, 382, the first specimen of it 449, 482, 519, 520, 526, 529, 539;
ii. 247, 289
Ḳaṣîdehs, i. 14, 17, 57, 62; ii. 56, 282, 309
Ḳâsim [Al] ibn ‘Isa the ‘Ijli, i. 515. See Abû Dulaf al ‘Ajili
Ḳasîm, District of, i. 480
Ḳaṭa, a bird, i. 147, 235, 339, 340, 431, 480; ii. 54, 189, 225
Ḳaṭâmî [Al], a poet, ii. 241
Ḳaylah, an Arab ancestress, i. 117, 118, 295
Ḳayls, The, or petty princess of Himyar, i. 438
Ḳayn [Al], an Arab ancestor. Ḳayn was a branch of the Benû Asad,
i. 148, 340
Ḳays ibn ‘Âṣim, chief of Temîm, a hero praised by Mohammed as the
noblest of the Arabs of the desert, i. 435, 436
Ḳays, son of Ghaylân, an Arab ancestor, i. 428
Ḳays, son of Zohayr, chief of the Benû ‘Abs, and owner of the horse
Dâḥis, i. 316, 317
Ḳays, Tribe of, i. 349, 476, 497, 512; ii. 231, 241, 246
Kâzimah, a town in the dependency of Basra, ii. 135
Ḳazwîni, an Arab author, i. 279, 477
Kazzab [Al], The Liar, a name given to Musaylimeh or Abû S̤umâmeh,
which see, ii. 245
Kerej, a town, i. 76 note, 106, 253, 256, 274, 514, 515
Khabîṣah, a mess of khabîs, or dates, and butter, i. 284
Khadîjeh, the first wife of Mohammed, i. 367
Khafîf, an Arabic metre, i. 56, 406, 408, 440, 537
Khalanj tree, ii. 21
Khalf al Aḥmar, an Arab author, i. 453
Khâlid, a friend of Munthir ibn Mâ’as Sema, King of Hira, and killed by
him, i. 385
Khâlid al Ḳasri, one of the officers of the Khalif Hishâm, the tenth Omay-yide
Khalif, i. 371
Khâlid ibn Al Welîd, the famous Arab general, i. 305, 318, 405, 495, 518;
ii. 245, 262, 263
Khalif, i. 3, 4, 17, etc. See Appendix A
Khalifate, i. 3, 5, 6, etc. See Appendix A
Khalifs, i. 3, 17, 34, 384, 437, 456, 515
Khalîl [Al], the founder of Arabic grammar and prosody, i. 8, 54, 57, 58,
81, 94, 284, 297, 427, 498; ii. 104, 246, 306
Khamîṣah, a black square garment with borders, i. 284
Khân, or inn, ii. 14, 16, 17, 19, 22, 24
Khansâ [Al], the Pug-nosed, nickname of Tumâḍir, which see. The most
celebrated Arab poetess, especially for her elegies on her brother
Ṣakhr, i. 30, 52, 80, 387–391; ii. 104, 143, 246, 281
Kharîdat al Kasr, a work by ‘Imâd ad Din, containing many particulars of
Ḥarîri’s life, i. 11
Khâriji [Al], a Jew, father of the Rabbin Jehuda, i. 97
Khaṭṭ, a place celebrated for lances, i. 446
Khauwât ibn Jubair: the story about him, ii. 291
Khawârij, the name given to those fanatical followers of ‘Ali who seceded
from him after the battle of Ṣiffîn, i. 327
Khaybar, not far from Medina, i. 397, 415, 442. For an account of
Mohammed’s victory at Khaybar over the Jews compare Tabari and
Mirkhond
Khayf, Mosque of the, at Mina, i. 342
Khayf [Al], or slope of Mina, i. 182, 393; ii. 34
Khâzim, the Noḳmî, connected with the capture of Shanfara, the vagabond
poet, i. 353
Khazraj, an Arab ancestor and tribe who settled at Yathrib, afterwards
called Medina, i. 295, 426
Khida’a, name of a tribe or of a bird, ii. 249, 250
Khilâf tree, ii. 41
Khindaf, the surname of Laila, daughter of Hulwan bin Imrân, and wife
of Alyas, son of Moḍar, and surpassing all Arab women in glory as
ancestress of the Koraysh, i. 10, 80; ii. 104, 246
Khizr [Al], the Prophet, ii. 87, 231
Khofâf ibn Nedbeh, a mulatto, i. 352
Khorâfeh, a man said to have been carried away by Jinn, i. 307, 308
Khorasan, i. 72, 258, 270, 499, 526; ii. 196, 235, 306
Khosru Nushirvan, i. 451. See Nushirvan
Khosru Perwez, a Persian King, i. 442, 451, 455; ii. 245, 246
Khoṭbah, or oratorical address, i. 48, 337, 392, 538
Khowta‘ah, connected with a proverb, i. 386
Khozâza, Day of, the day Wâ’il ibn Rabî‘ah, or Kolayb Wâ’il, defeated an
army of Yemen, i. 448, 527
Khozâ‘ah, an Arab tribe, i. 64, 426, 434. See Benû Khozâ‘ah
Ḳiblah, The, i.e., the direction towards Mecca to be observed by Moslems
when praying, ii. 56, 177, 305
Ḳinâneh, an Arab tribe, i. 64, 434. See Benû Kinâneh
Kings, Book of, in the Bible, i. 393
King’s College, London, i. 101
Kinyeh, or by-name, or nickname, i. 21, 215, 278, 314, 315, 327, 408, 447;
ii. 255, 302
Kisâ’î [Al], the Kufian Grammarian, i. 72, 498, 499
Kisra, Arabic form of Chosroes, ii. 13, 64, 213. See Chosroes
“Kitâb al Aghâni,” a very celebrated work, containing much information
about the early Arabs, i. 385, 386, 436, 437, 491, 519, 530
“Kitâb al Jomân,” a book quoted and extracted from by De Sacy in the
“Mémoires de l’Académie Royale,” i. 372
“Kitâb,” The, a celebrated work of Sibawayh, the Grammarian, i. 498,
499. See Sibawayh
Ḳiṭmîr, the dog of the Cave, i. 415
Ḳiyâfeh, the art of divining, i. 332
Ḳodâmah, a scribe of Bagdad, eminent for purity of composition, i. 106,
274
Ḳodâr, the son of Sâlif and Ḳodayrah. He was an opponent of the
prophet Ṣâliḥ, and killed the she-camel of Thamûd, i. 208, 431, 433
Ḳoḍâ‘ah, an Arab tribe, i. 64, 495. See Benû Ḳodâ‘ah
Koḥl, a dark pigment or collyrium for the eyelids, i. 145, 147 note, 148,
296, 340, 341, 355; ii. 114, 116, 170, 261
Kokan, Khanate of, i. 344
Kolayb Wâ‘il, a very famous person of Arab antiquity, i. 60, 74, 217 (his
pedigree, 448), 449, 480, 526–529
Komayt [Al] ibn Ma‘rûf, a poet, i. 321
Komayt [Al] ibn Tha‘labeh, a poet, i. 321
Komayt [Al] ibn Zayd, the last of three poets of the same name, i. 132,
320, 321, 340; ii. 242
Koran, Chapters of the. These and the references to each chapter from
i. to cxiv. will be found in Appendix A
Koran, References to the. As these are very numerous, they will be found
in Appendix A
Koranic, ii. 193, 196, 200, 213, 229, 242, 276, 277, 297
Ḳoraysh, an Arab ancestor, i. 318; ii. 225
Ḳoraysh, an Arab tribe, i. 8, 16, 30, etc.; ii. 246, 280, 293. See Benû
Koraysh and Appendix A
Ḳorayshi, i.e., of the tribe of Koraysh, i. 518
Kosa‘, a very mean man, i. 300
Kosa‘, Tribe of, in Yemen, i. 351
Kosa‘î [Al], a poet, and subject of a proverb, i. 157, 349–351
Ḳoṣayr bin Sa‘d, a man who cut off his nose for a set purpose, i. 73, 277;
ii. 5, 190, 206
Kosegarten, J. G. L., German Orientalist and historian: his edition of the
“Kitâb al Aghâni,” i. 436, 437; of the “Diwân of the Huthalîyûn,”
i. 539
Ḳoss, Christian Bishop of Najrân, an eloquent preacher of the time of
Mohammed, i. 81, 263, 269, 309, 537, 538; ii. 104, 113, 248, 256
Ḳoṣṣaiy, an ancestor of Mohammed the Apostle, ii. 293
Kotaybet ibn Muslim, a celebrated Arab General, i. 344, 474, 520
Kothayyir Ṣâḥib ‘Azza, or the Lover of ‘Azza, a poet, i. 383
Krehl’s edition of the Traditions of Bokhâri, i. 268
Kufa, i. x, 3, 7, 66, 71, 126, 127, 266, 292, 308, 326, 406, 411, 497, 505;
ii. 242, 248, 292, 306
Kufian, i. 498, 499, 513
Kufians, i. 505, 506, 512, 513
Ḳurâb, or Qurâb, name of a celebrated horse, ii. 145, 282
Kurdistan, i. 489
Kurds, The, i. 287, 426, 515; ii. 169
Kûsh, a black race, i. 467
Lailá, a woman, ii. 238, 290
Laḳab, or Laqab, sobriquet of a person or place in praise or blame, i. 315,
522; ii. 199, 297
Lâm, a letter of the Arabic alphabet, and prefixed to certain chapters of
the Koran, i. 96; ii. 35
Lamech, a descendant of Cain and father of Noah, i. 43, 44, 87
Lâmîyet al ‘Arab, a celebrated Ḳaṣîdeh by the poet Shanfara, i. 340, 353,
445; ii. 224
Lane, E. W., author of an Arabic English Lexicon, of “Manners and
Customs of the Modern Egyptians,” and of other works, i. 65 note,
269, etc. See Appendix A
Laqît, a poet, ii. 293
Latin, i. ix, 84, 101, 357, 415, 501, 514; ii. 232, 251, 252
Latins, i. 443
Lebanon, The, i. 98
Lebîd, the pre-Islamite poet, and author of one of the Mo‘allaḳât, i. 56,
306, 316, 446, 501, 502
Legend, i. 86, 279, etc. See Appendix A
Legendary, i. 6, 41
Legends, i. ix, 42, 48, 300, 461, 477, 490, 517, 539; ii. ix
Legist, ii. 38, 39, 56, 205
Leipzic, i. 266
Lelewel, Joachim, a writer about mediæval Geography, i. 467
Letters interchangeable, ii. 165, 297
Letters, pointed and unpointed, i. 133, 136, 258, 274; ii. 8, 146, 150, 197,
285
Leviticus, Book of, i. 354, 373, 516
Lexicographers, i. 90, 456, 533; ii. 44, 187, 239, 248, 264, 273
Lexicography, i. 15, 63
Lexicon, i. 43, 65 note. See Appendix A
Libraries, i. 9
Library, i. 34
Lisâm, or face-veil, ii. 62, 64, 69
Literæ Bellerophonteæ, i. 358
Loḳmân al Ḥakîm, son of Bâ‘urâ, of the children of Âzar, said to be a
relation of Job, i. 422
Loḳmân, son of ‘Ád, called Loḳmân of the Vultures, celebrated for his
longevity, i. 422, 423, 442, 476, 478, 516, 517; ii. 262
Loḳmân the Wise, said to have been a slave and Abyssinian negro, the
contemporary of David, and mentioned in the Koran, but rather a
mythical sage, i. 33, 231, 277, 476, 477; ii. 131, 175, 305
London, i. 101, 322; ii. 306
Lot, i. 267, 431; ii. 53
Lotus trees, ii. 262
Lubad, name of a vulture, i. 423
Luzûm, or peculiar verses explained, i. 461
Lycophron, a Greek poet, i. 91, 92, 540
Ma‘add, the son of ‘Adnân, an Arab ancestor, i. 9, 448, 527
Ma‘arrah, or Ma‘arrat an No‘mân, a town in the north of Syria, i. 145,
146, 336
Ma‘bad ibn Wabb, or ibn Ḳaṭan, the greatest musician and singer of the
early Khalifate, i. 209, 436–438
Ma‘bad ibn Naḍlah, author of a proverb, i. 375
Macbeth, i. 382
Mâdir the Befouler, nickname of Mokhâriḳ, a man of the tribe of Benû
Hilâl ibn ‘Amir, noted for his meanness of character and his
stinginess, and so connected with a proverb, i. 80, 300, 375, 376;
ii. 104, 246
Maghdad, i. 391. See Bagdad
Maghrib [Western Africa], i. 28; ii. 138, 306
Magian, i. 33
Mahdi [Al], the third Abbaside Khalif, i. 455, 493, 523
Mahrah, a place, i. 215; camels of, i. 445, 446
Mahrah, a tribe in Yemen, ii. 277
Mahrat ibn Haydân, chief of a tribe in Yemen, i. 445; ii. 238
Mahri camels, ii. 94, 238
Mahrîyah, feminine of the above, ii. 238, 277
Maiden, Description of a, i. 209; ii. 71, 73, 115, 120
Maiyah, or Mayyah, daughter of Ḳays, ii. 3, 189
Majma‘, The, or “collection,” i.e., of Arab proverbs, is the title under
which Maydâni’s great work on the subject appears in Hajji Khalfeh,
ii. 303
Maḳâmah, i. 13, 20, 269, 270; ii. 89. See Assembly
Maḳâmât, i. v, vii, 19, 270, 271, 455; ii. vii, 109, 242, 248. See Assemblies
Mâlik and ‘Oḳayl, the sons of Ḳârij, men of Balḳayn: their story, i. 494,
495
Mâlik, brother of Mutemmim, the poet, i. 495
Mâlik ibn ‘Amr al ‘Âmili, and his brother Simâk: the story about them,
i. 362
Mâlik ibn Jana, one of the Arab sages to whom a proverb is attributed, i. 406
Mâlik ibn Jobayr, an Arab General to whom a proverb is attributed, i. 406
Mâlik ibn Nowayrah, treacherously put to death by Khâlid ibn al Welîd,
and connected with a proverb, i. 304, 305, 518
Mâlik ibn Ṭowk, Governor of Al Jezîreh, i. 158, 351
Mâlik ibn Zohayr, of the Benû Ḳoḍâ‘ah, who had founded the city of
Hira, i. 495
Mâlik, of the family of ‘Amr Muzayḳîyâ, i. 426
Mâlik, son of Arphaxad, an ancestor, i. 369
Mâlik, the custodian angel of hell, ii. 11
Mâlik, the Imâm, i. 392; ii. 235
Malatyah, a town on the western side of the Euphrates, ii. 74, 75, 219;
also called Malatîyah
Ma‘mûn [Al], the seventh Abbaside Khalif, i. 18, 34, 76 note, 319, 437,
515; ii. 246
Ma‘n ibn Ows, a poet, i. 482
Manna, i. 87; ii. 88, 232
Mansham, supposed to be the name of a woman who traded in perfumes,
ii. 150, 287
Manṣûr [Al], the second Abbaside Khalif, i. 33, 285, 391, 455, 467, 468,
493; ii. 25, 219, 245
Manṣûr ibn ‘Ammâr, ii. 254. About him see a note of De Slane in his
translation of Ibn Khallikan, vol. ii., p. 545
Mantiḳ aṭ Ṭayr, a mystical Persian work by Farîd ad Dîn ‘Aṭṭâr, i. 277
Mareb, or Marib, Dyke of, i. 41, 48, 279, 288, 372, 422–425
Markh tree, ii. 233
Mârût, i. 434. See Hârût
Marw, or Merv, a town in Khorasan, i. 455; ii. 89, 90, 235
Marwâzi, the derivative adjective formed from Marw, i. 455; ii. 235
Marwah, Mount, near Mecca, ii. 43, 280
Marwân ibn Mohammed, the fourteenth and last Khalif of the Omayyide
dynasty, ii. 248
Mary, i.e., the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, i. 348; ii. 197, 271
Massoretic, i. 71
Mas‘ûd, the Seljûk Sultan, i. 25, 38
Mas‘ûdi, the Historian, i. 42 note, 422, 423, 425, 426, 467; ii. x
Matrimony, ii. 120, 126, 271
Matron, ii. 120, 127
Mâ’u ’s-samâ, a beautiful woman, mother of Munzir, King of Hira, ii. 27,
198
Mâ’u ’s-samâ, son of, the sobriquet of ‘Âmir bin Ḥarîsah al-Azdi, see, ii. 199
Mâwân, a place, i. 130
Mâwîyeh and Jelîleh, wives of Kolayb Wâ’il, i. 527
Mâwîyeh, a Queen of the family or tribe of Ghassân, i. 289
Maydâni, celebrated for his collection of Arab proverbs, i. 69, 73, 74, 91,
273, 332, 335, 339, 474, 476, 490, 495, 520, 523; ii. 205, 211, 243, 261,
273, 278, 286, 300, 301
Maymûn ibn Khizâm, the name of the hero in Naṣîf al Yazaji’s Assemblies,
which see, i. 99
Mayyâfâriḳîn, a town of Diyâr Bekr, i. 220, 452
Mazar [Al], a town near Basra, ii. 163
Mecca, i. x, 39, etc. See Appendix A
Medîd, an Arabic metre, i. 56
Medina, i. x, 93, 295, 307, 318, 370, 396, 397, 428, 429, 538; ii. xi, 37, 50,
57, 200, 202, 214, 226, 292
Mediterranean, The, i. 91; ii. 252
Mehren, a German Orientalist, translator and author, ii. 250
“Mejma ‘al Baḥrayn,” or “the confluence of the two seas,” by Naṣîf al
Yazaji, a work resembling the Assemblies of Ḥarîri, i. 99. See Naṣîf
and Assemblies of Naṣîf
Melek Shah, the son and successor of Alp Arslan, and the third Sultan of
the Seljukide dynasty, i. 5, 526
Mendicancy, i. 83; ii. 169
Merâghah, a place in Azerbijan, i. 132, 133
Merâj, a sub-tribe of the sons of Ḳays, i. 476
Merdâs ibn ‘Âmir, second husband of Khansâ, the Poetess, i. 389, 390
Meshân, a place to the north of Basra, i. 10, 29, 38
Meslemet ibn ‘Abd al Melîk, brother of Welîd and Sulaymân, the sixth
and seventh Omayyide Khalifs, i. 320
Mesopotamia, ii. 219
Messiah, The, i. 267
Methḥij, an Arab tribe in whom the art of divining was hereditary, i. 332,
428
Metonymy is the use of indirect expressions, i. 273
Metre, i. 47, 57, etc. See Appendix A
Metres, i. 57, 275, 293, 297, 306, 367
Metres, Names of Arabic. See Basîṭ, Hezej, Kâmîl, Khafîf, Medîd,
Mujteth, Munsariḥ, Muteḳârib, Rejez, Reml, Sarî‘, Ṭawîl, Wâfir
Metres, Names of Persian. See Ḳarîb, Jedîd, Mushâkil
Metrical verse, i. 42
Midian, The inhabitants of, i. 431
Mîm, a letter of the Arabic alphabet, and prefixed to certain chapters of
the Koran, i. 53, 96
Mina, a place near Mecca, connected with the Pilgrimage, i. 148, 342, 393,
463; ii. 40, 136, 279
Mirkhond, the Persian Historian, ii. x
Miṣr [Egypt and Cairo], ii. 25
Mite, a small unstamped piece of metal used as a coin, i. 142, 331; ii. 35,
288
Moab, i. 44, 60, 87
Moḍar, name of an Arab ancestor, and applied to his descendants and race,
i. 10, 64, 65, 352, 359, 387, 428, 438, 474
Mo‘allaḳah, or prize poem, suspended at Mecca, i. 61
Mo‘allaḳah, of ‘Amr ibn Kulthûm, i. 56, 351, 361, 501, 539
Mo‘allaḳah, of ‘Antarah, i. 56, 295, 317, 331, 438
Mo‘allaḳah, of Ḥârith ibn Ḥillizeh, i. 56, 61, 383
Mo‘allaḳah, of Imr al Ḳays, i. 56, 61, 376, 386, 394; ii. 267
Mo‘allaḳah, of Lebîd, i. 56, 306, 316, 446, 501
Mo‘allaḳah, of Ṭarafeh, i. 56, 284, 293, 358, 380, 407, 411, 439, 448, 473,
487, 495; ii. 301
Mo‘allaḳah, of Zohayr ibn Abi Sulmè, i. 56, 306, 400, 460
Mo‘allaḳât, or prize poems, suspended at Mecca, i. 39, 56, 61, 64, 332, 351,
358, 384
Moghayrat [Al] ibn Sho‘beh, sent by Mohammed to destroy the idol-goddess
Allât, i. 405
Mohalhil ibn Rabî‘ah, the Poet. His real name was Adî, but called
Mohalhil on account of the beauty of his poetry. The first ḳaṣîdeh,
composed about his brother Kolayb Wâ’il, is attributed to him, i. 60,
448, 449, 529, 530
Moḥallib [Al], Governor of Mowṣil, i. 326
Mohammed, the Apostle, i. 14–18, etc. See Appendix A
Mohammedan, i. v, 1, 3, 6; ii. 207, 275
Mohammedans, ii. 201, 231, 306
Mohammed ibn al Ḥasan al Ḥanafi, an author, i. 358
Mohammed ibn al Mustanîr, a pupil of Sibawayh, the Grammarian,
ii. 286
Mohammed ibn Ka‘b, one of the Companions of the Prophet, ii. 239
Moḥârib ibn Ḳays, one of the supposed names of Kosa‘î [Al], which see,
i. 351
Mokhâriḳ, the real name of Mâdir the Befouler, which see, i. 375; ii. 246
Moloch, to whom human sacrifices were made, i. 393
Monk, ii. 120, 128, 270
Monkery, i. 370; ii. 128, 270
Monks, i. 370; ii. 253, 271
“Monumenta Vetustiora Arabiæ,” by Schultens, i. 377, 384, 496, 522
Moon, The (its twenty-eight stations, or mansions, i. 313, 314, 443), i. 490;
ii. 20, 76, 90, 128, 221, 234, 252, 253
Moons, ii. 63, 114, 252, 253
Morocco, i. 67, 304, 410
Morr, sister of Temîm, and mother of Barrah, which see, i. 318; ii. 225
Morrah, Family of, i. 527, 529
Morrat ibn Thohl ibn Shaybân ibn Tha‘labeh, father of the two wives of
Kolayb Wâ’il, i. 527
Mosaic, i. 89, 516
Moses, i. 44, 46, etc. See Appendix A
Moses, Hand of, i. 409
Moslem, i. 13, 17, 23, etc. See Appendix A
Moslems, i. 20, 30, 69, etc. See Appendix A
Mo‘taḍid [Al], the sixteenth Abbaside Khalif, i. 470
Mo‘tamid, the fifteenth Abbaside Khalif, i. 351
Moṭarrezi, Arabian Jurist, Philologist, and Grammarian, i. 76 note, 306,
312, 349, 351, 356; ii. 197, 284
Mo‘taṣim [Al], the eighth Abbaside Khalif, i. 76, 344, 437, 515
Mother of the Koran, i.e., its first chaper, i. 171, 373; ii. 175; sometimes
called the twice-read chapter, at i. 120, 301; ii. 296, 297
Mother of various qualities, i. 218, 450, 451
Mo‘ṭî ibn Iyâs, the Poet, i. 285
Moṭ‘in [Al] ibn al Ḥakam: the story about him, i. 404
Moultan, i. 67
Mowṣil, or Mosul, i. 139, 326
Mu‘âth, son of Jebel, a Traditionist, i. 267
Mu‘âwiyeh, a warrior of the tribe of Sulaym, and brother of Ṣakhr and
Khansâ, the Poetess, i. 387, 388
Mu‘âwiyeh, the first Omayyide Khalif, i. 309, 333, 369, 436, 439, 458, 482;
ii. 228, 229, 255
Mu‘âwiyeh, the son of Hisham, the tenth Omayyide Khalif, i. 320
Mubarrid [Al], the Grammarian, ii. 293
Muezzins, or callers to prayer, ii. 178, 188, 191, 206
Mufâkharah, or poetical contest, i. 30, 430
Mufti, or jurisconsult, i. 77; ii. 37
Muhâjir, a refugee exile from Mecca, who came to Medina with and after
Mohammed, i. 396
Muhâjirûn, plural of the above, i. 373
Muir, Sir William, his “Life of Mohamet,” ii. 226
Muhallab [Al], and his sons, all distinguished for valour and virtue, ii. 255
“Mujmil,” The, a work by Ibn Fâris, i. 270
Mujteth, an Arabic metre, i. 282, 387, 395, 398
Muḳaddimeh fî’t trîkh, a work by Ibn Khaldûn, i. 497
Mukhaḍram, i.e., any poet who was contemporary with the preaching of
Islâm, i. 67
Muḳtadir b’illâh [Al], the eighteenth Abbaside Khalif, i. 469–471
Mukhtaṣar al Ma‘âni, a shorter commentary on Rhetoric and Plagiarism,
i. 99, 481–483, 486, 500
Mulḥatu ’l-i‘râb, a grammatical treatise by Ḥarîri, ii. 263
Munâfarah, The, a contention before an umpire on the titles of a man or
tribe to nobility or honour, i. 375, 488, 537; ii. 281
Munakhkhal [Al], the lover of Mutejarradeh, Queen of Hira, i. 519
Munkar, the angel who visits the dead, ii. 192
Munsariḥ, an Arabic metre, i. 342, 347
Munshi, or official writer, i. 11, 28
Muntaṣir [Al], the eleventh Abbaside Khalif, i. 469
Munthir ibn Mâ as Semâ, King of Hira, i. 76, 385, 491
Munzir [Al], father of Sajahi, the Prophetess, ii. 245
Munzir bin Imr al Ḳais, King of Hira, ii. 198, 199
Murrah, an Arab tribe, i. 387, 388. See Benû Murrah
Murîr, or Murin, an Arab of the tribe Kalb, who was taken captive by the
Jinn, ii. 270
Muṣ‘ab ibn ‘Omayr, a martyr, i. 401
Muṣ‘ab ibn az Zobayr, Governor of Irak, i. 326
Musammaṭât, verses explained, i. 366, 367, 375
Musaylimeh, or Musaylamah, the Liar and false prophet, slain after
Mohammed’s death, i. 93; ii. 245, 290
Mushâkil, a Persian metre, i. 57
Mustarshid billah [Al], the twenty-ninth Abbaside Khalif, i. 25, 26
Muṭawwal, a longer commentary on Plagiarism, i. 481. See Mukhtaṣar
Mu‘tazil, the name applied to the leader of the heretodox sect of the
Mu‘tazilûn, i. 467
Mu‘tazilûn, or Seceders, i. 39, 464, 467, 468
Mutejarradeh, wife of No‘mân ibn al Munthir, King of Hira: the story
about her, i. 519
Muteḳârib, an Arabic metre, i. 328, 375, 418, 447
Mutekellimûn, or scholastic divines, i. 5
Mutelemmis, the Poet. His real name was Jerir, son of ‘Abd al Masîḥ,
and uncle of the poet Ṭarafeh, i. 16, 162, 347, 358–361
Mutemmim ibn Nowayrah, a Poet to whom a proverb is attributed, i. 305,
495
Mutenebbi [Al], the Poet, i. 14, 57, 61, 462, 471, 482–484, 525, 526; ii. 193,
219, 238, 264
Mutewekkil [Al], the tenth Abbaside Khalif, i. 469
Muṭî‘ l’illâh [Al], the twenty-third Abbaside Khalif, i. 456
Muttaḳi [Al], the twenty-first Abbaside Khalif, i. 487
Muwaṭṭ, one of the oldest collections of the Ḥadîs, compiled by Imâm
Mâlik, ii. 235
Muwelledûn, so the poets are called after the first century of Islâm, i. 67
Muzayḳîyâ, a name given to a person because he tore up his clothes every
evening, i. 41, 86, 288, 423. See Amr ibn ‘Âmir Muzayḳîyâ, or The
Tearer
Muzdalifeh, a general meeting-place of the pilgrims near Mecca, and
divided from Mina by the Wadi Moḥassir, i. 342; ii. 32
Myths of modern origin, ii. 231
Na‘âmeh, a mare belonging to Abû Na‘âmeh, i. 327
Naba‘ tree, ii. 234
Nabaṭ, a collective noun for the Nabateans, said to be descendants of Seth,
ii. 170, 300
Nâbighah [An], or Nâbighat ath Tohbyâni, the Poet, i. 339, 382, 389,
518–520; ii. 5, 190, 289, 308
Naḍr [An] ibn Al Ḥârith, the teller of Persian stories in the time of
Mohammed, and denunciated in the Koran, i. 31, 539
Naḍr [An] ibn Shemîl: the story about him, i. 471
Nâfi‘, eldest brother of the poet Imr al Ḳays, i. 386
Nâfi‘ ibn al Azraḳ, a leader of the Azârikah sect, i. 327
Najrân, a celebrated town of Yemen, i. 269, 404; ii. 113, 114, 255, 256
Najrân ibn Zayd, founder of Najrân, ii. 256
Namir [An] ibn Ḳâsiṭ, Tribe of, i. 472; ii. 198
Nakîr, the angel who visits the dead, ii. 192
Namirî, a man of Namir alluded to in a proverb, i. 472
Naṣb, or the use of the nominative and accusative case in certain Arabic
phrases, i. 243, 245, 249, 538. See Raf‘
Nasîb, or mention of the beloved one in a Ḳaṣîdeh, i. 61
Naṣîbîn, a city in the Diyâr Rabî‘ah, i. 214, 215, 445, 447, 452
Naṣîf al Yazaji of Beyrout, a modern author of some Assemblies, i. 62,
98, etc. See Appendix A and Assemblies of Nasîf
Naṣr ibn ‘Aṣim, a scribe connected with elucidating the pronunciation of
words in the Koran, i. 94
Nawâr, wife of the poet Farazdaḳ, i. 157, 349, 350
Nazr bin Kananah, father of Koraysh, ii. 225
Needle, i. 145, 146 note, 148–150, 166, 337–339, 341; ii. 40, 41, 159
Nefl, an observance left to be performed by the believer spontaneously,
not absolutely commanded, i. 329. See Fard
Nehavend, a place, i. 526
Nehemiah, i. 87
Neighbours, Duty to, i. 121, 122, 153, 171
Nejd, a province or district in Arabia, i. 63, 64, 283, 316, 376, 426, 428,
449, 480, 516, 527; ii. 119, 136, 178, 234, 242, 280
Nejm ad Dowleh, the Poet who celebrated in verse Ḥarîri’s merits, i. 38
Neo-Hebrew, or Rabbinical literature, i. 88
Nile, The, ii. 108, 252, 253
Nimrod, i. 369, 489
Nisabûr, a town, i. 271
Nizâm al Mulk, the Wazîr of Alp Arslan, and his son Melek Shah, i. 5,
6, 526
Nizâmîyeh, The, a celebrated school at Bagdad, i. 6
Nizâr, an Arab ancestor, i. 9
Noah, i. 44, 87, 267, 279, 369, 407, 431, 432, 466; ii. 96, 196, 260, 304
Noah, the name of the seventy-first Sura, or chapter, of the Koran, i. 404
Nöldeke, Theodor, author of the “Beitrage zur Kenntness der Poesie der
alten Araber,” and other works, i. 388, 389
No‘mân ibn Beshîr, one of the Companions of the Prophet, and Governor
of Ḥimṣ [Emessa], i. 336
No‘mân, son of Munthîr, King of Hira, known as No‘mân Abû Ḳâbûs,
i. 385, 435, 501, 518, 519
No‘mân, son of Zowrâ, his use of a proverb, i. 455
Nonnosus, a Byzantine author, i. 491
Notes to the Assemblies of Ḥarîri, i. 265–540; ii. 187–310
Nowayri, an Arab author, i. 324
Nowfal, a man connected with a woman and a proverb i. 346
Numbers, Book of, i. 44, 406
Nûn, a letter of the Arabic alphabet, i. 53
Nushirvan, or Khosru Nushirvan, the Persian Sasanian monarch of great
fame, i. 344, 451
‘Obayd, a horse, i. 52
‘Obayd allah ibn Ziyâd, a supporter of the Omayyides, i. 458
‘Obayd allah, son of Ḥarîri, became chief Kadi of Basra, i. 38
‘Obayd ibn al Abraṣ, a poet killed by one of the Kings of Hira, and connected
with a proverb, i. 74, 385
Ockley, Simon, Orientalist and Historian, i. 333
Oḥud, Battle of, ii. 226, 245
‘Okâz, The fair of, i. 16, 387, 389, 475, 492, 538; ii. 291
‘Okbari, an Arab writer, i. 345, 346
‘Omân, a district of Arabia, i. 426, 441, 445, 446; ii. 93, 100, 238
‘Omar ibn ‘Abd al ‘Azîz, the Orthodox and the Saint, i. 334, 337, 358, 364,
458
‘Omar ibn al Khaṭṭâb, the second Khalifah, i. 3, 14, 16, 60, 93, 285, 288,
289, 307, 324, 364, 377, 390, 396, 406, 445, 455, 479; ii. 163, 226, 253,
255, 275, 306
Omayet ibn Abî ‘A’ith, a poet, i. 539
Omaymeh, a woman, the subject of some verses of Isḥâḳ ibn Khalaf,
i. 435
Omayyeh, House of, or the Omayyides, i. 17, 326, 364, 384, 458; ii. 247,
248
‘Onaynah, a person mentioned in a verse addressed to the Prophet by
‘Abbâs, son of Merdas and Khansâ, the Poetess, about some booty,
i. 52
Orfa, the ancient Edessa and Roha, a very old and important town, so
called by the Turks, i. 489
‘Orḳûb, a man proverbial among the Arabs for breaking his promises,
i. 184, 397
Oriental, i. v, vii, 453; ii. 209, 217, 309
Orientals, i. 1, 132, 145, 473; ii. 279
Orientalist, i. 46, 98, 453
Orientalists, i. 2
Oriental Translation Fund, Old and New Series, ii. vii, viii, x
Osmanlis, The modern, i. vi
‘Othmân bin ‘Offân, the third Khalifah, i. 93, 94, 280, 288, 326, 327, 364,
431, 493
‘Othrah, a tribe, i. 307
Owârah, Second day of, on which a great crime was committed by ‘Amr
ibn Hind, i. 361
Ows, an Arab ancestor and tribe, who, with his brother Khazraj, fixed
themselves at Yathrib, afterwards called Medina, i. 295, 397, 426
‘Ozza [Al], a goddess, one of the Arab idols, i. 404, 405
Palmer, E. H.: his translation of the Koran, ii. xi; his Arabic Grammar,
ii. 280
Palgrave, the traveller and author, i. 64, 321, 441, 504
Pandarus, of Trojan war renown, distinguished as an archer, i. 351
Paradise, 138, etc. See Appendix A
Paris, i. 459
Paris, of Trojan war renown, i. 91
Paronomasia, or a play upon words, i. 83–85, 87, 229, 234
Peace, City of, i.e., Bagdad, i. 207, 243, 391
Pearl, i. 151, 153, 208, 211; ii. 63, 101, 112, 143, 267
“Pearl, The, of the Diver,” a grammatical work by Ḥarîri, i. 12, 72, 73,
539
Pearls, i. 151, 154, 197, 204, 209, 216; ii. 246
Pehlvi, i. 33
Peiper, C. R. S., a translator, in 1832, into Latin of the greater part of
Ḥarîri’s Assemblies, i. 101; ii. 252
Pencil, i. 145, 147 note, 148–150, 340, 341; ii. 114, 116, 170
Pentateuch, The, i. 86, 312
Perceval, Caussin de, author of “Essai sur l’Histoire des Arabes,” and
other works, i. 279, etc. See Appendix A
Persia, i. 223, 332, 326, 358, 361; ii. 217
Persia, Western, i. 287; ii. 169
Persian, i. vi, 5, 33, etc. See Appendix A
Persian Gulf, i. 4, 441; ii. 93, 238, 241
Persians, i. vi, 31, etc. See Appendix A
Pharaoh, i. 211, 305, 314, 394, 409, 431, 438, 466, 499
Philologers, or Philologists, i. 7, 90; ii. 232
Philological, i. 68; ii. 1, 217
Phrases, i. 68–71, 74, 76, 243; ii. 89
Pilgrim, ii. 10, 31–33, 46, 47, 85, 161, 202, 278, 280
Pilgrimage, one of the five things on which Islâm is founded, i. 36, 39, 77,
130, 181, 316, 348, 392, 460, 492; ii. 31, 33–35, 37, 46, 142, 202, 204,
206, 245, 250, 279
Pilgrims, i. 77; ii. 31–33, 35, 125, 177, 184, 266, 306, 308, 310
Plagiarism, i. 30, 481–483
Pliny, i. 425
Pocock, Edward, a learned English Orientalist of the seventeenth century,
i. 325, 392, 404, 405, 436, 468
Poem, i. 41, 55, etc. See Appendix A
Poems, i. 14, 17, etc. See Appendix A
Poet, i. 8, 16, 28, etc. See Appendix A
Poetry, i. 7, 8, 13, etc. See Appendix A
Poets, i. 8, 13, etc. See Appendix A
Prayer, one of the five things on which Islâm is founded, i. 392, 410, 411,
462, 463; ii. 37, 42–44, 113, 165, 180, 188, 191, 199, 212, 236, 244, 251,
271, 275, 276, 280, 295, 297, 298, 305
Prayers, ii. 179–182, 191, 298, 299
Preface in nearly all Arabic works, i. 50
Preface of Chenery, i. v–x
Preface of Ḥarîri, i. 25, 29, 32, 37, 50, 75, 77, 103–107; and the notes thereon,
265–278, 329, 343, 348, 383, 475, 524; ii. 256, 274
Preserved Table, The, supposed to be a divine record on which all the
actions of mankind are written down, ii. 257
Preston, Reverend Theodore, Professor of Arabic at Cambridge, translated
into English, in 1850, twenty of Ḥarîri’s Assemblies, i. 101; ii. 89,
109, 226, 227, 251, 252
Priam, the famous King of Troy, i. 91
Procopius, the Byzantine author, i. 491
Prophet, The, i.e., Mohammed, i. 4, 5, 16, etc. See Appendix A
Prophets, The, i. 104, 267, 268, 466, 469; ii. 96, 231
Prosody, i. 8, 45, 47, 48, 54, 55, 57, 100, 275; ii. 248
Proverb, i. 27, 29, etc. See Appendix A
Proverbial, i. 281, 285, etc. See Appendix A
Proverbs, i. 69, 70, etc. See Appendix A
Proverbs, Arab. These are quoted from Freytag’s Latin Edition in three
volumes, as follows:
Volume i. 281, 289, etc. See Appendix A
Volume ii. 273, 277, etc. See Appendix A
Volume Iii. See Appendix A
Proverbs, Book of, i. 88
Psalms, Book of, i. 44–46, 59, 85, 86, 88, 89
Purslane, or the plant Rijlah, a kind of bitter herb, ii. 103, 104, 245
Pyrenees, The, i. 67
Pythias, or Phintias, the Pythagorean, celebrated for his friendship with
Damon, i. 385
Quaraqir, a watering station, ii. 262, 263
Qutrub, a little animal always on the move, ii. 172, 286, 302
Râbi‘ah, daughter of Ishmael of the tribe Ḳays, a woman of Basra, celebrated
for her piety, i. 80; ii. 104, 246
Rabî‘ah, or Rabî‘at al Faras, an Arab ancestor and tribe, i. 9, 10, 29, 64,
448, 497, 527, 530. See Benû Rabî‘ah
Rabî‘ah, or Rabî‘at ibn Naṣr, a Jewish King of Yemen, to whom two
Diviners predicted the advent of Mohammed, i. 372, 373
Rabî‘ [Ar], a suburb of Bagdad, i. 244, 493
Rabî‘ [Ar], the chamberlain to Al Manṣûr, the second Abbaside Khalif,
i. 493. See Abû ’l Faḍl ar Rabî‘ ibn Yûnus
Rabî‘ ibn Ziyâd, a boon companion of No‘mân ibn al Munthir, King of
Hira, i. 501, 502
Rabbins, The, i. 85
Râḍi [Ar], the twentieth Abbaside Khalif, i. 470
Raf‘, or the use of the nominative and accusative case in certain Arabic
phrases, i. 243, 245, 249, 251. See Naṣb
Râfi‘ aṭ-Ṭâ’î, the Guide, ii. 262, 263
Raḥbah, a town on the Euphrates, the city of Mâ‘lik, the son of Ṭowk,
i. 158, 351
Raḳâsh, sister of Jathîmet al Abrash, King of Hira, i. 42; the story about
her, i. 494
Raḳîm [Ar], The men of, alluded to in the Koran, i. 414, 415
Raḳḳah, a town, i. 351
Ramaḍân, The, or fasting month. Fasting is one of the five things on
which Islâm is founded, i. 139, 392; ii. 44, 206, 307
Ramlah, a town, ii. 31, 141, 142
Rass, Men of, i. 431
Rawâḥat ibn ‘Abd al ‘Azîz, of the tribe of Sulaym, and first husband of
Khansâ, the Poetess, i. 389
Râwi, or reciter, i. 15–21, 62, 99, 178, 383, 384; ii. 24, 233
Rayy al Mahdîyeh, a place in Persia, i. 223, 224, 228, 364, 455, 459
Râzi [Ar], the Commentator, i. 24
Râzi, the derivative adjective of Rayy, i. 455
Razwa, name of a mountain near Medina, ii. 87, 232
Rebekah, i. 44
Reinaud, who, with Derenbourg, wrote the preface to the second edition
of De Sacy’s Ḥarîri, i. 3 note; his introduction to “Géographie
d’Abulféda,” ii. 310
Rejeb, sacred month of, i. 387, 388
Rejez, an Arabic metre, i. 12, 18, etc. See Appendix A
Reml, an Arabic metre, i. 349, 366
Renan, Ernest, author of the “Histoire des langues Semitiques” and
many other works, i. 311
Rhetoric, i. 63, 83, 99, 485, 486; ii. 72, 89, 217
Rhyme, or Rhythm, i. 48–54, etc. See Appendix A
Rhymed prose, i. 42, 48, 49, 51, 54, 55, 76, 163, 281, 309, 538; ii. 31, 58,
108
Ribâb, an Arab tribe, i. 428
Ribâb, son of Ṣaghr, and Diviner at Thamûd, i. 433
Ribâḥ ibn Murrah, the solitary survivor of the tribe of Ṭasm, i. 381
Riddle, i. 504, 514; ii. 14, 79, 114, 115, 119, 259
Riddles, i. 81, 106, 200, 243, 247, 248, 250, 274; ii. 74, 76–81, 113,
115, 140
Risâleh, a kind of ornate letter or address, i. 28, 271
Rodayneh, supposed wife of Samhar, a maker of lances, and both sold them,
i. 446
Rodwell, J. M., translator of the Koran, ii. xi, 208, 228, 232, 240, 256, 257,
276, 292, 296, 297, 301, 305, 307
Roha [Ar], name given by the Arab conquerors to Edessa, in Northern
Mesopotamia, a very ancient town, formerly known under various
names, i. 242, 488, 489
Roha ibn al Belendi ibn Mâlik, who is said to have given the name of
Roha to the above town, i. 489
Roman, i. 1, 74, 289
Romans, i. 5, 286, 289; ii. 8
Rome, i. 46, 92; ii. 8
Ruba‘î, or quatrain, one of the four kinds of Persian poetry, viz., the
Ghazal or ode, the Ḳaṣîdeh or elegy, and the Mesnevi, i. 57
Rubeh, the Philologist, i. 356
Rückert, Frederick, the German Poet and Orientalist, translator of Ḥarîri’s
Assemblies, a very free translation, i. 2, 158, 169, 328, 342, 348, 354;
ii. 141, 147, 230
Rûm, People of, so the Arabs call the Byzantines, i. 22, 24, 442, 466
Rustem, a Persian hero, i. 31, 539
Ruth, Book of, i. 425
Saba, The bands of, an allusion to the bursting of the dyke of Mârib, i. 204,
288, 422
Saba, The country of, or Sheba, i. 291, 422, 424, 442; ii. 245
Saba, the son of Yashjob, the son of Ya‘rob (the first person who spoke
Arabic), the son or descendant of Ḳaḥṭân, i. 422, 423, 426
Sâbât, a place where lived a cupper, ii. 159, 294
Sabæans, The, i. 426
Ṣabbân [Aṣ], a commentator, i. 315
Sacy, Sylvestre de, the second edition of his Ḥarîri, edited by MM.
Reinaud and Derenbourg, i. 3 note; ii. 196, 203, 223, 230, 232, 250,
252, 266, 267, 290, 309
Sacy, Sylvestre de, translator of some of Ḥarîri’s Assemblies, with Commentaries
on them, and author of “Mémoires sur l’Histoire des
Arabes avant Mahomet,” “Chrestomathie Arabe,” and other works,
i. 3 note, 12, 24, etc. See Appendix A
Ṣâd, a letter of the Arabic alphabet, and how used, ii. 147, 152
Ṣa‘dah, a town in Yemen, i. 79; ii. 83, 88, 224
Sa‘dân, a plant, i. 305
Sa‘d at Taftâzâni, a commentator, i. 99
Sa‘d ibn Abî Waḳḳas, an early convert to Islâm, and Arab General, i. 285,
472
Sa‘d ibn al Hashraji, grandfather of Ḥâtim Ṭay, ii. 278
Sa‘d, son of Dabbah, connected with a proverb, i. 474
Sa‘d, son of Shems, of the tribe of Jarm: the story about him, i. 528
Sa‘di, the Persian Poet, i. 5, 316; ii. 235
Ṣafâ, Mount, near Mecca, ii. 34, 280
Ṣâfir, or whistler, a word with several disputed meanings, ii. 104, 246
Ṣafwân ibn al Mo‘aṭṭal, the person who found ‘Ayisheh asleep in the
desert, i. 430. For the whole story of the slander about her, see
Mirkhond, Part ii., vol. ii., pp. 435–442
Saḥbân Wâ’il, the most celebrated preacher and orator of the early days
of Islâm, i. 197, 200, 309, 310, 322, 417, 527; ii. 272
Sâḥib al Khabar, the official title of Ḥarîri, i. 11
Sâḥib ibn ‘Abbâd, a prince to whose court Badî‘ az Zemân, or Hamadâni,
went, i. 271
Sahl, or Sahil ibn Hârûn, a poet who wrote an address in praise of glass,
i. 229, 434
Sa‘îd ibn al-Âs: when a boy Mahommed gave him a robe, ii. 140, 277, 278
Sa‘îd ibn Salm, a very stingy man, ii. 293
Sajâḥ, or Sajâḥi, the Prophetess, i. 495; ii. 103, 245. For her story, see
Mirkhond, Part ii., vol. iii., pp. 23–28
Sakâbi, the name of a horse, ii. 66, 214
Saḳâlib, or Slaves, i. 466
Ṣakhr, a warrior, and brother of Khansâ, the Poetess, of the tribe of
Sulaym, i. 80, 180, 387–391; ii. 104, 246
Ṣakhrah, the wife or sister of Ḥoṣayn, who was killed by Al Akhnas: the
story about it, i. 476
Ṣakhr ibn Nahshal: the story about him, i. 299
Sale, George, translator of the Koran, ii. xi
Ṣalâh ad dîn, or Saladin, the Sultan, i. 11
Ṣâliḥ, the Prophet, sent to warn the people of Thamûd, i. 267, 268, 415,
432; his pedigree, i. 432, 433
Salmân, the Persian, an early convert to Islâm and intimate associate of
Mohammed’s, ii. 84, 225, 226
Salsabîl, a fountain in Paradise, ii. 30
Salutations, or salâm, i. 195, 413
Samarcand, i. 344; the Sughd of, i. 368; ii. 8, 194, 310
Samaritans, i. 88
Samhar, a maker of lances, or perhaps a place in Abyssinia where they
are made, i. 215, 446
Ṣamṣâmah, the name of a sword, ii. 157, 292
Samson, i. 86
Samuel, Book of, i. 373
Samuel ibn ‘Âdiyâ, a Jew, and an exemplar of good faith among the
Arabs, i. 243, 490–492
San‘â, a town in Yemen, i. 108, 278, 280, 466; ii. 211, 224, 256
Sanscrit, i. 33
Sarâb, a she-camel: the story about her, i. 528, 530
Sarâb, or resemblance of water in the desert, ii. 191
Sarah, wife of Abraham, i. 87
Sarḥah tree, ii. 3
Sarî‘, an Arabic metre, i. 292, 384, 448, 469
Ṣa‘ṣa‘ah, or Ṣa‘ṣa‘at ibn Najiyeh, grandfather of the Poet Farazdaḳ, i. 349,
436
Sâsân al Akbar, son of Bahman, son of Isfendiyâr, son of Kushtâsif, a
Prince of Western Persia, and the reputed chief of all the beggars,
i. 83; the story about him, i. 287; ii. 27, 169, 171, 172
Sâsân, or Sassanids, one of the royal dynasties of Persia, i. 288
Sâsân, The race and people of, also applied generally to the race of beggars,
i. 113, 215; ii. 169, 170, 175
Sâsâni, a beggar, i. 288
Sâsâni phrases, i.e., the cant of beggars, mountebanks, prestigiators, and
the like, i. 76
Satan, i. 325, 355, 398, 450; ii. 242, 271–273, 282, 284, 296, 309
Satans, ii. 297
Saṭîḥ, the Diviner, is said to have foretold the advent of Mohammed,
i. 210, 371, 372, 423, 438
Saul, King of Israel, i. 453
Sâweh, a town between Rayy and Hamadân, i. 163, 164, 364, 499
Sayf ad Dowleh, the Arab Prince of Hilleh, i. 462
Sayl al ‘Arim, or the flood of the mounds or dams, i. 41, 424
Schildburg, a town in Germany, ii. 146
Schmölder’s “Écoles philosophiques chez les Arabes,” i. 468
Schultens, Albert, a German Pastor, Orientalist, and Critic, i. viii, 101, 294,
314, 377, 384, 496, 522
Scirtus, an ancient river on which Edessa was situated, now called Daysan,
i. 489
Scotch, ii. 147
Scripture, i. 490
Scriptures, i. 32
Seasons of rain, wind, or heat: their names, etc., i. 443, 444
Sejelmâseh, a place to the south of Mount Atlas, i. 344
Sejestan, i. 309
Seleucidæ, The, i. 489
Seljuk, the name of a powerful Tartar chief, whose descendants founded
the three dynasties called after him that reigned in Persia, Kirman,
and Anatolia, i. 3, 455
Semâweh, the desert which lies between Syria and the Euphrates, called
the Syrian Desert, i. 168, 170, 373
Semites, The, i. 434
Semitic, i. 43, 45, etc. See Appendix A
Serûj, a city in the neighbourhood of Edessa, i. 13, 21, etc. See Appendix
A
Serûji, The, i.e., Abû Zayd, i. 24, 150, 196, 215, 222, 344; ii. 14, 15, 17, 81,
89, 90, 96, 102, 112, 141, 144, 163, 176, 195
Seth, son of Adam, i. 337; ii. 170, 300
Sha‘b, a tribe in Yemen, ii. 247
Sha‘bi [Ash], or Amir ibn Abdallah, of the tribe Sha‘b in Yemen, a great
scholar and lawyer, knowing the Koran by heart, i. 81; ii. 104, 247
Shâfi‘î [Ash], the Imâm, i. 78, 269, 329, 358, 391; ii. 57, 192, 212, 250
Shâfi‘î, one of the four Mohammedan rituals, i. 34, 358
Shah Nameh, the Persian epic, by Firdousi, the Persian Poet, i. 451
Shahrestani [Ash], a writer on religions, i. 327, 468
Shaibah, an Arab ancestor, described, ii. 204
Shakespear, ii. 102
Shamar, one of the Tobba‘ Kings of Yemen, ii. 310
Sham [Ash], a region of the earth settled by Shem, son of Noah, i. 466;
ii. 31
Shanfara [Ash], the Poet, and celebrated for his speed of foot, i. 340, 353,
357
Shann: the story about him, ii. 104, 248, 249
Sha‘ûb, a name of death, meaning the “Severer” or “Separator,” ii. 3, 189
Shawâhid, or proofs of lexicography and grammar, i. 67, 275
Shaykh, The, i. 29, 116, 130, 167, 176, 187, 188, 216, 222, 242, 315, 405;
ii. 4, 12, 29, 61, 63, 106, 108, 111, 112, 120, 124, 130, 132, 141, 143–146,
148–151, 154, 156–162, 176, 250, 272
Shaykh Abû Ḥâmid al Isfarayni, a jurisconsult, i. 358
Sheba, grandson of Abraham, i. 427. See Genesis xxv. 3
Sheba, or Saba, Queen of, i. 379, 415; ii. 245. See Bilkîs
Sheba, son of Raamah, grandson of Cush, i. 426, 427. See Genesis x. 7
Sheba, son of Joktan, whom the Arabs identify with Ḳaḥṭân, i. 426. See
Genesis x. 28
Shebâm, Vines of, a place celebrated for its wines, i. 374
Sheddâd, a poet and writer of an address in praise of gold, i. 229, 434
Sheddâd, father of ‘Antarah, the warrior poet, i. 317
Sheddâd, son of ‘Ad, and builder of Irem with the columns, i. 368, 441,
468
Shem, one of the sons of Noah, i. 228, 279, 369, 432, 466, 479
Sheref ad Dîn Abû Naṣr Anûshirwân al Iṣfahani, the Wazir, and the
traditional patron of Ḥarîri, i. 24, 26
Sheref ad Dîn, an author, i. 530
Sherîshï, the Andalusian Commentator, whose full name is Abû ‘Abbâs
Aḥmed ibn ‘Abd al Mu’min al Ḳaysî ash Sherîshi, so called from
having been born at Xeres, i. 38, 69, 146, etc. See Appendix A
Shiḥr [Ash], a place in Yemen, i. 441, 445, 517
Shiḳḳ, the Diviner, one of the most famous personages of ancient Arabia,
i. 371, 372, 423
Shiraz, i. 358, 498; ii. 71, 217
Shîrîn, a famous beauty, wife of the Khosru Perwez, and often alluded to
by the poets and romancists, i. 80, 451; ii. 104, 245
Sho‘ayb or Jethro, a Prophet according to Moslem belief, i. 267, 268
Shylock, ii. 102
Sîbawayh or Sîbawayhi, a Persian, but great Arab scholar and grammarian,
author of the Kitâb, i. 65, 72, 245, 249, 301, 497–499, 503,
509; ii. 245, 286
Sidney, Sir Philip, at Zutphen, i. 471
Ṣiffîn, Battle of, i. 7, 327, 458; ii. 242
Sikbâj, a kind of food, i. 450, 451
Simon, an Apostle, i. 531
Sîn, a letter of the Arabic alphabet, and how used, ii. 146, 151, 152
Sinân, the subject of a proverb, i. 330
Sind, i. 467
Sinjâr, a city of the Diyâr Rabî‘ah, i. 206, 207
Ṣinn and Ṣinnabar, the name of the first two days of a week in the early
spring, which brings back the winter’s cold before the warm weather
sets in, i. 254, 518
Sirâh, the same as Mina in the Nejd, i. 426
Ṣirâṭ, the narrow path or bridge between heaven and hell according to
Moslem belief, i. 166, 367; ii. 11, 192
Sîrat ar Resûl, the title of Ibn Hishâm’s Biography of Mohammed, and
means literally the conduct or way of living of the Prophet, i. 371,
373, 430, 440, 539
Sirius, the star, i. 128, 313, 443
Slane, McGuckin de, the translator of Ibn Khallikân, i. 94 note, 271, 293,
491, 492
Sleepers, The seven, i. 31, 399, 414, 450
Sofyân ibn al Abrad al Kelbi, an Arab General, i. 327
Sohâ, a star, i. 242, 489, 490; ii. 56, 76, 221
Sohayl ibn ‘Abbâd the Râwi, or reciter in Nasif’s Assemblies, i. 99
Sohayl, the star Canopus, i. 242, 489; ii. 221
Sokman, a Turkish chief, i. 21
Solomon, i. 267, 291, 348, 373, 379, 415; ii. 77, 222
South, The, ii. 265
Spain, i. 5, 34, 352, 370, 410
Spanish, i. 357
Spider, The, name of the 29th Sura, or chapter, of the Koran, i. 407
Spotted, The, a composition or address giving the name to Ḥarîri’s
26th Assembly, i. 258, 261, 264, 524, 532
Star, i. 313; ii. 137, 141, 279
Stars and constellations, i. 313, 314, 443–445; ii. 5, 19, 21, 30, 32, 44, 75,
80, 126, 133, 138, 159, 196, 232, 296, 297, 304
Steiner’s ‘Die Mu‘taziliten oder die Freidenker in Islâm,’ i. 468
Steingass, Dr. F., the translator of the last 24 Assemblies of Ḥarîri, ii.
vii–x
St. John, Church of, in Damascus, i. 369
Style of the Assemblies, i. 83, 105, 106; ii. 90
Su‘âd, a name used by the Arabs to signify a cruel and capricious mistress,
i. 62 note, 245, 496
Sua‘yd, son of Ḍabbah, connected with a proverb, and the story about him,
i. 474, 475
Su‘da, a woman, i. 106
Sûdân, The, i. 344
Ṣûfî, i.e., an ascetic and mystic, ii. 309
Ṣûfi metonymies, i. 450
Ṣuḥâr, a town in the district of ‘Omân, ii. 95, 238
Suidas, the supposed compiler of a Greek Lexicon, i. 91
Sulayk, a vagrant robber and very fast runner, i. 159; the story about him,
i. 352, 353
Sulaym, Tribe of, i. 387–389. See Benû Sulaym
Sulayma, wife of Ṣakhr, the warrior, i. 388, 389
Sulaymân, the seventh Omayyide Khalif, i. 344, 400
Sulekah, a black slave, mother of Sulayk, i. 352
Sullân, Battle of, in which, under Rabî‘ah, the sons of Ma‘add defeated the
people of Yemen, i. 488
Summary by Chenery of the last 24 Assemblies of Ḥarîri, i. 75–83;
ii. 113, 146
Sunneh, i.e., the ordinances and precepts of Tradition only, i. 411, 412,
490. See Farḍ
Sunni, or orthodox sect of Mahommedanism, i. 39
Ṣûr [Tyre], ii. 24
Surahbîl, an ancient Arabian monarch, and the builder of the Ghomdân,
which see, i. 279
Sura, or chapter of the Koran, i. 31, 52, 53, etc. See Appendix A
Suras, or chapters of the Koran, i. 16, 51–53, 95, 96, 301, 464
Ṣurr-durr, a poet, ii. 201
Sûs, the ancient Susa, i. 258, 260, 525
Suwâ‘, an Arab idol of the people of Noah, mentioned in the Koran, ii. 20,
196
Suwá, a watering station, ii. 262, 263
Suyûti, the Egyptian author, i. 62 note
Syria, i. 3, 4, 13, etc. See Appendix A
Syriac, i. vi, 66, 90, 97, 340, 489, 514
Syrian, i. 34, 90, 289, 338
Syrians, i. 88, 90, 283
Ta’abbaṭa Sherran, an Arab poet of the early age, and a great runner,
i. 317, 353, 398, 453, 537
Tabâbi‘ah, the descendants of Tobba‘, i. 279
Tabaqah, ii. 104; the story about her, ii. 248, 249
Ṭabari, the Arab Historian, i. 316, etc. See Appendix A
Tâbi‘, or one who had conversed with the Companions of Mohammed,
ii. 247
Tabrizi, a Commentator, ii. 212, 241
Tâbûk, Expedition to, ii. 57
Taghlib, an Arab ancestor and tribe, i. 10, 376, 448. See Benû Taghlib
Tâ’if, a place near Mecca, ii. 289
Ṭâ’i‘ l’illah [Aṭ], the twenty-fourth Abbaside Khalif, i. 456, 457
Taim Allah ibn Sa‘labah, an Arab tribe, and the story connected with it,
ii. 291, 292
Tajanni, a woman, ii. 149
Tales of pleasure after pain, i. 260, 532
Ṭalḥah bin Abdallah, an early convert to Islâm, but fought later on with
Zobayr and Ayisheh against ‘Ali, i. 327, 472
Ṭalḥah, The family of, at Basra, noted for its generosity, i. 309
Ṭalḥat aṭ Ṭalḥât, Governor of Sejestan, i. 309
Ṭalḥat ibn Ṭâhir, a prince of Khorasan, i. 449
alkhîs al Miftâḥ, a work on rhetoric by Jelâl ad dîn Mohammed, i. 99
Tâmir, the Jumper, ii. 104, 247
Tanîs, a town, ii. 108, 109, 112, 252, 253
Ṭanṭarâni [Aṭ], author of a poem, i. 488
Tanûkhiyeh, The, an old Arab tribe, i. 494
Ṭarafeh, a pre-Islâmite Poet, and author of one of the Mo‘allaḳât, i. 14, 16,
56, etc. See Appendix A
“Ta‘rîfât,” a work by Jorjani, i. 266, 273, etc. See Appendix A
Tartary, i. 520
Ṭasm, an Arab ancestor and tribe, i. 381, 466
Tassy, Garcin de, the French Orientalist, i. 277, 481, 486
Ṭawîl, an Arabic metre, i. 55, 56, 278, 336, 439, 460, 485, 487
Ṭay, Tribe of, i. 292, 348, 426. See Benû Ṭay
Ṭaybeh was the name which the city of Yathrib received from
Mohammed, but afterwards called Medinet an Nabî, i. 257, 522;
ii. 37, 38
Ṭaylasân, The, or cloak of a dervish or preacher, i. 459
Tebriz, a town, i. 80; ii. 101, 102, 106, 108, 141
Te Deum, The, i. 442
Tejnîs, i.e., paronomasia, or alliteration, or homogeneity in sound or in
letters between each two successive words, i. 82, 238, 485, 486, 500,
532; ii. 146
Tekoah, i. 87. See Jeremiah vi. 1
Tekwîr [At], or “The Folded-up,” the name of the eighty-first Sura, or
chapter, of the Koran, i. 53
Temâ’im, i.e., amulets or beads or necklaces, i. 113, 285
Temîm, an Arab ancestor and tribe, i. 10, 94, 318; ii. 83, 214, 215, 231.
See Benû Temîm
Temîmi, i.e., of the tribe of Temîm, ii. 83, 87, 225, 231
Tesnîm, a fountain in Paradise, i. 208, 430
Testament, Old, i. 43, 89, 279
Teutonic, i. 85
Thaghâm tree, ii. 27
Thaḳîf, a tribe, i. 64, 405
Tha‘labeh, son of Amr ibn Amir Muzayḳîyâ: the story of his migration,
i. 288, 289, 425, 426
Tha‘labî [Ath], the Author, i. 270–272
Thames, The, ii. 306
Thamûd, People of, destroyed by God for their wickedness, i. 31, 208, 373,
431–433, 441. Compare the Koran, Tabari, and Mirkhond
Thamûd, son of ‘Âbar, son of Aram, son of Shem, son of Noah, an Arab
ancestor and tribe, i. 432, 466
Tharîd, an Arab dish made of meat, milk, and bread, highly esteemed,
i. 382, 383, 429, 430
Thât al Athl, The Day of, i.e., the day on which a celebrated fight between
certain Arab tribes occurred, i. 388
Thât al Koṣûr, the old name of the town Ma‘arrat an No‘mân, in the
north of Syria, i. 336
Thawwab, son of ‘Amr, the opponent of Ṣâliḥ, the Prophet at Thamûd,
i. 433
Theocritus, the celebrated Greek Poet, i. 91
Theology, i. 63
Thobyân, an Arab tribe, i. 316, 317, 382
“Thousand and One Nights,” i. 329, 440. See “Arabian Nights”
Thu’l Ḳarnayn, a supposed prophet, and mentioned in the Koran, xviii.,
i. 85, 93, but who he was is doubtful. There was another of the same
name, the one called “The Greater,” the other “The Lesser,” two-horned,
i. 31
Thû’l Kefl, the prophet mentioned in the Koran, i. xxi, 85, but who he
really was is doubtful, i. 267, 268
Thunder, the name of the thirteenth Sura, or chapter, of the Koran, i. 409
Ṭîb, a town, ii. 15, 24
Tiflis, the well-known town in the Caucasus, ii. 50, 58, 208
Tigris, The, i. 9, 380, 391, 399, 445; ii. 104, 194, 245
Tihâmeh, a district of Arabia, i. 372, 428, 527; ii. 70, 125, 178
Timur, or Tamerlane, History of, by Ibn Arabshah, i. 50, 98, 489
Tobba‘, name of the Himyaritic Kings of Yemen, i. 279, 372, 381; ii. 184,
310
Tobba‘, People of, i. 431
Ṭofayl ibn Dallâl, the Dârimi, supposed to be a celebrated dinner-hunter,
and father of all intrusive guests, also connected with a proverb,
“More intrusive than Ṭofayl,” i. 195, 215, 407, 411, 495; ii. 221
Ṭofayli, a jargon, or kind of language, applied to various kinds of food,
also an intruder uninvited while people are eating or drinking, i. 214,
407, 408, 411, 450
Toghril Beg, the grandson of Seljuk, i. 3
Tom Thumb, i. 59
Tophet, i. 393
Tow’am the Yeshkari, a poet, i. 484, 485
Ṭoways, a musician and singer, i. 437
Toothpick, i. 140; its qualities described, i. 144, 153; ii. 182, 244
Tradition, i. 20, 24–27, etc. See Appendix A
Traditional, i. 100, 267, 371, 421, 463; ii. 271, 298
Traditionary, i. 41, 99
Traditions, i. 6, 14, 29, etc. See Appendix A
Translation, i. 45, 49, 70, etc. See Appendix A
Translations, i. 45, 90, 340
Translations of Ḥarîri into Latin, English, German, French, etc., i. 101,
102
Translator, i. 1, 101, 275; ii. 89, 132, 147, 258
Translators, i. 90; ii. x
Transliteration, i. x; ii. ix, x
Transoxiana, or Mawarannahr, i. 344; ii. 306
Trojan, i. 92
Troy, i. 91
Tumâḍir, daughter of ‘Amr, son of Ḥârith, son of Sherîd . . . son of
Sulaym, and sister of the warriors Ṣakhr and Mu‘âwiyeh, i. 387, 390;
ii. 147, 246. See Khansâ [Al], which was her bye-name, or nickname
Tunis, i. 410
Ṭûr, Mount, ii. 19
Turkish, i. vi, 4, 84; ii. 252
Turkoman, i. 4
Turkomans, i. 21
Turks, The, i. 3, 4, 466, 489
Ṭûs, a town in Khorasan, i. 258, 260, 261, 526
Tyre [Ṣûr], a city, ii. 24
Tzetzes, The Byzantines, two brothers, Isaac and John, i. 92 and note,
539
‘Ufâr tree, ii. 233
Umaiyah bîn Aṣ Ṣalt, a poet, ii. 215
‘Umarân [Al], a term applied to the two immediate successors of Mohammed,
viz., Abû Bekr and ‘Omar, ii. 253
‘Umay, a famous depredator, ii. 189
Umm Jemîl, wife of Abû Lahab, i. 439
Umm Salamah, the sixth wife of Mohammed, ii. 20
Ur of the Chaldees, i. 488
Uwais, or Uways al Karani, the most eminent ascetic and devotee of
Kufa, ii. 100, 242
‘Uzrah, an Arab tribe, ii. 143, 280. See Benû ‘Uzrah
‘Uzrî, i.e., of the tribe of ‘Uzrah, ii. 255
Venetian, i. 341
“Venice, Merchant of,” ii. 102
Verses indited or recited by Abu Zayd, i. 110–112, 115–117, etc. See
Appendix A
Verses by his pupils, ii. 148–154
Verses by his son, i. 148, 184, 239, 240; ii. 65, 66, 68, 158
Verses by his young wife, ii. 106, 142
Verses by the father of Akhzam, ii. 278
Verses of Ḥârith, son of Hammam, i. 114
Verses of the Generous Entertainer, ii. 133
Verses of the Kadi, ii. 125
Verses of the Kadi Ibn Qitri, ii. 167
Verses of the Poet Abû Nuwas, ii. 299
Verses of the Poet Abû ‘Obâdeh, i. 114, 115
Verses of the Poet Abû ’l Atâhiyah, ii. 228, 253, 254
Verses of the Poet Abû ’l Ḳâsim as Sâlimî, ii. 238
Verses of the Poet Abû ’t Taiyib, ii. 238
Verses of the Poet Abû ’sh Shamaqmaq, ii. 293
Verses of the Poet Afwah al Awadi, ii. 230
Verses of the Poet Akhṭal, ii. 227
Verses of the Poet Farazdaḳ, i. 318, 350; ii. 225
Verses of the Poet Ṣurr-Durr, ii. 201
Verses of the Poet Ibn Ar Rumi, ii. 297
Verses of the Poet Ibn Ḳanbar, ii. 267
Verses of the Poet Imr al Kays, i. 374; ii. 267
Verses of the Poet Iṣhâḳ ibn Khalaf, i. 435; ii. 209
Verses of the Poet Jerîr, ii. 225
Verses of the Poet Ka‘b ibn Zohayr, ii. 305
Verses of the Poet Kaṭâmi, ii. 241
Verses of the Poet Komayt [Al] ibn Zayd, ii. 242
Verses of the Poet Laqît, ii. 293
Verses of the Poet Mutenebbi, ii. 193, 238
Verses of the Poet Nâbighah, ii. 190, 289, 308
Verses of the Poet Tarafeh, i. 284, 359, 360, 380; ii. 304
Verses of the Poet Zohayr, ii. 212
Verses of the Poet Zohayr bin Jinab al Kalbi, ii. 237
Verses of the Poet Zû’l Rummah, ii. 284
Verses of various Poets, i. 273, 280, 309, etc. See Appendix A
Versicle, i. 47, 48
Versicles, i. 40, 41, 43, 45, 47, 51–53, 297
Versification, i. 52–54, 57, 126, 366; ii. 156, 289
Victory, the name of the forty-eighth Sura, or chapter, of the Koran, i. 213
Wabâr, a region between Yabrîn and Yemen, said to be inhabited by
Jinn, i. 403, 479
Wabâr, son of Irem, son of Shem, i. 479
Wadi Moḥassir, near Mina, i. 342
Wâdi‘ah, son of ‘Amr Muzayḳîyâ, i. 426
Wadd, an idol of the people of Noah, and alluded to in the Koran, ii. 20,
96, 197
Wâfir, an Arabic metre, i. 55, 56, 496
Wâḥidi [Al], an Arab Author, according to whom there are four gardens,
or paradises of the earth, as named, i. 368
Waḥshî, the negro slave who killed Hamzah at the battle of Ohud, and
Musaylimeh, in Yemâmeh, ii. 245
Waḳwâḳ, The island or country of, i. 467
Wâ’il, an Arab ancestor, i. 448, 528
Wâ’il, son of Ḥojr, a Kayl, or prince, who made his submission to
Mohammed, i. 438
Wâṣil ibn ‘Aṭâ, the founder of the sect of the Mu‘tazilûn, or Seceders, and
a lisper, i. 464, 467, 468
Wâsiṭ, a town between Kufa and Basra, ii. 14, 15, 194
Wâsiṭi, i.e., of Wasit, proverb and story about it, ii. 194
Wâthiḳ [Al], the ninth Abbaside Khalif, i. 497
Wazîr, i. 5, 24–26, 28, 29, 469–471, 493, 526; ii. 155, 188, 201
Weil, Dr. Gustav, German Orientalist and Historian, i. 5 note, 327, 471,
493; ii. 255, 283
Welîd [Al] ibn ‘Abd el Melik, the sixth Omayyide Khalif, i. 17, 65, 344,
369, 383, 458, 520
Welîd ibn Moghayrah, a man much respected by the Koraysh, and an
opponent of Mohammed’s, i. 415; ii. 292
Welîd ibn ‘Oḳbah, connected with a proverb, i. 324
Welîd [Al] ibn Yezîd, the eleventh Omayyide Khalif, i. 437
Wellington, Duke of, i. 71
West, The, i. 1, 3, 164, 194, 204, 262, 304, 410; ii. 57, 138, 171, 179, 265,
286, 308
Western, i. 23
Wine, i. 173, 174, 180, 188, 244, 248, 485, 495; ii. 8, 13, 14, 21, 47, 50,
56, 71, 72, 75–77, 112, 133, 136, 163, 166, 219, 220, 222, 223, 259, 276
Wolf’s Tail, The, i.e., the false or lying dawn, i. 162, 358
Wüstenfeld, Henry Frederick, German Orientalist and Historian, i. 373
Xeres, the town in Spain, i. 265
Xerxes, i. 92
Yabrîn, a town, and a desolate region in Southern Arabia, said to be
inhabited by Jinn, i. 446, 479; ii. 123, 265
Yaghûth, one of the false gods, or idols, mentioned in the Koran, i. 404
Yaḥya ibn Khâlid, the Bermeki, Wazir to Hârûn ar Reshîd, the fifth
Abbaside Khalif, i. 72
Yâjûj, or Gog, i. 466
Yarbû‘, Tribe of, i. 495, 518
Ya‘rob, said to be the first man who spoke Arabic, i. 86, 426, 466
Yashjob, son of Ya‘rob, i. 426
Ya Sin, the name of the thirty-sixth Sura, or chapter, of the Koran, ii. 256
Yathrib, or Medina, i. 295, 397, 428, 522; ii. 57
Yathrib, or Yatrib, a place near Hojr, in Yamâmeh, i. 397
Yemâmeh, a town and district of Arabia to the East of Mecca, i. 397, 479;
ii. 156, 262, 265, 290, 291, 297
Yemen, i. 10, 64, etc. See Appendix A
Yezîd i., the second Omayyide Khalif, i. 458
Yezîd ii., the ninth Omayyide Khalif, i. 485
Yorkshire, ii. 308
Yûnus ibn Ḥabîb, the instructor of Sîbawayh, the Grammarian, i. 498
Zâ, a letter of the Arabic alphabet, use of which is explained with Zâd,
ii. 147, 153, 154, 289
Zabîd, a city in Yemen, ii. 62, 63, 211
Zacharias, a prophet according to the Moslem belief, i. 267; ii. 223
Zâd, a letter of the Arabic alphabet, use of which is explained, ii. 147, 153,
154, 289
Zafâr, a place, i. 279
Zakât, or legal alms, ii. 46, 48, 91, 199
Zalim ibn Ṣarrâq, or Ṣâriq, whose bye-name was Abu Sufrah, ii. 255
Zamakhshari, or Jâr Allah, the Commentator, on the Koran, i. 39, 65,
97, 316, 500, 513, 521, 532; ii. 307
Zamzam Well, ii. 34
Zarḳâ’ Al Yemâmeh, a woman celebrated for her powers of eyesight, and
said to be the first who used koḥl, or collyrium, for the eyelids, i. 296,
381, 382; ii. 181, 297, 309
Zarîfeh, or Zarîfet al Khayr, a Divineress, the wife of Amr ibn Amir
Muzaykîyâ. She had a dream about the breaking of the dyke of
Mareb, i. 41, 42, 48, 372, 373, 423
Zayd, a name used in a grammatical example, ii. 272
Zayd, a youth, and supposed son of Abû Zayd, i. 130
Zayd ibn Arḳam, the Traditionist, ii. 298
Zayd ibn Thâbit, said to be the first Editor of the Koran, i. 93
Zayd, the adopted son of Mohammed, i. 307; ii. 299
Zayd to ‘Amr, a phrase meaning from one person to another, i. 257,
522
Zaynab, wife of Zayd above mentioned, divorced by him, and afterwards
married to Mohammed, his seventh wife, i. 307
Zaynab, a woman, ii. 150
Zayn al ‘Âbidîn, son of Al Ḥosayn, son of ‘Ali, i. 350
Zebbâ [Az], a Queen, wife of Jathimet al Abrash, i. 73, 80, 277, 382;
ii. 104, 190, 246
Zebbâ, wife of Al Ḥârith ibn Sulayk, the Asadi, i. 408
Zenj, The, a black race, i. 467
Zerenj, Castle of, i. 309
Zillah, wife of Lamech, i. 43
Zindîḳ, or Freethinker, i. 493
Ziyâd, a scamp, ii. 196
Zobaydeh, wife of Hârûn ar Reshîd, i. 80; ii. 104, 245
Zobayr [Az] bin Al-Awâm, an early convert to Islâm, joined ‘Âyisheh
and Ṭalḥah bin Abd allah in the rebellion against ‘Ali, i. 327, 472
Zodiac, Signs of the, i. 313, 314; ii. 234
Zoharah, the woman who seduced Hârût and Mârût, i. 434
Zohayr bin Janab al Kalbi, the warrior poet, ii. 237
Zohayr ibn Abi Sulme, the pre-Islamite poet, and author of one of the
Mo‘allaḳât, i. 56, 306, 400, 460; ii. 212
Zonâm, a flute-player, i. 209, 438
Zowrâ, a name applied to the Tigris in the neighbourhood of Bagdad, and
to the eastern part of the city itself, i. 176, 380
Zû’l Rummah, a poet, ii. 284
Zull, son of Zull, i.e., Nobody, son of Nobody, ii. 18, 195
APPENDIX A.
[The undermentioned names are included in the Index, but as the references
to them throughout the work are very numerous, it has been considered best to
show them separately, so as to lighten the Index itself.]
Abû Zayd, the name of the improvisor in Ḥarîri’s Assemblies, i. 21–28, 35,
37, 38, 42, 58, 71, 75–83, 106, 108, 112, 113, 117, 120, 121, 125–130,
133, 140, 142, 151, 152, 156, 158, 161, 164, 167, 168, 175, 176, 180, 181,
185–187, 190–192, 194, 198, 204, 206–208, 213–215, 217, 218, 220, 223,
228, 229, 232, 234, 241–243, 253, 256–259, 264, 272, 274, 278, 281, 286,
287, 289, 294–296, 298, 299, 301, 302, 306, 307, 310, 311, 313, 318, 320,
321, 325, 331, 336, 347, 348, 365, 368, 376, 378, 382, 383, 391, 399, 402,
417, 421, 433, 434, 441, 442, 447, 452, 453, 466, 489, 521; ii. 1, 2, 6–8,
14, 15, 17, 25, 30, 31, 35, 37, 39, 45, 48, 55, 58, 62, 63, 69, 71, 72, 74,
81, 83, 89, 90, 92–94, 97–103, 105, 108, 109, 119, 120, 122, 123, 127,
130–132, 141, 147, 155, 156, 163, 167, 169, 175, 181, 190, 195–197, 207,
215, 218–220, 222, 225, 233, 245, 247, 261, 262, 266, 277, 282, 283
Alfîyeh, The, by Ibn Mâlik, i. 12, 55, 98, 273, 290, 300–302, 304, 312, 315,
331, 363, 442, 496, 501–503, 508, 509, 512, 513
‘Ali, the fourth Khalifah, i. 7, 14, 31, 60, 281, 290, 327, 333, 350, 364, 401,
415, 416, 452, 457, 458, 472; ii. 239, 283, 293
“Anthologie Grammaticale Arabe,” by De Sacy, i. 12, 296, 384, 400, 401, 409,
413, 418, 419, 427, 438, 498–500, 502, 508, 513, 524, 525, 532, 538; ii. 270
Arab, i. 3, 5, 10, 12, 15, 19, 27, 34, 40, 41, 44, 47, 48, 51, 55, 62, 64, 66,
67, 73, 90, 95, 98, 99, 106, 275, 277, 279, 283, 286, 288, 297, 300,
309, 312–314, 320, 327, 332, 338, 340, 346, 356–358, 360, 361, 363,
383, 384, 400, 420, 422, 448, 455, 456, 459, 478, 488, 491, 497, 503,
506, 514, 515, 525, 527; ii. 2, 37, 125, 132, 137, 139, 163, 199, 219,
220, 229, 233, 244, 246, 248, 255, 270, 276, 286, 304
Arabia, i. 9, 10, 41, 43, 164, 279, 288, 371, 374, 422, 426, 438, 441, 504,
527; ii. 93, 202, 238
Arabic, i. v–vii, ix, x, 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12 16, 18, 20, 33, 36, 40, 41, 43, 47,
48, 50, 51, 54, 55, 57, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 66, 68, 69, 73, 83–87, 89,
90, 92, 94–101, 145, 163, 215, 243, 248, 265, 270, 275, 282, 283, 289,
290, 297, 304, 305, 311, 319, 322, 331, 334, 340, 348, 377, 380, 384,
395, 407, 422, 426, 437, 438, 453, 458, 459, 466, 481, 498, 502, 504,
507, 508, 511, 514, 517, 524, 534, 535, 537,; ii. viii, ix, 27, 37, 38,
51, 74, 102, 119, 136, 147, 187–202, 204, 205, 208, 212–221, 223, 224,
226–229, 232, 234–243, 245–248, 250–259, 261, 263–275, 277, 279–288,
291, 294–299, 301, 304, 305, 307, 308, 310
Arab manners and customs,
i. 6, 13, 15, 18, 22, 54, 60, 62, 63, 73, 99,
100, 181, 215, 269, 274, 278, 283, 285, 295, 299, 300, 302, 303, 317,
325, 328, 332, 335, 344, 346, 350, 359, 360, 365, 382, 383, 386, 392–397,
412, 420, 427, 434–436, 438, 459, 460, 462, 463, 477, 480, 483, 484,
494, 516, 524–526, 530–532, 537; ii. ix, 51, 55, 208, 234, 270, 300, 307
Arabs,
i. ix, 4–8, 10, 13 16, 18, 22, 25, 26, 40, 42, 44, 48–50, 54–56, 58, 60,
63–65, 70, 72, 73, 77, 81–84, 90, 92, 97, 98, 100, 174, 176, 181, 215,
229, 236, 251, 269, 271, 274, 275, 278, 279, 282, 283, 285, 289, 295,
299, 301–304, 313, 317–320, 322, 323, 325, 328, 333, 335, 338, 340,
344, 348–350, 352, 354–356, 359, 365, 368, 369, 372, 376, 381, 382,
386–390, 393–397, 406, 412, 417, 426–428, 431, 434–436, 438, 442–446,
449, 451, 453, 460, 462, 463, 466, 471, 477, 479, 480, 483, 484, 486,
487, 489, 490, 492, 494–496, 500, 512, 516–520, 522, 526, 529, 530, 532,
537, 539; ii. 1, 2, 38–40, 44, 51, 55, 104, 135, 139, 147, 169, 189, 192,
209, 211, 214, 232, 244, 264, 276, 278, 281, 285, 292–294, 302, 310
Assemblies of Ḥarîri,
i. viii–x, 2, 8, 12, 13, 19, 20, 25–29, 32, 33, 35–37, 39,
42, 48, 49, 58, 62, 63, 68–71, 74, 75, 79, 84, 89–91, 97–99, 101, 105,
107, 269, 273–275, 280, 286, 303, 383, 461, 489; ii. vii–ix, xi, 1, 12, 31,
37, 89, 147, 182, 187, 198, 248, 252
Bagdad,
i. 5, 6, 18, 26–29, 34, 38, 112, 176, 206, 234, 242, 243, 275, 285,
316, 319, 380, 391, 456, 480, 493, 499, 523; ii. 25, 242, 279, 284
Basra,
i. x, 1, 3, 6–11, 13, 18, 21, 22, 24, 28, 29, 32, 34, 38, 64, 66, 71, 83,
91, 103, 106, 112, 266, 278, 291, 308, 309, 319, 322, 326, 333, 334, 351
(the Ubulleh of Basra, 368), 431, 467, 497–499, 505, 513, 525; ii. 135,
163, 175, 176, 178, 180, 218, 246, 305–308
Bayḍâwi the Commentator on the Koran,
i. 31, 39, 96, 97, 267–269, 291,
292, 298, 301, 312, 314, 316, 325, 331, 337, 342, 345, 356, 367, 368,
374, 379, 381, 393, 404, 407, 413, 415, 418, 420, 422, 424, 425, 430–
433, 438, 439, 441, 442, 452, 459, 473, 474, 478, 511, 513, 518, 521–
523, 531, 538, 539; ii. 206, 216, 270
Benû Ḳoraysh,
i. 8, 16, 30, 31, 51, 64, 65, 74, 93, 94, 279, 324, 332, 368,
375, 376, 396, 401, 405, 416, 428, 439, 485, 517, 518; ii. 246, 280, 293
“Chrestomathie Arabe,” by De Sacy,
i. 101, 139, 151, 270, 271, 322, 330,
331, 335, 340, 345, 347, 351, 353, 368, 382, 397, 459, 477, 488, 520
Grammar,
i. v, 7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 22, 63, 90, 98, 99, 243, 247, 333, 498, 499,
501, 502, 504, 507, 508, 514; ii. 165, 177, 233, 248, 306
Grammatical,
i. vi, ix, 7, 12, 15, 55, 65, 67, 71, 72, 96, 106, 243, 248, 269,
273, 274, 399, 446, 522, 539; ii. 15, 37, 214, 218, 221, 232, 233, 268,
281, 285
Ḥamâseh, The,
i. 55, 57, 292, 299, 305, 317, 320, 326, 327, 332, 353, 355,
357, 366, 375, 387, 391, 394, 403, 405, 409, 429, 430, 435, 436, 444–
446, 449, 453, 462, 472, 479, 485, 487, 492, 495, 529, 530, 537; ii.
209, 212, 217, 233, 241, 265, 278, 284, 288
Ḥarîri [Al], the Author of these Assemblies,
i. v, viii–x, 1–13, 20, 21, 23–30,
32–40, 42, 48, 55–57, 62, 64, 67–74, 76 note, 79, 89–92, 95, 97–103, 108,
145, 151, 163, 164, 168, 186, 207, 214, 244, 265, 266, 268–270, 272–
283, 285, 287–291, 293, 296, 300, 301, 303–305, 312, 313, 315, 318,
321–323, 325, 328–331, 334, 336, 339, 345–348, 358, 365, 375, 377, 382,
384, 385, 389, 391, 398–402, 405, 407, 409, 413, 414, 418–420, 427,
434, 438, 450, 452–456, 461, 465, 469, 475, 481, 483, 484, 486, 488,
495–497, 504, 508–511, 513, 522–525, 533, 534, 536, 537, 539; ii. vii–ix,
1, 24, 37, 44, 75, 89, 90, 101, 136, 141, 147, 156, 163, 175, 187–189,
191, 192, 197, 198, 212, 214, 217, 218, 220, 233, 235, 240, 242, 243
256, 263, 264, 273–278, 291
Ḥârith [Al], son of Hammâm, the Rawi or Reciter in Ḥarîri’s Assemblies,
i. 21, 23, 37, 58, 76–78, 80, 82, 83, 106, 108, 111–113, 115, 117, 118,
120, 121, 124, 126–128, 132, 133, 139–141, 143, 144, 146, 151, 152, 157,
158, 161–164, 168–170, 176, 178, 180, 181, 184–187, 193, 194, 197, 198,
200, 201, 206, 207, 211, 213, 215, 217, 219, 220, 222, 223, 226–229,
232, 234, 238, 243–245, 248, 253, 258, 264 (explanation about Ḥârith
and Ḥarîri, 278), 279, 285, 335, 368, 383, 399, 421, 434, 447, 466, 521;
ii. 1, 2, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 18, 25, 29, 31, 37, 38, 56, 58, 62, 63, 67, 69, 71,
75, 80, 83, 90, 93, 94, 96, 100, 102, 108, 109, 113, 114, 120, 125, 129,
132, 139, 142, 146, 147, 154, 156, 161, 163, 168, 169, 175, 176, 185,
190, 191, 194–196, 215, 233, 261, 262, 269, 307
Hebrew,
i. vi, 32, 43–48, 59, 83, 85–88, 90, 97, 268, 311, 340, 357, 380, 406,
425, 445, 466, 514, 516, 534, 535; ii. 147
Hijra, or Mohammedan Era,
i. 3, 7, 17, 19, 65, 94, 326, 332–334, 349, 358,
367, 383, 388, 389, 396, 448, 456, 523
Ibn Khallikân, the Biographer,
i. 7, 10, 25, 26, 28, 29, 39, 65, 94 and
note, 270–272, 278, 319, 326, 327, 334, 358, 371, 383, 384, 399, 437, 455,
458, 461, 467, 468, 470, 493, 497, 498, 515, 520, 526; ii. x, 194, 201,
246–248, 254, 286
Ignorance, Time of,
i.e., before Mohammed’s time, i. ix, 8, 14, 16, 17, 49,
56, 61, 67, 271, 285, 297, 302, 316, 323, 325, 374, 375, 404, 409, 438,
445, 480, 490, 519; ii. 51, 209, 236, 239, 262, 291, 300
Imr al Ḳays, the Poet,
i. 14, 16, 56, 60, 61, 293, 295, 304, 310, 337, 355, 374,
376, 386, 394, 400, 427, 446–448, 453, 479, 484, 485, 491, 492, 525, 532;
ii. 267
Irak,
i. 3, 4, 10, 14, 33, 34, 65, 69, 70, 94, 112, 114, 168, 169, 174, 206, 215,
304, 308, 320, 338, 384, 406, 422, 426, 469, 494, 514; ii. 57, 190, 194,
262, 300
Islâm,
i. 1, 4, 9, 10, 14–16, 27, 34, 49, 56, 61, 65, 67, 69, 92, 99, 163, 164,
181, 279, 289, 309, 318, 320, 325, 332, 348, 349, 352, 365, 370, 375, 390–
392, 396, 401, 403, 410, 434, 436, 438, 458, 483, 520, 538; ii. 10, 12, 20,
37, 48, 128, 136, 188, 192, 200, 205, 207, 226, 239, 246, 270
Kadi,
i.e., a judge or magistrate, i. 38, 58, 79, 80, 145, 146, 148–152, 154–
157, 261, 333–335, 343, 349, 358, 437; ii. 53, 62, 68, 69, 83–85, 87, 88,
101, 108, 125, 141–146, 163, 226, 230, 232, 233, 244, 266
Khalif,
i. 3, 4, 17, 18, 34, 65, 72, 93, 309, 326, 333, 369–371, 384, 396, 406,
445, 455, 457, 467–470, 482, 487, 490, 493, 497, 515; ii. 228, 248, 257, 275
Khalifate,
i. 3, 5, 6, 15, 34, 235, 326, 349, 351, 436, 445, 455, 469, 472, 480,
489; ii. 253, 255, 290
Koran, Chapters of the, quoted in this work:
Chapter
i., i. 171, 301, 367, 373, 539
Chapter
ii., i. 312, 316, 325, 342, 347, 378, 379, 391, 407, 408, 412, 415,
419, 434, 442, 459, 465, 509, 511, 520, 521, 538; ii. 112, 203,
205, 206, 224, 227, 232, 254, 256, 260, 267, 280, 290, 298,
300, 301, 302
Chapter I
ii., i. 266, 312, 316, 386, 391, 408, 514; ii. 218, 240, 243, 250,
310
Chapter IV.,
i. 316, 348, 355, 405, 412, 452, 461, 462, 500, 518, 519, 523;
ii. 203, 236, 251, 280, 285
Chapter V.,
i. 267, 323, 325, 349, 393, 412, 414, 419, 469, 515, 520, 531,
538; ii. 205, 206, 209, 230
Chapter V
i., i. 267, 316, 467, 500, 515; ii. 134, 137, 202, 205, 239, 270,
275
Chapter V
ii., i. 72, 268, 329, 398, 412, 420, 432, 433, 440, 441, 465;
ii. 201, 208, 231, 232, 244, 282, 309
Chapter VI
ii., i. 499; ii. 203, 215
Chapter IX.,
i. 306, 431; ii. 57, 190, 200, 204, 253, 257
Chapter X.,
i. 420, 438, 463, 495; ii. 224
Chapter X
i., i. 268, 316, 379, 385, 400, 432, 438, 441, 466, 477, 478, 512;
ii. 45, 201, 206, 216, 240, 281, 296, 308
Chapter X
ii., i. 78, 358, 398, 417, 478, 499, 532, 538; ii. 210, 213, 298,
303, 310
Chapter XI
ii., i. 409; ii. 304
Chapter XIV.,
i. 396
Chapter XV.,
i. 301, 371, 374, 398, 432, 467; ii. 284
Chapter XV
i., i. 95, 434, 465, 515, 523; ii. 196, 209, 241, 291
Chapter XV
ii., i. 273, 329, 373, 435, 440, 518, 522, 523; ii. 197, 200,
230, 238, 240, 242, 247, 256, 258, 297, 304
Chapter XVI
ii., i. 31, 99, 277, 378, 399, 414, 416, 450, 512, 516, 522;
ii. 197, 231, 236, 243
Chapter XIX.,
i. 322, 478; ii. 194, 197, 210, 223, 308
Chapter XX.,
i. 309, 381, 398, 407; ii. 209, 212
Chapter XX
i., i. 268, 348, 414, 440, 515; ii. 202, 222, 275
Chapter XX
ii., i. 310, 316, 374, 391, 393, 464, 474; ii. 136, 199, 241,
266, 275
Chapter XXI
ii., i. 513; ii. 279
Chapter XXIV.,
i. 302, 430; ii. 240, 244, 286
Chapter XXV.,
i. 374, 431; ii. 110, 252
Chapter XXV
i., i. 95, 268, 309, 327, 394, 432, 438, 441; ii. 243, 272, 276,
299
Chapter XXV
ii., i. 283, 291, 345, 373, 379, 415, 432, 433, 464, 473, 486,
538; ii. 220, 245, 255
Chapter XXVI
ii., i. 314, 438; ii. 236, 241, 255, 296
Chapter XXIX.,
ii. 223
Chapter XXX.,
i. 408, 442, 486
Chapter XXX
i., i. 31, 368, 422, 477; ii. 305
Chapter XXX
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter XXXI
ii., i. 307, 401, 407, 467, 473; ii. 299
Chapter XXXIV.,
i. 424, 436; ii. 191
Chapter XXXV.,
ii. 252, 290, 307
Chapter XXXV
i., i. 52, 420, 454, 531; ii. 256, 287, 309
Chapter XXXV
ii., i. 365, 371, 435; ii. 192, 196, 263, 267
Chapter XXXVI
ii., i. 268, 269, 291, 379, 436, 438, 478; ii. 217
Chapter XXXIX.,
i. 301, 464, 500; ii. 251
Chapter XL.,
i. 518
Chapter XL
i., i. 502; ii. 195, 258
Chapter XL
ii., ii. 308
Chapter XLI
ii., ii. 54, 208, 213, 273
Chapter XLIV.,
i. 431, 522; ii. 240, 243
Chapter XLV. No reference to this chapter
Chapter XLV
i., i. 268, 379, 441; ii. 216, 229, 304
Chapter XLV
ii., i. 357, 474; ii. 212
Chapter XLVI
ii., i. 442; ii. 51, 208, 309
Chapter XLIX.,
i. 293; ii. 200
Chapter L.,
i. 398, 431; ii. 200
Chapter L
i., ii. 300
Chapter L
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter LI
ii., i. 460
Chapter LIV.,
i. 441, 467
Chapter LV.,
i. 386, 472; ii. 252
Chapter LV
i., ii. 139, 213, 304
Chapter LV
ii., i. 421
Chapter LVI
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter LIX.,
i. 441, 518; ii. 137, 201, 254
Chapter LX.,
i. 440
Chapter LX
i., i. 454; ii. 95, 239
Chapter LX
ii., ii. 194
Chapter LXI
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter LXIV.,
i. 477
Chapter LXV.,
i. 420, 488, 518
Chapter LXV
i., i. 348; ii. 308
Chapter LXV
ii., ii. 136, 200, 276, 284
Chapter LXVI
ii., ii. 257
Chapter LXIX.,
i. 442; ii. 203
Chapter LXX.,
ii. 199, 204
Chapter LXX
i., i. 374, 404, 445; ii. 197
Chapter LXX
ii., i. 330, 379, 463
Chapter LXXI
ii., ii. 265
Chapter LXXIV.,
i. 414
Chapter LXXV.,
i. 460, 465; ii. 205
Chapter LXXV
i., i. 368, 522
Chapter LXXV
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter LXXVI
ii., i. 374; ii. 196, 205
Chapter LXXIX.,
i. 460; ii. 193, 299
Chapter LXXX.,
ii. 257, 292
Chapter LXXX
i., i. 53, 268, 434;
Chapter LXXX
ii., ii. 257
Chapter LXXXI
ii., i. 268, 430; ii. 206
Chapter LXXXIV.,
ii. 291, 294
Chapter LXXXV.,
i. 337, 373, 374
Chapter LXXXV
i., ii. 247
Chapter LXXXV
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter LXXXVI
ii., ii. 196, 199
Chapter LXXXIX.,
i. 369, 441, 468
Chapter XC. No reference to this chapter
Chapter XC
i. No reference to this chapter
Chapter XC
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter XCI
ii., i. 349; ii. 199, 270
Chapter XCIV. No reference to this chapter
Chapter XCV.,
i. 513
Chapter XCV
i., i. 52
Chapter XCV
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter XCVI
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter XCIX. No reference to this chapter
Chapter C.,
i. 486
Chapter C
i., i. 367, 373
Chapter C
ii., i. 366
Chapter CI
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter CIV.,
i. 486; ii. 193
Chapter CV.,
i. 331
Chapter CV
i. No reference to this chapter
Chapter CV
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter CVI
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter CIX. No reference to this chapter
Chapter CX.,
ii. 191
Chapter CX
i., i. 52, 439
Chapter CX
ii. No reference to this chapter
Chapter CXI
ii., i. 52, 266, 452
Chapter CXIV.,
i. 52, 266, 398, 521
Koran, Other references to the,
i. 2, 4, 8, 14, 16, 27, 30, 31, 33, 34, 36, 39,
51, 52, 64–69, 73, 74, 76, (its construction and reconstruction, 92–97),
105, 110, 115, 121, 126, 171, 209, 268, 273, 281, 285, 286, 291, 307,
324, 329, 333, 379, 384, 393, 399, 405–407, 414–417, 436, 440, 441, 451,
464, 471, 483, 486, 490, 495, 497, 499, 513, 517, 531; ii. viii, ix, xi, 42,
50, 96, 104, 175, 182, 185, 192, 197, 204, 207, 215, 233, 240, 247, 248,
257, 292, 296, 297, 306, 307
Lane, E. W.,
i. 65 note, 269, 280, 281, 284, 286, 289, 295, 296, 298, 301,
305, 314, 318, 323, 337, 338, 341, 343, 357, 363, 365, 369, 376, 378,
381, 392, 397, 400, 410, 431, 436, 441, 445, 460, 463, 478, 480, 481,
490, 516, 524, 526, 531, 537
Legend,
i. 86, 279, 285, 287, 288, 296, 299, 315, 353, 363, 369, 381, 382,
385, 390, 404, 411, 414, 424, 441, 449, 492, 499, 517, 527; ii. 231
Lexicon,
i. 43, 65 note, 269, 295, 357, 363, 397, 403, 430, 445, 478, 480,
516, 524, 526, 531, 537
Mecca,
i. x, 39, 67, 77, 181, 268, 279, 288, 315, 316, 318, 325, 346, 348,
370, 372, 384, 391, 392, 396, 425, 426, 437, 440, 442, 475, 527; ii. xi,
31, 32, 37, 40, 46, 135, 141, 161, 201, 202, 204, 248, 250, 253, 266, 289,
290, 306–308
Metre,
i. 47, 57, 67, 271, 274–276, 282, 284, 290, 292–294, 297, 298, 302
306, 310, 315, 319, 327, 328, 330, 336, 342, 344, 347, 349, 362, 366, 367,
374, 384, 387, 395, 398, 406, 408, 417, 418, 421, 424, 439–441, 447, 448,
451, 460, 463, 466, 469, 479, 484, 485, 487, 488, 496, 516, 524, 537; ii.
132, 133
Mohammed, the Apostle and Prophet,
i. 14–18, 30, 31, 51–53, 55, 60, 62
note, 67, 95, 96, 104, 171, 255, 267–269, 273, 278, 279, 296, 297, 302,
307–309, 325, 330, 333, 334, 338, 356, 367, 369, 372, 383, 388, 389, 392,
393, 399, 405, 415, 421, 425, 430, 434, 435, 438–440, 442, 460, 469,
483, 515, 519, 521, 522, 538; ii. 10, 20, 21, 28, 37, 38, 52, 90, 113, 135,
136, 191, 192, 196, 198, 200, 204, 205, 214, 216, 225, 226, 232, 239, 242,
245, 253, 254, 265, 267, 270, 271, 278, 280, 286, 288, 289, 292–295, 298,
301, 307, 308
Moses,
i. 44, 46, 129, 190, 267, 268, 305, 309, 314, 365, 407, 409, 415, 425,
461; ii. 57, 87, 231, 240, 255, 304
Moslem,
i. 13, 17, 23, 34, 36, 37, 58, 63, 67, 77, 84, 90, 139, 163, 164, 189,
265, 273, 308, 329, 338, 344, 345, 350, 369, 378, 391, 405, 412, 432,
451, 472, 495, 522; ii. viii, 48, 130, 207, 291, 293, 307
Moslems,
i. 20, 30, 69, 93, 94, 159, 162, 266, 267, 269, 280, 286, 289, 291,
302, 307, 315, 316, 325, 327, 331, 333, 334, 338, 358, 379, 409, 414, 429,
430, 439, 441, 445, 454, 458, 461, 481, 497; ii. 300, 306
Nasîfal Yazaji of Beyrout,
i. 62, 98–101, 281, 314, 363, 365, 374, 382, 393,
396, 443, 464 (his treatise called ‘Aḳd al Jumân on rhetoric, i. 486),
487, 502, 508, 513, 514, 518, 525, 533; ii. 203, 250
Paradise,
i. 138, 164, 256, 329, 334, 342, 350, 378, 398, 412, 415, 430, 431,
460, 471, 514, 521, 522; ii. 64, 202, 226, 267, 290
Perceval Caussin de,
i. 279, 289, 296, 317, 351, 375, 385, 390, 425, 428, 430,
436, 455, 491, 519, 530; ii. 237, 310
Persian,
i. vi. 5, 33, 44, 62 note, 64, 66, 132, 290, 322, 350, 377, 391, 451,
459, 469, 481, 497, 514; ii. 169, 198, 217, 229, 241, 245, 273, 288
Persians,
i. vi, 31, 57, 69, 84, 285, 286, 288, 289, 344, 420, 442, 466, 539;
ii. 192
Poem,
i. 41, 55, 62, 83, 88, 91, 142, 184, 234, 271, 297, 310, 319, 320, 359,
366, 367, 385, 398, 486, 525; ii. 131, 146, 147, 156, 168, 209, 212, 215,
251, 267, 292
Poems,
i. 14, 17, 38, 57, 61, 62 note, 66, 151, 350, 374, 383, 462, 482–484;
ii. 130, 264
Poet,
i. 16, 28, 41, 44, 60–62, 67, 229, 273, 280, 320, 323, 333, 340, 350, 358,
361, 365, 383, 408, 434, 437, 448, 484, 485, 492, 525, 526, 537; ii. 94,
189, 190, 205, 217, 237, 254, 255, 274, 277, 284, 288, 293, 294, 297, 301,
308, 309
Poetry,
i. 7, 8, 13, 16, 19, 30, 35, 40, 41, 43–45, 47–49, 52, 54, 55, 58, 61, 63,
67, 85, 106, 113, 129, 155, 163, 180, 194, 236, 269, 277, 297, 303, 320,
333, 350, 359, 383, 387–389, 430, 447, 483–485; ii. 15, 27, 65, 94, 131,
163, 177, 189, 198, 220, 233, 248, 272, 276, 306, 309
Poets,
i. 8, 13, 14, 16, 26, 30, 31, 52, 56, 57, 61, 65, 67, 69, 91, 112, 176,
236, 282, 294, 295, 297, 300, 310, 320, 321, 350–352, 356, 359, 361,
374, 410, 430, 437, 448, 458, 463, 483, 484, 488, 525, 530; ii. 215, 232,
237, 253, 255, 272, 299
Prophet, The,
i.e., Mohammed, i. 4, 5, 16, 31, 52, 53, 67, 93, 265, 267–269,
277, 280, 281, 285, 291, 295, 296, 303, 306–308, 318, 329, 332, 333,
336, 353, 355, 364, 370–372, 389, 392, 395, 396, 401, 402, 405, 413,
415, 416, 418, 419, 421, 430, 434, 436, 438–440, 442, 445, 447, 450,
452, 458, 472, 474, 479, 480, 483, 498; 500, 515, 517, 520, 522, 531,
538; ii. 14, 18, 20, 28, 38, 57, 128, 178, 192, 206, 226, 245, 271, 286,
290, 292
Proverb,
i. 27, 29, 297, 299, 304, 305, 308, 323, 330, 343, 346, 356, 357,
361–363, 376, 377, 382, 384, 386, 390, 404, 408, 410, 421, 434, 435, 453,
455, 460, 465, 472, 488, 490, 516, 517, 520, 522, 529, 530; ii. 90, 194,
205, 210, 212, 218, 221, 223, 226, 227, 229, 230, 233, 234, 238, 241,
243, 249, 250, 256, 261, 262, 264, 265, 268, 269, 271, 272, 274, 275,
277, 278, 281–284, 286, 290–295, 301, 305, 310
Proverbial,
i. 281, 285, 293, 304–306, 309, 321, 324, 334, 335, 349, 352, 359,
362, 363, 375, 377, 385, 390, 391, 395, 397, 401, 402, 404, 406, 408,
417, 431, 433, 443, 449, 454, 459, 464, 465, 469, 472, 474, 475, 488,
490, 494, 495, 516, 519, 528, 529; ii. 156, 188, 190, 195, 196, 211, 220,
222, 223, 227, 231–234, 242, 243, 250, 256, 262, 279, 282, 286, 289,
293, 294, 297, 299, 302, 304, 305, 308, 310
Proverbs,
i. 69, 70, 73, 74, 85, 91, 99, 106, 273, 300, 320, 323, 435, 464,
471, 472; ii. 187, 222, 248, 273, 281, 282, 292, 303
Proverbs, Arab, referred to in this work, from Freytag’s:
Volume
i. i. 281, 289, 296, 299, 300, 301, 310, 312, 317, 318, 324, 339, 343,
361–363, 376, 377, 381, 382, 384–386, 391, 394, 397, 403,
408, 410, 418, 421, 431, 435, 436, 453, 464, 466, 472, 474,
475, 478, 485, 488, 490, 516, 517, 522, 527–530, 532, 538;
ii. 196, 197, 204, 212, 214, 216, 218, 221–223, 225, 226, 230,
232, 237, 240, 241, 245, 246, 248–250, 256, 261, 262, 268,
270, 275, 277–279, 282, 284, 286–289, 291–295, 301–304,
309, 310
Volume
ii. of Freytag, i. 273, 277, 281, 285, 293, 295, 299, 303, 305, 308,
330, 332, 346, 347, 350–352, 356, 359, 361, 373, 375, 380–
382, 387, 391, 395, 402, 406, 411, 412, 417, 419, 428, 434,
435, 443, 448, 449, 454, 455, 460, 465, 469, 471, 472, 475,
478, 488, 490, 492, 495, 500, 516–520, 523, 526, 532; ii. 198,
203, 206, 210–212, 215, 217, 218–220, 222, 223, 227–231, 233,
234, 241–244, 246–248, 250, 256, 261, 262, 268, 271, 272,
275, 277, 278, 281, 283, 294, 295, 298, 300, 302–305, 308,
309
Volume I
ii. of Freytag, Part i., ii. 199, 234, 241, 268, 272
Volume I
ii. of Freytag, Part ii., ii. 211, 243
Rejez metre,
i. 12, 18, 48, 54–58, 98, 297, 300, 315, 320, 344, 349, 366, 382,
395, 417, 424, 441, 449, 466, 485, 516, 527, 537; ii. 133, 251
Rhyme, or rhythm,
i. 48–54, 58, 83, 85, 101, 118, 168, 271, 297, 319, 330,
366, 367, 382, 484, 486; ii. 108, 132, 156, 235, 266, 287
Sacy, Sylvestre de,
i. 3 note, 12, 24, 39, 42 note, 62 note, 74 note, 76 note,
97, 98, 101, 139, 151, 269–272, 274, 280, 281, 284, 292, 294, 300, 304,
306, 312, 314, 318, 322, 329–331, 335, 337–340, 345–347, 350, 351, 353,
363, 365, 368, 370, 372, 375, 381, 382, 385, 389, 397–400, 406, 409, 413,
414, 416, 418, 420, 422, 425, 429, 434, 436, 438, 441, 444, 451, 454,
456, 459–462, 469, 473, 477, 479, 482, 483, 487, 488, 495, 499, 500, 502,
509, 518, 520, 525, 533, 537; ii. 196, 197, 203, 208, 219, 224, 226, 230
236, 241, 250, 252, 260, 263, 265, 266, 270, 276, 280, 282, 285, 290,
295
Semitic,
i. 43, 45, 47, 48, 59, 64, 83, 85, 87, 89, 283, 311, 312, 514, 534;
ii. 147
Serûj,
i. 13, 21, 22, 106, 108, 112, 113, 116, 130, 133, 138, 140, 142, 145,
154, 161, 181, 185, 207, 248, 286, 398; ii. 4, 5, 25, 30, 61, 81, 105, 119,
141, 163, 167, 178, 181
Sherîshi, the Andalusian Commentator,
i. 38, 69, 146, 186, 265–267, 269,
270, 277, 278, 288, 292, 301, 304, 305, 308, 314, 318, 322, 327, 329,
330, 333, 335, 337, 338, 344–346, 350–353, 355, 356, 362, 363, 368, 391,
395, 400, 402, 405, 408, 409, 411, 413, 415, 417–419, 427, 429, 438, 439,
445, 447, 451, 455, 457, 459, 461, 465, 467, 471, 473, 476, 479, 481,
483, 487, 489, 490, 498, 499, 500, 515, 518, 520, 523, 524, 537; ii. 191,
195, 198, 199, 204, 211, 212, 216, 221, 230, 234, 244, 251–253, 256, 264,
268, 276, 284, 285, 288, 292, 295, 299, 303
Sura, or Chapter of the Koran,
i. 31, 52, 53, 96, 268, 298, 301, 330, 367,
373, 379, 404, 407, 409, 414, 415, 417, 434, 439, 440, 442, 452, 454,
521; ii. 68, 157, 170, 193, 196, 210, 213, 215, 231, 256, 257, 292, 294,
305
Syria,
i. 3, 4, 13, 14, 20, 38, 65, 168, 286, 206, 288, 289, 336, 361, 369, 384,
422, 432, 470; ii. 31, 32, 57, 119, 178, 199, 304, 306
Ṭabari, the Historian,
i. 316, 372, 373, 378, 416, 423, 432, 440, 442, 455,
474, 493, 518; ii. x
Ṭarafeh, the Poet,
i. 14, 16, 56, 284, 293, 346, 358–361, 380, 407, 411, 439,
448, 473, 487, 495, 527; ii. 304
Ta‘rîfât,
i. 266, 273, 291, 298, 329, 332, 343, 403, 406, 421, 473
Tradition,
i. 20, 24–27, 34, 41, 44, 52, 67, 73, 86, 164, 267, 269, 278, 296,
307, 308, 316, 329, 334, 364, 367, 369, 370, 385, 387, 391, 396, 397,
399, 401, 402, 409, 410, 413, 414, 418, 419, 422, 425, 432, 433, 440, 442,
445, 451, 457, 466, 479, 488, 498, 509, 515, 517, 522, 531; ii. 9, 136,
178, 191, 204, 206, 214–216, 221, 235, 239, 265, 267, 270, 271, 279, 286,
288, 289, 294, 295, 299, 301, 308, 310
Traditions,
i. 6, 14, 29, 31, 34, 63, 74, 89, 101, 218, 268, 316, 333, 384, 393,
396, 401, 405, 406, 447, 450, 458, 460, 474, 483, 487, 498, 538; ii. ix,
26, 37, 95, 179, 192, 292, 306
Translation,
i. 45, 49, 70, 101, 102, 146, 345, 355, 481, 516: ii. vii, ix, xi,
74, 113, 114, 132, 194, 195, 204, 205, 207, 211, 218, 219, 226, 230, 247,
253, 256, 260, 263, 265, 268, 269, 281, 282, 284, 290, 294, 295, 297, 299,
301, 308, 309
Verses indited or recited by Abû Zayd,
i. 110–112, 115–117, 119–121, 124,
126–130, 132, 138, 139, 141, 142, 144, 148–150, 154, 155, 157, 162, 163,
165–167, 173–175, 178–180, 183, 185, 192, 193, 197–199, 204, 211–213,
217, 219–221, 225–228, 233, 234, 236, 237, 239, 240, 245, 248, 254, 258,
262, 263; ii. 4, 7, 13, 23, 30, 34–36, 56, 57, 59, 60, 62, 64, 67, 70, 73,
74, 77–81, 85–88, 92, 93, 99–101, 105, 106, 110–112, 115–119, 124, 125,
129, 134–139, 141, 143, 145, 146, 155, 159–162, 164, 167–169, 174, 180
Verses of various Poets,
i. 273, 280, 309, 323, 333, 359, 382, 389, 390, 398,
411, 449, 468, 476, 494, 519, 528; ii. 190, 205, 213, 215, 217, 225, 228,
233, 254, 254, 255, 265, 274, 277, 294, 298, 301, 302, 310
Yemen,
i. 10, 64, 108, 131, 263, 279, 280, 288, 299, 320, 351, 352, 369, 372,
381, 387, 390, 404, 417, 422, 425, 426, 441, 444, 445, 448, 466, 479, 527,
530, 537; ii. 62, 83, 113, 119, 178, 199, 211, 224, 238, 247, 256 306,
310
APPENDIX B (see Preface, p. x).
This appendix shows the names of people, places, and things as
spelt by Mr. Chenery in 1867, compared with the transliteration of
the present day by Dr. Steingass, who prefaces the subjoined list
with the following explanatory remarks:
“The system of transliteration observed by me is based on two
distinctive principles: Firstly, to represent, to the exclusion of
every element of doubt, the written Arabic character, which,
excepting some slight variations in the shape of the letters, has not
altered ever since the Koran was first committed to writing;
secondly, to select the representative symbols so as to make them
fit in with the transliteration of other Oriental languages in England,
particularly with that of the diverse idioms of India, partly derived
from Sanscrit.
“The former of these principles applies especially to the vowels,
and aims at the uniform rendering of the three unvariable signs for
the elementary vowels Fatḥah (‘a’), Kasrah (‘i’), and Ẓammah (‘u’),
taken by themselves and in connection with the weak consonants Yâ
(‘y’) and Wâw (‘w’), irrespectively of their sounds, or the way in
which they are pronounced. Pronunciation has changed, and probably
will go on changing, in different times and places, and is therefore
in all languages, as English illustrates in the most striking manner,
only to be acquired by oral instruction. When it is made the basis
of transliteration, it leads unavoidably to inconsistencies. To begin,
for instance, with the beginning: The name of the first letter ‘Alif,’
which, with the original sound of its initial, has, thanks to Greek,
survived until this day in the first syllable of the English word
‘alphabet,’ is spelt by Mr. Chenery ‘Elif,’ because it is thus pronounced
by the modern Arabs. But for the same reason he should
write ‘El Ḥârith’ instead of ‘Al Ḥârith,’ for ‘El’ is the pronunciation
now given by most Arabs to the article, and adopted, e.g., in
Professor Wright’s Arabic Grammar. Again, if Mr. Chenery spells
‘Moslem’ instead of ‘Muslim,’ he may with equal right transliterate
‘Ḥâreth’ instead of ‘Ḥârith,’ the last syllable of either word having
Kasrah for its vowel. Another point of divergence between the two
systems refers to Fatḥah, followed by a quiescent Wâw or Yâ,
in which case the Sukûn over the weak consonants indicates that
their consonantal character submerges in their cognate vowel
element, which forms with the preceding Fatḥah the diphthongs
corresponding to the Greek and , in Roman letters ‘au’ and
‘ai.’ I therefore would have written ‘Zaurâ’ for Chenery’s ‘Zowrâ,’
and ‘Zaid’ for his ‘Zayd’ (why not ‘Zeyd’ in analogy with
‘Zowra’?).
“With regard to the second principle concerning the consonants,
I substitute the symbols ‘Ẓ,’ ‘T̤,’ and ‘Z̤’ respectively, for Mr.
Chenery’s ‘Ḍ,’ ‘Ṭ,’ and ‘Ẓ,’ or in other words, I would spell
‘Tumâẓir’ for his ‘Tumâḍir,’ ‘T̤ûr’ for his ‘Ṭûr,’ ‘Z̤âhir’ for his
‘Ẓâhir,’ etc. Thus the first two of his letters with a single dot
underneath, ‘Ḍ’ and ‘Ṭ,’ remain available for the transliteration of
cognate letters in some of the Indian languages. ‘Z̤’ for his ‘Ẓ’
recommends itself as a correlative of ‘T̤,’ both consonants represented
thereby having in Arabic similar outlines and a strong
organic affinity, and ‘Ẓ’ for ‘Ḍ’ is justified by the relation of the
transcribed letter to that designated by Chenery and myself by ‘Ṣ,’
the Arabic character of which has the same shape, and from whose
peculiar sibilant sound it inclines towards ‘Z.’
“Chenery’s ‘Th’ corresponds to my ‘S̤,’ and when underlined, as
in ‘Jathîmeh,’ to my ‘Ẕ,’ the object of which substitutions is to
avoid as much as possible the use of compound letters in the transliteration.
If in this respect the time-honoured ‘Gh’ and ‘Kh’ are
preserved, they should be underlined, in order to indicate that they
are not to be pronounced separately, but as a single sound—the
‘Kh,’ for instance, somewhat like the Scotch ‘ch’ in ‘loch.’ This
is of prosodic importance when the letters occur in the middle of a
word; for if in the transliteration of the Arabic ‘lughah,’ for
instance, the constituent parts of the compound character were kept
separate in pronunciation as in the English word ‘loghouse,’ it would,
according to the laws of Arabic prosody, form a spondee, while in
reality it is an iambus.
“There is one point more to consider in every system of transliteration,
namely, the avoidance of diacritical signs altogether as
far as feasible. This applies to the letters Kâf and Ḳaf (Qâf).
Their distinction by means of a dot below the second one has much
in its favour, but, on the other hand, both occur so frequently in
Arabic, that the accidental breaking off of the dot in type or its
omission by oversight may cause numerous mistakes. In France
and England, therefore, the second letter was represented by ‘C,’ of
which the English dictionary word ‘cadi’ is a remnant; but the
different pronunciation of ‘C’ before ‘E’ and ‘I’ from that before
other vowels led to its abandonment. The same objection, however,
does not exist against my transcribing the guttural in question by
‘Q,’ and this practice gains more and more in extension.
“After an attentive perusal of the above remarks, and by aid of
the annexed alphabetical list, the student of Arabic will have no
difficulty to retransliterate, according to my system, any of the
names of persons, places, and objects which the editor has taken
great pains in altering from the original spelling of vol. ii. into that
of vol. i.:
| Chenery. | Steingass. |
| Abû Zayd. | Abû Zaid. |
| ‘Âyisheh. | ‘Âyishah. |
| Bâḳil. | Bâqil. |
| Bayḍâwî. | Baiẓâwî. |
| Ḍabbah.sup>1
| Ẓabbah. |
| Elif. | Alif. |
| Farḍ. | Farẓ. |
| Fâṭimeh. | Fât̤imah. |
| Ghaḍa. | Ghaẓá. |
| Ḥârith. | Ḥâris̤. |
| Ibn Al Moḳaffa‘. | Ibn al-Muqaffa‘. |
| Jathîmeh. | Jaẕîmah. |
| Kadi. | Qâzî. |
| Ḳa‘ḳâ‘. | Qa‘qâ‘. |
| Khalîl. | Khalîl. |
| Ḳâmûs. | Qâmûs. |
| Ḳaṭa. | Qat̤a’. |
| Laḳab. | Laqab. |
| Mo‘allaḳah. | Mu‘allaqah. |
| Mokhâriḳ. | Mukhâriq. |
| Nâbigheh. | Nâbighah. |
| ‘Okâẓ. | ‘Ukâz̤. |
| ‘Othrah. | Uẕrah. |
| Ramaḍân. | Ramaẓân. |
| Shaykh. | Shaikh. |
| Ṭaybeh. | T̤aibah. |
| Tharid. | S̤arîd. |
| Thû ’l Ḥijjah. | Ẕû ’l-ḥijjah. |
| Welîd. | Walîd. |
| Yemâmeh. | Yamâmah. |
| Ẓarîfeh. | Z̤arifah. |