The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
[FN#146] Pharaoh, so called in Koran (xxxviii. 11) because he tortured
men by fastening them to four stakes driven into the ground. Sale
translates “the contriver of the stakes” and adds, “Some understand the
word figuratively, of the firm establishment of Pharaoh’s kingdom,
because the Arabs fix their tents with stakes; but they may possibly
intend that prince’s obstinacy and hardness of heart.” I may note that
in “Tasawwuf,” or Moslem Gnosticism, Pharaoh represents, like
Prometheus and Job, the typical creature who upholds his own dignity
and rights in presence and despight of the Creator. Sáhib the Súfí
declares that the secret of man’s soul (i.e. its emanation) was first
revealed when Pharaoh declared himself god; and Al-Ghazálí sees in his
claim the most noble aspiration to the divine, innate in the human
spirit. (Dabistan, vol. iii.)
[FN#147] In the Calc. Edit. “Tarmuz, son of the daughter,” etc.
According to the Arabs Tadmur (Palmyra) was built by Queen
Tadmurah, daughter of Hassán bin Uzaynah.
[FN#148] It is only by some such drought that I can account for the
survival of those marvellous Haurani cities in the great valley S. E.
of Damascus.
[FN#149] So Moses described his own death and burial.
[FN#150] A man’s “aurat” (shame) extends from the navel (included) to
his knees, a woman’s from the top of the head to the tips of her toes.
I have before noticed the Hindostaní application of the word.
[FN#151] Arab. “Jum’ah” ( = the assembly) so called because the General
Resurrection will take place on that day and it witnessed the creation
of Adam. Both these reasons are evidently after-thoughts; as the Jews
received a divine order to keep Saturday, and the Christians, at their
own sweet will, transferred the weekly rest-day to Sunday, wherefore
the Moslem preferred Friday. Sabbatarianism, however, is unknown to
Al-Islam and business is interrupted, by Koranic order ([xii. 9–10]),
only during congregational prayers in the Mosque. The most a Mohammedan
does is not to work or travel till after public service. But the Moslem
hardly wants a “day of rest;” whereas a Christian, especially in the
desperately dull routine of daily life and toil, without a gleam of
light to break the darkness of his civilised and most unhappy
existence, distinctly requires it.
[FN#152] Mankind, which sees itself everywhere and in everything, must
create its own analogues in all the elements, air (Sylphs), fire
(Jinns), water (Mermen and Mermaids) and earth (Kobolds), These
merwomen were of course seals or manatees, as the wild women of Hanno
were gorillas.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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