The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night Volume VII Part 25

[FN#340] Un adolescent aime toutes les femmes. Man is by nature polygamic whereas woman as a rule is monogamic and polyandrous only when tired of her lover. For the man, as has been truly said, loves the woman, but the love of the woman is for the love of the man.

[FN#341] I have already noted that the heroes and heroines of Eastern love-tales are always bonne fourchettes: they eat and drink hard enough to scandalise the sentimental amourist of the West; but it is understood that this abundant diet is necessary to qualify them for the Herculean labours of the love night.

[FN#342] Here again a little excision is necessary; the reader already knows all about it.

[FN#343] Arab. "Hiss," prop. speaking a perception (as of sound or motion) as opposed to "Hades," a surmise or opinion without proof.

[FN#344] Arab. "Sawik," the old and modern name for native frumenty, green grain (mostly barley) toasted, pounded, mixed with dates or sugar and eaten on journeys when cooking is impracticable. M. C. de Perceval (iii. 54), gives it a different and now unknown name; and Mr. Lane also applies it to "ptisane." It named the " Day of Sawaykah " (for which see Pilgrimage ii. 19), called by our popular authors the " War of the Meal-sacks."

[FN#345] Mr. Keightley (H. 122-24 Tales and Popular Fictions, a book now somewhat obsolete) remarks, "There is nothing said about the bridle in the account of the sale (infra), but I am sure that in the original tale, Badr's misfortunes must have been owing to his having parted with it. In Chaucer's Squier's Tale the bridle would also appear to have been of some importance. "He quotes a story from the Notti Piacevoli of Straparola, the Milanese, published at Venice in 1550. And there is a popular story of the kind in Germany.

[FN#346] Here, for the first time we find the name of the mother who has often been mentioned in the story. Farashah is the fem. or singular form of "Farash," a b.u.t.terfly, a moth.

Lane notes that his Shaykh gives it the very unusual sense of "a locust."

[FN#347] Punning upon Jauharah= "a jewel" a name which has an Hibernian smack.

[FN#348] In the old version "All the lovers of the Magic Queen resumed their pristine forms as soon as she ceased to live;"

moreover, they were all sons of kings, princes, or persons of high degree.

[FN#349] Arab. "Munadamah," = conversation over the cup (Lane), used somewhat in the sense of "Musamarah" = talks by moonlight.

[FN#350] Arab. "Kursi," a word of many meanings; here it would allure to the square crate-like seat of palm-fronds used by the Rawi or public reciter of tales when he is not pacing about the coffee-house.

[FN#351] Von Hammer remarks that this is precisely the sum paid in Egypt for a MS. copy of The Nights.

[FN#352] Arab. "Samar," the origin of Musamarah, which see, vol. iv. 237.

[FN#353] The pomp and circ.u.mstance, with which the tale is introduced to the reader showing the importance attached to it. Lane, most inudiciously I think, transfers the Proemium to a note in chapt. xxiv., thus converting an Arabian Night into an Arabian Note.

[FN#354] 'Asim = defending (honour) or defended, son of Safwan = clear, cold (dry). Trebutien ii. 126, has Safran.

[FN#355] Faris = the rider, the Knight, son of Salih = the righteous, the pious, the just.

[FN#356] In sign of the deepest dejection, when a man would signify that he can fall no lower.

[FN#357] Arab. Ya Khawand (in Bresl. Edit. vol. iv. 191) and fem. form Khawandah (p. 20) from Pers. Khawand or Khawandagar = superior, lord, master; Khudawand is still used in popular as in cla.s.sical Persian, and is universally understood in Hindostan.

[FN#358] The Biblical Sheba, whence came the Queen of many Hebrew fables.

[FN#359] These would be the interjections of the writer or story-teller. The Mac. Edit. is here a sketch which must be filled up by the Bresl. Edit. vol. iv. 189-318: "Tale of King Asim and his son Sayf al-Muluk with Badi'a al-Jamal."

[FN#360] The oath by the Seal-ring of Solomon was the Stygian "swear" in Fairy-land. The signet consisted of four jewels, presented by as many angels, representing the Winds, the Birds, Earth (including sea) and Spirits, and the gems were inscribed with as many sentences: (1) To Allah belong Majesty and Might; (2) All created things praise the Lord; (3) Heaven and Earth are Allah's slaves and (4) There is no G.o.d but the G.o.d and Mohammed is His messenger. For Sakhr and his theft of the signet see Dr. Weil's, "The Bible, the Koran, and the Talmud."

[FN#361] Trebutien (ii. 128) remarks, "Cet a.s.saf peut etre celui auquel David adresse plusieurs de ses psaumes, et que nos interpretes disent avoir ete son maitre de chapelle (from Biblioth. Orient).

[FN#362] Mermen, monsters, beasts, etc.

[FN#363] This is in accordance with Eastern etiqette; the guest must be fed before his errand is asked. The Porte, in the days of its pride, managed in this way sorely to insult the Amba.s.sadors of the most powerful European kingdoms and the first French Republic had the honour of abating the barbarians' nuisance. So the old Scottish Highlanders never asked the name or clan of a chance guest, lest he prove a foe before he had eaten their food.

[FN#364] In Bresl. Edit. (301) Khafiyah: in Mac. Khainah, the perfidy.

[FN#365] So in the Mac. Edit., in the Bresl. only one "Kaba"

or Kaftan; but from the sequel it seems to be a clerical error.

[FN#366] Arab. "Su'uban" (Thu'uban) popularly translated "basilisk." The Egyptians suppose that when this serpent forms ring round the Ibn 'Irs (weasel or ichneumon) the latter emits a peculiar air which causes the reptile to burst.

[FN#367] i.e. that prophesied by Solomon.

[FN#368] Arab. "Takliyah" from kaly, a fry: Lane's Shaykh explained it as "onions cooked in clarified b.u.t.ter, after which they are put upon other cooked food." The mention of onions points to Egypt as the origin of this tale and certainly not to Arabia, where the strong-smelling root is hated.

[FN#369] Von Hammer quotes the case of the Grand Vizier Yusuf throwing his own pelisse over the shoulders of the Aleppine Merchant who brought him the news of the death of his enemy, Jazzar Pasha.

[FN#370] This peculiar style of generosity was also the custom in contemporary Europe.

[FN#371] Khatun, which follows the name (e.g. Hurmat Khatun), in India corresponds with the male t.i.tle Khan, taken by the Pathan Moslems (e.g. Pir Khan). Khanum is the affix to the Moghul or Tartar n.o.bility, the men a.s.suming a double designation e.g. Mirza Abdallah Beg. See Oriental collections (Ouseley's) vol. i. 97.

[FN#372] Lit. "Whatso thou wouldest do that do!" a contrast with our European laconism.

[FN#373] These are booths built against and outside the walls, made of palm-fronds and light materials.

[FN#374] Von Hammer in Trebutien (ii. 135) says, "Such rejoicings are still customary at Constantinople, under the name of Donanma, not only when the Sultanas are enceintes, but also when they are brought to bed. In 1803 the rumour of the pregnancy of a Sultana, being falsely spread, involved all the Ministers in useless expenses to prepare for a Donanma which never took place." Lane justly remarks upon this pa.s.sage that the t.i.tle Sultan precedes while the feminine Sultanah follows the name.

[FN#375] These words (Bresl. Edit.) would be spoken in jest, a grim joke enough, but showing the elation of the King's spirits.

[FN#376] A signal like a gong: the Mac. Edit. reads "Takah," = in at the window.

[FN#377] Sayf al-Muluk = "Sword (Egyptian Sif, Arab. Sayf, Gr.

) of the Kings"; and he must not be called tout bonnement Sayf. Sai'd = the forearm.

[FN#378] Arab. "Fakih" = a divine, from Fikh = theology, a man versed in law and divinity i.e. (1) the Koran and its interpretation comprehending the sacred ancient history of the creation and prophets (Chapters iii., iv., v. and vi.), (2) the traditions and legends connected with early Moslem History and (3) some auxiliary sciences as grammar, syntax and prosody; logic, rhetoric and philosophy. See p. 18 of "El-Mas'udi's Historical Encyclopaedia etc.," By my friend Prof. Aloys Springer, London 1841. This fine fragment printed by the Oriental Translation Fund has been left unfinished whilst the Asiatic Society of Paris has printed in Eight Vols.

8vo the text and translation of MM. Barbier de Meynard and Pavet de Courteille. What a national disgrace! And the same with the mere abridgment of Ibn Batutah by Prof. Lee (Orient.

Tr. Fund 1820) when the French have the fine Edition and translation by Defremery and Sanguinetti with index etc. in 4 vols. 8vo 1858-59. But England is now content to rank in such matters as encouragement of learning, endowment of research etc., with the basest of kingdoms, and the contrast of status between the learned Societies of London and of Paris, Berlin, Vienna or Rome is mortifying to an Englishman--a national opprobrium.

[FN#379] Arab. "Maydan al-Fil," prob. for Birkat al-Fil, the Tank of the Elephant before-mentioned. Lane quotes Al Makrizi who in his Khitat informs us that the lakelet was made abot the end of the seventh century (A.H.), and in the seventeenth year of the eighth century became the site of the stables. The Bresl. Edit. (iv. 214) reads "Maydan al-'Adl," prob. for Al-'adil the name of the King who laid out the Maydan.

[FN#380] Arab. "Ashab al-Ziya'," the latter word mostly signifies estates consisting, strictly speaking of land under artificial irrigation.

[FN#381] The Bresl. Edit. (iv. 215) has "Chawas.h.i.+yah" = 'Chiaush, the Turkish word, written with the Pers. "ch," a letter which in Arabic is supplanted by "sh," everywhere except in Morocco.

[FN#382] Arab. "Zawiyah" lit. a corner, a cell. Lane (M. F., chapt. xxiv.) renders it "a small kiosque," and translates the famous Zawiyat al-Umyan (Blind Men's Angle) near the south-eastern corner of the Azhar or great Collegiate Mosque of Cairo, "Chapel of the Blind" (chapt. ix.). In popular parlance it suggests a hermitage.

[FN#383] Arab. "Takht," a Pers. word used as more emphatic than the Arab. Sarir.

[FN#384] This girding the sovereign is found in the hieroglyphs as a peculiarity of the ancient Kings of Egypt, says Von Hammer referring readers to Denon.

[FN#385] Arab. "Mohr," which was not amongst the gifts of Solomon in Night dcclx. The Bresl. Edit. (p. 220) adds "and the bow," which is also de trop.

[FN#386] Arab. "Batanah," the ordinary lining opp. to Tazrib, or quilting with a layer of coton between two folds of cloth.

The idea in the text is that the unhappy wearer would have to carry his cross (the girl) on his back.