ANECDOTES AND ANA.
In Persian literature there are three celebrated works (Sa'di's
'Gulistan,' or Rose Garden, A.D. 1258; Jawini's 'Negaristan,' or
Portrait Gallery, A.D. 1334; and Jami's 'Beharistan,' or Abode of
Spring, A.D. 1487, all translated by the Kama Shastra Society),
containing an entertaining collection of stories, verses, and moral
maxims. In Arabic literature there are many books of the same sort,
and in this chapter it is proposed to give a few specimens of stories
and philosophic reflections culled from various authors. This will
perhaps be more interesting than a lengthened analysis of the works
themselves.
The following anecdotes have been taken from the 'Naphut-ul-Yaman'
(Breeze or Breath of Yaman), a collection of stories and poetical
extracts of various Arabic authors, edited by Ahmad-ash-Shirwani.
I.
Al-Jahiz said: 'I never was put so much to shame as when a woman met
me on the road and said, "I have some business with you," and I
followed her till we reached the shop of a goldsmith, when she said,
"Like this man," and walked away. I stood amazed, and asked the
goldsmith to explain the matter. He replied: "This woman wanted me to
make her a figure of Satan, and I told her that I did not know his
physiognomy; whereon she brought you!"'
II.
A voracious man paid a visit to a hermit, who brought him four loaves,
and then went to fetch a dish of beans; but when he had come with it,
he found that his guest had consumed the bread. Accordingly he
departed to bring some more bread, but when he returned with it he saw
that the man had devoured the beans. This proceeding was repeated ten
times, whereon the host asked his guest to what place he was
travelling. He replied, 'To Rei.' 'Wherefore?' 'I heard of a
celebrated physician in that town, and I mean to consult him about my
stomach, because I have but little appetite for eating.' 'I have a
request to make of you.' 'What is it?' 'When you return, after having
recovered your appetite, please do not pay me a visit again.'
III.
One day the poet Abu Nuwas made his appearance at the gate of the
palace of Rashid, who, as soon as he was informed of this, called for
eggs, and said to his courtiers: 'Here is Abu Nuwas at the door. Now
let each of you take an egg and place it under his body, and when he
enters I shall feign to be angry with all of you, and shall exclaim:
"Now lay eggs each of you, and if you do not I shall order you all to
be beheaded," and we shall see how he will behave.' Then the poet was
admitted, and the conversation continued. After a while, however, the
Khalif became angry, and manifested his displeasure by exclaiming:
'You are all like hens, and meddle with things that do concern you;
now lay eggs each of you, for that is your nature, or I shall order
your heads to be struck off.' Then he looked at the courtier on his
right, saying: 'You are the first; now lay an egg.' Accordingly he
made great efforts, and contorting his features, at last drew forth an
egg. Then the Khalif addressed the others successively in the same
manner, and when the turn of Abu Nuwas came, he struck his sides with
his hands, and crowing like a cock, said: 'My lord, hens are useless
without a cock. These are hens, and I am their cock.' Hereon the
Khalif burst out laughing, and approved of his excuse.
IV.
A certain king was much addicted to women, and one of his viziers
warned him of the danger. Shortly afterwards some of his concubines
observed that his behaviour towards them had changed, and one of them
said: 'My lord, what is this?' He replied: 'One of my viziers
(mentioning his name) advised me not to love you.' 'Then,' said the
girl, 'present me to him, O king, and do not reveal what I shall do to
him.' Accordingly he gave the girl away, and when the vizier was alone
with her, she made herself so amiable that he fell in love with her,
but she refused to grant him any favour except on condition of
allowing her first to ride on his back. He agreed. Accordingly she
bridled and saddled him, but meanwhile sent word to the king what was
taking place; and when he arrived he saw the vizier in the position
alluded to, and said: 'You warned me of the love of woman, and this is
the state I see you in.' The vizier replied: 'O king! this is just
what I warned you of!'
V.
Once a lion, a fox, and a wolf were associates in the chase, and after
they had killed an ass, a gazelle, and a hare, the lion said to the
wolf: 'Divide the prey among us;' whereon the latter said: 'The ass
will be yours, the hare the fox's, and the gazelle mine;' and the lion
knocked his eye out. Then the fox said: 'A curse on him, what a silly
division he proposed!' Accordingly the lion said: 'Then do you make
the division, O possessor of the brush!' And the fox said: 'The ass
will be for your dinner, the gazelle for your supper, and the hare for
your luncheon.' The lion said: 'You rogue! who taught you to make such
a just distribution?' and Reynard answered, 'The eye of the wolf.'
VI.
A certain king asked his vizier whether habit can vanquish nature, or
nature habit? The vizier replied: 'Nature is stronger, because it is a
root, and habit a branch, and every branch returns to its root.' Now
the king called for wine, and a number of cats made their appearance
with candles in their paws, and stood around him; then he said to the
vizier: 'Do you perceive your mistake in saying that nature is
stronger than habit?' The vizier replied: 'Give me time till this
evening.' The king continued: 'You shall have it.' Accordingly the
vizier appeared in the evening with a mouse in his sleeve, and when
the cats were standing with their candles, he allowed it to slip out,
whereon all the cats threw down the candles and ran after it, so that
the house was nearly set on fire. Then the vizier said: 'Behold, O
king, how nature overcomes habit, and how the branch returns to the
root.'
The 'Merzubán námah,' translated from the Persian into Arabic, is said
to be of very ancient origin, and to embody good maxims in fables. It
was composed, or is supposed to have been composed, by one of the old
princes of Persia called Merzuban, a brother of the King Nausherwan
the Just, who died A.D. 578. On referring to the great encyclopædical
and bibliographical dictionary, edited by Fluegel, it will be found,
under No. 11,783, that Haji Khalfa mentions this book, giving,
however, its title only, without mentioning the time of its
composition, nor the author of it, nor the language in which it had
been written. The following are some extracts from this work, and the
stories resemble others that have come from the Farther East.
I.
The philosopher Merzubán said: 'I am informed that in a certain
district of Aderbaijan there is a mountain as high as the sky, with
fine brooks, trees, fruits and herbs. Under the shelter of one of the
most beautiful trees a pair of partridges lived most happily, but in
the vicinity there was likewise a powerful eagle with his brood, who
periodically visited the abode of the partridges and devoured their
young ones. When the pair had thus several times lost their progeny,
the male proposed that it would either be necessary for them to
emigrate to some other locality, or to try some expedient by which
they might escape from the rapacity of the eagle. He was of opinion
that even in case of failure they might gain some valuable experience
that would be of use in future attempts to elude the persecution, and
said: "We must at all events make a trial, and may learn something
from it, like the donkey who endeavoured to become the companion of
the camel." The she-partridge asked, "How was that?" and the male
continued:
II.
'"Once a donkey tried to keep up walking with a big camel, who paced
lustily, and took long steps, but the ass, being in a hurry, stumbled
every moment, and found that he had undertaken an impossible task. He
asked the camel, 'How is it I wound my hoofs on the rocks so often,
although I constantly look where I am stepping; whilst you, who
apparently walk with leisure, never cast a glance at any of the
obstacles you meet with, and never hurt yourself?' The camel replied:
'The reason is just because you are short-sighted and of weak
intellect; you can look no further than your nose, and are, therefore,
disappointed; whereas I look always forward, know the obstacles I am
likely to encounter, scan the road to a great distance, and avoid the
difficulties, selecting the easiest parts of the way.'" The wise hen
said: "To be forewarned is to be forearmed, and this principle I
follow." "I have narrated this story to show you that we must look
forward, now that the time of laying eggs is at hand, because when our
little ones are hatched it may again be too late to try and save
them."
'The female partridge said: "This is all very well, but we might fare
like the hungry fox who would have lost his life if the ichneumon had
not interceded for him with the camel." The male said "How was that?"
and the female continued:
III.
'"It is related that a certain fox had a fine large den, in which he
collected provisions for the winter and for the summer, fared
sumptuously, and never suffered from want. Once, however, a large army
of ants invaded his domicile, and made short work of all the victuals
he had carefully stored. This misfortune befel him just at a time when
the weather happened to be very cold and food scarce, so that he began
to feel the pangs of hunger. One morning, however, when he was about
to sally forth from his den, he perceived, to his no small
astonishment, at the mouth of it a camel kneeling, with the hinder
part of his body turned towards him. The fox said to himself, 'Here is
good luck,' and made a foolhardy attempt to drag the animal into the
cave by tying a rope to its tail, and to commence pulling at it with
all his might. To make sure of his prey the fox had tied the other end
of the rope to his own body, but when he began to jerk it rather
strongly the camel became vexed, jumped up suddenly, and first
discharging both urine and dung upon Reynard, began to shake himself
violently. The fox dangled in the air, and was repeatedly knocked
against the flanks of the gigantic animal. Then the fox repented of
his silly attempt to feast on camel meat, and knew that his
death-knell would shortly sound. Luckily an ichneumon happened to be
standing close by, amazed at the strange spectacle, and the fox
implored it to intercede for him. Accordingly, the ichneumon addressed
the camel in the following strain: 'Friend giant! it is meet that the
strong, hoping for an eternal reward, should have mercy upon the weak!
Here is a poor stranger who has accidentally become entangled with
your tail. He will be strangled; you may save his life and become his
deliverer by letting him go.' The camel then released the fox, who
would assuredly have lost his life if the ichneumon had not interceded
for him." When the male partridge had heard this story he fully
approved of the moral of it, which is to the effect that ignorant and
weak individuals are generally foiled in their designs against those
who are powerful. He therefore considered that it would be best to
throw themselves upon the mercy of the eagle, and said: "We must pay a
visit to his majesty the eagle, explain our case to him, implore his
mercy, and enroll ourselves among the number of his servants. We may
succeed by gaining his favour; he is the king of all the birds, and
carnivorous, but for all we know his disposition may be so merciful
that he will spare our offspring not only himself, but order all the
other birds of prey, his subjects, to do likewise."
'Then the she-partridge exclaimed: "Your advice is indeed wonderful!
You propose nothing less than that we should court our own perdition,
and of our own accord run into a trap! The eagle in treacherous, and
would deal with us like the heron dealt with the little fish." The
male said, "Please narrate the occurrence," and the female continued:
IV.
'"A heron had taken up his abode, and had lived for a long time near a
brook on the little fishes there. At last, however, he became so old
and weak that he was scarcely able to provide his daily food. He was
once standing in a melancholy attitude on the bank of the streamlet,
waiting for a chance to satisfy his hunger, when he happened to catch
sight of a beautiful little fish disporting itself in the water, and
mourned over his inability to get hold of it. The little fish
perceived the heron standing immovable, and apparently taking not the
least notice of it; therefore it gradually ventured to approach him,
and asked the cause of his melancholy. The heron replied, 'I am
reflecting upon the time of my youth which has passed away, the life I
enjoyed, the pleasures I felt, all of which are irretrievably lost,
and have left behind nothing but repentance for my sins, a weak body,
and tottering limbs. I can now only regret the depredations I have
committed, and wash away with my tears the stains of my
transgressions. How often have I given occasion, both to little fishes
and to eels, to deplore the loss of members of their families, which I
had greedily devoured; but I have now repented, and shall henceforth
do so no more.' When the little fish had heard this wonderful
confession it asked: 'What can I do for you?' The heron replied: 'I
want you only to convey this declaration of mine, with my salutations,
to all your acquaintances, with the information that they may
henceforth live in perfect safety, and need not apprehend any
depredations on my part. There must, however, be covenants and pledges
of security between us.' The little fish asked: 'How can I trust you,
since I am the food on which you subsist, and you cannot be inclined
to dispense with that.' He said: 'Take this grass and tie it round my
neck for a sign that I shall not injure you.' Accordingly, the little
fish took hold of a blade of grass, which was to serve for the heron's
collar, who then placed his beak near the surface of the water to
receive it, but as soon as the little fish had come within reach, the
heron gobbled it up, and this was the end of the promised pledge. My
dear husband, I have narrated this occurrence only to show that we
would, by trusting to any promises of magnanimity that the eagle might
make to us, only court our own perdition."
'In spite of all her objections, however, the she-partridge agreed at
last to accompany her husband to the court of the eagle. They started
together, travelled for some time, arrived at his abode, and made
their obeisance to a courtier whose name was Yuyu, whom the male
partridge addressed as follows: "Most noble lord, we are denizens of
an adjoining mountain, where we lived happily till his majesty the
eagle crushed all our hopes by making his appearance on our mountain
with his court of birds of prey, destroyed our young on several
successive occasions, and reduced us to despair. I proposed to my wife
to emigrate, and she at last consented, so that we have now arrived
here and placed ourselves under the wings of your protection."' Yuyu
was pleased with these words, and replied: "I bid you welcome, and
approve of your sagacity which induced you to seek a refuge at the
court of our most noble sovereign. I must, however, tell you that
although his disposition is righteous, he feeds upon the meat of
animals, but when the weak and helpless crave his mercy, or implore
his aid, he seldom disappoints them; those, on the contrary, who
oppose or endeavour to deceive him must be prepared to fall under his
wrath. He is honest and veracious, because he lives in solitude, and
keeps aloof from intercourse with mankind, because all agree that the
society of men crushes out all good qualities, and is productive of
misery. You may now arise, and seek an audience from his majesty,
because the opportunity will not present itself often. When you enter
and make your obeisance you must watch his humour, which will be
excellent if he has been successful in the chase. Then you will behold
him social and chatting with his courtiers, whilst the nightingale,
the heron, and other birds are singing and dancing for his amusement,
and you can then introduce the subject of your petition. But if you
behold him sitting dumb, with bloodshot eyes, or in an angry mood, say
nothing if you value your life, and in any case, if you should
perceive that silence is best, do not venture to speak."
'After this advice the partridge flew with Yuyu up to a lofty peak of
the mountain, and alighted in a beautiful garden, fragrant with the
perfume of flowers, where the eagle was sitting with his court, which
consisted of birds of every species. Then Yuyu presented himself
before his majesty, and craved an audience for the partridge, which,
having been granted, he was admitted and spoke as follows: "Praise be
to Allah, who has healed our wound and restored us to life! We lived
in trouble and distress, but the justice of your majesty's government
is the theme of every tongue; all our apprehensions have vanished, and
we hope for security under the wings of your protection, because it is
said that a noble Sultan is to his subjects like a kind father to his
children, and protects them against all evils."
'The king replied: "You are welcome in this region; here you may live
in safety among the best of neighbours, and I grant you protection."
Accordingly, the partridge returned to his spouse, whom he informed of
the condescension of his majesty, whose service both accordingly
entered, and whose favour they afterwards gained, so that they lived
happily to the end of their days.'
The 'Merzubán námah' contains also several stories about Kesra
Nausherwan the Just, and his minister Buzarjimehr, but they are not
very interesting. The extracts given above sufficiently show the
nature of this work, which puts into the mouths of animals how men and
women ought to act under various circumstances, and it bears a strong
resemblance in many ways to the 'Kalilah wa Dimnah.'
Two stories have been selected from the celebrated Arabic work
entitled 'Al--Mustatraf,' or 'The Gleaner,' or 'The Collector.' The
full title of this work is 'Al-Mustatraf min kell finn al-mustazraf,'
which may be translated thus: 'Gleanings from every kind of Elegant
(or Pleasing) Composition.' The similarity of the first and last word
of the title is attributable to the fondness of the Arabs for
alliterative or rhyming titles. As there are several meanings attached
to the word Mustatraf in the dictionaries, it might also be
interpreted as 'The Book of Pleasing Novelties.' It contains an
anthology of anecdotes, stories, proverbs, and elegant extracts by
Shaikh Muhammad Bin Ahmad Al-Bashihi. The work is mentioned by Fluegel
in his edition of Haji Khalfa's great work.
I.
Abbas, the chief of the police of the Khalif Mamun, said: 'One day I
was present in an assembly of the Prince of the Faithful, before whom
a man was standing heavily fettered with chains of iron. As soon as
the Khalif perceived me he said: "Abbas, take good care of this man,
and produce him again to-morrow." Accordingly I called for some of my
people, and they carried him away, because he was so heavily shackled
that he could scarcely move. Considering that I had been ordered to
take every care of this prisoner, I concluded that I had better keep
him in my own house, in a chamber of which I then confined him. I
asked him what place he had come from, and on his replying that it was
Damascus, I expressed my best wishes for the prosperity of that town,
whereat he was astonished. I told him that I had been there, and asked
him about a certain man; he said that he would like to know how I
could be acquainted with him, and on my replying that I had had some
business with him, he promised to satisfy my curiosity if I gave him
first some information. Accordingly I made the following statement:
"When I was with some other officials at Damascus the population
rebelled against us, and even the governor was under the necessity of
escaping by getting himself let down in a basket from his palace. I
also fled, and whilst doing so the mob pursued me, and I ran into the
house of the above-mentioned man, who was sitting at the door of it. I
said to him: 'Help me and Allah will help you!' He received me kindly,
and told his wife to put me into a certain room, whilst he remained
sitting at the door. I had scarcely gone in when my pursuers likewise
rushed in and insisted on searching the house, which they actually
did, and would certainly have discovered me had not the man's wife
kept them off from the room in which I sat trembling for my life. When
the people at last dispersed, the man and his wife comforted me as
much as they could, and hospitably entertained me in their house for
four months, till every danger had passed away. When I was bold enough
to go out and see what had become of my slaves, I found that they had
all dispersed, and I asked my kind host to allow me to depart to
Baghdad. He consented, but when the caravan was starting he insisted
on presenting me with a horse, a slave, and all the provisions
required for the journey. All these were surprises thrust upon me when
I was about to start, and was wondering how I could possibly travel
without any of these things. Moreover, during my whole sojourn this
kind man had never asked me my name for fear that I might thereby be
compromised. After I had safely arrived in Baghdad I desired many a
time to show my gratitude to this man, but could obtain no information
about him. I still desire to requite his services, and this is the
reason why I was so anxious to learn something about him from you."
'After the man had listened to the above statement he said: "Verily,
Allah has enabled you to requite the kindness of that man." I asked:
"How can that be?" and he replied: "I am that man, but the trouble in
which you see me has hindered you from recognising me." Then he
reminded me of various circumstances, and so established his identity
that I was perfectly convinced of it, and could not restrain myself
from embracing him most fervently. To my inquiries how he had fallen
into the calamity which had overtaken him, he replied:
"A disturbance arose in Damascus similar to the rebellion which had
broken out when you were there; the Prince of the Believers sent
troops and suppressed it, but I, having been suspected as one of the
ringleaders thereof, was captured by his command, brought as a
prisoner to Baghdad, and considered to have forfeited my life, which I
shall certainly lose. I left my family without taking leave, but a
slave of mine has followed me here, and will carry back information
about me. He is to be found at such and such a place, and if you will
send for him I will give him the necessary instructions. I shall
consider it a high favour, and as a reward for all the obligations
under which you were to me."
'I told him to put his trust in Allah, and got a smith to relieve him
first of his irons, then I made him enter the bath, provided him with
good clothes, and sent for his slave, to whom he gave, with tears in
his eyes, the message for his family. I then ordered my people to get
ready several horses and mules, which I loaded with baggage and
provisions, gave the man a bag of ten thousand dirhems, with another
of five thousand dinars, and ordered my lieutenant to escort him on
his journey to Damascus as far as Anbar.' But the man replied: "The
Prince of the Believers considers that I have committed high treason,
and will send troops to pursue me; I shall be recaptured and executed,
and by allowing me to escape you will endanger your own life." I said:
"Never mind what will became of me, but save your life, and I shall
afterwards endeavour to save mine." He rejoined: "That shall not be,
and I cannot leave Baghdad without knowing what has become of you."
Seeing him determined in his purpose, I ordered my lieutenant to take
him to a certain place in the town where he could remain in
concealment till the next day, when he might be informed as to whether
I had extricated myself from the difficulty, or had lost my life, in
which latter case I should only have repaid him for having risked his
in Damascus to save mine, and after that he could depart.
'The lieutenant had taken the man away, and I made preparations for my
death, getting ready my winding-sheet in which my corpse was to be
shrouded, when an official on the part of Mamun arrived with this
message: "The Prince of the Faithful orders you to bring the man with
you." Accordingly I hastened to the palace, where I found the Khalif
sitting and expecting me. The first words he said to me were these: "I
want to see the man!" I remained silent, and on his uttering them more
emphatically, replied: "Will you please listen to me, O Commander of
the Believers?" He continued: "I am determined to strike your head off
if the man has fled." I said: "O Prince of the Faithful, the man has
not escaped, but listen to what I have to say about him, and then you
may act as you deem fit." He continued: "Speak!" Accordingly I
narrated everything, and said that I was anxious to requite the man in
some measure for all the good he had done to me, that I was desirous
to save his life even at the cost of my own, if need be, and finished
my explanation by showing the winding-sheet I had brought with me.
After the Khalif had patiently listened, he exclaimed: "His merit is
superior to yours, because he has treated you nobly without knowing
you; whereas you only do so after having enjoyed his beneficence. I
desire to reward him myself." "The man is here, and would not leave
until apprized of my fate; I can produce him at once." The Khalif
said: "This trait of his character is yet more noble; go, comfort the
man, and bring him here." Accordingly I departed, and when I
introduced the man to the Khalif, he received him kindly, offered him
a seat, conversed with him till dinner was brought in, of which he
made him partake in his own company. Lastly, the Khalif invested him
with a robe of honour, and wished to appoint him Governor of Damascus,
but this he humbly refused. Accordingly, Mamun presented him with ten
horses saddled and bridled, ten mules caparisoned, and ten bags, each
of which contained ten thousand dinars; he also gave him ten slaves,
with animals to ride upon, and a letter to the Governor of Damascus to
absolve him from the payment of taxes. This man afterwards
corresponded with Mamun, and when a courier arrived from Damascus the
Khalif used to say to me, "Abbas! a letter from your friend has
arrived."'
II.
One night Harun-ar-Rashid was quite sleepless, and said to his vizier,
Jaafar, the son of Yahya, the Barmekide: 'I cannot sleep this night; I
feel oppressed, and do not know what to do.' The servant Masrur, who
happened to be standing near, burst out laughing at these words, and
the Khalif continued: 'What are you laughing for? Do you mock me or
wish to show your levity?' Masrur said: 'I swear by your relationship
to the Prince of Apostles that I have done this unwittingly; but last
evening I was near the castle, and walked to the bank of the Tigris,
where I saw many persons assembled around a man who made them laugh,
and just now I recollected some of his words, which caused me to
smile; his name is Ben Almugázeli, and I crave pardon from the
Commander of the Faithful.' Then Rashid said: 'Bring him here this
moment.' Accordingly Masrur went to Ben Almugázeli and said to him:
'The Commander of the Faithful wants you.' He replied: 'To hear is to
obey!' And Masrur continued: 'But on the condition that if he presents
you with anything, one-fourth of it will belong to you, and the rest
to me.' The man rejoined: 'No, I must have one-third of it and you the
other two-thirds.' Masrur would not agree to this proposal, but at
last consented after a great deal of haggling. When he was admitted
and had made his salutations, the Khalif said: 'If you make me laugh I
shall give you five hundred dinars, but if not I shall give you three
blows with this sock.' Now Ben Almugázeli said to himself: "What is
the odds if I get three strokes with the sock?" because he thought it
was empty. Accordingly he began to jest and to play tricks at which
low people might have laughed, but not Rashid, who did not even smile.
The man was first astonished, then grieved, and at last frightened
when Rashid said: "Now you have deserved the blows." He then took up
the sock and twisted it, but at the bottom there were some balls, each
of which weighed two drachms. When he had struck Ben Almugázeli once,
the latter yelled pitifully, but recollecting the condition Masrur had
imposed upon him, he exclaimed: "Mercy, O Commander of the Faithful,
listen to two words of mine." He said: "Speak what you like." The man
continued: "I have promised Masrur to let him have two-thirds of the
bounty I might receive, and to keep one-third for myself, and to this
he agreed only after much bargaining. Now the Commander of the
Faithful has decided that the bounty shall consist of three blows, of
which my share would be one, and Masrur's two. I have received mine,
and now is his turn to take his." Rashid laughed, called for Masrur,
and struck him; Masrur groaned from pain, and said: "I present him
with the remainder." The Khalif laughed and ordered them to be
presented with one thousand dinars, of which each received five
hundred, and Ben Almugázeli went away grateful.'
In this work there are several other stories concerning various
Khalifs, the Barmekide family, and other people, but the extracts
given above are sufficient to show the nature of the volume.
Two short anecdotes are taken from the 'Sihr-ul-oyoon,' or 'Magic of
the eyes,' a work known to Haji Khalfa, and noted by Fluegel in his
lexicon. This book contains seven chapters, with some drawings of the
eye, and an appendix consisting entirely of poetry, which, however, is
also interspersed throughout the work, excepting in the chapters
treating on the anatomy, the infirmities of, and the remedies for the
eye.
I.
Moghairah bin Shabah states that he never was so cunningly deceived as
by a youth of the Benou-ul-Háreth. He intended to sue for the hand of
a girl of that tribe, when this youth, who stood near him, said: 'O
Amir, you have no need of her.' 'Why?' 'I saw a man kiss her.'
Accordingly Moghairah went away, but heard some time afterwards that
the said youth had married the girl himself. On meeting again
Moghairah said to the youth: 'Did you not tell me that you had seen a
man kiss her.' 'Certainly I did,' the young man replied, 'but that man
was her father.'
II.
A man happened to find on the road a silver brooch, which women use
for applying collyrium to their eyes. This pin was handsome, and he
concluded that the girl who had lost it must have very beautiful eyes.
He indulged so much in this fancy that he conceived an affection for
the owner of the brooch, and was fond of showing the precious article
to his acquaintances. One day a friend paid him a visit, and after the
wine they had drunk had taken effect, he took out the said brooch
according to his wont, kissed it, and wept over it. The friend, who
knew the brooch, asked whence he had obtained it, but he replied:
'Pray do not question me, I am in love with the proprietress of it; my
heart is melting, and it is so dear to me that I get jealous when
other eyes beside my own look at it.' The friend said: 'I shall bring
about a meeting between you and your mistress.' The other asked, 'Who
could procure me that felicity?' The friend went away, but returned in
a short time bearing a covered platter, which he placed before him,
saying, 'Uncover this basin,' and lo! it contained a female head,
weltering in its own gore, and on beholding it the man nearly fainted
with grief. His friend, however, said: 'Be not dismayed, but tell me
how you obtained this brooch, which I had presented to my wife, whose
head is before you.' He replied that he had found the brooch on a
certain day on the road, and described the spot, adding that he
imagined the owner of it must be beautiful, and conceived a warm
affection for her, but that he had never seen her face, and knew not
who she might have been. The friend said: 'This is true enough,
because she told me one day that she had lost it; hence no blame rests
on you.' The two men parted; the would-be lover, however, took this
melancholy event so much to heart that he not only repented of his
folly, but died of grief.
The following curious philosophic discourse is taken from the
'Siraj-ul-Mulûk,' or Lamp of Kings, a well-known work composed about
A.D. 1126, and typographed at Cairo A.D. 1872:
'Allah, the Most High, has said (Koran, vi., verse 38): "There is no
kind of beast on earth, nor fowl which flieth with its wing, but the
same is a people like unto you." Allah the Most High has accordingly
established a resemblance between us and all the animals. It is well
known that they are not like us in their figures and forms as
perceived by the eye, but in their demeanour; and there is not a human
being who does not possess some qualities peculiar to animals. When
you perceive that a man's character is unusual, you must endeavour to
find out the qualities of the animal with which it may be compared,
and judge of him according to these; and to avoid all
misunderstanding, and to maintain intercourse with him, you must
behave towards him in conformity with them.
'Accordingly, when you see an ignorant man of rude behaviour, strong
in body, whose anger overpowers him at any moment, you are to compare
him to a tiger, and there is an Arab proverb: "He is more stupid than
a tiger." When you see a tiger, you avoid him, and do not fight with
him, therefore towards an individual of this kind you must behave in
the same manner.
'When you observe a man wantonly attacking the reputation of others,
compare him to a dog, because it is his nature. When a dog barks at
you it does not trouble you much, and you go your own way. You must
deal in this manner with such men, because they are like dogs who
assault others without any provocation.
'When you perceive that a man's nature is to say "Yes" when you say
"No," and "No" if you say "Yes," compare him to an ass, because when
you approach him he recedes, and when you move away he will move
towards you. You must put up with your donkey, and neither separate
from him nor insult him. Deal in the same way with such a person.
'When you perceive a man searching out the weaknesses or shortcomings
of people, compare him to a fly, which settles on a carcase, and then
gluts itself with the vilest parts of it, such as the rotten flesh and
the filthy offal.
'When you observe a Sultan taking the lives, and confiscating the
property of his subjects, consider him to be a lion, and be on your
guard that he does not injure you.
'When you see a wicked man full of tricks and boastings, compare him
to a fox.
'If you happen to meet with a tale-bearer who foments enmity among
friends, consider him to be a "Zeriban," which is a small beast of
fetid smell, so that when two persons fall out with each other, the
Arabs say that "a Zeriban has passed between them." It is, indeed, the
peculiarity of this animal that an assembly disperses when it enters,
accordingly it is driven off as soon as perceived, and a tale-bearer
ought to be dealt with similarly.
'When you observe that a man loathes to listen to intelligent
conversation, and hates meetings of learned men, but is fond of
gossip, all kinds of nonsense, and scandals of society, compare him to
the May-bug, which delights in impure exhalations, and loves
dunghills, but hates the perfumes of musk or of roses, which actually
kill it when sprinkled upon it.
'If you meet an individual displaying a great deal of piety outwardly,
but always intriguing to acquire property, to enrich himself by
unrighteous means, and to cheat widows and orphans, consider him to be
a wolf:
"The wolf is so devout;
You see him on his knees,
He nicely prays and sighs.
But when his game is near,
He falls upon it speedily
And tears it all to pieces."
'When you discover a liar consider him to be like a dead man, who can
give no information, and with whom no one can associate. A liar may
also be compared to an ostrich which buries all its eggs in the sand,
but leaves one upon the surface, and one close under it, whilst all
the others are deeply concealed. When an inexperienced man perceives
that egg he takes it, and perhaps also the one close below it, and
after scraping up the sand a little, and finding nothing more goes
away; whilst a person who knows this habit of the ostrich does not
stop searching until he has got possession of all the eggs. You must
deal in the same manner with a liar, and not believe him till you get
to the bottom of his story, i.e. until you elicit the actual truth.
'When you observe that a man's whole attention is absorbed in
endeavours to make a good appearance by keeping his clothes nice, and
apprehensive lest they should be dirtied in any way, always picking
any little straws that might adhere to them, and constantly adjusting
his turban, consider him to be a peacock, whose nature is always to
admire his own person, to stalk about majestically, to display the
plumage of his tail, and to solicit praise of his beauty.
'If you become acquainted with a rancorous person who never forgets
the slightest insult, but avenges himself for it even after a
considerable lapse of time, compare him to a camel, for the Arabs
truly say of such a man that "he is more rancorous than a camel."
Avoid such a man as you would an ill-natured camel.
'When you meet a hypocrite, who is different from what he appears to
be, compare him to the Yarbu, _i.e._ the mouse of the desert, which
has two apertures to its lair, the one for an entrance, and the other
for an exit, so that it always cheats the hunter who digs for it.'
Yet another story-book may be quoted, viz., the 'Ilam en Nâs,' or
Warnings for Men, containing historical tales and anecdotes of the
time of the early Khalifates. Some of these were translated by Mrs.
Godfrey Clerk in 1873 (King and Co.), and her little volume also
contains a very good genealogical table of the families of the
Prophet, and of the Rashidin (or 'rightly directed,' _i.e._ Abu Bakr,
Omar, Othman, and Ali), the Omaiyide, and the Abbaside Khalifs.
Among the many works of Arabic literature one of the most interesting
and the most amusing is Ibn Khallikan's celebrated Biographical
Dictionary. The author must have been a very intelligent and a very
industrious man, for his volumes contain an enormous amount of
information about many hundred Arabs. This work is rendered all the
more readable and all the more amusing by the many anecdotes related
in connection with their lives, and a few of these stories are now
given below.
I.
Ibn Abbas, son of Abbas, uncle of Muhammad, was one of the ablest
interpreters of the Koran. It was owing to his efforts that the study
of the poems, composed before the introduction of Islamism, became of
such importance to the Muslims, for he frequently quoted verses of the
ancient poets in proof of the explanation he gave of different
passages of the Koran, and he used to say: 'When you meet with a
difficulty in the Koran look for its solution in the poems of the
Arabs, for these are the registers of the Arabic nation.' On being
asked how he had acquired his extensive knowledge, he replied: 'By
means of an inquiring tongue and an intelligent heart.'
It may here perhaps be stated that the Koran, composed avowedly in the
purest Arabic, offered many difficulties to those who were not
acquainted with the idiom of the desert Arabs, a race who alone spoke
the language in its perfection. The study of the ancient poets was
therefore considered as necessary for the intelligence of the Koran,
and their poems, often obscure from the intricacy of their
construction and their obsolete terms, required the assistance of
grammatical analysis and philology to render them comprehensible.
II.
Ibn Faris Ar-Razi, the Philologist, is the author of these verses:
'Well, some things succeed and some fail: when my heart is filled with
cares I say: "One day perhaps they may be dispelled." A cat is my
companion; books the friends of my heart; and a lamp my beloved
consort.'
III.
Badi Az-Zaman al-Hamadani, the author of some beautiful epistles and
excellent essays, which last Hariri took as a model in the composition
of his, wrote as follows about death: 'Death is awful till it comes,
and then it is found light; its touch seems grating till felt, and
then it is smooth; the world is so hostile and its injustice so great
that death is the lightest of its inflictions, the least of its
wrongs. Look, then, to the right; do you see aught but affliction?
Look to the left; do you see aught but woe?'
IV.
Abu Wathila Iyas Al-Kadi was renowned for his excessive acuteness of
mind, observation, and penetration. Many stories are told about him in
connection with these qualities, which are really astonishing. It is
related of him that he said: 'I was never worsted in penetration but
by one man: I had taken my seat in the court of judgment at Busra,
when a person came before me and gave testimony that a certain garden,
of which he mentioned the boundaries, belonged to a man whom he named.
As I had some doubts of his veracity, I asked him how many trees were
in that garden, and he said to me, after a short silence: "How long is
it since our lord the Kadi has been giving judgment in this hall?" I
told him the time. "How many beams," said he, "are there in the roof?"
On which I acknowledged that he was in the right, and I received his
testimony.'
V.
It is a curious circumstance that Homer the Greek poet, Radaki the
Persian poet, and Bashshar bin Burd the Arabian poet, were all blind.
Here is a specimen of one of the verses of the last-named:
'Yes, my friends! my ear is charmed by a person in that tribe; for the
ear is sometimes enamoured sooner than the eye. You say that I am led
by one whom I never saw; know that the ear as well as the eye can
inform the mind of facts.'
He composed also the following verse, which is the most gallant of any
made by the poets of that epoch:
'Yes, by Allah! I love the magic of your eyes, and yet I dread the
weapons by which so many lovers fell.'
VI.
Several sayings of Al-Hasan bin Sahl, the vizier to the Khalif
Al-Mamun, have been preserved. Once he himself wrote at the end of a
letter of recommendation, dictated to his secretary: 'I have been told
that on the day of judgment a man will be questioned respecting the
use he made of the influence given him by his rank in the world, in
the same manner as he will be questioned respecting the use he made of
the superfluity of his wealth.'
Again he said to his sons: 'My sons, learn the use of language; it is
by it that man holds his preeminence over other animals; the higher
the skill which you attain in the use of language, the nearer you
approach to the ideal of human nature.'
VII.
It is related of Sari-as Sakati, the celebrated Sufi, that he said
that for twenty years he never ceased imploring Divine pardon for
having once exclaimed, 'Praise be to God!' and on being asked the
reason he said: 'A fire broke out in Baghdad, and a person came up to
me and told me that my shop had escaped, on which I uttered these
words; and even to this moment I repent of having said so, because it
showed that I wished better to myself than to others.'
VIII.
Al-Ahnaf bin Kais, whose prudence was proverbial among the Arabs, used
to say: 'I have followed three rules of conduct, which I now mention
merely that the man of reflection may profit by my example--I never
interfered between two parties unless invited by them to do so; I
never went to the door of these people (meaning princes) unless sent
for by them; and I never rose from my place to obtain a thing when all
men were anxious to possess it.'
IX.
Abu Yazid Taifur al-Bastaimi, the famous ascetic, being asked how he
had acquired his knowledge of the spiritual world, answered that it
was by means of a hungry belly and naked body. He used to say: 'When
you see a man possessing miraculous powers, so as even to mount into
the air, let not that deceive you, but see if he observes God's
commands and prohibitions, if he keeps within the bounds imposed by
religion, and if he performs the duties which it prescribes.'
X.
Abul Aswad ad-Duwali, the inventor of grammar, in intelligence one of
the most perfect of men, and in reason one of the most sagacious, was
notorious for his avarice, and he used to say: 'If we listened to the
demands made by the poor for our money, we should soon be worse off
than they.' He said also to his sons: 'Strive not to rival Almighty
God in generosity, for He is the most bountiful and the most glorious;
had He pleased He would have given ample wealth to all men, so strive
not to be generous lest you die of starvation.' It is also related
that Abul Aswad had an attack of the palsy, and that he used to go to
the market himself, though scarcely able to draw his legs after him,
and yet he was rich, and possessed both male and female slaves. A
person who knew this accosted him one day, and said: 'God has
dispensed you from the necessity of moving about on your own business,
why do you not remain seated at home?' To which he replied: 'No; I go
in and out, and the eunuch says "He is coming," and the boy says "He
is coming," whereas, were I to continue sitting in the house, the
sheep would urine upon me without any person's preventing them.'
XI.
It is related that on a dispute between the Sunnites and Shiites of
Baghdad about the relative merits of Abu Bakr and Ali, both parties
agreed to abide by the opinion of the Shaikh Abul Faraj bin Al-Jauzi.
They consequently deputed a person, who questioned him on the subject
when he was seated in the preacher's chair. The one reply which he
made bears in Arabic two different meanings--the first, that the best
of them was he whose daughter was married to the other man; and the
second, that the best of them was he who had married the daughter of
the other man. He then withdrew promptly, lest he should be questioned
further, and the Sunnites said: 'He means Abu Bakr, because his
daughter Ayesha was married to the Prophet,' 'Nay,' said the Shiites,
'he means Ali, because Fatima, the Prophet's daughter, was married to
him.' The answer was certainly very clever; had it even been the
result of long reflection and deep consideration, it would have been
admirable, but coming as it did without any previous preparation, it
was still more so.
XII.
Shibab Ad-Din (flambeau of the faith) as-Suhrawardi was a pious and
holy Shaikh, most assiduous in his spiritual exercises, and the
practice of devotion, and successfully guided a great number of Sufis
in their efforts to obtain perfection. Many persons wrote to him for
his opinion on circumstances which concerned themselves, and one wrote
as follows: 'My lord,--If I cease to work I shall remain in idleness,
and if I work I am filled with self-satisfaction; which is best?' To
this the Shaikh replied: 'Work, and ask Almighty God to pardon thy
self-satisfaction.' The following is one of his verses:
'If I contemplate you, I am all eyes; and if I think of you I am all
heart.'
XIII.
Abu Ali Al-Jubbai was an able master in the science of dogmatic
theology, and had at one time a pupil named Abul Hasan Al-Ashari. It
is related that one day the two had the following discussion.
Al-Ashari propounded to his master the case of three brothers, one of
whom was a true believer, virtuous and pious; the second an infidel, a
debauchee, and a reprobate; and the third an infant; they all died,
and Al-Ashari wished to know what had become of them. To this
Al-Jubbai answered: 'The virtuous brother holds a high position in
Paradise, the infidel is in the depths of hell, and the child is among
those who have obtained salvation.' 'Suppose now,' said Al-Ashari,
'that the child should wish to ascend to the place occupied by his
virtuous brother, would he be allowed to do so?' 'No,' replied
Al-Jubbai, 'it would be said to him: "Thy brother arrived at this place
through his numerous works of obedience towards God, and thou hast no
such works to set forward."' 'Suppose, then,' said Al-Ashari, 'that
the child say, "That is not my fault; you did not let me live long
enough, neither did you give me the means of proving my obedience."'
'In that case,' answered Al-Jubbai, 'the Almighty would say: "I knew
that if I allowed thee to live thou wouldst have been disobedient, and
incurred the severe punishment of hell; I therefore acted for thy
advantage."' 'Well,' said Al-Ashari, 'and suppose the infidel brother
were here to say: "O God of the Universe! since you knew what awaited
him, you must have known what awaited me; why, then, did you act for
his advantage and not for mine?"' Al-Jubbai had not a word to offer in
reply. This discussion proves that the Almighty elects some for mercy,
and others for punishment, and that his acts are not the results of
any motive whatsoever.
XIV.
It is related that As-Shafi said: 'There are five men on whom people
must rely for the nourishment of their minds: he who wishes to become
learned in jurisprudence must have recourse to Abu Hanifah; he who
desires to become skilled in poetry must apply to Zoheir bin Ali
Sulma, the author of one of the Mua'llakas, or suspended poems at
Mecca; he who would like to become well acquainted with the history of
the Muslim conquests must obtain his information from Muhammad bin
Ishak; he who wishes to become deeply learned in grammar must have
recourse to Al-Kisai; and he who seeks to be acquainted with the
interpretations of the Koran must apply to Mukatil bin Sulaiman.'
XV.
There are several stories current as to how the Khalif Omar bin
Al-Khattab took upon himself the title of 'Commander of the Faithful.'
One is that Omar was one day holding a public sitting, when he said:
'By Allah! I do not know what we must say. Abu Bakr was the successor
of the Apostle of God, and I am the successor of the successor of
God's Apostle. Is there any title that can answer?' Those who were
present said: 'Commander (Amir) will do.' 'Nay,' said Omar, 'you are
all commanders.' On this Al-Mughira said: 'We are the faithful, and
you are our Commander.' 'Then,' said Omar, 'I am the Commander of the
Faithful.'
XVI.
Abu Ali Yahya, the vizier of Harun-ar-Rashid, was the son of Khalid,
and the grandson of Barmek. Yahya was highly distinguished for wisdom,
nobleness of mind, and elegance of language. One of his sayings was:
'Three things indicate the degree of intelligence possessed by him who
does them: the bestowing of gifts, the drawing up of letters, and the
acting as ambassador.' He used to say to his sons: 'Write down the
best things which you hear; learn by heart the best things which you
write down; and in speaking utter the best things which you have
learned by heart.'
XVII.
Ibn As-Sikkit, the philologist, related that Muhammad bin As-Summak
used to say: 'He who knows mankind humours them; he who has not that
knowledge thwarts them; and the main point in humouring mankind is to
abstain from thwarting them.' The neglect of carrying out this maxim
cost As-Sikkit his life. One day, whilst he was with the Khalif
Al-Mutwakkil, that prince's two sons, Al-Motazz and Al-Muwaiyad, came
in, and the Khalif said to him: 'Tell me, Yakub, which you like
best--these two sons of mine, or Al-Hasan and Al-Hussain, the sons of
Ali.' Ibn As-Sikkit answered by depreciating the merits of the two
princes, and giving to Al-Hasan and Al-Hussain the praise to which they
were well entitled. On this Al-Mutwakkil ordered his Turkish guards to
chastise him, and they threw him down and trod on his belly. He was
then carried to his house, where he died two days afterwards, A.D.
859.
XVIII.
Three men met together; one of them expressed a wish to obtain a
thousand pieces of gold, so that he might trade with them; the other
wished for an appointment under the Emir of the Muslims; the third
wished to possess the Emir's wife, who was the handsomest of women,
and had great political influence. Yusuf bin Tashifin, the Emir of the
Muslims, being informed of what they said, sent for the men, bestowed
one thousand dinars on him who wished for that sum, gave an
appointment to the other, and said to him who wished to possess the
lady: 'Foolish man! what induced you to wish for that which you can
never obtain?' He then sent him to her, and she placed him in a tent,
where he remained three days, receiving each day, one and the same
kind of food. She had him then brought to her, and said: 'What did you
eat these days past?' He replied: 'Always the same thing.' 'Well,'
said she, 'all women are the same thing!' She then ordered some money
and a dress to be given him, after which she dismissed him.
The following anecdotes have been gathered from various sources.
I.
A certain shepherd had a dog of which he was very fond, and which
having, to his great grief, died, was buried by him with every mark of
affection and regret. The Kadi of the village, whose ill-will the
shepherd had in some way incurred, hearing of this, ordered him to be
brought before him on the serious charge of profanity in having mocked
the ceremonies of the Muhammadan religion, and buried an unclean
animal with sacred rites. On being asked what he had to say in his
defence, the prisoner thus addressed the magistrate: 'If your
reverence will be pleased to hear my story, you will, I am sure,
excuse me. My dog's mother died when he was quite a puppy, and he was
brought up by a she-goat of my flock, who adopted him. When she died
in her turn she left him all her property, consisting of several fine
young kids. Now when my dog was taken ill, and found himself at the
point of death, I asked him what I should do with the kids which
belonged to him, and he replied: "Give them to his reverence the
Kadi." I thought the animal so sensible for this that I gave him
Muslim burial.' 'Quite right,' said his reverence. 'What else was the
lamented deceased pleased to observe?'
II.
A knowledge of the language of birds and beasts is regarded as the
greatest divine gift, and was expressly vouchsafed, according to the
Koranic legend, to Solomon, the son of David. It is related that one
day Solomon was returning to his palace when he saw a cock and hen
sparrow sitting near the gateway, and overheard the former telling the
latter that he was the person who had designed, and planned, and built
all the surroundings. On hearing this Solomon remarked to the male
bird that he must know he was telling a fearful lie, and that nobody
would believe him. 'That is true,' replied the sparrow, 'nobody
probably will believe my story except my wife; she believes implicitly
everything that I say.'
III.
One day a king was sailing in a boat with a negro slave, who was so
seasick that his groans and lamentations disturbed the royal repose. A
doctor who happened to be present undertook to keep the slave quiet,
and, on receiving permission to do so, ordered him to be thrown
overboard, which was promptly done. The poor wretch managed with
difficulty to catch hold of the rudder of the boat, and, being taken
on board once more, sat shivering in a corner, and did not utter
another sound. The king, delighted with this result, asked the doctor
how he had silenced the fellow. 'Your Majesty will see,' was the
reply, 'he had never before experienced the inconvenience of being
drowned, and did not properly appreciate the security of a boat.'
IV.
One day the Khalif Harun-ar-Rashid and his jester, the poet Abu Nuwas,
were disputing as to the truth of an axiom laid down by Abu Nuwas,
that 'an excuse was often worse than the crime,' and the poet offered
to convince the monarch of it before the night was over. The Khalif,
with a grim humour peculiarly his own, promised to take off his
jester's head if he failed to do so, and went out in a rage. After
awhile Harun came in a somewhat surly temper to his harem, and the
first thing which greeted him was a kiss from a rough-bearded face. On
calling out violently for a light and an executioner, he found that
his assailant was Abu Nuwas himself. 'What on earth, you scoundrel, do
you mean by this conduct?' asked the enraged Sovereign. 'I beg your
Majesty's most humble pardon,' said Abu Nuwas, 'I thought it was your
Majesty's favourite wife.' 'What!' shrieked Harun, 'why the excuse is
worse than the crime.' 'Just what I promised to prove to your
Majesty,' replied Abu Nuwas, and retired closely followed by one of
the imperial slippers.
V.
An Arab whose camel had strayed swore an oath that he would, on
finding it, sell it for one dirhem. When he had again obtained
possession of the animal he repented of his oath, but tied a cat to
the neck of the camel and shouted: 'Who will buy a camel for one
dirhem, and a cat for a hundred dirhems? But I will not sell them
separately.' A man who was there said: 'How cheap would this camel be
if it had no collar on the neck!' Something of the same kind happened
in France the other day. A peasant died, leaving his property to be
sold by his wife. Among other things there was a dog and a horse,
which the woman put up for sale together, saying that the dog's price
was twenty pounds, and the horse's one pound, but that they must be
sold together. It turned out that the deceased husband had left the
dog to his wife, and the horse to another relation, the monies
realized by the sale of each to be paid to the respective parties.
VI.
An Arab of the desert said to his boy: 'O son! on the day of
resurrection thou wilt be asked what merit thou hast gained, and not
from whom thou art descended; that is to say, thou wilt be asked what
thy merit is, and not who thy father was.'
VII.
A learned man relates the following: 'I stood with a friend on a road
conversing with him when a woman halted opposite to me, looking at me
steadfastly. When this staring had passed all bounds, I despatched my
slave to ask the woman what she was listening to. He came back and
reported that the woman had said: "My eyes had committed a great sin.
I intended to inflict a punishment upon them, and could devise none
worse than looking at that hideous face."'
There are some good verses in the Arabic descriptive of the places
where certain Arabs wished to be buried. It was Abu Mihjan, the
Thackifite, who chose the vineyard.
'Bury me, when I die, by the roots of the vine,
The moisture thereof will distil into my bones;
Bury me not in the open plain, for then I much fear
That no more again shall I taste the flavour of the grape.'
Another version:
'When the Death angel cometh mine eyes to close,
Dig my grave 'mid the vines on the hill's fair side;
For though deep in earth may my bones repose,
The juice of the grape shall their food provide.
Oh, bury me not in a barren land,
Or Death will appear to me dread and drear!
While fearless I'll wait what he hath in hand
If the scent of the vineyard my spirit cheer.'
On the other hand, some of the wild people prefer the hill slopes, and
an example is given in the address of the dying Bedouin to his tribe:
'O bear with you my bones where the camel bears his load,
And bury me before you, if buried I must be;
And let me not be buried 'neath the burden of the vine,
But high upon the hill whence your sight I ever see!
As you pass along my grave cry aloud, and name your names,
The crying of your names shall revive the bones of me,
I have fasted through my life with my friends, and in my
death
I will feast when we meet on that day of joy and glee.'
The French poet, Alfred de Musset's, gentle verses in his elegy to
Lucie, and which have been engraved on his tomb in Paris, at
Père-Lachaise, run as follows:
'When I shall die, dear friends, aslant
My silent grave a willow plant;
I love its foliage weeping near,
To me its colour's sweet and dear;
Its shadow gray will lightly fall
Upon my tomb--a mourning pall,
And will likewise do the keeping
Of the ground where I am sleeping.'
APPENDIX.
LIST OF TRANSLATIONS
_Published under the patronage of the Old Oriental Translation Fund_.
=From the Persian=.
1. Memoirs of the Emperor Jehanghir.
2. History of the Afghans.
3. The Adventures of Hatim Tai.
4. The Life of Sheikh Muhammad Ali Hazin.
5. Autobiographical Memoirs of the Moghul Emperor Timur.
6. The Life of Hafiz ul Mulk Hafiz Rehmut Khan.
7. The Geographical Works of Sadik Isfahani.
8. Firdusi's Shah Nameh.
9. Private Memoirs of the Moghul Emperor Humayun.
10. History of the Mahomedan Power in India during the Last Century.
11. Customs and Manners of the Women of Persia.
12. Mirkhond's History of the Early Kings of Persia.
13. The Political and Statistical History of Guzerat.
14. Chronique d'Abou Djafar Muhammad Tabari.
15. Laili and Majnun.
16. Practical Philosophy of the Mahomedan People.
17. Specimens of the Popular Poetry of Persia.
18. History of Hyder Naik, otherwise called Nuwab Hyder Ali.
19. The Dabistan, or School of Manners.
20. History of the Reign of Tipu Sultan.
21. Historical Memoirs of Early Conquerors of Hindustan,
and Founders of the Ghaznavide Dynasty.
=From the Arabic=.
1. The Travels of Ibn Batuta.
2. Travels of Marcarius, Patriarch of Antioch.
3. The Algebra of Muhammad Ben Musa.
4. History of the First Settlement of the Mahomedans in
Malabar.
5. Alfiyya, ou la Quintessence de la Grammaire Arabe.
6. Haji Khalfæ Lexicon Encyclopædicum et Bibliographicum.
7. The History of the Temple of Jerusalem.
8. Histoire des Sultans Mamelouks de l'Égypte.
9. The History of the Mahomedan Dynasties in Spain.
10. El-Mas'udi's Historical Encyclopædia, entitled 'Meadows
of Gold and Mines of Gems.'
11. Ibn Khallikan's Biographical Dictionary.
12. Makamat, or Rhetorical Anecdotes of Abul Kasem al
Hariri of Basra.
13. The Chronology of Ancient Nations, by Albiruni.
=From the Sanscrit=.
1. Kalidasæ Raghuvansa Carmen.
2. Harivansa, ou Histoire de Famille de Hari.
3. The Sánkhya Káriká, or Memorial Verses on the Sánkhya
Philosophy.
4. Rig Yeda Sanhita.
5. Kumara Sambhava.
6. The Vishnu Purana, a System of Hindu Mythology and
Tradition.
7. Sama Veda.
8. Kalidasa, the Birth of the War God.
=From the Chinese=.
1. Han Koong Tsew, or the Sorrows of Hen--a Tragedy.
2. The Fortunate Union--A Romance.
3. Hoe Lan Ki--A Drama.
4. Le Livre des Récompenses et des Peines.
5. Mémoires sur les Contrées occidentales.
=From The Japonais-Chinois=.
1. San Kokf Tsou Ban To Sets; ou, Aperçu général des
trois Royaumes.
2. Annales des Empereurs du Japon.
=From the Turkish=.
1. History of the War in Bosnia during 1837-38-39.
2. History of the Maritime Wars of the Turks.
3. Annals of the Turkish Empire, A.D. 1591 to 1659.
4. Narratives of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
=From the Armenian=.
1. The History of Vartan, and of the Battle of the
Armenians.
2. Chronique de Matthieu d'Edesse.
=From The Cingalese=.
1. Yakkun Nattannawa and Kolan Nattannawa, two
Cingalese poems.
=From the Coptic=.
1. The Apostolic Constitutions, or Canons of the Apostles.
=From the Ethiopic=.
1. The Didascalia, or Apostolical Constitutions of the
Abyssinian Church.
=From the Hebrew=.
1. The Chronicles of Rabbi Joseph Ben Joshua Ben Meir.
=From the Hindustani=.
1. Les Aventures de Kamrup.
=From the Malay=.
1. Memoirs of a Malayan Family.
=From the Maghadi=.
1. The Kalpa Sutra and Nava Tatva. Two works illustrative
of the Jain Religion and Philosophy.
=From the Syriac=.
1. Spicilegium Syriacum; containing remains of Bardesan,
Meliton, Ambrose, and Mara Bar Serapion.
=Miscellaneous=.
1. Miscellaneous Translations, two volumes, 1831-34.
2. Translations from the Chinese and Armenian.
3. A Description of the Burmese Empire.
4. Essay on the Architecture of the Hindus.
5. Histoire de la Littérature Hindoui et Hindustani.
6. Biographical Notices of Persian Poets.
7. The Poems of the Huzailis, edited in Arabic.
INDEX.
A.
Aasha (Al), the poet, 30, 77, 82
Abbas, uncle of Muhammad, 3,7
Abbasides, the, 7, 12
Abbaside Khalifs, the most celebrated, 12,96
Abbaside Khalifs, list of, 19
Abd-al-Hamid, the secretary, 95
Abd-Allah bin Hilal, the translator, 90
Abd-Allah bin Rewaha, the poet, 34
Abd-Allah bin Zobeir, the politician, 34
Abd-ar-Rahman I. of Spain, 8
Abd-ar-Rahman II. of Spain, 9
Abd-ar-Rahman III. of Spain, 9, 11, 102
Abdul-Muttalib, grandfather of Muhammad, 120, 121
Abdul Wahab, the reformer, 16
Abode of Wisdom, 106
Abraham, the father of three religions, 144
Abu Awana, the traditionist, 38
Abu Bakr, the Khalifah, 4, 18, 123, 137, 147
Abu Bakr as Sauli, the editor of poems, 77, 83, 84, 101
Abu Hatim es Sejastani, the philologist, editor of poems and author, 76
Abu Nuwas, the poet, 77, 79-82
Abu Obaida, the general, 4
Abu Obaida, the philologist, 60, 61
Abu Othman, the philologist, 62, 76
Abu Sa'ud, the mufti, 112
Abu Sofyan, the politician and Companion, 34, 137
Abu Sulaiman Dawud ez Zahari, the imam, 38
Abu Tammam, the poet, 76,77
Abu Thaleb, uncle of Muhammad, 121, 125
Abu Zaid, the traditionist, 38
Abu Zaid bin Aus, the editor of poems, 76
Abul Abbas as Saffah, 7, 19
Abul Aina, the philologist, 63
Abul Ala-al-Maari, the philologist and poet, 84
Abul Atahya, the poet, 77, 78
Abul Faraj, the historian, 97
Abul Faraj al Ispahani, 77, 83, 84, 87
Abul Feda, the historian, 97, 108, 109
Abul Khair, or Ahmed bin Mustafa, 55, 113, 115
Abul Mashar (Albumasar), the astronomer, 24, 42
Ahmed-bin-ud Dmveri, the author, 58
Akhfash (Al), the grammarian, 49
Akhtal (Al), the poet, 77, 78, 82
Alchemists, 40
(Khalid bin Yazid, Jaafar as
Sadik, Jaber bin Hayam, each
indexed separately.)
Ali bin Abu Thaleb, the Khalifah, 5, 6, 19, 123, 127
Ali bin Ridhwan, the philosopher, 65, 69, 70
Ali bin Yunis, the astronomer, 43
Amina, mother of Muhammad, 121
Amr bin Al-Aasi, the general, 4, 129, 147
Amra-al-Kais (Amriolkais), the poet, 28, 79, 80
Amru, the poet, 29
Analysis of twelve stories from the 'Arabian Nights,' 157-174
Anbari (Al), the grammarian, 49
Anecdotes, eighteen from Ibn Khalhkan's Biographical Dictionary, 217-228
Anecdotes from various sources, 228
Animal fables and stories, 153, 156
Ansari (Al), the philologist, 62
'Antar,' a Bedouin romance, 184, 185
Antara, the poet, 28
Arab verses about burial places, 233
Arabia, description of, 1, 2;
history of, 2;
detached from the Abbasides, 15;
semi-independent, 16;
Turkish dealings with, 16;
Wahhabi movement in 16;
Egyptian dealings with, 17;
Wahhabism in 17;
present government of, 17;
future prospects of 18
Arabian learning, 10, 24
'Arabian Nights,' The. Date of their commencement 152, 153;
the oldest part of the work, 153;
the oldest tales and stories, 154;
the remaining ones, 154;
the sources from which they sprang, 152, 180;
many authors composed the work, 153-180;
compared with the 'Kathá Sarit Ságara', 181;
remarks on the 'Nights' and 'Antar,' 186;
Galland's translation of, 154, 175, 176;
Payne's, 155, and Burton's 155;
stories from, 157-174
Arabic language, 23, 24
Arabic literature, decline of, 117, 118
its former position, 117;
its present state, 118
Arabic literature, translation of, vii.
Arabic story books, 151, 152, 184, 188, 192, 201, 210, 212, 216
Asmai (Al), the philologist, 60, 61, 62
Asmai (Al), supposed author of 'Antar,' 184
Astronomers, 41
(Fezari (Al), Abul Mashar, Farghani (Al), Battani (Al),
Ali bin Yunis, Es-Zerkel, each indexed separately.)
Ayesha, third wife of Muhammad, 4, 38, 125, 126, 128, 137, 138
Az-zahra, mistress or wife of Abd-ar-Rahman III. of Spain, 12
B.
Badger (Rev. G.P.), on Muhammad, 120
Badger (Rev. G.P.), about the Koran, 140
Badr, battle of, 127
Baghdad, founding of, 12;
description of 96;
fall and conquest of, 12
Baital Pachesi, 183
Baladori (Al), the translator and chronicler, 91
Barmekides, The, 12, 98-101
Bashshar bin Burd, the poet, 77, 78
Battani (Al), or Albategnius, the astronomer, 25, 43
Bekri (Al), the traveller and geographer, 49, 50, 52
Benjamin's (Mr.) 'Persia and the Persians,' 6
Beruni (Al), the traveller and geographer, 49, 50, 51
Biblos, or Book, or Bible, 139;
the work of many men, 139;
its increased interest after visiting Egypt, Palestine and Syria, 139;
can be read in various ways, 139;
its description by 'Il Secolo,' 140
as a scientific work of little value, 140
Birgeli, or Birkeli, the dogmatist and grammarian, 112
Bohtori (Al), the poet, 76, 77, 84
Boulak (Cairo) text of the 'Nights,' 156, 180
Breslau (Tunis) text of the 'Nights', 156, 174, 175, 180
Buddha, 119
Buddha compared with Jesus, 142, 143
Buddhism and Christianity, 142
Buddhist birth stories, or Jataka tales, 184
Bujeir bin Zoheir, the poet, 32
Bukhari (Al), the traditionist, 38, 39
Burton (Richard F.), description of his 'Nights' translation in
Sixteen volumes, 155, 156, 175-180
Busiri (Al)'s poem of the Mantle, 21, note
C.
Calcutta texts of the 'Nights' 156, 175, 180
Calligraphers 113
(Ibn Mukla, Ibn Al Bawwab, Yakut Al Mausili, Ibn Hilal,
Hamdallah, Mir Ah, Muhammad Hussain Tabrizi, each indexed separately)
Casiri, the bibliographer, 11
Caussin de Perceval, 26, 78, 155
Chavis and Cazotte, the translators, 155, 178, 179
Chinese language, 23
Christianity and Buddhism, 142
Clerk (Mrs. Godfrey), 216
Clouston, W.A., 29, 184
Companions of the Prophet, 39
Compilers of encyclopædias and biographies, 55
(Nadim (An), Ibn Khallikan, Abul Khair, Haji Khalfa, each indexed
separately.)
Contents of this work, ix.-xiv.
Cordova, 7, 8, 9, 11
Cromwell and the Bible, 140
D.
Democracy of Islam, 149
Dow, a translator, 154
Duwali (Ad), the grammarian, 45, 46
E.
Early Ideas,' a group of Hindoo stories, 151,181
Egypt, the Fatimites established in, 13;
invasion of, by Jawhar, 13;
conquest of, by Saladin, 13;
other dynasties in, 13;
conquest of, by Selim the First, 14;
incorporated with Turkey, 14
English newspapers, 186
English tales and stories, 186
Epistolography, 95
Erpenius, a translator, 26, 97
Essays and discourses by Hariri, 87, 88
Es-Zerkel, or Arzachel, the astronomer, 44, 45
F.
Fadhl bin Yahya, the Barmekide, 99, 100
Farabi (Al), or Alfarabius, the philosopher, 24, 25, 65, 66, 67
Farazdak, the poet, 77, 78
Farghani (Al), or Alfraganius, the astronomer, 24, 25, 42
Farra (Al), the grammarian, 48
Fatimites, The, 13
Fezari (Al), the astronomer, 41
Firuzabadi, the lexicographer, 110
Fluegel, the translator, 115, 193, 202, 210
France, Invasion of, by the Arabs, 7
Freytag, the translator, 27
G.
Gabriel bin Georgios, the physician, 73, 74
Galland, his translation of the fables of Lokman and Bidpay, 26;
and of the 'Nights,' 154, 175, 176;
his biography, by Burton, 154;
his texts, 180
Gauttier, a translator, 155
Gayangos (Pascual de), the translator 10, 11, 22, 117
Geographers and travellers, 49
(Muslim Homeir, Mervezi (Al), Ibn Foslan, Ibn Khordabeh, Jeihani,
Istakhri (Al), Ibn Haukul, Beruni (Al), Bekri (Al), Idrisi,
Ibn Batuta, each indexed separately.)
Georgios bin Bakhtyeshun, the physician, 72, 73, 98
Ghazali (Al), the mystic and philosopher, 65, 70
God of the Arabs, 148
God of the Jews, 148
Golius, 41, 42
Grammarians, The, 45
(Duwali (Ad), Khalil (Al), Sibawaih, Jahiz (Al), Kisai (Al), Mubarrad
(Al), Thalab, Farra (Al), Akhfash (Al), Shaibani (As), Anbari (Al),
each indexed separately.)
Granada, Kingdom of, established, 9;
fall of, 9, 112;
taken by Ferdinand and Isabella,9;
Alhambra at, 11, 112
Gunádhya, the Hindoo author, 182, 183
H.
Habicht, a translator, 155, 175
Hajaj bin Yusuf bin Matta, the translator, 90, 98
Haji Khalfa, the bibliographer, 55, 113, 115
Hakim II. of Spain, his education, 103;
his diwan of poems, 103;
his library; 104;
and catalogue of books, 104, 105
Halaku Khan, 13, 107
Hamdallah, the penman, 113
Hamilton (Terrick), the translator of 'Antar,' 184, 185
Hanbal, the imam, 37
Hanifa, the imam, 37
Hanyfs, The, 133
Harath, the poet, 29
Hariri (Al), the author of the 'Makâmat', 87, 88
Harun-ar-Rashid, the Khalif, 12, 19, 73, 96-100
Hasan bin Ali, the Fatimite, 5
Hasan bin Sehl, the translator, 91
Hasan bin Thabit, the poet, 34
Hazar Afsaneh, or Thousand Stories, 152
Hazim (Al), the traditionist, 38
Herbelot (D'), the translator and Orientalist, 97
Hertlemah, the hostile poetess, 31
Hijrah, or Emigration, 25
Historians, The, 52
(Ibn Ishak, Ibn Hisham, Wackidi (Al), Muhammad bin Saad,
Madaini (Al), Tabari, Masudi, Ibn Athir, Baha-uddin,
Imad-uddin, Kamal-uddin, Abul Feda, Ibn Khaldun,
Ibn Hajar, Ibn Kesir, Taki-uddin of Fez, Ibn Arabshaw,
Makrisi (Al), Sayuti, Makkari (Al), each indexed
separately.)
'Hitopodesa,' a Hindoo story-book, 151, 153, 183
Hobeira, the hostile poet, 31
Honein, Battle of, 130
Honein bin Ishak, the physician and translator, 75, 91
Hughes's 'Dictionary of Islam,' 120, 149
Hussain bin Ali, the Fatimite, 5
I.
Ibn Al Arabi, the mystic, 95
Ibn Al Athir, the historian, 54, 55
Ibn Al Bawwab, the penman, 113, 114
Ibn Al Mukaffa, the translator and author, 89, 91-94, 152
Ibn Arabshaw, the historian, 110
Ibn As Sikkit, the editor of poems, 76
Ibn Bajah (Avempace), the philosopher, 24, 25, 65, 70
Ibn Batlan, the physician and philosopher, 70
Ibn Batuta, the geographer and traveller, 108, 109
Ibn Demash, the editor of poems, 76
Ibn Duraid, the philologist and writer on natural history, 64
Ibn Foslan, the geographer and traveller, 49
Ibn Hajar, the historian and biographer, 109
Ibn Haukul, the geographer and traveller, 49, 50
Ibn Hilal, the penman, 113
Ibn Hisham, the historian, 52
Ibn Ishak, the historian, 52
Ibn Kamal Pasha, a writer on law, 112
Ibn Kesir, the historian, 110
Ibn Khaldun, the historian, 108, 109
Ibn Khallikan, the biographer, 55-57, 116, 216;
eighteen anecdotes from his work, 217-228
Ibn Khordabeh, the geographer, 49,50
Ibn Kutaiba, the philologist and author, 63
Ibn Malik, the grammarian, 108
Ibn Mukla, the penman, 113,114
Ibn Rashid (Averroes), the philosopher, 24, 25, 65, 71
Ibn Sina (Avicenna), the physician, 24, 25, 65, 67, 69
Ibn-ul-Marzaban, the editor of poems, 76
Ibn Wahshiyah, the translator, 91
Ibn Yunis, the historian, 44
Ibrahim of Aleppo, a writer on law, 112
Idrisi, the geographer, 49, 50, 52
'Ilam en nas,' a story-book, 216
Imams, The Shiah, 37
Imams, The Sunni, 37, 38
Isa bin Musa, the physician, 75
Islam, The dogmas, precepts, and ordinances of, 148, 149
Istakhri (Al), the geographer and traveller, 49, 50
J.
Jaafar as Sadik, the alchemist, 41
Jaafar bin Yahya, the Barmekide, 99-101
Jaber (Al), or Geber, the astronomer, 24, 25, 41
Jaber bin Hayam, the alchemist, 40, 41
Jahiz (Al), the philologist, 47, 58, 59
Jami's 'Beharistan,' 188
Jarir, the poet, 77, 78, 80
Jawini's 'Negaristan,' 188
Jeihani, the geographer, 49, 51
Jerusalem, the early Kiblah, 133;
changed to Mecca, 136
Jesus compared with Buddha, 142;
no details about his early career, 143
Jones (Sir William), 29
Jurisconsults, The seven, 36
(Obaid Allah, Orwa, Kasim, Said, Sulaiman, Abu Bakr,
Kharija)
K.
Kaabab, The, at Mecca, 3, 122, 144
Kab-bin-Zoheir, the poet, 31-33
Kali (Al), the philologist and author, 87, 103
Kama (Al), the poet, 30, 77
'Kama Sutra' of Vatsyayana, 182
Karitha, the hostile poetess, 31
Kasidas, _i.e._, Arab idyls or elegies, 28, 29
Kasim bin Asbagh, the traditionist, 38
Kasim (Al) bin Ma'an, the philologist and author, 59
'Kathá Sarit Ságara,' The, 153, 154, 181-184;
translated by Professor Tawney, 181;
compared with the 'Arabian Nights', 181;
divided into 124 chapters, containing 330 stories, 182;
their nature, 181-183
Khafaji, the poet, 117
Khalef al Ahmer, the author, 58
Khalid bin Barmek, 99
Khalid bin Walid, the general, 4, 129, 137, 147
Khalid bin Yazid, the alchemist, 40
Khahl (Al), the grammarian, 46, 47
'Khalilah wa Dimnah,' a story-book, 151-153
Kiblah, The, changed to Mecca, 136
Kindi (Al), or Alchendius, the philosopher, 24, 25, 65, 66
Kisai (Al), the grammarian, 47, 225
Koraish, tribe of, 2, 124, 125, 128, 134
Koran, The 3, 23, 24, 138;
quotation from the 26th chapter, 31;
as defined by the Muslims, 138;
its division into chapters, 138;
how it represents Muhammad, 138;
not arranged until after his death, 138;
as compared with our Bible, 132;
as described by Mr. Badger, 140, 141;
as a literary composition, 142
Kosta bin Luka, the philosopher and physician, 65, 75, 91
Kuenen (Dr. A.), on the religion of Israel, 146, note
Kutrub, the grammarian and philologist, 60
L.
Labid, the poet, 29;
his conversion, 34
Lane, a translator of the 'Nights', 155
Lokman, the sage, 26,27
M.
Madaini (Al), the historian, 53
Mahdi (Al), the Khalif, 19, 96, 98, 99
Majridi (Al), the philosopher, 65, 106
'Makamat Hariri', 87, 88
Makin (Al), the chronicler, 97
Makkari (Al), the historian, 10, 22, 96, 117
Makrisi (Al), the historian and geographer, 110
Malik, the imam, 37
Mamun (Al), the Khalif, 12, 19, 74, 90, 96, 101
Mansur (Al), the Khalif, 12, 19, 73, 90, 96, 98, 99
Marwan II., the Khalif, 7, 19
Maseweib, the physician and translator, 75, 91
Masudi (Al), the historian, 53, 54
Mervezi (Al), the geographer, 49
'Merzuban-namah,' The, 192
extracts from it, 193-201
Mir Ali, the penman, 113
Moawia I, the Khalif, 5, 19, 33
Mofaddhal (Al), the compiler and editor of poems, 76, 85, 86
Montague (E. Wortley), his 'Nights', 177, 178
Moors, The, in Spain, 9;
their expulsion, 11, 112
Morell, a translator, 154
Moses compared with Muhammad, 142;
as a liberator and organizer, 143, 145;
why he stayed in the desert, 145;
his legislation there, 146;
to him the Jews owe their nationality, 146
Mothanna, the general, 4, 147
'Mua'llakat,' The, or suspended poems, 24, 28, 30
Mubarrad (Al), the grammarian, 48
Muhammad, the Apostle, 3, 18;
his birth, 120;
details of his life, 120-132;
his death, 132;
as a poet, 24, 30;
as a reformer, preacher and apostle at Mecca, 119, 120, 132;
as a military leader, 147;
his military expeditions, 127-131, 147;
his failure at Mecca, 134;
his success at Madinah, 135, 136;
his power there as Pope-King, 135;
his virtues at Mecca, his vices at Madinah, 136;
his wives, 122, 125, 127, 128, 129, 137;
his concubines, 128, 129, 137;
reasons for his numerous marriages, 137;
compared with Moses, 142;
to him the Arabs owe their nationality, 146;
always insisted on faith and prayer, 149;
his parting address at Mina, 150;
his immediate successors, 4, 5, 18, 25;
his companions and their successors, 39;
his converts, 123, 124, 126, 129
Muhammad Al-Amin, the philologist and lawyer, 116
Muhammad bin Habib, the editor of poems, 76
Muhammad bin Saad, the historian, 53
Muhammad Hussain Tabrizi, the penman, 113
Muir (Sir William), 120;
his life of Muhammad, 120, 137;
his annals of the early Khalifate, 147
Munkah, the Sanscrit translator, 91
Musa, the general, 7
Musa bin Khalid, the translator, 91
Muslim Homeir, the geographer, 49
Musset (Alfred de), the poet, 233;
the verses on his tomb in Paris, 234
Mustaa'sim (Al) Billah, the Khalif, 12, 20, 107
Mustatraf (Al), a story-book, 201;
extracts from it, 202-209
Muta, Battle at, 130
Mutanabbi (Al), the poet, 77, 84, 85
Mysticism, 95
N.
Nabiga, the poet, 30
Nadim (An), author of the 'Fihrist,' 55, 56, 84, 85
Nami (An), the poet, 77, 85
'Naphut-ul-Yaman,' a story-book, 188;
extracts from it, 188-192
Nasir-uddin-Tusy, the Persian, 107
Natural history, writers about, 58
(Khalef-al-Ahmer, Ahmad bin ud Dinveri, Jahiz (Al),
Ibn Duraid, Shaibani (As), each indexed separately.)
Newton and the Bible, 140
Nubakht, the translator, 98
O.
Obaid Allah bin Jahsh, the Hanyf, 133
Ohud, Battle of, 127
Omaiyide Khalifs, Abdul-Malik and Walid I, patrons of literature and
art, 95
Omaiyides, The, list of 19;
dynasty established, 5;
conquests of, 6;
fall of, 7
Omar, the Khalifah, 4, 19, 137, 147
Oriental Congress of 1889, v., vi.
Oriental lectures established, vi.
Oriental literature, study of, vi.
Oriental Translation Fund, Old, vi., vii.;
its revival, vi.;
new fund to be permanent, vii.;
some of its works, 54, 57, 88, 109, 115, 117;
list of works published by, Appendix, 235
Otbi (Al), the poet, 77, 80, 82
Othman, the Khalifah, 4, 19
Othman bin Huwairith, the Hanyf, 133
Othman bin Talha, the custodian of the Kaabah, 3, 129
Oweis Al Keremi, the mystic, 95
P.
'Pancha Tantra,' 151, 153, 183
Passion Play, the Arab, 6
Payne (John), description of his 'Nights,' 155, 156, 175, 177, 180
Pelly (Sir Lewis), a translator, 6
Periods of Arab literature--first, 25;
second, 20;
third, 106;
of Arab history, 2
Persia, its severance from the Abbasides, 13
Persian Portraits, 151
Petis de la Croix, a translator, 154
Philologists, Arab 59
(Kasim bin Ma'an, Kutrub, Jahiz (Al), Shaibani (As),
Asmai (Al), Abu Obaida, Ansari (Al), Abu Othman,
Abul Aina, Ibn Kutaiba, Ibn Duraid, each indexed
separately.)
Philology, Arab, 59
Philosophers, Arab, 65
(Khalid bin Yazid, Kindi (Al), Farabi (Al), Ibn Sina,
Ali bin Ridhwan, Ghazah (Al), Ibn Bajah, Ibn Rashid,
Kosta bin Luka, Thaleb bin Korra, Tavhidi (Al),
Majridi (Al), each indexed separately.)
Philosophy, Arab, 64
Physicians, Arab, 72
(Georgios bin Bakhtyeshun, Gabriel bin Georgios,
Isa bin Musa, Maseweih, Yahya bin Maseweih,
Honem bin Ishak, Kosta bin Luka, Razi, Ibn Batlan,
each indexed separately.)
Places of learning, 105
Pococke, a translator, 97
Poem of the Mantle, by Kab bin Zoheir, 31, 33
Poem of the Mantle, by Al Busiri, 32, note
Poetry before Muhammad's time, 25, 28
Poetry, Collectors and editors of Arab, 76
(Mofaddhal (Al), Shaibani (As), Abu Zaid bin A'us,
Ibn as Sikkit, Muhammad bin Habib, Abu Hatim as
Sejastani, Abu Othman al Mazini, Abu Tammam, Bohton (Al),
Ibn-ul-Marzaban, Ibn Demash, Zukkari, Abu Bakr As-Sauli,
Abul Faraj al-Ispahani, each indexed separately.)
Poets, Arab, 28, 30, 77
(Amriolkais, Antara, Labid, Tarafa, Amru, Harath, Zoheir,
Nabiga, Kama (Al), Aasha (Al), Akhtal (Al), Farazdak,
Jarir, Abul-Atahya, Bashshar bin Burd, Abu Nuwas, Abu
Tammam, Otbi (Al), Bohtori (Al), Mutanabbi (Al), Nami
(An), each indexed separately.)
Printing presses of Arabic to-day, 118
Prophets mentioned by Muhammad, 133
Purgstall (Von Hammer), author and translator, 96, 155
Q.
Quaritch (Bernard), his catalogue, vii.
R.
Radhi (Al) Billah, the Khalif, 20, 101, 102
Razi, or Rhazes, the physician, 24, 25, 75
Redhouse (J.W.), the translator, 32
Rehatsek (E.), the translator, viii., 30, 53
Reiske, a translator, 97
Remarks, Introductory, v.
Rénan, extracts from, 144, 145
Rodiger, a translator, 27
Ruckert, a translator, 89
S.
Sacey de (Baron Silvestre), 26, 89, 108
Sad bin Malik, the general, 4
Sa'di's 'Gulistan,' 188
Sayuti (Jalal-uddin), the Egyptian author, 111
Scott (Jonathan), a translator, 155, 177, 178
Sehl bin Nubakht, 90
Seville, 9
Shafai (Al), the imam, 37
Shaibani (Abu Amr as), the grammarian, philologist, writer on natural
history and editor of poems, 49, 60, 76
Shiahs, Description of the, 5
Sibawaih, the grammarian, 46, 47
'Sihr-ul-oyoon,' a book on the eye, 210
extracts from it, 210-212
'Siraj-ul Muluk,' an interesting work, 212;
extracts from it, 212-216
Society of the Brethren of Purity, 105
Sofyan at Thauri, an imaam, 38
Somadeva, '(Bhatta); an Indian author, 182, 183
Soudanese, The, 148
Spain, Omaiyide rulers in, 21;
other rulers, 8;
the Almoravides, 9;
the Almohades, 9
Spanish Omaiyide Khalifs, 8, 21;
the two greatest, Abd-ar-Rahman III and Hakim II., 102
Sprengor (Dr. A.), a translator, 54
Stories from Ibn Khallikan, 217-228
Stories from the 'Arabian Nights.' 157-174
Stories from the 'Merzuban-namah.' 193-201
Stories from the 'Mustatraf.' 202-209
Stories from the 'Naphut-ul-Yaman.' 188-192
Stories from the 'Sihr-ul-oyoon.' 210-212
Stories from the 'Siraj-ul-Muluk.' 212-216
Stories from various sources, 228-233
Sulaiman, the lawgiver, 112-116
Sunnis, Description of the, 5
Syria and Palestine, 14;
conquest of, by the Fatimites, 14;
by the Seljuks, 14;
by Saladin, 15;
by Selim I., 15
T.
Tabari, the historian, 53
Taki-uddin of Fez, the historian, 110
Tarafa, the poet, 29
Tarik, the general, 7
Tavhidi (Al), the philosopher, 65, 106
Tawney (C.H.), the translator, 181
Testaments, our Old and New, 133, 139
Thalab, the grammarian, 48
Thalab bin Korra, the philosopher, 65
Theophilus of Edessa, the translator, 98
'Thousand and one Nights.' 152, 154-156, 174-176
Torrens, a translator of the 'Nights.' 155
Tradition, The six Fathers of, 38
(Al-Bukhari, Muslim, At-Tir-midi, Abu Dawud, An-Nasai, Ibn Majah.)
Traditionists, Early, 38
Traditionists, Minor, 38
Translations, how carried on, 90, 91, 98
Translators, 89, 90
(Ibn-AlMukaifa, Abd-Allah bin Hilal, Sehl bin Nubakht, Musa
bin Khalid, Yusuf bin Khalid, Hassan bin Sehl, Baladori
(Al), Munkah, the Indian, Ibn Washiyab, Honein bin Ishak,
Maseweih and his son Yahya, Kosta bin Luka, Theophilus
of Edessa, each indexed separately.)
Travellers, _see_ 'Geographers'
Trebutien, a translator, 155
U.
Ulema, Establishment of the, 116
V.
Vatsyayana, the Hindoo author of the 'Kama Sutra,' 182
Voltaire and the Bible, 140
'Vrihat Katha,' or Great Tale, 182, 183
W.
Wackidi (Al), the historian, 53
Walid I., the sixth Omaiyide Khalif, 7, 19
Warakah, the Hanyf, 123, 132
Weil (Dr.), the translator, 53, 155
White (Dr. Joseph), 177
World, End of the, prophesied, 111
Wustenfeld (Dr.), the editor and author, 52, 76
Y.
Yahya bin Khalid, the Barmekide, 99, 100
Yahya bin Maseweih, the physician and translator, 74, 75, 91,98
Yakut, the penman, 113, 114
Yazid I., the second Omaiyide Khalif, 5, 6, 19
Yusuf bin Khalid, the translator, 91
Z.
Zaid, the inquirer, 132
Zibary, the hostile poet, 31
Zinzerling, a translator, 155
Zobeida, the wife of Harun-ar-Rashid, 97, 168
Zoheir, the poet, 29
Zotenberg (H.), of the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, 176, 177, 179
Zukkari, the editor of poems, 76
THE END