Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 3 (of 6) Part 1
General
Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 3 (of 6) Part 1
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
They go about the streets with unveiled faces and are seldom admitted
into respectable Harems, although on festal occasions they perform in
the court or in front of the house; but even this is objected to by
the Mrs. Grundy of Egypt. Lane (M. E. chap. xviii) derives with Saint
Jerome the word from the Heb. or Phœnician Almah = a virgin, a girl, a
singing-girl; and thus explains “Alámoth” in Psalms xlvi, and I Chron.
xv. 20. Parkhurst (s.v. ’Alamah) = an undeflowered virgin, renders Job
xxxix. 30, “the way of a man with a maid” (bi-álmah). “The way of a
man in his virgin state, shunning youthful lust and keeping himself
pure and unspotted.”
Footnote 151:
The text reads “Rafa’” (he raised) “al-Bashkhánah” which in Suppl.
Nights (ii. 165) is a hanging, a curtain. Apparently it is a
corruption of the Pers. “Pashkhánah,” a mosquito-curtain.
Footnote 152:
The father suspected that she had not gone to bed a clean maid.
Footnote 153:
Arab. Aysh = Ayyu Shayyin and Lalysh = li ayyi Shayyin. This
vulgarism, or rather popular corruption, is of olden date and was used
by such a purist as Al-Mutanabbi in such a phrase as “Aysh Khabara-k?”
= how art thou? See Ibn Khallikan, iii. 79.
Footnote 154:
In the H. V. the Minister sends the Chob-dár = rod-bearer,
mace-bearer, usher, etc.
Footnote 155:
In the text Sáhal for Sahal, again the broad “Doric” of Syria.
Footnote 156:
Arab. Dahab ramli = gold dust washed out of the sand, _placer_-gold. I
must excuse myself for using this Americanism, properly a diluvium or
deposit of sand, and improperly (Bartlett) a find of drift gold. The
word, like many mining terms in the Far West, is borrowed from the
Spaniards; it is not therefore one of the many American vulgarisms
which threaten hopelessly to defile the pure well of English speech.
Footnote 157:
Arab. “Ratl,” by Europeans usually pronounced “Rotl” (Rotolo).
Footnote 158:
In the H. V. she returns from the bazar; and, “seeing the house filled
with so many persons in goodliest attire, marvelled greatly. Then
setting down the meat lately bought she would have taken off her veil,
but Alaeddin prevented her and said,” etc.
Footnote 159:
The word is popularly derived from Serai in Persian = a palace; but it
comes from the Span. and Port. _Cerrar_ = to shut up, and should be
written with the reduplicated liquid.
Footnote 160:
In the H. V. the dresses and ornaments of the slaves were priced at
ten millions (Karúr = a crore) of gold coins. I have noticed that
Messer Marco “Milione” did not learn his high numerals in Arabia, but
that India might easily have taught them to him.
Footnote 161:
Arab. “Ráih yasír,” peasant’s language.
Footnote 162:
Arab. Ká’ah, the apodyterium or undressing room upon which the
vestibule of the Hammam opens. See the plan in Lane’s M. E. chapt.
xvi. The Kár’ah is now usually called “Maslakh” = stripping-room.
Footnote 163:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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