Calamity Ahmad, saying, “I charge thee fetch him to me;” and the other
replied, “To hear is to obey;” whereupon the Caliph bade them give him
ten thousand gold pieces and he fared forth for Alexandria. On this wise
it happed with Aslan; but as regards his father, Ala al-Din Abu
al-Shamat, he sold in course of time all that was in his shop excepting
a few things and amongst them a long bag of leather. And happening to
shake the bag there fell out a jewel which filled the palm of the hand,
hanging to a chain of gold and having many facets but especially five,
whereon were names and talismanic characters, as they were ant-tracks.
So he rubbed each face; but none answered him[115] and he said to
himself, “Doubtless it is a piece of variegated onyx;” and then hung it
up in the shop. And behold, a Consul[116] passed along the street; and,
raising his eyes, saw the jewel hanging up; so he seated himself over
against the shop and said to Ala al-Din, “O my lord, is the jewel for
sale?” He answered, “All I have is for sale.” Thereupon the Frank said,
“Wilt thou sell me that same for eighty thousand dinars?” “Allah open!”
replied Ala al-Din. The Frank asked, “Wilt thou sell it for an hundred
thousand dinars?”; and he answered, “I sell it to thee for a hundred
thousand dinars; pay me down the monies.” Quoth the Consul, “I cannot
carry about such sum as its price, for there be robbers and sharpers in
Alexandria; but come with me to my ship and I will pay thee the price
and give thee to boot a bale of Angora wool, a bale of satin, a bale of
velvet and a bale of broadcloth.” So Ala al-Din rose and locked up his
shop, after giving the jewel to the Frank, and committed the keys to his
neighbour, saying, “Keep these keys in trust for me, whilst I go with
this Consul to his ship and return with the price of my jewel. If I be
long absent and there come to thee Ahmad al-Danaf, the Captain who
stablished in this shop, give him the keys and tell him where I am.”
Then he went with the Consul to his ship and no sooner had he boarded it
than the Frank set him a stool and, making him sit down, said to his
men, “Bring the money.” So they brought it and he paid him the price of
the jewel and gave him the four bales he had promised him and one over;
after which he said to him, “O my lord, honour me by accepting a bite or
a sup” And Ala al-Din answered, “If thou have any water, give me to
drink.” So the Frank called for sherbets and they brought drink drugged
with Bhang, of which no sooner had Ala al-Din drunk, than he fell over
on his back; whereupon they stowed away the chairs and shipped the
shoving-poles and made sail. Now the wind blew fair for them till it
drove them into blue water; and when they were beyond sight of land the
Kaptán[117] bade bring Ala al-Din up out of the hold and made him smell
the counter-drug of Bhang; whereupon he opened his eyes and said, “Where
am I?” He replied, “Thou art bound and in my power and if thou hadst
said, Allah open! to an hundred thousand dinars for the jewel, I would
have bidden thee more.” “What art thou?” asked Ala al-Din, and the other
answered, “I am a sea-captain and mean to carry thee to my sweetheart.”
Now as they were talking, behold, a ship hove in sight carrying forty
Moslem merchants; so the Frank captain attacked the vessel and made fast
to it with grappling-irons; then he boarded it with his men and took it
and plundered it; after which he sailed on with his prize, till he
reached the city of Genoa. There the Kaptan, who was carrying off Ala
al-Din, landed and repaired to a palace whose postern gave upon the sea,
and behold, there came down to him a damsel in a chin-veil who said,
“Hast thou brought the jewel and the owner?” “I have brought them both,”
answered he; and she said, “Then give me the jewel.” So he gave it to
her; and, returning to the port, fired his cannon to announce his safe
return; whereupon the King of the city, being notified of that Kaptan’s
arrival, came down to receive him and asked him, “How hath been this
voyage?” He answered, “A right prosperous one, and while voyaging I have
made prize of a ship with one-and forty Moslem merchants.” Said the
King, “Land them at the port:” so he landed the merchants in irons and
Ala al-Din among the rest; and the King and the Kaptan mounted and made
the captives walk before them till they reached the audience-chamber,
when the Franks seated themselves and caused the prisoners to pass in
parade order, one by one before the King who said to the first, “O
Moslem, whence comest thou?” He answered, “From Alexandria;” whereupon
the King said, “O headsman, put him to death.” So the sworder smote him
with the sword and cut off his head: and thus it fared with the second
and the third, till forty were dead and there remained but Ala al-Din,
who drank the cup of his comrades’ sighs and agony and said to himself,
“Allah have mercy on thee, O Ala al-Din. Thou art a dead man.” Then said
the King to him, “And thou, what countryman art thou?” He answered, “I
am of Alexandria,” and the King said, “O headsman, strike off his head.”
So the sworder raised arm and sword, and was about to strike, when
behold, an old woman of venerable aspect presented herself before the
King, who rose to do her honour, and said to him, “O King, did I not bid
thee remember, when the Captain came back with captives, to keep one or
two for the convent, to serve in the church?” The King replied, “O my
mother, would thou hadst come a while earlier! But take this one that is
left.” So she turned to Ala al-Din and said to him, “Say, wilt thou
serve in the church, or shall I let the King slay thee?” Quoth he, “I
will serve in the church.” So she took him and carried him forth of the
court and went to the church, where he said to her, “What service must I
do?” She replied, “Thou must rise with the dawn and take five mules and
go with them to the forest and there cut dry fire-wood and saw it short
and bring it to the convent-kitchen. Then must thou take up the carpets
and sweep and wipe the stone and marble pavements and lay the carpets
down again, as they were; after which thou must take two bushels and a
half of wheat and bolt it and grind it and knead it and make it into
cracknels[118] for the convent; and thou must take also a bushel of
lentils[119] and sift and crush and cook them. Then must thou fetch
water in barrels and fill the four fountains; after which thou must take
three hundred and threescore and six wooden bowls and crumble the
cracknels therein and pour of the lentil-pottage over each and carry
every monk and patriarch his bowl.” Said Ala al-Din,[120] “Take me back
to the King and let him kill me, it were easier to me than this
service.” Replied the old woman, “If thou do truly and rightly the
service that is due from thee thou shalt escape death; but, if thou do
it not, I will let the King kill thee.” And with these words Ala al-Din
was left sitting heavy at heart. Now there were in the church ten blind
cripples, and one of them said to him, “Bring me a pot.” So he brought
it him and he cacked and eased himself therein and said, “Throw away the
ordure.” He did so, and the blind man said, “The Messiah’s blessing be
upon thee, O servant of the church!” Presently behold, the old woman
came in and said to him, “Why hast thou not done thy service in the
church?” Answered he, “How many hands have I, that I should suffice for
all this work?” She rejoined, “Thou fool, I brought thee not hither
except to work;” and she added, “Take, O my son, this rod (which was of
copper capped with a cross) and go forth into the highway and, when thou
meetest the governor of the city, say to him:—I summon thee to the
service of the church, in the name of our Lord the Messiah. And he will
not disobey thee. Then make him take the wheat, sift, grind, bolt,
knead, and bake it into cracknels; and if any gainsay thee, beat him and
fear none.” “To hear is to obey,” answered he and did as she said, and
never ceased pressing great and small into his service; nor did he leave
to do thus for the space of seventeen years. Now one day as he sat in
church lo! the old woman came to him and said, “Go forth of the
convent.” He asked, “Whither shall I go?” and she answered, “Thou canst
pass the night in a tavern or with one of thy comrades.” Quoth he, “Why
dost thou send me forth of the church?” and quoth she, “The Princess
Husn Maryam, daughter of Yohanná,[121] King of this city, purposeth to
visit the church and it befitteth not that any abide in her way.” So he
made a show of obeying her orders and rose up and pretended that he was
leaving the church; but he said in his mind, “I wonder whether the
Princess is like our women or fairer than they! At any rate I will not
go till I have had a look at her.” So he hid himself in a closet with a
window looking into the church and, as he watched, behold, in came the
King’s daughter. He cast at her one glance of eyes that cost him a
thousand sighs, for he found her like the full moon when it cometh
swimming out of the clouds; and he saw with her a young lady——And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ala al-Din
looked at the King’s daughter, he saw with her a young lady to whom he
heard her say, “Thy company hath cheered me, O Zubaydah.” So he looked
straitly at the damsel and found her to be none other than his dead
wife, Zubaydah the Lutist. Then the Princess said to Zubaydah, “Come,
play us an air on the lute.” But she answered, “I will make no music for
thee, till thou grant my wish and keep thy word to me.” Asked the
Princess, “And what did I promise thee?”; and Zubaydah answered, “That
thou wouldst reunite me with my husband Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat, the
Trusty, the Faithful.” Rejoined the Princess, “O Zubaydah, be of good
cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear; play us a piece as a
thank-offering and an ear-feast for reunion with thy husband Ala
al-Din.” “Where is he?” asked Zubaydah, and Maryam answered, “He is in
yonder closet listening to our words.” So Zubaydah played on the lute a
melody which had made a rock dance for glee; and when Ala al-Din heard
it, his bowels yearned towards her and he came forth from the closet
and, throwing himself upon his wife Zubaydah, strained her to his bosom.
She also knew him and the twain embraced and fell to the ground in a
swoon. Then came forward the Princess Husn Maryam and sprinkled
rose-water on them, till they revived when she said to them, “Allah hath
reunited you.” Replied Ala al-Din, “By thy kind offices, O lady.” Then,
turning to his wife, he said to her, “O Zubaydah, thou didst surely die
and we tombed thee in the tomb: how then returnedst thou to life and
camest thou to this place?” She answered, “O my lord, I did not die; but
an Aun[122] of the Jinn snatched me up and flew with me hither. She whom
thou buriedst was a Jinniyah, who shaped herself to my shape and feigned
herself dead; but when you entombed her she broke open the tomb and came
forth from it and returned to the service of this her mistress, the
Princess Husn Maryam. As for me I was possessed[123] and, when I opened
my eyes, I found myself with this Princess thou seest; so I said to
her:—Why hast thou brought me hither. Replied she:—I am predestined to
marry thy husband, Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat: wilt thou then, O Zubaydah,
accept me to co-consort, a night for me and a night for thee? Rejoined
I:—To hear is to obey, O my lady, but where is my husband? Quoth
she:—Upon his forehead is written what Allah hath decreed to him; as
soon as the writing which is there writ is fulfilled to him, there is no
help for it but he come hither, and we will beguile the time of our
separation from him with songs and playing upon instruments of music,
till it please Allah to unite us with him. So I abode all these days
with her till Allah brought us together in this church.” Then Husn
Maryam turned to him and said, “O my lord, Ala al-Din, wilt thou be to
me baron and I be to the femme?” Quoth he, “O my lady, I am a Moslem and
thou art a Nazarene; so how can I intermarry with thee?” Quoth she,
“Allah forbid that I should be an infidel! Nay, I am a Moslemah; for
these eighteen years I have held fast the Faith of Al-Islam and I am
pure of any creed other than that of the Islamite.” Then said he, “O my
lady, I desire a return to my native land;” and she replied, “Know that
I see written on thy forehead things which thou must needs accomplish,
and then thou shalt win to thy will. Moreover, be lief and fain, O Ala
al-Din, that there hath been born to thee a son named Aslan; who now
being arrived at age of discretion, sitteth in thy place with the
Caliph. Know also that Truth hath prevailed and that Falsehood naught
availed; and that the Lord hath withdrawn the curtain of secrecy from
him who stole the Caliph’s goods, that is, Ahmad Kamakim the arch-thief
and traitor; and he now lieth bound and in jail. And know further ‘twas
I who sent thee the jewel and had it put in the bag where thou foundest
it, and ‘twas I who sent the captain that brought thee and the jewel;
for thou must know that the man is enamoured of me and seeketh my
favours and would possess me; but I refused to yield to his wishes or
let him have his will of me; and I said to him:—Thou shalt never have me
till thou bring me the jewel and its owner. So I gave him an hundred
purses and despatched him to thee, in the habit of a merchant, whereas
he is a captain and a war-man; and when they led thee to thy death after
slaying the forty captives, I also sent thee this old woman to save thee
from slaughter.” Said he, “Allah requite thee for us with all good!
Indeed thou hast done well.” Then Husn Maryam renewed at his hands her
profession of Al-Islam; and, when he was assured of the truth of her
speech, he said to her, “O my lady, tell me what are the virtues of this
jewel and whence cometh it?” She answered, “This jewel came from an
enchanted hoard, and it hath five virtues which will profit us in time
of need. Now my lady grandmother, the mother of my father, was an
enchantress and skilled in solving secrets and finding hidden treasures
from one of the which came the jewel into her hands. And as I grew up
and reached the age of fourteen, I read the Evangel and other books and
I found the name of Mohammed (whom Allah bless and preserve!) in the
four books, namely the Evangel, the Pentateuch, the Psalms and the
Koran;[124] so I believed in Mohammed and became a Moslemah, being
certain and assured that none is worship-worth save Allah Almighty, and
that to the Lord of all mankind no faith is acceptable save that of
Al-Islam. Now when my lady-grandmother fell sick, she gave me this jewel
and taught me its five virtues. Moreover, before she died, my father
said to her:—Take thy tablets of geomancy and throw a figure, and tell
us the issue of my affair and what will befal me. And she foretold him
that the far-off one[125] should die, slain by the hand of a captive
from Alexandria. So he swore to kill every prisoner from that place and
told the Kaptan of this, saying:—There is no help for it but thou fall
on the ships of the Moslems and seize them and whomsoever thou findest
of Alexandria, kill him or bring him to me. The Captain did his bidding
until he had slain as many in number as the hairs of his head. Then my
grandmother died and I took a geomantic tablet, being minded and
determined to know the future, and I said to myself:—Let me see who will
wed me! Whereupon I threw a figure and found that none should be my
husband save one called Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat, the Trusty, the
Faithful. At this I marvelled and waited till the times were
accomplished and I foregathered with thee.” So Ala al-Din took her to
wife and said to her, “I desire to return to my own country.” Quoth she,
“If it be so, rise up and come with me.” Then she took him and, hiding
him in a closet of her palace, went in to her father, who said to her,
“O my daughter, my heart is exceeding heavy this day; sit down and let
us make merry with wine, I and thou.” So she sat down with him and he
called for a table of wine; and she plied him till he lost his wits,
when she drugged a cup with Bhang and he drank it off and fell upon his
back. Then she brought Ala al-Din out of the closet and said to him,
“Come; verily thine enemy lieth prostrate, for I made him drunk and
drugged him; so do thou with him as thou wilt.” Accordingly Ala al-Din
went to the King and, finding him lying drugged and helpless, pinioned
him fast and manacled and fettered him with chains. Then he gave him the
counter-drug and he came to himself——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.
[Illustration]
Now when it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Ala al-Din gave
the antidote of Bhang to King Yohanna, father of Husn Maryam, and he
came to himself and found Ala al-Din and his daughter sitting on his
breast. So he said to her, “O my daughter, dost thou deal thus with me?”
She answered “If I be indeed thy daughter, become a Moslem, even as I
became a Moslemah; for the truth was shown to me and I attested it; and
the false, and I deserted it. I have submitted myself unto Allah, The
Lord of the Three Worlds, and am pure of all faiths contrary to that of
Al-Islam in this world and in the next world. Wherefore, if thou wilt
become a Moslem, well and good; if not, thy death were better than thy
life.” Ala al-Din also exhorted him to embrace the True Faith; but he
refused and was contumacious; so Ala al-Din drew a dagger and cut his
throat from ear to ear.[126] Then he wrote a scroll, setting forth what
had happened and laid it on the brow of the dead; after which they took
what was light of load and weighty of worth and turned from the palace
and returned to the church. Here the Princess drew forth the jewel and,
placing her hand upon the facet where was figured a couch, rubbed it;
and behold, a couch appeared before her and she mounted upon it with Ala
al-Din and his wife, Zubaydah, the Lutist, saying, “I conjure thee by
the virtue of the names and talismans and characts engraven on this
jewel, rise up with us, O Couch!” And it rose with them into the air and
flew, till it came to a Wady wholly bare of growth, when the Princess
turned earthwards the facet on which the couch was figured, and it sank
with them to the ground. Then she turned up the face whereon was
fashioned a pavilion and tapping it said, “Let a pavilion be pitched in
this valley;” and there appeared a pavilion, wherein they seated
themselves. Now this Wady was a desert waste, without grass or water; so
she turned a third face of the jewel towards the sky, and said, “By the
virtue of the names of Allah, let trees upgrow here and a river flow
beside them!” And forthwith trees sprang up and by their side ran a
river plashing and dashing. They made the ablution and prayed and drank
of the stream; after which the Princess turned up the three other facets
till she came to the fourth, whereon was portrayed a table of food, and
said, “By the virtue of the names of Allah, let the table be spread!”
And behold, there appeared before them a table, spread with all manner
of rich meats, and they ate and drank and made merry and were full of
joy. Such was their case; but as regards Husn Maryam’s father, his son
went in to waken him and found him slain; and, seeing Ala al-Din’s
scroll, took it and read it, and readily understood it. Then he sought
his sister and finding her not, betook himself to the old woman in the
church, of whom he enquired for her, but she said, “Since yesterday I
have not seen her.” So he returned to the troops and cried out, saying,
“To horse, ye horsemen!” Then he told them what had happened, so they
mounted and rode after the fugitives, till they drew near the pavilion.
Presently Husn Maryam arose and looked up and saw a cloud of dust which
spread till it walled the view, then it lifted and flew, and lo! stood
disclosed her brother and his troops, crying aloud, “Whither will ye
fly, and we on your track!” Then said she to Ala al-Din, “Are thy feet
firm in fight?” He replied, “Even as the stake in bran, I know not war
nor battle, nor swords nor spears.” So she pulled out the jewel and
rubbed the fifth face, that on which were graven a horse and his rider,
and behold, straightway a cavalier appeared out of the desert and ceased
not to do battle with the pursuing host and smite them with the sword,
till he routed them and put them to flight. Then the Princess asked Ala
al-Din, “Wilt thou go to Cairo or to Alexandria?”; and he answered, “To
Alexandria.” So they mounted the couch and she pronounced over it the
conjuration, whereupon it set off with them and, in the twinkling of an
eye, brought them to Alexandria. They alighted without the city and Ala
al-Din hid the women in a cavern, whilst he went into Alexandria and
fetched them outer clothing, wherewith he covered them. Then he carried
them to his shop and, leaving them in the “ben”[127] walked forth to
fetch them the morning-meal, and behold, he met Calamity Ahmad who
chanced to be coming from Baghdad. He saw him in the street and received
him with open arms, saluting him and welcoming him. Whereupon Ahmad
al-Danaf gave him the good news of his son Aslan and how he was now come
to the age of twenty: and Ala al-Din, in his turn, told the Captain of
the Guard all that had befallen him from first to last, whereat he
marvelled with exceeding marvel. Then he brought him to his shop and
sitting-room where they passed the night; and next day he sold his place
of business and laid its price with other monies. Now Ahmad al-Danaf had
told him that the Caliph sought him; but he said, “I am bound first for
Cairo, to salute my father and mother and the people of my house.” So
they all mounted the couch and it carried them to Cairo the God-guarded;
and here they alighted in the street called Yellow,[128] where stood the
house of Shams al-Din. Then Ala al-Din knocked at the door, and his
mother said, “Who is at the door, now that we have lost our beloved for
evermore?” He replied, “’Tis I! Ala al-Din!” whereupon they came down
and embraced him. Then he sent his wives and baggage into the house and
entering himself with Ahmad al-Danaf, rested there three days, after
which he was minded to set out for Baghdad. His father said, “Abide with
me, O my son;” but he answered, “I cannot bear to be parted from my
child Aslan.” So he took his father and mother and fared forth for
Baghdad. Now when they came thither, Ahmad al-Danaf went in to the
Caliph and gave him the glad tidings of Ala al-Din’s arrival and told
him his story; whereupon the King went forth to greet him taking the
youth Aslan, and they met and embraced each other. Then the Commander of
the Faithful summoned the arch-thief Ahmad Kamakim and said to Ala
al-Din, “Up and at thy foe!” So he drew his sword and smote off Ahmad
Kamakim’s head. Then the Caliph held festival for Ala al-Din and,
summoning the Kazis and witnesses, wrote the contract and married him to
the Princess Husn Maryam; and he went in unto her and found her an
unpierced pearl. Moreover, the Caliph made Aslan Chief of the Sixty and
bestowed upon him and his father sumptuous dresses of honour; and they
abode in the enjoyment of all joys and joyance of life, till there came
to them the Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of societies. But the
tales of generous men are manifold and amongst them is the story of
-----
Footnote 24:
Pronounce Aladdin Abush-Shámát.
Footnote 25:
Arab. “Misr” vulg. Masr: a close connection of Misraim—the “two
Misrs,” Egypt, upper and lower.
Footnote 26:
The Persians still call their Consuls “Shah-bandar,” lit. king of the
Bandar or port.
Footnote 27:
Arab. “Dukhúl,” the night of going in, of seeing the bride unveiled
for the first time, etcætera.
Footnote 28:
Arab. “Barsh” or “Bars,” the commonest kind. In India it is called
Ma’jún (= electuary, generally): it is made of Ganja or young leaves,
buds, capsules and florets of hemp (_C. sativa_), poppy-seed and
flowers of the thorn-apple (_datura_) with milk and sugar-candy,
nutmegs, cloves, mace and saffron, all boiled to the consistency of
treacle which hardens when cold. Several recipes are given by Herklots
(Glossary _s. v._ Majoon). These electuaries are usually prepared with
“Charas,” or gum of hemp, collected by hand or by passing a blanket
over the plant in early morning, and it is highly intoxicating.
Another intoxicant is “Sabzi,” dried hemp-leaves, poppy-seed,
cucumber-seed, black pepper and cardamoms rubbed down in a mortar with
a wooden pestle, and made drinkable by adding milk, ice-cream, etc.
The Hashish of Arabia is the Hindustani Bhang, usually drunk and made
as follows. Take of hemp-leaves, well washed, 3 drams; black pepper 45
grains and of cloves, nutmeg and mace (which add to the intoxication)
each 12 grains. Triturate in 8 ounces of water or the juice of
watermelon or cucumber, strain and drink. The Egyptian Zabíbah is a
preparation of hemp-florets, opium and honey, much affected by the
lower orders, whence the proverb: “Temper thy sorrow with Zabibah,.”
In Al-Hijaz it is mixed with raisins (Zabíb) and smoked in the
water-pipe. (Burckhardt No. 73). Besides these there is (1) “Post”
poppy-seed prepared in various ways but especially in sugared
sherbets; (2) Datura (_stramonium_) seed, the produce of the
thorn-apple, bleached and put into sweetmeats by dishonest
confectioners; it is a dangerous intoxicant, producing spectral
visions, delirium tremens, etc.; and (3) various preparations of opium
especially the “Madad,” pills made up with toasted betel-leaf and
smoked. Opium, however, is usually drunk in the shape of “Kusumba,” a
pill placed in wet cotton and squeezed in order to strain and clean it
of the cowdung and other filth with which it is adulterated.
Footnote 29:
Arab. “Sikankúr” (Gr. Σκίγκος, Lat. Scincus) a lizard (_S.
officinalis_) which, held in the hand, still acts as an aphrodisiac in
the East, and which in the Middle Ages was considered a universal
medicine. In the “Adja’ib al-Hind” (Les Merveilles de l’Inde) we find
a notice of a bald-headed old man who was compelled to know his wife
twice a day and twice a night in consequence of having eaten a certain
fish. (Chapt. lxxviii. of the translation by M. L. Marcel Devic, from
a manuscript of the tenth century; Paris, Lemaire, 1878). Europeans
deride these prescriptions, but Easterns know better: they affect the
fancy, that is, the brain; and often succeed in temporarily relieving
impotence. The recipes for this evil, which is incurable only when it
comes from heart-affections, are innumerable in the East; and about
half of every medical work is devoted to them. Many a quack has made
his fortune with a few bottles of tincture of cantharides, and a man
who could discover a specific would become a millionaire in India
only. The curious reader will consult for specimens the Ananga-Ranga
Shastra by Koka Pandit; or the “Rujú ‘al-Shaykh ila ‘l-Sabáh fi
Kuwwati ‘l-Báh” (the Return of the Old Man to Youth in power of
Procreation) by Ahmad bin Sulaymán known as Ibn Kamál Báshá in 139
chapters lithographed at Cairo. Of these aphrodisiacs I shall have
more to say.
Footnote 30:
Alá al-Din (our old friend Aladdin) = Glory of the Faith, a name of
which Mohammed, who preferred the simplest, like his own, would have
highly disapproved. The most grateful names to Allah are Abdallah
(Allah’s Slave) and Abd al-Rahmán (Slave of the Compassionate); the
truest are Al-Hárith (the gainer, “bread-winner”) and Al-Hammám (the
griever); and the hatefullest are Al-Harb (witch) and Al-Murrah
(bitterness, Abu Murrah being a kunyat or by-name of the Devil). Abu
al-Shámát (pronounced Abush-shámát) = Father of Moles, concerning
which I have already given details. These names ending in -Din (faith)
began with the Caliph Al-Muktadi bi-Amri ‘llah (regn. A.H. 467 =
1075), who entitled his Wazir “Zahír al-Din” (Backer or Defender of
the Faith) and this gave rise to the practice. It may be observed that
the superstition of naming by omens is in no way obsolete.
Footnote 31:
Meaning that he appeared intoxicated by the pride of his beauty as
though it had been strong wine.
Footnote 32:
_i.e._ against the evil eye.
Footnote 33:
Meaning that he had been delicately reared.
Footnote 34:
A traditional saying of Mohammed.
Footnote 35:
So Boccaccio’s “Capo bianco” and “Coda verde.” (Day iv., Introduct.)
Footnote 36:
The opening chapter is known as the “Mother of the Book,” (as opposed
to Yá Sín, the “heart of the Koran”) the “Surat (chapter) of Praise,”
and the “Surat of repetition,” (because twice revealed?) or
thanksgiving, or laudation (Al-Masáni) and by a host of other names
for which see Mr. Rodwell who, however, should not write “Fatthah” (p.
xxv.) nor “Fathah” (xxvii.). The Fátihah, which is to Al-Islam much
what the “Paternoster” is to Christendom, consists of seven verses, in
the usual Saj’a or rhymed prose, and I have rendered it as follows:—
In the name of the Compassionating, the Compassionate! ✿ Praise be to
Allah who all the Worlds made ✿ The Compassionating, the Compassionate
✿ King of the Day of Faith! ✿ Thee only do we adore and of Thee only
do we crave aid ✿ Guide us to the path which is straight ✿ The path of
those for whom Thy love is great, not those on whom is hate, nor they
that deviate ✿ Amen! O Lord of the World’s trine.
My Pilgrimage (i. 285; ii. 78 and _passim_) will supply instances of
its application; how it is recited with open hands to catch the
blessing from Heaven and the palms are drawn down the face (Ibid. i.
286), and other details.
Footnote 37:
_i.e._ when the evil eye has less effect than upon children. Strangers
in Cairo often wonder to see a woman richly dressed leading by the
hand a filthy little boy (rarely a girl) in rags, which at home will
be changed to cloth of gold.
Footnote 38:
Arab. “Asídah” flour made consistent by boiling in water with the
addition of “Samn” (clarified butter) and honey: more like pap than
custard.
Footnote 39:
Arab. “Ghábah” = I have explained as a low-lying place where the
growth is thickest and consequently animals haunt it during the
noon-heats.
Footnote 40:
Arab. “Akkám,” one who loads camels and has charge of the luggage. He
also corresponds with the modern Mukharrij or camel-hirer (Pilgrimage
i. 339); and hence the word Moucre (Moucres) which, first used by La
Brocquière (A.D. 1432), is still the only term known to the French.
Footnote 41:
_i.e._ I am old and can no longer travel.
Footnote 42: