The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
New Guinea, are intended; for the wonderful fruits which grow there are
Birds of Paradise, which settle in flocks on the trees at sunset and
sunrise, uttering this very cry." Thus, like Ophir, Wak Wak has
wandered all over the world and has been found even in Peru by the
Turkish work Tárikh al-Hind al-Gharbi = History of the West Indies
(Orient. Coll. iii 189).
[FN#96] I accept the emendation of Lane's Shaykh, "Nasím "
(Zephyr) for "Nadím " (cup-companion).
[FN#97] "Jannat al-Ná'im" = Garden of Delights is No. V Heaven, made
of white diamond.
[FN#98] This appears to her very prettily put.
[FN#99] This is the "House of Sadness" of our old chivalrous Romances.
See chapt. vi. of "Palmerin of England," by Francisco de Moraes (ob.
1572), translated by old Anthony Munday (dateless, 1590?) and
"corrected" (read spoiled) by Robert Southey, London, Longmans, 1807.
[FN#100] The lines have occurred in Night clix. (vol. iii. 183), I
quote Mr. Payne who, like Lane, prefers "in my bosom" to "beneath my
ribs."
[FN#101] In this tale the Bresl. Edit. more than once adds "And let us
and you send a blessing to the Lord of Lords" (or to "Mohammed," or to
the "Prophet"); and in vol. v. p. 52 has a long prayer. This is an act
of contrition in the tale-teller for romancing against the expressed
warning of the Founder of Al-Islam.
[FN#102] From Bresl. Edit. (vi. 29): the four in the Mac. Edit. are
too irrelevant.
[FN#103] Arab. "Ghayúr"—jealous, an admirable epithet which
Lane dilutes to "changeable"—making a truism of a metaphor.
[FN#104] These lines have occurred before. I quote Mr. Payne.
[FN#105] i.e. One fated to live ten years.
[FN#106] This poetical way of saying "fourteen" suggests Camoens
(The Lusiads) Canto v. 2.
[FN#107] Arab. "Surrah," lit. = a purse: a few lines lower down it is
called "'Ulbah" = a box which, of course, may have contained the bag.
[FN#108] The month which begins the Moslem year.
[FN#109] As an Arab often does when deep in thought. Lane appositely
quotes John viii. 6. "Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on
the ground." Mr. Payne translates, "He fell a-drumming on the earth
with his fingers," but this does not complete the sense.
[FN#110] i.e."And the peace of Allah be upon thee! that will end thy
story." The Arab formula, "Wa al-Salám" (pron. Wassalám) is used in a
variety of senses.
[FN#111] Like Camoens, one of the model lovers, he calls upon
Love to torment him still more—ad majorem Dei (amoris) gloriam.
[FN#112] Pron. Aboor-Ruwaysh. "The Father of the little Feather": he
is afterwards called "Son of the daughter of the accursed Iblis"; yet,
as Lane says, "he appears to be a virtuous person."
[FN#113] Arab. "Kantara al-lijám fi Karbús (bow) sarjih."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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