The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments
General
The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
The seyyid 'Alee El-Bekree was a mejzoob (or insane person) who was
considered an eminent welee, and much trusted in: for several years he
used to walk naked about the streets of Cairo, with a shaven face,
bearing a long nebboot (or staff), and uttering confused language, which
the people attentively listened to, and interpreted according to their
desires and the exigencies of their states. He was a tall, spare man,
and sometimes wore a shirt and a cotton skull-cap; but he was generally
barefooted and naked. The respect with which he was treated induced a
woman, who was called the sheykhah Ammooneh, to imitate his example
further than decency allowed: she followed him whithersoever he went,
covered at first with her izár (or large cotton veil thrown over the
head and body), and muttering, like him, confused language. Entering
private houses with him, she used to ascend to the ḥareems, and gained
the faith of the women, who presented her with money and clothes, and
spread abroad that the sheykh ('Alee) had looked upon her, and affected
her with religious frenzy, so that she had become a weleeyeh, or female
saint. Afterwards, becoming more insane and intoxicated, she uncovered
her face, and put on the clothing of a man; and thus attired she still
accompanied the sheykh, and the two wandered about, followed by numbers
of children and common vagabonds; some of whom also stripped off their
clothes in imitation of the sheykh, and followed, dancing; their mad
actions being attributed (like those of the woman) to religious frenzy,
induced by his look or touch, which converted them into saints. The
vulgar and young, who daily followed them, consequently increased in
numbers; and some of them, in passing through the market-streets,
snatched away goods from the shops, thus exciting great commotion
wherever they went. When the sheykh sat down in any place, the crowd
stopped, and the people pressed to see him and his mad companions. On
these occasions the woman used to mount upon the maṣṭabah of a shop, or
ascend a hillock, and utter disgusting language, sometimes in Arabic,
and sometimes in Turkish, while many persons among her audience would
kiss her hands to derive a blessing. After having persevered for some
time in this course, none preventing them, the party entered one day the
lane leading from the principal street of the city to the house of the
Ḳáḍee, and were seized by a Turkish officer there residing, named Jaạfar
Káshif, who, having brought them into his house, gave the sheykh some
food, and drove out the spectators, retaining the woman and the
mejzoobs, whom he placed in confinement: he then liberated the sheykh
'Alee, brought out the woman and the mejzoobs and beat them, sent the
woman to the Máristán, and there confined her, and set at large the
rest, after they had prayed for mercy, and clothed themselves, and
recovered from their intoxication. The woman remained a while confined
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account