DESCRIPTION OF DAMASCUS.
It now became necessary that I should seek out and steadfastly follow up
some fixed profession or calling in life. There was more than one motive
that urged this measure upon me as a necessity: in the first place, my
father’s resources had been sadly crippled by the piratical affair;
besides, I was of an age when youths in Syria earn their own livelihood,
and my education was sufficiently advanced to enable me to enter upon the
duties of life. I could read and write my own language; and this was all
that was expected, and much more than many youths of my age could boast.
I had no thought then of acquiring a knowledge of foreign languages. To
escape from the thraldom of school is always a source of great delight to
schoolboys.
As far as my own views went, I was bent upon going to Damascus; and
though my dear parents opposed this wish at first, I gradually coaxed
them into a consenting mood; and perhaps the greatest inducement for them
to yield to my wishes, was the fact of our having a wealthy and
influential friend, then residing at Damascus, who had been a
fellow-_katib_ of my uncle’s, and who occupied a high post in the service
of the Pasha.
To this worthy man’s care I was confided; and, taking leave of my dear
parents, and accompanied by their blessing, I left Beyrout, and proceeded
to Damascus; a city which existed before the patriarch Abraham’s time,
being referred to as a well-known place, in Gen. xiv. It was the chief
city of Syria, founded by Rezin, and was sacked by Jeroboam II., king of
Israel. It is still a comparatively thriving and populous city, and has
those natural resources of climate, soil, and abundance of water, which
cannot fail to perpetuate its fame as the garden of the East. Here,
shortly after my arrival, I was fortunate enough, through the influence
of our friend, to procure a lucrative and rising situation. At this
place I remained a considerable time, delighted with its climate and
beauty, as also well pleased with my office and with my associates.
No pen can give an adequate idea of the delights of Damascus. The
nearest approach I can hope to make to a truthful description, will be
simply to depict what I saw and experienced; and this perhaps will give
the stranger a better conception of the place than the flowery rhapsodies
of many of those writers, whose experience, resulting from a visit of a
few days, has been skilfully converted into some dozen chapters of post
octavo.
Damascus, like most Eastern towns, has nothing to boast of in the outside
appearance of its rough unwhitewashed houses. Its streets are narrow,
dark and intricate—crowds of people—caravans of camels—mules—and troops
of donkeys—are all perpetually on the move, though not with that rapidity
of locomotion so striking to a foreigner on his first visit to London.
The stranger is struck dumb with amazement and disappointment. He has
heard so much and he sees so little, that his first exclamation is sure
to be, “Can this really be Sham-al Sharif?—the much praised Damascus;—the
so-styled paradise of the East!” Yes, stranger, this is the justly
celebrated Damascus; but the secret cause of your amazement lies hid as
the kernel in the shell of a nut, the outer surface of which is the walls
of the houses, while within lies concealed the sweet kernel. Open the
street-door of rough and unpolished wood; and after carefully closing the
same, as if by magic, the whole train of your thoughts and your
discontentment will be diverted into another channel, and you will be
struck with surprise and admiration, as the hidden beauties of the city
will then burst upon your view. The same may be said with regard to the
ladies of Damascus, notoriously the handsomest women in the East—Houris,
whose bright eyes have afforded an endless theme for the poet’s song!
Forms carefully enveloped in white and coloured _izars_—features muffled
up and completely disguised by white veils! That man must needs be a
magician who could identify even his own wife or sister from amidst the
herd of ghostly figures continually flitting to and fro in the streets;
though now and then some Eastern _akruti_ (coquette), may even here be
found slily contriving to allow the light of her sparkling eyes to beam
through this dark screen. Here also is the same mystery, and the beauty
lies concealed within the outer shell.
Now standing in a spacious quadrangle, exquisitely paved with marble, we
take a hasty survey of all around us. In the centre is a square basin of
clear crystal-like water, in which gold and silver fish are playfully
swimming about; and in the middle of this _birkat_ a fountain continually
throws its sportive jets to return in showers of pearls upon the many
pretty little flowers that are planted round the borders. An arcade,
supported by elegant columns, runs round three sides; and the fourth side
of the quadrangle is occupied by the lower apartments of the house. The
_corna_ (or cornices), are all ornamented with Arabic inscriptions, both
in poetry and prose, being invariably Scripture texts. {21a} In little
_fistakiares_, or parterres, walled in with marble slabs, a few choice
orange and lemon trees are carefully cultivated; and it is difficult to
say whether the sweet odour of their blossoms is not rivalled, or even
surpassed, by the delicious fragrance of the roses and rich _Baghdad ful_
(or dwarf jessamine), which so thickly cluster about their roots. Of the
interior of such a mansion no one could have given a better idea than did
His Excellency Mahomed Pasha, {21b} the late ambassador to the court of
St. James’s, who, during his residence in London, gave several balls,
having some of the apartments at the Embassy, so fitted up, as exactly to
resemble the interior of a house at Damascus. These rooms were the
leading topic of chit chat among the fashionables of London for many
weeks afterwards.
I must crave the reader’s permission to conduct him into one of these
houses; and in so doing to introduce him to the _mistaba_, or alcove, in
the centre, from the back of which two trellised windows overlook a
spacious fruit garden. A low divan runs round its three sides, while a
soft carpet covers the marble floor. The cushions, and even the divan
itself, are of the richest velvet stuffs: and the numerous _étagères_ in
the _mistaba_ are filled with costly glass-ware, crystal cups, and
elegant porcelain vases. On each side is a tray, covered with a snowy
napkin, the edges worked with gold and silver flowers, upon one are
handsome _finjans_ in filigree, silver coffee-cups and sugar-basins; on
the other, cut-glass saucers full of delicious candied sweetmeats, of
which the orange-flower, violet and rose are the most fragrant. Both
trays rest on low stools, the feet of which are elegantly carved. One of
the adjoining rooms is fitted up with handsome _narghilies_, and long
pipes with amber mouth-pieces of great value. In this room there is also
a small _mangal_, or brazier, in which a charcoal fire is perpetually
burning for the double purpose of boiling the often-required coffee, and
of supplying the smokers with fire for their pipes, or _narghilies_.
Servants are constantly in attendance in this room, and the arrival of a
visitor is the signal for activity amongst them. Lemonade is first
offered, and then smoking materials are put in requisition; after this,
the sweetmeats are handed round; and lastly, coffee is served. {22}
In a Pasha’s house, when people call on official business, the appearance
of coffee is a quiet hint to be off, or in other words, denotes a
termination of that morning’s visit. The visitor sips his coffee,
returns the _finjan_ to the attendant slave, touches heart, mouth and
head to the Pasha, and then bows himself out. The room opposite to this
smoking apartment, is usually the dormitory of the servants; its outside
appearance is handsome, and the closed door is tastefully carved and
painted, but the interior is by no means inviting—heaps of mattrasses are
piled up on all sides, and perchance even a small store of provisions for
domestic consumption. In this respect this lumber-room is quite
different to the usual appearance of things in Damascus, for the outside
is the best-looking part of it. So much for the interior of the houses;
now let us see how the ladies look when they are within doors, and have
laid aside the _izar_ and odious black handkerchief. We will first
describe the daughter of the host; a very fair specimen of her sex in
Damascus. Her eyes are beautifully dark, her eyelashes, eyebrows, and
hair, of a glossy jet black, the latter tinged with _henna_, hangs down
her back and reaches nearly to the ground in a succession of plaits, each
terminating with black silk braid, knotted and interwoven with various
sized golden coins, her features (excepting the eyes) are all small but
compact. The nose is Grecian, the lips cherry, and slightly pouting, the
chin dimpled, the form of the face oval, and the complexion clear with a
rosy tint. The bust and figure are unexceptionable, the arms comely, the
wrists and ankles well turned, and the feet and hands perfect models for
a sculptor; yet this is one out of the many nondescript beings that we
encountered out of doors covered with _izar_ and veil. Her face and
figure are well set off by the head-dress and Oriental costume. On the
top of her head she wears a small red cap, which is encircled by a
handsomely flowered handkerchief, and over the latter strings of pearls
and pieces of small gold money are tastefully arranged in festoons. In
the centre of her red cap is a diamond crescent, from which hangs a long
golden cord, with a blue silk tassel, usually ornamented with pearls: her
vest fits tight, and admirably displays the unlaced figure. In summer,
this vest is of blue or pink satin, bordered and fringed with gold lace;
in winter, cloth, edged with fur, is substituted for the satin; and over
the vest is worn a short grey jacket, chastely embroidered with black
silk braid. The vest is confined to the waist by a _zunnar_, in summer,
of a silk Tripoli scarf, in winter by a costly Cashmere shawl; and from
under this a long robe reaches to her ankles, and is divided into two
long lappels, lined with satin, and fringed with costly trimmings. This
latter robe partially conceals the _shirwal_, or full trowsers, which
hang loosely over, and are fastened round the ankles; the tastey mixture
of colors, and the graceful arrangement renders the costume a perfect
study. Latterly, European shoes have been much used by the Damascene
ladies, especially those gaily-flowered kid shoes, imported into Syria
from Marseilles. This completes the young lady’s toilet, and her walk
and action are as graceful as her figure and face are prepossessing; but
beyond the _naam_ (yes) and _la_ (no) of conversation, you can seldom get
a word from her unless you are a very intimate friend of the family, and
then these young ladies are as fond of a little romping or quizzing as
their more accomplished and more elegant sisters of the North. It is a
mistake to imagine that the men of the Turkish empire are wholly excluded
from any friendly intercourse with the women of those countries, a tale
which has gained credence, and been perseveringly maintained by
travellers, few of whom have ever had an opportunity of testing the truth
of the report by personal experience. In fact, in my opinion, the
Eastern ladies have really far more liberty than their Northern sisters,
inasmuch as they are able when veiled with the _izar_, to go where they
please. These _izars_ being of the same form and colour, it is almost
impossible to identify an individual; and a man may pass even his own
wife, without recognising her. In illustration of this, I am tempted to
give the following story, for the authenticity of which I can vouch. The
wife of a Mahomedan merchant, of Cairo, suspecting her husband, paid him
a visit in his shop, accompanied, as is usual, by a duenna, both
enveloped in the folds of their _izars_. During the visit, while
inspecting some muslin, the lady contrived to indulge the amatory
merchant with a glimpse of her large dark eyes, which completely
enchanted her unconscious lord. An interview was brought about, through
the agency of the old woman; and the astonished husband discovered to his
dismay, in the charmer, the features of his piqued and angry helpmate.
Amongst the higher classes of Christians in particular, every freedom
exists in doors; young ladies not only shew themselves, but, after
serving the guest with coffee and sweetmeats, they will seat themselves
on the edge of the divan, and soon manage to join in the conversation.
This state of freedom exists to a greater or less degree till the young
girl is betrothed; then it is not considered decorous that she should be
present whenever her intended bridegroom visits the house, neither should
she hear his name mentioned. Even amongst Turks, and more especially in
the villages and smaller towns of Syria, the young Mahomedan sees and
converses with the future object of his love, until she attains her
eleventh or twelfth year, she is then excluded from the society of men;
but womanhood has already begun to develop itself in the person of the
girl of ten or eleven years old in these climates where they are
oftentimes wives and mothers at thirteen. Hence love exists between the
young couple before the destined bridegroom urges his mother to make the
requisite proposals of marriage. He loses sight of his lady-love as soon
as she enters upon womanhood, though he may, by means of a third party,
catch an occasional glimpse of her features as she passes to and fro,
strictly guarded by matrons and old duennas; but not a single word or one
bewitching kiss can the despairing lover hope for until she is brought
home to his house, his lawful consort and partner for life; then, and not
till then, commences the great seclusion of the ladies of the Turkish
hareem. Even in country places and villages, though the newly-married
bride may be strictly guarded for a year or two, this feeling eventually
wears off, and the women mix in the every-day occupations of the field or
in the garden, unveiled and undistinguishable from their Christian
neighbours. Of late years especially much progress has been made in this
branch of civilisation, arising from the example set by the sultan’s
ladies themselves at Stamboul, and by the increase of European ladies at
Beyrout and other towns in Syria, often travelling about the country, and
who, though unveiled, enjoy a high reputation for virtue and honesty,
convincing proof to the Turks, that the face, which is the mirror of the
heart, was meant to be studied as an example, not as a concealed vessel
of craft and guile.
But to return to Damascus. We have now taken a brief survey of the
court-yards and lower portion of the houses; and having been served with
sweetmeats by the pretty young lady, we follow the matron of the house up
stairs, to reach which we have to cross the yard, for there is no
communication between the lower and upper story, and we must pass into
the arcade for the steps. Now that we have reached the upper story,
there is a room on either side of the _mistaba_ communicating with a
gallery: and these rooms are the sleeping apartments of the family in
winter. In summer they serve as dressing-rooms and as a receptacle for
the mattresses, etc., that are nightly spread on the top of the house for
the family to sleep upon; for in summer almost every one sleeps on the
terrace, from the lord and master of the house and the lowest menial down
to the very cats and dogs, whose instinct causes them to seek for
coolness in the more elevated parts of the house. These rooms are gaily
painted, but contain little or no furniture; a divan or so, a mirror,
some flower-vases, and ladies’ nic-nacs; these constitute the furniture.
Mounting up to the terrace, we come upon a belvidere, surrounded on three
sides by a wall lofty enough to prevent the possibility of the tallest
man accidentally over-looking his neighbour’s court-yard; on the fourth
side there is a wooden railing, from which we command a view of our own
court-yard, catching a glimpse of some of the famed gardens of Damascus
in the distance.
The bazars of the city, crowded with busy purchasers, present a bustling
scene to the stranger. After Constantinople, Damascus claims precedence
for the quantity and richness of the stuffs displayed for sale in its
bazars from all countries in the world. Indian manufactures, spices of
Arabia, coffee from Mocha, and endless European wares, are hourly
bartered and sold. The scent of sandal-wood and myrrh, the _attar_ of
Mecca, the Indian’s curry ingredients, the rich drugs of the apothecary,
the smoky perfumes of the scented _narghili_ and pipe of _Jabaliy_
tobacco; all these tend to confuse and stupify the bewildered European,
who, pushing his way through the dense multitude, follows us into a
native restaurant, where iced lemonade and sweetmeats are tantalisingly
exposed for sale. The pleasant cold water, playing in artificial jets,
turns a small tin watermill, hung with little silver bells, whose
pleasant music first attracts the attention of the busy stranger. Here,
seated for a moment, we enjoy the passing scene, and are vastly refreshed
by the good things around us. Among these we may notice a pleasant
beverage, and one very much in request: it is made by bruising a certain
quantity of raisins, on which water is poured; the liquid is afterwards
strained, and ice is added to render it cool. The place is crowded with
a thirsty multitude, all eager to partake of this; but the swarms of
flies that alight on one’s face and hands, make quiet and repose
completely out of the question; so we are up again, and hurrying through
the bazars towards the environs of the city. The day is too hot and the
distance too great for a walk, so we hire horses and a native cicerone.
The beauty of the environs of Damascus I can only compare to some lovely
landscape of fancy’s brightest imagining, in which is combined every rich
and bountiful gift of Providence—flowers, fruits, waters, hills, plains,
rivers; a cloudless, blue sky; a rich, brilliant sunlight; and the
delicious zephyr breathing soft freshness over the scene. It may well be
believed by the zealous Mussulmans of Damascus, that Mahomed, {28} as he
beheld it from the western hills, declined to enter into the city, lest
the luxurious richness of this earthly Paradise might induce him to
forget the existence of another and an eternal one. Skilfully did the
prophet make a virtue of necessity in this instance. He well knew his
incapability of besieging the city. I am inclined to think that, had it
been otherwise, Mahomed was far too eager after earthly enjoyments to
have relinquished so fair a spot.
Our guide fails not to point out to us two branches of the Barrada,
reckoned to be Abana and Pharpar, rivers which Naaman, the leper, thought
better than the waters of Jordan. The lions to be seen at Damascus are
numerous. Amongst these, we visit the _Bab il Gharbi_, where Tamerlane
heaped up a pyramid of heads after taking the city by storm; then the
monument called _Nabiy Abel_, marking, it is said, the identical spot
where Cain slew his innocent brother. The name of the city is presumed
by some to be derived from this event, the word _damm_ signifying
“blood”; but I must confess, I cannot see much ground for this
presumption. If any truth be attached to this tradition, our first
parents cannot well have wandered far from the lovely Garden of Eden when
this first tragedy occurred; and Eden must have been situated to the west
of Damascus, as it is said, that the angel of the Lord guarded the east
end of the garden—a proof that our first parents were sent out eastward,
and could only endeavour to return from that side. Some natives imagine
that the Hammah and Hums of the present day are on the site of the
beautiful garden of gardens. The eastern gate of the city, now walled
up, is where St. Paul is supposed to have been let down in a basket; they
shew us the very house from which he is said to have escaped. The
Christian cemetery, containing the tomb of St. George, and the arch where
St. Paul hid himself on escaping from Damascus; the wide road beyond the
cemetery, still highly reverenced as the spot of the miraculous
conversion; all these were familiar to me during my long stay in this
fair city; and I mention them here for the benefit of strangers visiting
the spot.
During the summer evenings, the friends, at whose house I was staying,
gave frequent entertainments to their numerous acquaintances amongst the
inhabitants of Damascus. On these occasions, the ladies of the different
families honoured us with their presence, and occasionally some of the
European consuls and merchants were invited. A description of one
evening party will describe the whole. First, then, we will introduce
the stranger into the house where the _farah_ (feast) is to be held.
Women are busily occupied washing out and sweeping the court-yard; the
flowers and other plants are fresh watered; the marble fountain is
decorated with coloured lanterns and festoons of flowers; carpets are
spread, and divan cushions ranged against the wall; the _mistaba_ is
tastefully lighted, and a highly inflammable torch, composed of the fat
wood of fir, resin, and other ingredients, is planted in each of the four
corners. In the smoking apartment of the _mistaba_, preparations are
making on a grand scale. Large bags of ready-washed and prepared
_timbac_ are hung upon nails in the wall, to filter and to be fit for
immediate use when the _narghilies_ are called into requisition. Tobacco
pouches are filled. Two additional _mangals_ of charcoal fire, and some
additional coffee-pots are prepared. Decanters are filled with _arraki_,
wine, liqueurs, orange-flower, and rose-water; and the cut-glass saucers
replenished with candied preserves; whilst two maid-servants and a boy,
assisted and superintended by the mistress of the house, are busy
grinding coffee and decocting huge bowls of deliciously-iced lemonade.
In addition to all this, a side-table is groaning under the weight of
plates of sliced oranges and picked pomegranates, with numerous other
fruits, and a great variety of pastry. By the time all these
arrangements are completed the night sets in; the whole yard is
illuminated; the members of the household and the servants are busily
engaged donning their best attire, and the company of hired musicians
arrive. The music striking up, is the signal for the nearest invited
neighbours to make their appearance. They arrive, the men clad in long,
loose silken robes; the women enveloped in their white _izars_; but these
latter are speedily thrown aside at the invitation of the lady of the
house, who assists in helping the guests to disrobe, and then confides
their _izars_ to the trusty care of the handmaiden.
Now these veils are all of the same make, and they have no initials or
other distinguishing mark. Notwithstanding this, no confusion ensues on
the breaking up of a party as to identification, every lady is quick to
recognise her own peculiar _izar_ from the mass of white sheets that are
folded and piled one above another upon the divan in the upstairs
dressing-room. Soon the whole party have arrived, and the amusements of
the evening commence with vocal and instrumental music. After this, some
of the gentlemen stand up and go through the graceful attitudes of the
Syrian dance, then some others volunteer the sword dance, or the Bedouin
dance, some of the married ladies then take courage; but it requires
coaxing and threats to induce the timid damsel to display her skill.
Persuasion being out of the question, some old gentleman gets up and
pretends that he is going to dance instead of her, and he goes through a
few steps till he comes close up to some girl that he has singled out
from the circle. Seizing her arm with no very gentle force, he whirls
into the centre of the yard, and meanwhile, some one who has watched the
manœuvre, acts the same part by some other blushing maiden. These are
confronted face to face, and there is now no escape, so they commence at
first timidly and bashfully, but getting gradually excited by the music,
they lose all this pretended bashfulness, and do their best to outshine
each other; and truly there is rarely a more graceful sight than two
beautiful Damascene girls, elegantly dressed and bespangled with jewels,
displaying their graceful figures to the best advantage, to the slow but
becoming measures of the dance. All the other young ladies now follow
their example, and as each couple retires at the termination of their
efforts to please, they are hailed with shouts of applause, and liberally
besprinkled with rose and orange-flower water. The old ladies evince
their approbation by a peculiar vibrating scream, produced by the voice
passing through the nearly closed lips, whilst the under lip is kept in a
continual tremulous state by the rapid application of the back of the
forefinger to that feature. When dancing is over for the evening,
sometimes games of forfeit are introduced, and promote much mirth,
especially one game called “_Tuthun Tuthun_, _min Tuthun_”—a game of
Turkish origin, as its name denotes, and which is played thus:—Every one
in the circle takes the name of a bird, a tree, or a flower, whilst the
king of the game goes round and collects in a handkerchief some small
article from each one present. These he afterwards shuffles together,
and then drawing one out, which he carefully conceals in his hand, he
fixes upon some one in the circle, to whom he puts the question “_Tuthun
Tuthun_, _min Tuthun_?” or, “Tobacco tobacco, whose is it?” The party
fixed upon is obliged to guess, and he names some bird or flower which he
heard some one call himself; if the guess is wrong, he has to hold out
his hand and receive three stripes from a closely knotted handkerchief,
and then the party referred to is next obliged to guess to whom the
“_Tuthun_” belongs, and so on all round the circle till the right name
has been discovered. Then the king resigns his post and handkerchief,
and is relieved in office by him or her that made the right guess.
After these games some one tells a story or recites a poem, a specimen of
which I am enabled to introduce, literally translated.
I’ve gazed on many eyes, that shine
As bright; none ever yet so well
Have answered to my heart as thine,
My lovely, little, dear gazelle.
Oh give me but one smile, to tell
Of pity from those gentle eyes:
The thought shall ever with me dwell,
My love you did not all despise.
You move in beauty, while each charm
Subdues the more my amorous soul,
Until my fainting spirits warm
To strength beneath thy sweet control.
Hear then my prayer, to you alone
I bow—Let those who know me not,
Mock, if they will, at pangs unknown:
Your smile, though false, is ne’er forgot.
Mine eyes have often wearied long
To catch thine image passing by;
My saddened spirit grew more strong,
With thee one moment in mine eye.
But oh, if love should ever seek
Its seat within that beauteous breast,
Drive it afar; you see it wreak
On me its power to poison rest.
For bound beneath thy beauty’s sway,
My days in wasting sadness roll;
Though deaf to all, this dust can say,
You’ll meet in heaven, my parted soul.
Deign but my fevered heart to cool,
With but one passing word of hope,
Then shall my tortured spirit school
Itself, with all beside to cope.
But thought is useless, words are vain;
And my bewildered mind can fling
No effort from this maddening brain,
That can to thee its image bring.
For disappointed and beguiled,
I will not spend another sigh;
If you had never on me smiled,
No tear had ever dimmed mine eye.
I will now endeavour to give my readers a specimen of an original Arabic
tale in the familiar and colloquial style of these Oriental storytellers
so famed for their amusing delivery and gesticulation.
THE STORY OF THE JINN AND THE SCOLDING WIFE.
Once upon a time, many years ago, when good people were rather scarce
upon the earth, and such men as Noah had ceased to exist, there dwelt a
certain poor man at the city of Aleppo, whose name was—I forgot now
exactly what; but as his heirs might not take it in good part, we had
best leave the name-part of the business alone altogether. However, he
was fortunate enough to pick up with a pretty little wife, whose smiles,
so thought the lover, were like the dew of Hermon; instead of which, they
proved to be very mildew in every sense of the word. Yusuf—so was the
man called, but, I forgot, we must not mention it—married the fair
Ankafir. First week, honey and kaymak, and everything nice and sweet;
second week, necklaces and other jewellery required; third week, funds
low, dinners scant, temper sour; fourth week, squalls matrimonial from
morning to night, from night to morning.
“I tell you what it is, my dear,” quoth Yusuf, “either you must leave off
blowing up, or I must take to bastinadoing: so just you choose the least
evil.”
To hear her talk of his inhumanity—to hear her talk of her rich relations
and their influence with the Pasha—to hear her storm about broken hearts,
and, what is a great deal more serious and matter-of-fact, broken heads—I
say, to hear her jabber about all this, was enough to turn a quiet,
sober-minded man into a misanthrope for life; but, to feel the argument
in the shape of sundry manipulations, cuffs on the ear, scratches, etc.,
this was beyond the endurance of a martyr; so thought Yusuf, so did his
friends, and so did the evil counsellors that recommended him to resort
to the use of water as an only alternative.
Now, I don’t mean to say, mind you, that they suggested, that water, as
an every-day kind of a beverage, was likely to be productive of very
beneficial effects; neither did they hint that arraki and water, though
this latter has often done the job, would facilitate in ridding Yusuf of
his incubus. The river Euphrates was thought deep enough—a casualty in
the upset of a boat, plausible. The desperate husband took the hint.
One day he had a headache. Next day, change of air was thought
requisite, and the water-side recommended. He went to Berijek thence to
the river-side. A friendly old boatman hired him a boat and his own
personal services, and
“Upon the stream they got ’em.
The wind blew high; he blew his nose,
And—sent her to the bottom.”
She sunk, never again to rise, and the light-hearted husband leaped out
of the boat and strolled along the river-side.
By and bye, a damp-looking old customer, half Neptune, half I don’t know
what you may call it, comes walking up the river, just as coolly as a
ship of war might float on the ocean, and as fresh as though he had only
just got in for a dip, instead of having floated ever so many hundred
miles.
“Salām alaykum,” says Yusuf, “I hope you’re well.”
“Peace, thou son of a swine,” says the stranger; “What do you mean by
sending her there to bother us?”
“Who is it you mean, sir?”
“Who,” said the fierce little man, who was nothing more or less than the
Jinn, or Spirit of the Water, “why her, to be sure, that vixen of a wife
of yours, who has completely defiled the water. Why there is no peace
any more in those regions, and I have come forth to take a signal
vengeance on you: now choose what death you like—hanging, tearing to
pieces, or impaling.”
“Sir,” said Yusuf, very humbly, “if you, who are possessed of so much
power, cannot control her temper, how could I, a miserable mortal, hope
to manage her?”
There was so much truth in this assertion, that the Jinn calmed down
amazingly. “My friend,” quoth he, “I see you’re a sensible man; you and
I will henceforth unite our fortunes; so just have the kindness to step
upon my shoulders, and we will be off like a lightning-flash for
Baghdad.” Yusuf did as he was desired; and in the course of the next
hour they were safely housed in Baghdad. Now the Caliph had an only
daughter, who was reported beautiful as the morning star.
“Would you like to have her,” quoth the Jinn, “for a wife?”
“Who, me, sir; I am very much obliged to you,” quoth Yusuf; “but I don’t
exactly see how that is to be accomplished.”
“Oh, I will manage that part of the matter. You pass yourself off for a
great _hakeem_. I will coil myself round the girl’s neck in the shape of
a most venomous snake with two heads. No one shall be able to approach
but you. You burn that bit of paper that I have written upon, and throw
the ashes into water, and as it is demolished, so will I gradually
disappear. The results will be the Caliph’s gratitude and his daughter’s
hand and heart.”
Yusuf was very willing to do as he was bid. The feat was accomplished.
He married the girl and settled down for life in easy circumstances.
Some time after, the Jinn fell desperately in love with the Vizier’s
daughter, and displayed his attachment in the rather uncongenial form of
a viper. Now the Caliph had borne in mind the notoriety of his
son-in-law in this peculiar species of malady; so when the Vizier came
moaning and complaining that Yusuf would not go and cure his daughter, he
sent his compliments to Yusuf, with a silken cord and the alternative
carefully tied up in an embroidered pocket-handkerchief—of immediate
compliance with his will—an arsenic pill or strangulation. Yusuf had no
remedy, though he had faithfully promised the Jinn never to intrude upon
his felicity. He hit, however, upon a plausible excuse, and being
introduced into the presence of the Vizier’s daughter, he bent over her
neck and whispered to the Jinn—
“I say, I’ve just dropped in to warn you that she is here in Baghdad, and
looking for you.”
“Why, you don’t mean her?” said the alarmed Jinn.
“But I do though, sure as you are a ghost.”
“I say, you wont say where I am off to, will you,” says the Jinn; “but if
you will just pack up your salāms and any other light articles you may
wish to send to your friends, I’ll be happy to be the bearer. I’m off.”
“Are you, though?” says Yusuf
“Yes I am,” said the Jinn.
“I’d rather stem an angry wave
Than meet a storming woman.”
And so saying, he departed, and the Vizier’s daughter was healed.
* * * * *
Refreshments have been served at intervals; and the smoking has been
incessant, the married ladies, especially mothers of families, indulging
in whiffs at the _narghili_. It is considered unbecoming in a young lady
to smoke, and they never do so in public: but as they often serve the
_narghili_ to distinguished guests, they are compelled to take some
whiffs, as it is customary to present it lighted; and as this process
does not appear to make them feel unwell, we naturally imagine that on
the sly these young ladies frequently indulge themselves with a pipe.
This, kind reader, is a fair sample of the manner in which the Damascus
Christians amuse themselves during the evening.
Once Mr. Farren, the then British Consul-General at Damascus, gave a
grand entertainment to celebrate the king’s birth-day. To this, my
relative and myself were invited, in common with several of the Mahomedan
chiefs and Christian inhabitants of Damascus, who were utterly astounded
at the magnificent display of European luxury. The rooms were decorated
with flags of all nations, and splendidly furnished _à l’Anglaise_; and
it was probably the first _fête_ of the kind that many of these people
had ever witnessed. Every one was much charmed with the affable manners
of the Consul, and impressed with the wealth and dignity of the nation he
represented. And this kind of display was doubtless very beneficial in
curbing the fanatical hatred of the Damascus Mahomedans towards _Kuffar_
in general, which, at that time, raged to such a pitch, that no Christian
could, without insult, traverse the streets of Damascus on horseback,
especially with a white turban, till the interpreter of Mr. Farren
ventured to break through the law. Amongst the Moslems in Syria, those
only who are direct descendants of the prophet, or who have accompanied
the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca, are permitted to wear a green turban,
the other Mahomedans a white one. In the mountains, it is worn
indiscriminately by all creeds. In Turkey, those born on Friday are
entitled to wear green. This fact surprised an English friend at
Constantinople, who seeing so many green turbans, and not being aware of
this latter circumstance, observed, that the prophet must have a large
family.
During Ibrahim Pasha’s occupation of the country, he did much towards
bringing the haughty Mahomedans to a due appreciation of their own
nothingness; and the Damascus of to-day is very different to that of some
twenty years back. Now Christians, and even Jews, in garbs and costumes,
ride to and fro unmolested; and since the departure of the Egyptians, no
small share of praise is due to the energy and exertions of Mr. Richard
Wood, the present Consul, who is so much respected by the natives, as to
be distinguished amongst them by the Turkish title of Bey, and who has
successfully persevered in maintaining the privileges afforded to
residents and strangers of all creeds, under the iron sway of Ibrahim
Pasha.
Whilst at Damascus, we heard the following story, characteristic of the
manner in which Ibrahim Pasha sometimes administered retributive justice.
A rich Mahomedan, who was an invalid, desired to make the pilgrimage to
Mecca; but being prevented by his health, he offered to defray all the
expenses of a poor and pious neighbour, provided he would undertake this
journey for him. The poor man agreed to do so; and previous to his
departure, he deposited his money, and the few valuables of which he was
possessed, in a box, which he entrusted to the care of a friend, who was
a banker. On his return from Mecca, the box was restored to him, but
upon opening it, he discovered that the contents had been taken out. The
man immediately went and laid his complaint before the Cadi, who ordered
the banker to be brought before him. The accused, placing his hand on
the Koran, swore that he had taken neither the money nor the rest of the
property from the box; such a solemn declaration was considered
unquestionable, and the poor man lost his cause. Being utterly ruined,
he wandered about the city in despair; when one day, whilst seated
outside the gate of Damascus, he observed Ibrahim Pasha on horseback. He
immediately ran to him, and seizing his bridle-rein, stated his case to
the Pasha, and fully described his sorrows and the ill-usage which he had
received. Ibrahim Pasha listened to his story, and bestowing on him a
few piastres, said, “After seven days come to me.” In the meanwhile,
inquiries were made regarding the banker, and hearing that he had a son
at a certain school, the Pasha went in disguise, accompanied by his
secretary, and contrived to win the friendship and confidence of the
master. One day, whilst the professor and his scholars were taking their
customary siesta, the merchant’s son was carried off, and a young bear
deposited in the place which the boy had occupied. When the rest awoke,
great was their surprise at seeing such an animal amongst them; but their
consternation was even greater, when after the lapse of a short time, the
merchant’s son was nowhere to be found. The terror of the professor, and
the affliction of the father, may easily be imagined. In his anger, the
bereaved parent applied to Ibrahim Pasha, and demanded that the heaviest
and most severe penalty should be inflicted on the master for his seeming
negligence. “I know where your son is,” said the Pasha, “he is safe, and
when you return the money and property which you have taken from the box
of your friend, your child shall be restored to you.” The contents of
the box were given up, and the banker was beheaded.
The Roman Catholics have made comparatively few converts in Damascus, and
the mysterious disappearance, a few years since, of Padre Tomaso and his
servant, acts as a check upon the Jesuits, who mostly avoid those places
where every security is not afforded, and where great temporal advantages
do not accompany the success of their efforts at conversion.
By the last published report of the British and Foreign Bible Society,
the heart is cheered with the intelligence, that there are now
established at Damascus three American and two Irish Missionaries. May
their efforts be crowned with success; for Damascus is said to contain
about 140,000 inhabitants, all, more or less, superstitiously ignorant
and blind to the blessed light of the gospel!