The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume I
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume I
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
[FN#16] A Marid is a genie of the most powerful class. The name
generally, though not invariably, denotes an evil spirit.
[FN#17] Of Islam, which is fabled by the Muslims to have existed
before Mohammed, under the headship, first of Abraham and
afterwards of Solomon.
[FN#18] From this point I omit the invariable formula which
introduces each night, as its constant repetition is only
calculated to annoy the reader and content myself with noting the
various nights in the margin. {which will not be included in this
electronic version}
[FN#19] Probably the skin of some animal supposed to be a defence
against poison.
[FN#20] Literally, "eyes adorned with kohl:" but this expression
is evidently used tropically to denote a natural beauty of the
eye, giving it that liquid appearance which it is the object of
the use of the cosmetic in question to produce.
[FN#21] A fabulous tribe of giants mentioned in the Koran.
[FN#22] The word here translated "eye" may also be rendered
"understanding." The exact meaning of the phrase (one of
frequent recurrence in these stories) is doubtful.
[FN#23] A fabulous range of mountains which, according to Muslim
cosmography, encompasses the world.
[FN#24] The prophet Mohammed.
[FN#25] Various kinds of cakes and sweetmeats.
[FN#26] The appearance of which is the signal for the
commencement of the fast. All eyes being on the watch, it
naturally follows that the new moon of this month is generally
seen at an earlier stage than are those of the other months of
the year, and its crescent is therefore apparently more slender.
Hence the comparison.
[FN#27] Caravanserai or public lodging-place.
[FN#28] A kind of religious mendicant.
[FN#29] One condition of which is that no violation of the
ceremonial law (which prohibits the use of intoxicating liquors)
be committed by the pilgrim, from the time of his assuming the
pilgrim's habit to that of his putting it off; and this is
construed by the stricter professors to take effect from the
actual formation of the intent to make the pilgrimage. Haroun er
Reshid, though a voluptuary, was (at all events, from time to
time) a rigid observer of Muslim ritual.
[FN#30] It is a frequent practice, in the East, gently to rub and
knead the feet, for the purpose of inducing sleep or gradually
arousing a sleeper.
[FN#31] An expression frequent in Oriental works, meaning "The
situations suggested such and such words or thoughts."
[FN#32] Religious mendicants.
[FN#33] Referring, of course, to the wine, which it appears to
have been customary to drink warm or boiled (vinum coctum) as
among several ancient nations and in Japan and China at the
present day.
[FN#34] Or chapter or formula.
[FN#35] A play upon words is here intended turning upon the
double meaning ("aloes" and "patience") of the Arabic word sebr.
[FN#36] See note on p. 120. {Vol. 1, FN#35}
[FN#37] Dar es Selam.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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