THE MAQAMAT OF BAD!' AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANI

THE

MAQAMAT OF

BAD!'

AL-ZAMAN

AL-HAMADHANITRANSLATED FROM THE ARABIC

WITH AN INTRODUCTIONAND

1

NOTESHISTORICAL AND GRAMMATICAL

BY

W.

J.

PRENDERGAST,

B.LITT. (OXON.)J

DEGREE OF HONOUR ARABIC AND PERSIAN M.R.A.S. FELLOW OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS; DIRECTOR OF ORIENTAL LANGUAGES, NIZAM COLLEGE, HYDERABAD, DECCAN;

LONDON:

MADRAS

:

S. P.

LUZAC & Co. C. K. DEPOSITORY1915

*(Hariri)

PREFACETHISTranslation of the

Maqamat

of Badi'

al-Zaman al-Hama-

dhani from the original Arabic with an Introduction and Notes

was preparedof Letters,

as

myit

thesis for the Research

Degree of BachelorI

Oxford University, during the years 1913-14, andit

now

publish

as

was then

written.

The

original being largely in

rhymed prose

to

which sensebe

is

sometimes subordinated to sound, therein the rendering that will

will necessarily

much

appear insipid and uninteresting to the

English reader unacquainted with Arabic; but, as the

Maqamat

gave the

first

impulse to a species of composition which has for

centuries been regarded as an important branch of belles lettres,it is

hoped that

this first translation of the

work

into English will

be favourably received by Arabic scholars and that students willfindit

an aid to the understanding of this famousI refer:

classic.

In the Notes

to the following

by the names of

their

respective authors

Ibn Khallikan's Biographical Dictionary (London, 1841). IbnKhaldun's

Prolegomena

(Paris,

1878).

Translated

by M. G. de Slane.Nicholson's Literary History of the Arabs (London, 1907).

For typographical reasons

*q' instead

of 'k' has been used

throughout to represent the Arabic

in transliteration.

viii

PREFACE

Myhim.

respectful thanks are

due to His Highness the Nizam,

G.C.S.I., for graciously permitting

me

to dedicate the

book to

My

acknowledgements are also due to His Highness'

Government and the Madras School Book and Literary Societyfor generous grants

towards the cost of publication.

I

also desireSell,

to acknowledgefor

my

indebtedness to the Rev. Canon E.

D.D.,

much

valuable advice and help in regard to the arrangement

of the Notes

and

to the Rev. J.

Passmorepress.

for kindly assisting

me

in seeing the

work through the

W.September, 1915

J.

P.

ERRATAPage13, note 4,14, line

for

Lyden

read Ley den.

15

4^1hamuthaillusion

fc^l.hanutha.allusion.

26, note

25

30,,

33 J*

423

47

reportedsatire

retorted.satirize.Off.

48, line,,

91Q Ly1,,

ofdUta "

-

them appears from the word j& and it is conceivable that the practice of composing humorous or entertaining dialogues passed from Greek to Syriac and from Syrian to Arabic. Once having received the impulse or inspiration the Arabswould, in accordance with their national genius, develop the idea on their own lines, as they did in the case of law and grammar.

mere conjecture, but the outstanding fact of resemblance remains a problem upon which investithe striking gation and research may some day shed new light.Thisis,

of course,

Finally, the practice of making one person the hero of a series of adventures has been tried by some modern writers. In

common

Grant Allen's An African Millionaire Colonel Clay has much in with Abu'1-Fath al-Iskanderi, the hero of the Maqamat.V.

HAMADHANI AND HARIRI COMPAREDcomposehis'

WHEN

Hariri undertook to'

Maqamat

following

A comtwo works reveals how closely he followed his model and how largely he drew upon the original source, not only for ideas but also frequently for themes and, occasionally, for the language in which to express them.the method of Badi'parison of the

a close imitation was inevitable.

For example,

in

maqamap.

xiii,

Hamadhani,manner.ni's

p. 61,

introduces the

names

147 Hariri, in imitation of of colours in an artificial

Hariri'sp.

poem,90.

verses on

Hariri

159 closely resembles Hamadhav, 49 and Hamadhani v, 20Haririxviii,

are

identical in title

and theme.

199

is

a veryxxii,

close imitation and, in parts, a literal

copy

of

Hamadhani

101.

The themesthe same.1

of Hariri xii

and xxxix and Hamadhani

xxiii are

IJariri

xxx

is

a variation of*

Hamadhani

xxx.

In the

Der Mimus,

pp, 154-5.

Ibid., pp. 699-700.

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIformer

23

the cant of beggars, mountebanks, and the like, and in the latter an enumeration of the methods pursued by the

we have

The fraternity of burglars, cutpurses, thieves, and the like. themes of Hariri viii and Hamadhani xxxi are similar. Hariri iiiandxlvii

have much

in

common

with Hamadhani xvi andxli

xliii.

In Hariri xlix and

Hamadhani

made

to give his son advice as to his future career.

the improvisors are each In the

former Abu Zeid advises his son to follow what he had found tobe the freest and most lucrative ofall

pursuits, that of

mendi-

In the latter Abu'1-Fath al-Iskanderi, influenced perhaps cancy. the consideration that he had derived little personal advantage by from the life of the vagabond scholar, takes a different view and1

lays

down

mercial

the rules his son should observe in pursuing a comcareer. Other points of resemblance will be foundin the notes.

mentioned

Allusions to popular sayings and customs, history and legend,

theology and jurisprudence, specimens of eloquence and pulpit oratory, apt quotations from the Qur'an and the citing of proverbs,the use of the rare and the recondite, constitute the groundwork common to both books. The maqamat of Hamadhani are,therefore, an excellent introduction to the ampler, rate and comprehensive work of .his. great imitator.art of

more elabo-

In a comparison of the works of these two masters of the maqamat writing regard should be had to the fact that

the

maqamat

of

Hamadhani

are the

work

of a

young man,

completed in all probability before he had attained his thirtieth year, whereas those of Hariri were begun when the author had reached the mature age of forty-eight, and occupied the last

twenty years of his

life.

2

As regards their relative merits Hamadhani is much more He has more of art and less of artificiality natural than Hariri.than his imitator. Thereinis less

grammatical riddles rich resources of theis

and

disposition on his part to indulge linguistic puzzles, or to ransack the

subject

lessis

Arabic language for rare words. The subordinated to the style, or the sense to theof

sound than

the case with Hariri.

And

yet the

work

Hamadhani, whichto

in his

own day made

him famous from Herat1

Northern Africa and earned for himDeSacy's Introduction to Harirf, p. 50.

Letters, p. 161.

s

24'

THE MAQAMAT OF BADP

The wonder of the Age ', is little known, the proud appellation, while that of Hariri has been for centuries one of the beststudied books in Arabic literature and, next to the Qur'an, has engaged the attention of the largest number of scholarly com-

mentators.

and

In spite of one's disposition to accord the palm to originality art rather than to imitation and artificiality, an author's

countrymen are the best judges of the merits of his literary productions, and therefore the verdict of posterity in favour of Hariri must be accepted. The lame horse has indeed outrun''

'

the sturdy steed '. A.H. 496, deplores

l

Hariri, writing nearly a century later, about the decadence of learning. Whose breeze'

hasthen

stilledis

and whose

lights

have well-nigh gone

out.'

2

Here

probably the first cause of the neglect of Hamadhani. As far as we know no carefully collated and vocalized text of the Maqdmat was in circulation before that edited and annotated byin A.H. 1306, or more than nine hundred years after the author's death. On the other hand, the work of teaching and explaining the Maqamat of Hariri was

the late Shaikh

Muhammad

'Abdu

3

continued by his sons 4 and the first commentary was written within fifty years of the demise of the author.Mutarrizi, the earliest scholiast,

was born

in A.H. 458, or

only

twenty-two years after the death of Hariri, and even then he asserts that he found it necessary to consult practically the entirerange of Arabic literature, and to refer to the principal Shaikhs of the time before he commenced his commentary on the Maqamat. 5In the case of the

Maqamat

of

Hamadhani

there

was

pro-

bably no vocalized text in circulation, and there certainly was no commentary for more than nine centuries. Without such aids a literary work of this kind, covering so wide a field and written in an original and ornate style, would present considerable difficulty even to the ripe scholar, while to the struggling student it was

doomed

to be what it actually became, These circumstances and facts account,

virtually a sealed book. to some extent at least,

for the long neglect of this classic in Arabic literature.l

Hariri, p. 6.

*

Ibid., p. 6.

3

For a character sketch

British Occupation * Ibn Khallikan, ii, 493 and 496. * De Sacy's Introduction to I^ariri, p. 58.

of the commentator, see Blunt, Secret History of the of Egypt, p. 105.

'AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIIf this

25

translation of the text

and the

efforts to elucidate

it

but result in making the author known, as he certainly deserves to be, to a wider circle of readers, the labours of the translatorwill not

have been in vain.

THE MAQAMATI.

THE MAQAMA OF POESIEand saidI

'IsA IBN

HISHAM

related to usuntil

me

hitherl

and thither

Separation once hurled reached the utmost confines of:

Here, to fortify myself against the days, I took Jurjan.' I invested in arable land which I proceeded to cultivate.

some some

goods asbusiness,I

my

stock-in-trade, settled

upon a shop

as

my

place of

and selected some

friends

whom I made my companions.in the evening, and,

stayed at

homeI

in the

morning and9

between8

these times,

was

at the shop.

Now one day, when we were seated together discussing poetryand

poets, there was sitting, but a short distance off, a youth listening as if he understood, and remaining silent as though he

did not know, until

lengthy

we were carried disputation, when he said4

:

away, by our discussion and Ye have found the little'

palmI

tree loaded with fruit,I

so desired,I

could talk

and got the little rubbing-post. and that eloquently, and, were IYea,I

If

to

speak,

5 should quench their thirst for knowledge.

would

1 Jurjan : A well-known town between Tabaristan and Khurasan, said to have been founded by Yazid ibn Muhalleb. It was once noted for its silk fabrics which were sent to all parts of the world. Yaqut (Wustenfeld), ii, 48.

*

ct>yW The shop

:

arabicized from the Syriac

hamuthi'

,

a room or'

cell.

It

has frequently in Arabic the more restricted meaning of this type, see Fleischer, Kleinere Schriften, i, 172.(jtofi\

wineshop

.

For words ofSee'

Poetry

:

probably

connected

with:

kyi

to

praise.

Ad-dddChoking

(Houtsnfa), p. 252 and the well-known proverb

(jbfl\

^^

u*2j^H J^-

way of the verse Freytag, Arab Proverbs, i, 340. 4 Ye have found the little palm tree loaded with fruit, etc. Freytag, Arab Proverbs, i, 47. The meaning is I am one of those by means of whose counselstops the'

'

people seek

1

relief.:

' I should quench their thirst for knowledge Literally, up from the watering quenched and take others down.

I

would bring camelt

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANImake

27

the truth clear in the arena of eloquence so as to cause the deaf to hear and draw down the white-footed goats from their O learned one Come near, mountain haunts.' So I said' :!

thou hast inspired us with the feeling that we shall derive much benefit from thee. Speak, for thou hast cut thy wisdom tooth.' He then approached and said Question me, and I and I will delight you.' So we asked will answer you. Listen,for':

him'

' :

Whatthe

dost thou say regardingfirst

He was3

to

Imr al-Qais ? l He said 2 stand lamenting over the encampments and' :

their areas,nests,

who

set out early while the birds4 of the horse.

were

still

in their

and described the points

He

did not com-

pose poetry for gain, nor speak eloquently from covetousness and, therefore, he was superior to him whose tongue was looseneddesigningly and whose fingers were foraging for a prize. next asked What dost thou say to Nabigah ? 6 He answered He is as ready to revile, when he is angry, as he is to eulogize when he is pleased he makes excuses when he is frightened and;

'

We:

'

'

:

'

;

he shoots not but heZuheir'

hits.'':

We

asked1

*:

What

sayest thou to

?

melts him.

He answered He summons:

Zuheir

melts poetry and poetry

words and enchantment answers him.'

1

Imr

al-Qaisvii,

Prince of the

Banu Kindeh,

the well-known author of the moit

celebrated of the Mu'allaqdt, flourished about the middle of the sixth century A.D.

Aghdni,2

60.

the first to stand lamenting : i.e. he was the first to introduce the prelude in the form of a lament or erotic prologue over the deserted encampment with which almost every subsequent qasida begins. But, according to Ibn Qutaiba

He was

(Kitdb al-Sh'ir wa'l-Shu'ard, p. 52), the first to make this prelude fashionable was a certain Ibn al-Humam or Ibn Khedham. See also Aghdni, iv, 114 and 149.3

Set out early while the birds were still in their nests(Lyall.)

:

Qasida

of

Imr

al-

Kais, v. 53.45

Described the points of the horse : ibid., vv. 53-70. Were foraging for a prize i.e. were writing for gain. * Al-Nabigah al-Dhubyani : Proper name Ziad ibn Mu'awiya, a well-known poet, who lived at the courts of Ghassan and al-Hfra during the latter half of the:

century before Islam.Lyall, p. 152)

classed with the authors of the Mu'allaqdt (see ed. by have had a close acquaintance with Christianity. For a fuller notice of this poet, see Nicholson, p. 121 and Aghdni, ix, 154. 7 Zuheir ibn Abi Sulma of the tribe of Muzaina, the author of the third Mu'allaqa, flourished about the end of the eigth century A.D. He is remarkable It is said of him he only praised a man for his wise sayings and moral reflections. for what was in him. Hamadhani's opinion of him Zuheir melts poetry and poetry melts him is no exaggerated estimate of his poetic genius. He was one

He is

and

is

said to

of the triad of pre-Islamic poets, the other

two being Imr al-Qais and Nabigah.

Shu'ard s.l-Nasraniah,

p. 510.

28

THE MAQAMAT OFsaid' :

BADI'* :

dost thou say to Tarafa ? l He replied He is the very water and clay of poetry, the treasure-house and He died 2 before his secret treasures metropolis of its rhymes.'

We

What

camesaid:

to light, or the locks of his store-houses were opened.' What sayest thou to Jarir and Farazdaq, and which of'

We

them is superior?' He answered: 'Jarir's 3 poetry is sweeter and more copious, but Farazdaq's 4 is more vigorous and more brilliant. Again Jarir is a more caustic satirist and can tell of more celebrated battles, 5 whereas al- Farazdaq is more ambitious and belongs to the nobler clan. 8 Jarir, when he sings thepraises of the fair,stroys,

draws tears. when he eulogizes, he but,

When

he vituperates, 7 he deexalts. And al- Farazdaq 8 in

1 He flourished Tarafa ibn al-'Abd was a member of the tribe of Bakr. about the middle of the eigth century A.D. and was the author of a Mu'allaqa, No.

He early developed a talent for satire which cost him his life age of twenty, so that he is generally called the youth of twenty '. Nicholson, p. 107 and Ibn Qutayba, Sh'ir wa'l-Shu'ard, p. 88. 2 He died: a reference to Tarafa's untimely end. 3 Jarir ibn 'Atiyyah (ob. A.H. 110 A.D. 728-9), of the tribe of Kulayb was court poet of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf the governor of 'Iraq. He was famous for his satire. He2 in

Ly all's

edition.

at the early

'

,

survived al-Farazdaq, his lifelong rival, but a short time Nicholson, p. 244 and Aghdni, vii, 35.4

either thirty or forty days.

Al-Farazdaq:

Hammam

ibn Ghalib,

generally

known

as al-Farazdaq,

belonged to the tribe of Tamim and was born at Basra towards theend of 'Umar's He was one of the triad of early Islamic poets, the other two being Khalifate. Akhtal and Jarir. He died in 110 A.H. A.D. 728-9), at the great age of a hundred.

Aghdni,*

viii,

180.

more celebrated battles : The Days, i.e. the great battles of the Uj> jy^ For a list of the Days of the Arabs see the Majma al-Bahrein, p. 150. 6 Nobler clan : Al-Farazdaq belonged to the tribe of Tamim and Jarir to the Kulayb, a branch of the Tamim. 7 When he vituperates he destroys : For an example of this, see Kitdb alAghdni, vii, 46 and Nicholson, p. 245. 8 Farazdaq and Jarir are connected by a strange rivalry. For years they were engaged in a public scolding competition in which they roundly abused each other, and exhibited their marvellous skill in manipulating the vast resources of vituperaSee The Naka'id or Flytings of Jarir and Faraztion of the Arabic language.Arabs.

volumes edited by Professor A. A. Bevan (Leyden, 1905-12). The and Farazdaq were a favourite subject for discussion. See Aghdni, vii, 37 and Nicholson, p 239. It is difficult to gather from Hamadhani's comparison of these two poets as to which of them he accords the palm. Probably he intended the question to remain 'I have never been in an assembly where the company undecided. Yunas says The Arabs, while was unanimous as to which of the two was the better poet. they considered Jarir, al-Farazdaq and al-Akhtal to be the three greatest Isldmic Kitdb al-Aghdni, poets, differed in the matter of assigning precedence to them.

daq

in three

relative merits of Jarir

:

1

vii,

36.

Aghdni,

iii,

Comparison of poets formed a branch 101 and viii, 75.

of belles

lettres

(s-^)

See

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIgloryingis all-sufficient.

29

Whenfull

he scorns he degrades, but, when

he praises, he renders theopinion of the'

meed.'

We

said'

':

What

is

thy:

He answered modern and the ancient poets ? The language of the ancients is nobler and their themes more delightful, whereas the conceits of the moderns are more refined and their style more elegant.' We then said If thou wouldst exhibit some of thy poetry and tell us something about thyonly self.' He replied Here are answers to both questions in onel':

'

:

essay

:

'

Do you

not see

I

am

wearing a thread-bare cloak,lot,

f

in misfortune, by a bitter hatred for the nights, Cherishing From which I meet with red ruin, 3

Borne along

utmost hope is for the rising of Sirius, 4 But long have we been tormented by vain hopes. Now this noble personage was of higher degree And his honour 5 was of greater price,

My

enjoyment, I pitched my green tents In the mansion of Dara, 6 and in the Hall 7 of Kisra,1 What is thy opinion of the modern and the ancient potts ?: This wa another favourite topic for discussion. The opinion of scholars in the time of the author was that the pre-Islamic poets had been excelled by their successors and

For

my

both had been surpassed by the poets of the day of

whom

the famous Mutanabbi

was*

chief.

Do youis

not see I

amis

verses

rejez.

\^> a thread-bare

wearing a thread-bare cloak ?: The metre of theft This word, which is met with so frecloak.

quently in the Maqamat,dress.3 4

used to denominate an exceedingly old and shabby

Red ruin

:

Literally, red vicissitudes.:

The rising of Sirius The greater dog-star. This star rises (aurorally) in the time of intense heat, and this he ardently desires because of the insufficiency of his clothing to protect him from the cold. Certain of the Arab tribes worshippedthis star.5

See Qur'an,:

liii,

50.

His honour

Literally, the water of this face.'

The ingenuous blush',

of

an

honestIt

man

is

called by the Arabs

water of the face

hence modesty,

self-respect.

also6

means lustre. The mansion of Dara

:

Built by Darius

I,

or the Great, son of Hystaspea, or theA.D.,'

in 521 B.C.7

The Hall

((.jjjl)

or Palace of Kisra

:

The Aiwan,century:

immense

hall of

the palace built by al-Nushirwan,

in the sixth

twenty-five miles

from Baghdad.

Ibn al-Hajib writing on the Aiwan says O thou who didst build it a lofty structure and, through the Aiwan relegated the skill of time to oblivion, these palaces, pleasure houses, buildings, and castles of our Kisra al-Nushirwan. See Yaqut, i, 425.

30

THE MAQAMAT OFBut fortune reversed

BADI'

my

circumstances,

l

became a stranger Of my wealth nought remained but a memory, And so on until to-day. But for the old dame at Surra- Manra 8 And the babes on this side of the hills of Basra,pleasure,

And

my

familiar friend,

to

me.

Upon whomI

fate has

brought

affliction,3

would,

O

masters, destroy myself deliberately.':

I gave him what I had to hand and 'Isa ibn Hisham said then he turned away from us and departed. Now I began to and then to assert him, I failed to recognize him, and yet denyI

seemed to know him, whenI*

his front teeth directed',

me

to him.left

ThenyoungFath?

Al-Iskanderi by Heavens and had now returned full grown.said:

'

for

he hadI

us

So'

followed in his

track, seized

him by the waist andlife

said

:

Art thou not Abu'lhast thou then at

Did we not

rear thee as a child?

and didst 5 thou not pass

years of thy

with us

What:

old

dame

Surra-Manra?'

He*

laughed and recited

Sirrah the times are false,*

Let not deception beguile thee. Cleave not to one character, but,

As the nights change, do thou change

too.'

1

Reversed

my

circumstances

:

Literally turned the back of the shield to

me

:

figuratively, for

became

hostile.:

The Khalifa Mu'tasim (A.D. 833-42) removed from Baghdad, sixty miles further up the Tigris to Samarra the official spelling of which was Surra-man ra'a, a contraction of Surur-man ra'a, 'the beholder's joy, which suddenly grew into a superb city of palaces and barracks. For an account of recent excavations at Samarra, revealing examples of art and architecture of the 'Abbasid period, see Lughat El-Arab No. XI, May, 1913,*

Surra-man ra'a (Samarra)

his court

pp. 515-20.3

/

would

deliberately destroy myself:at or cast at until

alive

and then shot= c

he was

killed, or

\^> Jxi means he was confined he was slain deliberately,

not in the field of battle, nor by mistake.

young Literally, a fawn. Did we not rear thee ? An illusion to Qur'an, xxvi, 17, 6 The metre of these lines is basit. The Sirrah ! the times are false author appears to have drawn his inspiration for this maqama from Aghdni,\L&^.:

4

4

:

:

vii,

56,

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIII.

31

THE MAQAMA OF THE DATErelated to us

'f SA

IBN

HISHAMof

and saidI

the time of the azaz date harvest, so

I was in Baghdad at went out to select and:

buy some

the

different

kinds of

it.

I

proceeded a short

distance to a man who had got a stock of various sorts of fruit which he had arranged in order. He had collected and placed in rows a variety of fresh dates and I took some of the best of 1 some of the finest of every species. everything and picked Now just as I had gathered up my skirts and placed my load in them, my eyes fell upon a man who had modestly covered his 9 and was standing still with outstretched hand. face with a veil had his little ones by his side and bore his babes on his hip, He while he recited in a voice so loud that it weakened his chest and

produced feebleness in his spine I have neither two handfuls of Sawiq, 'Alas Nor melted fat mixed with flour, Nor spacious bowl filled with Khirdiq, *: !

3

To soothe our palate, 5 And to remove us from

O

the path of beggary. Giver of plenty after poverty Make it easy for some brave and liberal man!

Of pedigree and hereditary

glory,

To guide to us the feet of fortune And release my life from the grip of'Isa ibn

trouble.'

gave

it

to

Hisham said him. Then he

:

I

took from:

my*

purse a handful and

said

'O the onekindness!

who hath

bestow edr

upon

me

his excellent

To God do 1 communicate his glorious secret, And I pray God to keep him well-guarded,.,

C __

I2ij>

picked:

:

Literally, I bit, or

gnawed.

a

veil

a thing with which a

woman

veils her face,

having

in

it

two

holes for the eyes, but here used as3

synonymous with litham (f*^):

Alas

!

I

have neither two handfuls:

Sawiq

is

a kind of gruel made mostly

of parched barley.4

Khirdiq

Metre, rejez. a kind of broth in which bread:

* 8

To soothe our palate

Literally, to:

O

the one

who hath bestowed

is crumbled. check the onslaughts of Metre, reje*.

saliva.

32If I

THE MAQAMAT OF BADIhave not the ability to thank him,will surely

Then God, my Lord,'Isa ibnleft in

recompense him.'*

l

Hisham

said

:

So

I

said to him,

There

is

something!

the purse, therefore disclose thy hidden condition and I will Then he removed his veil, 2 and lo by Heavens give thee all.' So I exclaimed it was our Shaikh, Abu'1-Fath al-Iskanderi!

:

'

Mercy on thee, how astute thou

art3

'!

Then he

recited

:

'Spend thy life in deceiving Men and throwing dust in their eyes.I

observe the days continue not In one state and therefore I imitate them.

One day I feel their mischief, And another they feel mine.'

III.

THE MAQAMA OF BALKHand said:

't si

IBN

HISHAMto

related to us4

Trade

in cotton stuffs

tookflush

me5

Balkh

and

I

arrived there

when

I

was

in the first

of youth, with a mind free with the ornaments of affluence.

my1

use the unbroken colt

from care and a body decked My only aim was to subdue to of the mind, or to capture a few strayGod my Lordis

Then God my Lord

will surely recompense

:

Literally,

behind his reward.

Lithdm (f* a veil : a kind of muffler for 'covering the lower part of the face. Cf. the term mulaththamun applied to the Berber tribes of the Sahara.3

3

Spend thy

lifeit

in deceiving

:

Q>j*.

in deceiving

:

Literally, gilding

copper

or silver to palmlines:

off for gold.

The Constantinople

edition has these additional

1

O

thou

wholet

art

Thou

wilt not

greedy for gain, lying in ambush for remain for ever in this world of thine:

it,

Therefore

a

little

of

it

suffice thee, or

thou wilt be a:

toiler for

a

1

sitter.

From1

There

is

the saying attributed to al-Nabigah many a toiler for a sitter ', Freytag, Arab' Proverbs, m

i,

544.

Metre, hezej.

Balkh The ancient Bactria or Zariaspa, and formerly called Alexandria, was once a great city, but is now, for the most part, a mass of ruins which occupy:

4

a space of about twenty miles in circuit. It was at one time the] granary of Khurasan. Captured by the Arabs in the Khalifate of 'Uthman (A.D. 644-56). Yaqut,i,

713.

First flush; Literally, virginity.

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIl

33

sayings

.

But, during

my

entire stay,

nought more eloquentto

than

my own

words sought admission

my

ear.

Now when

separation bent, or was about to bend, its bow at us, there came 2 dress with a beard into my presence a youth in an attractive

two arteries attached to the 3 of jugular vein, and with eyes which had absorbed the waters 4 He met me with such benefaction that I the two riversthat extended so far as to pierce the.

proportionately increased my praise of it. Dost thou intend to go on a journey ?'

Then he asked me'

:

'

indeed.'

He'

*

said,

May!

guide not lose his

way

Yes, replied thy scout find good pasture and thy I When dost thou intend to start ?:'

I

answered,following:

Early to-morrow morning.'

Then he

indited

the

'May

it

be a morn divine and not a morn of departure,5e

The

bird auguring union, 'And not the bird of separation.'art

Whither

HeHe

'

said,;

business

I replied To my own country.' thou going ? thou reach thy native land and accomplish thy Mayest I answered, Next year.' 7 but when dost thou return ?' :

'

then said8

' :

thread

?

Where

Mayest thou fold the robes and art thou in regard to generosity ?'

rollI

up the

'Where thou

desirest.'

He

said, 'If

God

answered, thee back in safety bring

1

Ojji Stray sayings

:

from

o^ ^

*JJ\A

applied to

a runaway and refractory

camel, hence strange and unfamiliar words.2

0.JJUJ*

Attractive

:

Literally, full of eye.:

3

Had

absorbed the waters:

They were

so liquid

and limpid,j- O -

4

^>Ai;i^ The two riversJS

an appellation applied to the Euphrates and the

-

Tigris.

From

JkMj

a giver or tributary, e.g.it.

^^\) ^

-

-

$

a river that has two

other rivers flowing into5

him.1

The bird of union The hoopoo JubJjfc being suggestive of fi^JUfc he guided See Meidam, i, 337 (Bulak-edition) and also Professor Margoliouth's:

Letters of Abu'l 'Ala al-Ma'arri,' p. 42.6

The bird of separationandi,

:

The raven which

is

calledis

^-5\

*^>\i the raven ofof

separation1

See Meidani,8

or croak appearance 337 (Bulak edition.) Metre, wafir.:

whose

ominous

separation

.

A figure used by the author to express the idea of traversing safely the intervening stages to one's destination. Cf. p. 230 of the Text.5

Next year Literally, the coming (year). Mayest thou fold the robes and roll up the thread.

34

THE MAQAMAT OF BADP

from this road, bring with thee for me an enemy in the guise of a friend, in golden vein that invites to infidelity, spins on the finger, round as the disc of the sun, that lightens the burden ofdebt and plays the role of the two-faced.' Said 'Isa ibn Then I knew it was a dinar that he demanded. So'

1

HishamI

:

said to

him,like

Thouit.'*

canst have one

down and:

the promise of another one

HeThy

then recited and saidis

plan3

better than

what

I

asked

2

for,

Mayest thou continuedeeds,

to be the

worthy doer

of generous

ThyI

branches overspreading and thy root be healthy. cannot endure the burden of gifts, Nor bear the weight of mendicity.imagination fell short of the extent of thy generosity thy doing has exceeded my fancy. O prop of fortune and greatness May time never be bereft of thee

My

And

'

!

Said 'Isa ibn

Hishamis

:

Then

I

gave him the dinar and said toofthis

him

:

Where:

the

native

soil

excellence

?

He

I was reared by the Quraish, and in its oases nobility was prepared for me. One of those present asked Art thou not Abu'1-Fath al-Iskanderi and did I not see thee in 'Iraq going

answered

:

about the streets beggingsaying':

4

with

letters

?

5

Then he

recited,

Verily,

God

has servants 67

Who1

have adopted a manifold

existence,

The two-faced

:

Cf.

De

Sacy, Hariri,1:

i,

36.

2

3

Thy plan Mayest thou continueis better:

than whatto

asked for: Metre, basit.Literally,

be

May

thy

wood be sound and thywordis

generosity enduring4

figure for strength of character.:

GJ^HThe

Begging\>)

from

^s>

to beg.

De Sacy

says the

arabicized

from the Persian250.)

a beggar and ^/\-^ beggary. (Chrestomathie Arabe, iii, fact that both Badi" al-Zaman and Hariri regarded the profession ofsee note on the Sons of Sasan,earlier use

begging as one of Persian originsupports this derivation.Dieterici's edition of66

(Text p. 89)seeseq,

word JL=> beggary, Philosophie der Araber, Thier und Mensch, p. 32, lines 10of the:

For an

With

letters

Verilykjli.

Cf. De Sacy, Hariri, p. 76. God has servants Metre, ramal.: :

T

Manifold

Literally,

mixed or mingled,

e.g.

Ldi.

^lJ

sweet

milk

mixed with sour.

AL-7AMAN AL-HAMADHAN1In the evening they are Arabs, 1 In the morning Nabateans.'IV.

33

THE MAQAMA OFrelatedto

SIJISTANsaid:

'Is! IBN

HISHAM

us and2

resolution into put impelled go 3 I effect and mounted the necessary camel. sought God's which I set before me, while blessing upon my determinationtoto Sijistan.I

me

So

A myme

pressing

need

I I

made prudence my guide

until

it

directed

thither.

Now

arrived at the gates of the city after sunset and was, therefore, 4 obliged to pass the night on the spot. Now, when the blade of dawn was drawn, and the hostof the sun sallied forth,

a lodging. the city to

And whenits

I

centre,

went to the business quarter to select 5 had gone from the circumference of and walked along the circle of shopsI

1 Nabateans : A well-known Arabian people. In the time of Josephus their settlements gave the name Nabatene to the borderland between Syria and Arabia from the Euphrates to the Red Sea. Before their appearance in history, about 312 B.C., they had already some tinge of civilization. Though true Arabs they

came under the influence of Aramean culture, and Syriac was the language of their coins and inscriptions when the tribe grew into a kingdom and profited by the decay As allies of of the Selucids to extend itself over the country east of the Jordan.the

Romans

About A.D.

105, Trajan

they continued to flourish throughout the most unwisely broke up the

first

Christian century.

Nabatean nationality.

Bib., iii, 3254-5. Sijistan : originally Sagistan, the land of the Sakas, Arabicized to Sijistan, the ancient Sacastane and the modern Seistan, the name of a district of Persia and3

End.

was formerly called Zaranj. It formed a part of and was a great Kharijite centre. About A.D. 860, when it had undergone many changes of Government under lieutenants of the Baghdad Khalifa, or bold adventurers acting on their own account, Yaqut ibn Laith al-Saffar, made it the seat of his power. In A.D. 901, it fell under the power of the Samanids and towards the end of the century into that of the GhaznaIn Hamadhani's time Khalaf ibn Ahmad was the Amir of Sijistan (A. H. vids. 354-93) Yaqut says that when the inhabitants submitted to their Arab conquerors they stipulated that no hedgehog was to be killed. The reason assigned for this being that the country was infested with snakes and that the hedgehogs kept the number down. Every house had its liedgehog Yaqut, iii, 41. Encyclopaediaofits

chief town.

The

capital

the empire of the Khalifa

.

!

Britannica, xxiv, 592.3

/ put

my

resolution into effecti,

:

Literally, I

mounted the:

intention thereof.

Cf.

De4

Sacy, Hariri,

14.

I was obliged to pass the night on the spot night chanced where I reached.5

Literally, the passing of the

aj)\*

circumference: Literally, a necklace.

36till

THE MAQAMAT OFI

BAD!'

l a loud-toned 2 voice penetrated reached the chief one, my ear. I went towards the speaker until I stood near him, and behold it was a man mounted on his horse and panting

for breath.

3

and was saying

He had turned the back of his head towards me He who knows me, knows me well, and he,:

I will make myself known to him. I 4 Yemen, the much-talked-of of the age, the 5 Ask enigma of men and the puzzle of the ladies of the harem. countries and their fortresses, mountains and of me concerning their heights, valleys and their watercourses, seas and their Who has captured their walls, springs, horses and their backs.

who

does not

know me,

am

the first-fruits of

discovered the mysteries of their heights, explored their paths and penetrated into their lava hills ? Ask of kings and theirtreasures, precious stones

and

their mines,

6

affairs

and

their

inwardness,seized

7

sciences

their obscurities,

and wars and8

their centres,their difficult

weighty matters and situations. Who has?

their

hoards without paying the price

WhoI

has got?

possessions of their keys

and known the wayachievedall

to victory

By

Heavens

!

it

is

I

who have:

that.

have made

The chief onewhich8is

Literally, the jewel in the

middle of a necklace and

the best thereof.

^5^** ,3^c

J^>

(.?

Loud-toned

:

Literally, with

something from every root,

and34

therefore well nourished and strong.

Panting for breath Literally, choking himself. The first-fruits of Yemen : Here Abu'1-Fath begins:

to enigmatically refer

to his

name.

The

fruit of the treeit is

-3

nab' a resembling that of the pistachiaOG-

terebinthus, except that

red, sweet

and round,

is

called

^-xi

Path.

It is also

Islam of the people of Yemen. The name of the first envoy that came from Yemen to visit the Prophet is said to have been Abu'1-Fath. Al-Fath means the opening, beginning, victory.

an allusion

to the early conversion to

5

J^*aa^

vl?bj

Ladies of the harem

:

JUs*-

pi, of

^.a. a kind

of curtained

canopy, or tent, or chamber for a bride. For courteous phrases for ladies, see Jahiz,

Haywdn,

v.

103-110.

Precious stones and their mines former gives the required sense.-

6

:

I

have read

^^\

instead of

^^\

as the

-

O C

^

(.^M

Inwardness}&>

i

From ^Lj

the abdomen.

Hence the

interior of anything.

e..

g.,

(J&

&*:

& J^

To every verse thereof is an

apparent

^

(lit.

back)

sense and a sense requiring development,8

Their keys

i.e.

the keys of the positions.

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIpeace between powerful kings dark difficulties. By Heavens1

37of

and disclosed the mysteries!

I

have been even

in

the place

where lovers are overthrown.

I

have even been

afflicted

with2

I sickness, even the sickness caused by the languishing eye. have embraced supple forms, 3 and plucked the rose from the crimson cheeks. Yet, with all this, I have fled from the world

as a generous nature fleesrecoiled

from the faces of the base. I have from despicable things as a noble ear recoils fromBut,

obscene language.resolvedto

nowof old

that the

dawned, and the dignity

morn of hoariness has age has come upon me, I have

world and

my journey to the next have not perceived any way better to right guidance, than that which I am treading. One of you will observe meprovision forI

make wise

riding a horse

and speaking5',

at

random

4

and

'

say,

this is

the

Father of Wonder

which

I

have bothI

nay, but I am indeed the Father of Wonders, seen and experienced, and the Mother ofI

Enormities whichdifficulty

have estimated and endured.6

have with

cast

obtained the keys of treasures and then have lightly them aside. I have bought dear and sold cheap. I have, by Heavens joined their pageants and jostled against shoulders. 7 I have watched the stars and ridden the flesh off my mounts,!

have been obliged to engage in dangerous enterprises vowing not to withhold from the Muslims the benefits accruing thereI

from.

Now

to yours

mine.

I must transfer the cord of this trust from my neck and offer for sale in your streets this medicine of Let him buy from me who shrinks not from the place

j

~pi.

5,.

Powerful kingsby reason

:

*#&}

of

Ju-\ = 748. See also Buhturf,

224.2

^JttJi

Eyes

.'

pi. of

&iJ^ Literally, the black of the eye and then the eyebranches a very;

absolutely.3

Supple forms

:

Literally, pliant

common

figure for a flexible

form.4

V^r>

Heb.

7^3

a priest in a degraded sense.

In the time of the Prophet it meant a fortune-teller, an interpreter of dreams, etc. See Qur'an, Hi, 29 and Ixix, 42. This is a word whose origin is not known. 6 His indifference, etc : Literally, the sitting down of his resolution with hisstate.

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIl

41

and fortune. Fortune had made her benefits remote by placing barriers between him and them and continued so to do till I 2 So I sharpened my happened to have some business in Hims. greediness of desire to go thither in the company of some individuals, brilliant as the stars of night, and like saddle-cloths We started on the road cleaving to the backs of the horses. 3 and annihilating its space, and we its distance eliminating continued to traverse the humps of the uplands, mounted upon those noble steeds, until they became as lean as walking-sticks and were bent like bows. Now we were fated to pass a valley along the base of a mountain covered with ala and tamarisk thickets which looked like maidens with their flowing tresses and suspended locks. 4 The fierce noonday heat turned us We had thither to seek a sheltered spot and a midday nap. and had addressed ourselves to sleep with tethered our horsesthe sleepers, when suddenly the neighing of the horses startled us. And I looked towards my steed and behold he had cocked

he was glaring with his eyes, gnawing the strands of the rope with his lips, and scoring the surface of the ground with his hoofs. Then the horses stampeded, 5 staled, broke thehis ears,

ropes andhis

made for the mountains. Every one of us flew 6 weapons when lo there appeared a lion, in the garb!

to of

doom, ascending from his lair, with inflated skin, showing his teeth, with an eye full of arrogance, a nose distended with 8 never departed and pride, and a breast from which couragewherein terror never dwelt.

7

and an anxious business.'

This is a serious matter There advanced to meet him fromsaid:

We

*

among1

the impetuous of the party a youth,benefits:

Her

Literally, her affairs, or business.:

3

Hints (Emessa)

A

well-known

city situated

half-way between Damascus and

Aleppo.

army34

inhabitants of this city were 'All's stoutest opponents in Mu'awiya's in the battle of Siffm (A.D. 657). Yaqut, ii, 334.its

The

Eliminating ^ ^_,

distance

:

Literally! plundering its distance.

53

y^jk*J\ j

yU^:

Locks and tresses

J:

y)Jk

are said to pertain to

women and

y\I2 to men.6

Stampeded&jji

Literally,

became

agitated.

6

garb

:

applied to a'garment

when

it is

furred, a well-known kind of gar-

ment78

for preservation

from the cold.:

With

inflated skin

Literally, inflated in his skin.

courage

:

Literally, the heart.

6

42*

THE MAQAMAT OFTawnyof skinl

BADI'

of the family that comprises the nobility

of the Arabs,

Whowith

fills

his bucket full to the knot of the rope that ties

the middle of the cross-bars,' a heart urged on by doom, and an all-effective sword, but the fierceness of the lion took possession of him and the

ground cheated his

feet so that

he

fell

on his hands andhisfalling

face.

The

lion then crossed

over

the

place of

in

the

direction of those

who were within

him.

Then death summonedmanner.the

the fallen one's

fellow

the sameto

He

advanced,lion

but terror tied

his hands, he fell

earth and the

crouched

on his chest. But I threw my turban at him and diverted his mouth and thus prevented the shedding of the Then the young man arose and slashed at his youth's blood. stomach until he collapsed with fright and the lion died of the wounds in his stomach. We then went after the horses, found such as had halted, abandoned such as had bolted, and returned to the dead friend to perform the last rites When we had poured the earth upon our late fellow-traveller we were 3 grieved, aye and what an hour of grief it was.' Then we turned again towards the desert and entered it.'!

2

We

the provision bag contracted and supplies were well nigh exhausted. could neither advance nor retreat, and we dreaded the two slayers, thirst and hunger, when a

journeyed on

till

We

horseman came

in sight.

We

went towards him and moved

l

Tawny

of skin, etc.

:

Metre, ramal.

^J'AndI

am'

the tawny

:

and who knows

me ?

The tawnyArabs.

of skin (of pure race) of the family that comprises the nobility of the

contends for superiority (literally vies with me in filling buckets) with me, contends with one possessing glory. Who fills the bucket up to the tying of the rope attached to the middle of its'

He who

crossbars.'

These verses are by al-Fadl Ibn 'Abbas al-Lahabi, Aghdni, was a contemporary of Farazdaq (d. 170), Aghdni, xv, 2-11.8

xiv, 171.

This poet

3

Crouched, etc. Literally, made his chest a bed. Aye and what an hour of grief it was! Metre,:

tawil.

Cf. the line of

Ka'ah,

Hamasah

(Freytag), p. 95, line 3.

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIin his direction.

43

When wethe

reached him, he alighted from his

noble

l

steed,

kissed

ground

He

then came towards me, to

prostrated himself. the exclusion of the company,

2

and

3

kissed!

my

and lo and a goodly*

and sought shelter at my side. I beheld a face that shone like the sheen of the rain-cloud,stirrupstature,4

When

the

beholder'sfeet,all

eye

ascends

to

his

head and

descends to hisIt is

unable to take in

his beauties,'

down had appeared and a moustache had just sprouted a plump forearm, a supple and slim 5 His origin was Turkish 6 and his dress royal. 7 We body.a cheek upon which thethat;

said

' :

Perish thy father'

'!

8

What

has happened to theeofI

?

He

replied

:

I

am

the servantkill

a

determined attempt to

me, and so

king ran away,said* : '

who madeI

a

knew notI

whither, as you see me now.' to the truth of his statement.

Nowis

his appearance bore witness

Then hethine' !

To-day

am

thy servant and whatfor both of us.

is

mine

I

said,

Good

tidings

Thy

journey has brought thee to a spacious

court and fresh delight.'

The company congratulated me, andTheadjectiveis

His noble steednoun.3 3*

:

placed before instead of after the

Kissed the ground : Literally, he engraved the ground with his lips. Prostrated himself : Literally, he met the ground with both his hands.(f+id]

line 69.55

->

j|jU ^z* When the eye ascends: A quotation from Imral Qais, p. Lyall's edition of the Mu'allaqdt. The text is wrongly vocalized for:

25,

jy

read5

0Uji

s-*.s-a*

A

a branch cut

off

supple and slim body and hence a rod.:

:

Literally, a well-irrigated

branch

6

His origin was Turkish

Probably an allusion to the*

line.

'Verily

Yemak hath

For every immigrant7

(by his death) left in my entrails an affection, of Turkish origin,' Mutanabbi, p. 467.

^^U

angelic, should be vocalized:

^a.^*

royal.

8

Perish thy father

Literally, thou hast no father.

A

playful term of impre-

cation expressive, of surprise or admiration.

phrase unworthy of elucidation.concerning anything that249.)sions, seeis

He

explains,it

Al-Hamadhani did not think this the Arabs say thou hast no father'

perfect, but

For the explanation

of the use of the accusative in thisii,

depends upon who says it.' (Letters, p. and similar expres-

Wright's Arabic Grammar,

94-5.

44

THE MAQAMAT OF;':

BAD!'

he began to look and his glances smote us he commenced to He said O masters speak and his words fascinated us. at the base of this mountain there is a spring and ye have!

l so take some water from there.' entered a waterless desert, So we turned rein in the direction he indicated and we

arrived

there.

The noondayhad mounted'

heatthe

hadtrees.

melted2

oursaid:

bodies'

and the

locusts

He

Will

As thou wilt.' He then dismounted from his horse, undid his belt, removed his 3 tunic so that nothing concealed him from us, except a thin undergarment which did but reveal his body. We doubted not but that he had quarrelled with the ministering angels, 4 evaded the heavenly guards, and fled from the guardian of Paradise. He betook himself to the saddles and removed them, to the 5 and to the resting-places and sprinkled horses and fed them, them with water. Men's perception was bewildered at him, and So I said O young man, how their eyes were fixed upon him. courteous thou art in service and how generally useful Therefore woe to him whom thou hast forsaken, and blessed is he with whom thou hast become friendly How is it possible to thank He said That which you God for His favour through thee ? Do my activity in will soon see from me will be even greater. What if ye were service and my general comeliness please you ? It to see me in company, showing some portion of my skill ? 6 for me.' We said Go on would increase your admiration' :

you not take the noonday nap beneath said and near this fresh water ?

this spacious

shade,

We

'

:

!

!

'

'

:

'

'

:

!

Then he took oneputit

of our bows, strungit

it,

braced the bow-string,

into the notch, and shot

up towards the sky and then

Waterless desert3

:

Literally, a blind desert, with

no

&&

eye, or spring.

The locusts had mounted the

trees

:

They were rendered

active

by the

intense heat.8

!i

J a

tunic, waistcoat or jacket, arabicized from the Persian:

6S^who were:

4

CJU^I ministering angels

Probably 0q$\ a species of angels

the guardians of the earth, and of the gardens of Paradise (See Lane, artp. 462).5

^sup-

VjJUj Fed themtax*.

:

Literally, foddered

them.is

admiration

:

from

iu*

the pericardium and then love which

posed to tear the pericardium.

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIfollowed'

45:

up with another and split it in the air. Then he said He then made for my quiver I will show you another trick.' and seized it, went towards my horse and mounted it, and shot one of our number with an arrow which he fixed in his chest, and then a second one which he shot through his back. I cried He retorted Silence, out Sirrah what art thou doing ?it' '

'

!

scoundrel hands, or

!

Bywill

I

heavens, every one of you shall bind his fellow's make his spittle to choke him.' Now with our

horses tied up, our saddles

mounted and we onloss

foot,

our arms beyond our reach, he his bow in his hand ready to shoot usoff,

in the back, or to pierce

what

to do.

our abdomens and chests, we were at a when we saw his seriousness, we seized But,''

I alone remained with no the thong and bound one another. l and I So he said to me one to tie my hands. Strip Then he got down from the horse and began to slap stripped. each of us, one after the other, and to take off his clothes, and Now I had on a pair of new boots and finally he came to me.:!

I replied Perish thy mother take them off I put these boots on when the hide was raw and, therefore, I Then I will take them off.' He said cannot remove them.'

so he said to*

me

'

'

:

!

:

'

:

he drew near toseize a knife

me

toI

which

remove them, and I stretched my hand to had concealed in one boot while he was

engaged removing the other. I plunged the knife into his abdomen with such force, that I caused it to appear behind his 2 and then bit the dust. 3 Then back, and he uttered but one cry And I arose, went to my companions and untied their hands. we then divided the spoils 4 obtained from the two dead men. We found our friend had given up the ghost and so we buried

Then we continued our journey and arrived at Hims Now when we reached an open nights' travelling. in the market, we saw a man with a wallet and a small spacehim. 5afterfive

walking-stick in his hand, standing in front of his son and

little

daughter, and he was saying1

:

2 3

He He

Strip : Literally, come out with thy skin from thy clothes. uttered but one cry : Literally, he only opened his mouth.bit the

dust

:

Literally,.

put the stone in his mouth.

Another reading

8^,1 &A*a^ I silenced him. Cf Freytag, Arab Proverbs, i, 120. 4 We divided the spoils : A rather unworthy manner of disposing of theirdead friend's property. 5 We buried him : Literally, he wentto his

tomb.

46'

THE MAQAMAT OF BADPGodbless

him whois

fills

my

wallet

l

with his generous

gifts,

God

bless

him who

movedyour

to pity for Sa'id

Verily he will be maid-servant.'

male-servant

and Fatimah, and she your

Said 'Isa ibn Hisham

:

This

man

is

surely al-Iskanderi of;

whom'

have heard, and regarding whom I have been asking and behold it was he 2 So I gently approached him and saidI!

:

Command what'

is

thine.'

He

replied3

:

'A dirhem.'

I

said

:

Thou canst have a dirhem multiplied by its As long as I live. So make up thy account and ask In order that I may give what is demanded.'

like

And

I

said to

five, until I

dinar into two, into three, into four, into reached twenty.' Then I said How much dost:

him'

'

A

*

:

So I comtwenty loaves.' manded that amount to be given him and said Nought avails 5 without God's help and there is no device against ill-fatedness.'it ?:

thou make

He answered

'

4

'

:

VII.

THE MAQAMA OF GHAILANrelated to

6

'Isi IBN

HISHAM

me and

said

*:

While we were

at

Jurjan1

in

a meeting-place of ours discussing, there was with us

Godjt>

blessyfc\

2

JU 'And beholdft

him who fills my wallets, it was he !

etc.

Metre, khafif._

'

There was a controversy between the55-

\

schools of Basra and Kufa as to whether this phrase or aV\

ys>

jU And behold

it

was him was right. The Basrians held that the former, the one used by alHamadhani, was correct. This phrase would call to mind the dispute originated by Sibawayh, the greatest of grammarians, in the time of the Khalifa Harun alRashid (Yaqut, Dictionary of Learned Men, vi, 83). Cf. English, It is me, andthe French, c'est moi.

Thou canst have a dirhem. Metre, kdmil. Twenty loaves very defective arithmetic which evokes a well-merited buke from 'Isa ibn Hisham in the concluding sentences of the Maqama.34:

re-

56

03 J^ Without God's

help

:

See Qur'an,

iii,

154.

Abu'l-Harith Ghailan Ibn 'Uqba Ibn Buhaish, generally known by the surname of Dhu'l-Rumma (the old-rope man) is regarded as the last of the Bedawin He died in A.H. 117 (A.D. 735-6) and was therefore a contemporary of poets. Jarir and Farazdaq, see Ibn Khallikan, ii, 447, and Ibn Qutaiba, Kitdb al-Sh'ir

wa'l-Shu'ard

publishing for the

(The University Press of Cambridge is p. 333. time an edition of this poet's work. The editor is Mr. C. H. H. Macartney of Clare College, Cambridge.)

(De Geoje),first

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIthat chief scholar

47

and narrator of the Arabs, 'Ismat ibn Badr,finally led us to discuss those

the Fazarite

'.*

The conversation

who pardonand

enemies out of gentleness and those who forgive them out of contempt, till we mentioned As-Salatan, al-'Abdi, 2their3

al-Ba'ith,

and the contempt of Jarir and al-Farazdaq:

for

them.

and not what

'I will relate to you what mine eyes have seen have got from another. When I was journeying in the country of Tamim, mounted on a noble camel and leading a spare mount, there appeared before me a rider on a dusky He continued to advance camel, frothing thickly at the mouth. " towards me till our bodies collided, 4 when he shouted Peace

Said 'IsmatI

:

be unto you

"!

I said,!

"

And uponis?

blessing of God the salutation of Islam

Who":

thee peace and the mercy and the loud-voiced rider who salutes with

"

He

answered

":

I

am:

Ghailan, ibn

Welcome to him of fair renown and famous 'Uqba." So I said He replied " Broad be lineage whose diction is well-known." thy valley and powerful thy associates but who art thou ?!

I

answered,

"

I

am

'Ismat ibn Badr, the Fazarite."

He

said,

"

May God

prolong

thy"!

life

!

What an5

excellent

friend,

associate

and companion we had journeyed on

Then we

till

wesaid1

not take a nap,":

for

he said noon, the sun has melted

travelled together. ":

When

Ismat, shall our brain ? Idirection

As thou

wilt."

Se we moved:

in

the

of

'Ismat ibn Badr the Fazarite

with194).2

Abu

'Abdu'llah

Among those

I think this character may be identified Marwan ibn Mu'awiyah ibn Badr al-Fazari (d. 193 or A.H. who learned traditions from him was Ibn Hanbal (A.H. 164-241)

p. 427, Gibb Memorial Series. As-Salatan, al-'Abdi was a contemporary of al-Farazdaq and Jarir as the 'When as-Salatan, al-'Abdi pronounced al-Farazdaq following incident shows superior to Jarir in point of lineage, and Jarir superior to al-Farazdaq as poet, Jarir:

Ansab of al-Sam'dni,

reported with this proverb

:

1

When was

God's wisdom;

in

husbandmen and possessors

of

palm

trees

'

?

The point of this lies in (Freytag, Arab Proverb, ii, 628 Lane, p. 2602 art v;-^). the fact that the region of as-Salatan's tribe abounded in palm trees.3

Al-Ba'ith

:

a contemporary of Jarir.

He was

one of those

who had

the

temerity to satire the great poet's tribe, the Kulayb. 4 Bodies collided : Literally, form with form.

Aghdni,

vii,

41.

We journeyedcest.

on

till

morn

:

From fiVA noon when the

heat

is fier-

48

THE MAQAMAT OF BADPtrees asT

with their hair though they were maidens down, displaying their charms, and to a collection of tamarisk Then we unsaddled and partook of some trees opposite to them.

some dla

food.

Now Dhu'l-Rumma wasThen each of us betook

a small eater.

After that

we

prayed.tree,

himself to the shade of a tamarisk

Dhu'l-Rumma lay intending to take the noonday nap. down and I desired to do as he did. So I lay on my back, but no sleep took possession of my eyes. I looked and saw a shortdistance of a large-humped camel, jaded by the sun, with her off, and behold a man like a hireling, or slave was

saddle thrown

But I turned away from them, for what standing guarding her. had I to do with enquiring about that which did not concern me ?

Dhu'l-Rummathis

slept for a little3

2

while and then awoke.

Now

was"

in the

days of his satirizing the tribe of

Murri, so he

raised his voice,

and recited saying4

:

Are the traces of Maiya to be found on the obliterated surface of the sand dune?

Which

the gale has persistently covered up Nought remains but a battered tent-peg,a fireplace without a fire-taker,

And

A1

cistern with both sides broken,

As though

they were:

maidens

:

Cf Text,.

p. 26.

Ais little

little

Literally,

paucity of milk of a camel and then applied toit is

paucity of sleep in which latter sensesleep

used by al-Farazdaq,

j\j:

($*8J\Ji

Theira7J

(Lane, p. 2239, art

^^)

Cf.

Arab Proverbs,

i,

613

His abundant milk flow preceded his paucity thereof.3

tfjsAz

*>

He

raised his voice

:

Perhaps originally connected with Heb.

"Hp*

For similar examples of transposition Cf. Arabic

y

= Heb.:

^P*"

1

>

Arabic

*

bitter satire

In the days of his satirizing the tribe of Murri The occasion of this was the inhospitable treatment of Dhu'l-Rumma by Hisham al-Murr'iSee Aghdni,vii,

at the village at Mar'at.

57.

Are the traces of Maiya to be found. beloved of Dhu'l-Rumma whose beauty heQutaibas Sh'ir

Metre, mutaqdrib.

Maiya

The

wa

Diwan,

to

whose courtesy'

Shu'ara, p. 334. I am indebted for

often extolled in his poems, see Ibn Mr. Macartney, the editor of Dhu'l-Rumma's

much

useful information regarding this

poet, says, although these verses put into the mouth of Dhu'l-Rumma in the MSS. of the Diwan, still they have a genuine ring and the ideas

do not exist have their

correspondences in the Diwan,

1

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIAnd an assembly whoseeffaced.

49

traces have been

removed and

But

remember it with its inhabitants, Maiya and the sociable friend.I

My

relations with

Maiya were

like those of

one;

whol

scares,

Gazelles

whenwould

When

a sulkyfaced watcher, her guardian and keeper. There will soon reach Imr al-Qais * a widely circulatedI

they appear to him at the come to her, there turned

dawn

me away

poem Which traveller and stay-at-home

will sing.

Dost thou not see that to Imr al-Qais Clings his chronic complaint ?

They

But In eminence no knight have they, in war no horseman. Besmeared and saturated are they in the cisternsreproach,

are a people insensible to satire, can the dry stone feel pain ? 3

of

As the hide

is

When mendeeds,

look to

saturated by the tanner. them for the performance of generoustheir eyes.4

Downcast and heavy are

The And

noble abhor marrying their women,thereforeall their

spinsters

remain old maids."

dawn*

:

Literally, the sneezer:

;

also a gazelle

a branch of the

Soon there will reach Imr al-Qais This refers Tamfm descended from Imr al-Qais ibn Sa'ad ibn Manat ibn Tamfm,

coming before one. to the tribe of Imr al-Qais,

to the poet of the tribe of Kindeh. This Qasfda begins with the conventional erotic prologue over the deserted encampment of the beloved, a prelude which was condemned in the poet's own day. It is related that, as Dhu al-Rumma was reciting his verses in the camel market, he

and not

'Well, Abu Firas what dost thou stopped to hear him What thou hast ? Al-Farazdaq replied uttered is really admirable.' 'Why then ', said the other, 'is my name not mention'Thou hast been prevented from attaining ed with those of the first-rate poets ? their eminence answered al-Farazdaq by thy lamentations over dunghills, and thysaid to al-Farazdaq

who

:

I

think of that which thou hast heard

'

'

:

'

'

'

descriptions of the excrements of cattle8

and

their pinfolds.'

Ibn Khallikan,9- -

ii,

447.C-.

the

Can name.._

the dry stone feel pain of the tribal ancestor.

:

A

rather poor

pun on ^^- a stone andAnother reading

)+

Al-MadJa(\

the"\

orthographical

sign

of prolongation

Hamzah

-f

\

)

and written

as in

(^"\. For the rules as

to its use, in intoning the

Qur'an, see Suyuti, Itqdn, pp. 227-31. (Calcutta, edition, 1852). Hamza ibn al-Habfb (80-156 A.H.) buried at Hulwan, was one of the seven recognized readers of the Qur'an. He is charged with exaggerating the use of madda and hamza. Theobjectionisi,

Turkish,*

repudiated, however, by Hamza's admirers, see Manduat al-'Ultimin 483 (Constantinople edition, AH. 1313). Al-Hamadhani evidently be-

lieved the charge to be well

grounded and hence the appropriateness of the allusion. Disquieting grief : Literally causing to stand up and sit down, hence occa-

sioning restlessness.

Al-Waqi'a : The Inevitable. Qur'an Ivi, It contains ninety-six verses. 88, the choice of the Sura rests entirely with the reader According to Shifi'i, or reciter. See Margoliouth, Early Development of Muhammadanism, p. 21.

6

Umm

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANIof rage.l

57

But, from whatof that place,if

I2

people

of the savage fanaticism of the prayers were cut short of the final

knew

and endurance, or speech and the grave. So I remained standing thus on the foot I had now despaired of of necessity till the end of the chapter. the caravan and given up all hope of the supplies and the mount. He next bent his back 3 for the two prostrations with such humility and emotion, the like of which I had never seen Then he raised his hands and his head and said before. May God accept the praise of him who praises Him,' and remained standing till I doubted not but that he had fallen asleep. Then he placed his right hand on the ground, put his forehead on the I raised my head to look for earth and pressed his face thereto. an opportunity to slip away, but I perceived no opening in thesalutation, there

was no

alternative but silence

'

:

rows, so

Takbir

4

re-addressed myself to prayer until he repeated the for the sitting posture. Then he stood up for the secondI5

prostration and recited the Suras of al-Fatiha and al-Qari'a with an intonation which occupied the duration of the Last Day 6 and

well-nigh exhausted the spirits of the congregation.

Now, when

he had finished his two prostrations and proceeded to wag his 7 jaws to pronounce the testimony to God's unity, and to turn hisface to the right'

and

to the left

8

for the final salutation,

I'

said;

:

a

has made escape easy, and deliverance is nigh but stood up and said Whosoever of you loves the Companions and the Muslim community let him lend me his ears

Now Godman

'

:

for a

moment.'

Said 'Isa ibndignity.

order to save1

myI

Hisham Then he said:

I' :

clave toIt is

my

place in

incumbent uponCf. Yaqut,i,

From what

knew of the savage fanaticism of

the people.

296.2

p

Q\ should be vocalized

^

Q\ See Wright,

Grammar,

ii,

348

(6).

: Literally his bow. Takbir: The repetition of the well-known formula great, there is no god but God. 5 Al-Fdtiha The opening chapter of the Qur'an.

34

His back

God

is

great,

God

is

:

Al-Qdri'a The 'striking '. Qur'an ci. It contains eight verses. 6 The duration of the Last Day Literally the hour '. According Ixx, 4, fifty thousand years, and Qur'an, xxxii, 4, a thousand years.:'

:

to Qur'an,

7

&CJ^

His jaws

:

Literally,

the

two

branches

0Vcj^

of the occipital

arteryartery.8

which are distributed upon the occiput branches from the or carotid Jo^his face to the right

Turn

and

left

:

To

salute the guardian angels.

8

58

THE MAQAMAT OFthatI

BADI'

mebut

the

truth.I

should speak nothing but verity and testify to nought I have brought you good tidings from yourwill notvile:

Prophet, but'Isa ibn

communicate

musjid of every

Hisham!

Now

person who he had bound1

hath purged this denies his prophetic office.' Saidit

until

God

mesaid

with cords and fettered':

mein

with bands of iron.a

Then he

dream

May God send His

saw the Prophet like blessings upon himI

the sun

beneath the clouds, and the

moon;

at

the

full.

He

he was trailing his was walking, the stars following him Then he taught me a skirts and the angels held them up. So I prayer and admonished me to teach it to his people.

wrote

it3

down onmusk,

these slips of paper

Khaluq,

saffron

and

socc,

as a gift, I will present it to the cost of the paper I will accept

with the perfumes of and whoever asks for a copy him, but whosoever hands me back4

2

it.'

Said 'Isa ibn

Hisham

:

Dirhems poured upon him to such an extent that he was Then he went out and I followed him wondering at bewildered. 5 the cleverness of his imposture and his artifice to gain his living. And I determined to question him concerning his condition, but I restrained myself, and to converse with him, but I remained silent, and I pondered over his eloquence with his shamelessness, his

men by his artifice from men by his ingenuity. Then I looked drawing gold So I asked: What set lo! it was Abu'1-Fath al-Iskanderi. He smiled and recited, saying thee on this stratagem ? Men are asses, 6 so lead them one after the other,pleasantness with his mendicity, his catching

and and

his

'

'

:

'

CompeteTill

and excel them, thou hast obtained from themwith,

What1

thou desirest, then:

quit.'

Bands of iron(j^&jfl!^

Literally, with black ropes.

*

Paper : Arabicized from the Greek VO-pT^?.

3

Khaluq

of saffron

: A certain species of perfume also termed Khilaq. It is composed and other things, and redness and yellowness are the predominant

colours.*

Socc

:

A sort

of perfume preparedis

stance like pitch that*

from ramik which mixed with musk.:

is

a kind of black sub-

3;3

Fraud or impostureare asses:

Seems

to

be a foreign word, probably borrowed

from Persian.6

Men

frfi

Then quittranslated

:

Literally,

then die.

Metre, mujtath.

Thisiii

maqama has been

by De Sacy, see Chrestomathie Arabe,

255,

AL-^AMAN AL-HAMADHANIXI.

59

THE MAQAMA OF AHWAZrelated'

'Is!

IBN

HISHAM

to us

and said

:

I

was

at9

Ahwaz l

with some friends

When the beholder's eye ascends to their heads and then descends to their feet, it is unable at once to take in all their beauties among us were none but beardless boys with'

3 or downy-lipped ones with refined manners, virgin aspirations, discussed fellowship the hope of the days and the nights.

We

should lay down for it, fraternity and how we should strengthen its bonds, happiness and when we should seek it, drinking and when we should vie with one another therein,

and the

rules

we

sociability and how we should mutually contribute lost chances and how to recover them, liquor and

towards

it,

where wefor

should procureit.

it,

and the assembly and how we should arrange*

Then

said one of our

company4

:

I

will be responsible:

the house and entertainment.'to

Another said

.'

I will

undertake

5 Now, when we had supply the wine and the dessert.' determined to proceed, there met us a man wearing two worn-out In his right hand was a staff and on his shoulder a garments.

the bier we augured ill from it, turned our and avoided it. 6 So he shouted at us with a shout away 7 in sunder and the stars at which the earth was almost cloven 8 In abasement ye shall surely were about to fall, and he said see it, and perforce and against your will ye shall mount it. What aileth ye that ye augur ill 9 from a mount which yourbier.

When we saw

faces

*

:

1

AhwazWhen

:

The

plural

of

jya>

famous for*

its fair

and formerly noted for

the chief town of Khuzistan, originally jy its sugar. Captured by Abu Musa al-

Ash'ari in A.H. 17.

Already quoted on34

the eye ascends : Adapted from line 69 of the p. 29 of the text.:

Kasida

of

Imr

al-Qais.

Virgin aspirations

Another reading:

JUcS\y=>

Virgin actions.

J>^jis.5^

entertainmentDessert:

Literally food prepared for a guest.fruits,

*

Dried and other

such as nuts, almonds,J]tfis

raisins, dried

figs,

dried dates, etc., taken as an accompaniment with wine.

more common

than8

U^ Vjjis

&

-

* ^-*

: folded up our flank from it. U>jk We avoided it Literally, the flank or the part between the false ribs and the hip. Figure for to

turn18

away from, to avoid contact with, or to withdraw the countenance. The earth was almost cloven An allusion to Qur'an, Ixxxii. 1. The stars were about to fall An allusion to Qur'an, Ixxxi. 2.:

:

9

Augur

ill: Cf.

Qur'an, xxvii. 48.

60

THE MAQAMAT OF BADP

fore

Whereancestors have ridden and your posterity will soon ride ? do ye shun as unclean a couch, that your fathers have used lwill

and your progeny

use

?

Yet,

by Heavens

!

upon these

timbers ye shall surely be carried to those worms, and ye shall be transported by these fleet coursers to those pits. A plague upon ye Ye augur ill as if ye were free agents, and ye evince loathing!

as

if

ye were sanctified.'

Vile wretches

what

profiteth this prog-

nostication

?:

we had compacted, and rendered futile what we had determined, so we inclined to him and said How much are we in need of thy admonition and how greatly are we in love with thy words. NowSaid 'Isa ibn Hisham

Now'

he had dissolved what

:

He conthou wished thou wouldst say something more ? tinued there are behind you watering-places which ye Verily have been travelling towards for twenty years.''

if

'

:

*

And

verily a

man,

2

who

has been journeying to a watering

place for'

twenty years,

Is near his drinking time.'

one above you who knows your secrets and In this world He treats you could, if He would, expose you. with kindness, and in the next, He will judge you according tothereis

And

knowledge.you, forif

Therefore

call

death to mind

lest evil3

come upon

ye make this thought cleave unto you as an innermost 4 and if ye remember it, ye garment, ye will not be refractory will not be frivolous. But if ye do forget it, it will make you;

remember, andl

if

he be slothful abouttrodden

it, it

will

wake you up,

5

&L^ Used

it: Literally,:

it.

to

And verily a man Metre, basit. The commentator attributes these lines Ibn Ahmad the Taymite. The original has fifty and not twenty years. This is5

an example of

Its vanities

:

From

JJ^

My hand flew

Literally, I stretched the hasty hand.

^io

undershirt: Literally, a certain garment with which the head and

breast are covered,

worn nexta sidaris

to

worn by a woman mourning for her husband, or a small shirt A proverb says, &U. j\io wU Every female having the body.^"" ""

J^

a maternal aunt,ii,

whom

one

is

under an obligation to respect, and protect.

Arab Proverbs,

310.

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANI

63

the inclination of gobbling and greed, and he became greedy. But he did not know he had fallen into the trap. Then we came to a fried-meat seller's whose roasted meats 1

were dripping with fat, and whose cakes were streaming with I said Put aside for Abu Zaid a portion from this gravy. fried meat and then weigh him some of that sweetmeat. Take some of those plates and place upon them some of these wafercakes and sprinkle upon them some juice of the Summak 2':

berry, in order that

Abu Zaid may

eat

and

relish

it.'

So thecollyrium

fried-meat

seller,

with his long knife, bent over the choicestas small as

productions of his oven, chopped them

The rustic sat down grains and pounded them as fine as flour. and I did likewise. He spoke not neither did I speak 3 till we had eaten all. Then I said to the halwa-seller : Weigh for Abu Zaid two pounds of confection of almonds, 4 for it is the easiest to swallow and the quickest to penetrate through the 5 It should have been made overnight, veins.' spread out in theday, crisp, well stuffed, of pearl-like lustre and starry hue, and should dissolve in the mouth like gum, before it is chewed,in order that

Abu Zaid may

eat

and enjoy

it.

He

said

' :

And

i Whose roasted meats : pi. of &3jl and &>G\ jf*. gt^i the latter formed by transposition, from the Persian s->\^ a dish of meat, rice, vetches and walnuts in which a condiment of syrup vinegar is poured food dressed under roast

meat.

It is also

called

&fi\

^

The motherSee

of Joyfulness, because

it

removes one's

anxiety for seasoning or condiment.viii,

De

Sacy, Hariri,

i,

227,

and Mas'udi,berry, a well-

405.8

cj)U-~^fruit;

Summak$

:

The rhus coriaria of Linnaeus or

its

known3

a certain acid with which one cooks."Sj (j*-2>

t~~>I

He

despaired not, neither did I despair.

Another readingneither did I

to

which

have given preference

^^^>

Sj

^^

^

He

spoke not,

speak.*

2)ju^& _

or &*^y Confection ofI

almonds

:

Lozenge and &*)~- c>

from the

Arabic

x

J an almond.

think the presumption in favour of the English lozengeis

being derived from this word

strong.

Originally

^j^,

Spanish losanja in

which form

it

went back

to the east.

This would explain the termination g>

See Mas'udi, viii, 240 for a poem by Ibn al-Rumi (b. A.H. 221-84) in praise of this sweetmeat. The word lauz occurs in Spanish as alloza and in Portuguese as arzolla. See Dozy, Loan words from Arabic, and Letters, p. 307.*

j+sb\

JjQ Overnight

:

Literally, a night old.

64he weighedit.'* :

THE MAQAMAT OF BADPSo we gotto

work l and

Thento

1

said

Abuthirst

Zaid,

howtill

ate till we finished it. we need some iced water badly

quenchSit

this

and

to allay the heat generated

by

this

meal.

down, Abu Zaid,

I went out and sat where bring thee a drink of water.' I could see him but he could not observe me, in order to see what he would do. When the rustic perceived that I delayed,

we Then

fetch thee a water-carrier to

he arose and went towards hisclung to his waist-wrapper

ass,

but the fried-meat seller* :

what thou hast eaten

'

?

Said

Then

the fried-meat sellerit

Where is Abu Zaid I ate it struck him a blow withandsaid*: ' :

the cost ofas a guest.' his fist and!

followed

up with a

cuff,

saying?

Take

that, base-born fellow

Whenrustic

did

we

invite thee

Paytell

2

down twenty

dirhems.'3

The

began to weep and to untie the knots with his teeth

saying,*

'How"

often did',

I

that contemptible ape,:

"I am

Abu 'Ubaid

and he would say:

Nay but thou art Abu Zaid Then I indited To obtain thy livelihood 4 make'.'

use of every means

;

Do not be satisfied with any condition, But be equal to any enormity;

5 For man becomes incapable, there

is

no doubt about

it.'

XIII.

THE MAQAMA OF BASRAand said:

'Is! IBN

HISHAM

:

related to usI

I

entered;

Basra

6

when, as regards age,I

was

in the

prime of youth

as to attire,in the

was clad

in the variegated striped stuffs of

Yemen, and,

Jju

We gotI.

to

work

:

Literally,

he

sat

down and

I sat

down he bared;

his

arm and

so did

2

^j Payjoys

:

Literally, weigh.

8

Contemptible ape.*>*c

Diminutive of

Jy>.

Another reading

is

*&>yu^

dimi-

nutive of4

an

ass.

See Cambridge MS.:

To obtain thy livelihood

Metre, kamil.

no doubt about it. Meidani, Arab Proverbs, ii, 221 (Bulak edition. A.H. 1287). 8 Basra was founded by the Arabs in A.H. 17 or 18 in the Khalifate or 'Umar.5

Man

is

incapable there

is

It

its

was remarkable during the Khalifate for its population, for the great number of mosques and for its famous school of grammar which rivalled that of Kufa. Arab scholars were divided into two schools of the Basrians and the Kufians.

AL-ZAMAN AL-HAMADHANI

65l

matter of wealth, I had cattle and sheep. And I came to Mirbad with some friends upon whom eyes fastened. 3 proceeded a short distance to the recreation grounds among the green plains

We

wherein a certain spot arrested us and so we alighted there. We made for the gaming arrows of pleasure and whirled them, 3 throwing off bashfulness, as there was not one among us who

was not of us. But in less than the twinkling of an eye, there came in our view the figure 4 of a man which the hollows lowered from, and the ridges exposed to sight. We perceived 5 he was coming towards us and so we craned our necks to see He greeted us him, till his journeying brought him to us. with the salutation of Islam and we returned him the due6

greeting.

Then he ran

his eye over us

and said

':

O

people, there

is

not one of you but looks askance at

me with excessive caution. Now none can acquaint you concerning me more truthfully than 7 I am a man from among the citizens of Alexandria I can myself. 8 on th