第126章

[368]Women with white skins are supposed to be heating and unwholesome： hence the Hindu Rajahs slept with dark girls in the hot season.

[369]Moslems sensibly have a cold as well as a hot Hell，the former called Zamharir （lit.'intense cold'）or AI-Barahut，after a well in Hazramaut； as Gehenna （Arab.'Jahannam'） from the furnace-like ravine East of Jerusalem （Night cccxxv.）.The icy Hell is necessary in terrorem for peoples who inhabit cold regions and who in a hot Hell only look forward to an eternity of 'coals and candles'gratis.The sensible missionaries preached it in Iceland till foolishly forbidden by Papal-Bull.

[370]Koran ii.26； speaking of Abraham when he entertained the angels unawares.

[371]Arab.'Rakb，'usually applied to a fast-going caravan of dromedary riders （Pilgrimage ii.329）.The 'Cafilah'is Arab.：

'Caravan'is a corruption of the Pers.'Karwan.'

[372]A popular saying.It is interesting to contrast this dispute between fat and thin with the Shakespearean humour of Falstaff and Prince Henry.

[373]Arab.'Dalak'vulg.Hajar al-Hammam （Hammam-stone）.The comparison is very apt： the rasps are of baked clay artificially roughened （see illustrations in Lane M.E.chaps.xvi.）.The rope is called 'Masad，'a bristling line of palm-fibre like the coir now familiarly known in England.

[374]Although the Arab's ideal-of beauty，as has been seen and said，corresponds with ours the Egyptians （Modern） the Maroccans and other negrofied races like 'walking tun-butts'as Clapperton called his amorous widow.

[375]Arab.'Khayzar'or 'Khayzaran'the rattan-palm.Those who have seen this most graceful 'palmijuncus'in its native forest will recognize the neatness of the simile.

[376]This is the popular idea of a bushy 'veil of nature'in women： it is always removed by depilatories and vellication.When Bilkis Queen of Sheba discovered her legs by lifting her robe （Koran xxvii.），Solomon was minded to marry her，but would not do so till the devils had by a depilatory removed the hair.The popular preparation （called Nurah） consists of quicklime 7 parts，and Zirnik or orpiment，3 parts： it is applied in the Hammam to a perspiring skin，and it must be washed off immediately the hair is loosened or it burns and discolours.The rest of the body-pile （Sha'arat opp.to Sha'ar=hair） is eradicated by applying a mixture of boiled honey with turpentine or other gum，and rolling it with the hand till the hair comes off.Men I have said remove the pubes by shaving，and pluck the hair of the arm-pits，one of the vestiges of pre-Adamite man.A good depilatory is still a desideratum，the best perfumers of London and Paris have none which they can recommend.The reason is plain： the hair bulb can be eradicated only by destroying the skin.

[377]Koran，ii.64： referring to the heifer which the Jews were ordered to sacrifice，[378]Arab.'kalla，'a Koranic term possibly from Kull （all）

and la （not） =prorsus non-altogether not！

[379]'Habab'or 'Haba，'the fine particles of dust，which we call motes.The Cossid （Arab.'Kasid'） is the Anglo-Indian term for a running courier （mostly under Government），the Persian 'Shatir'and the Guebre Ravand.

[380]Arab.'Sambari'a very long thin lance so called after Samhar，the maker，or the place of making.See vol.ii.p.1.It is supposed to cast，when planted in the ground，a longer shadow in proportion to its height，than any other thing of the kind.

[381]Arab.'Sulafah ；'properly prisane which flows from the grapes before pressure.The plur.'Sawalif'also means tresses of hair and past events： thus there is a 'triple entendre.'And again 'he'is used for 'she.'

[382]There is a pun in the last line，'Khalun （a mole）khallauni'（rid me），etc.

[383]Of old Fustat，afterwards part of Southern Cairo，a proverbially miserable quarter hence the saying，'They quoted Misr to Kahirah （Cairo），whereon Bab al-Luk rose with its grass，'in derision of nobodies who push themselves forward.Burckhardt，Prov.276.

[384]Its fruits are the heads of devils； a true Dantesque fancy.Koran，chaps.xvii.62，'the tree cursed in the Koran'and in chaps.xxxvii.，60，'is this better entertainment，or the tree of Al-Zakkum？'Commentators say that it is a thorn bearing a bitter almond which grows in the Tehamah and was therefore promoted to Hell.

[385]Arab.'Lasm'（lathm） as opposed to Bausah or boseh （a buss） and Kublah （a kiss，[386]Arab.'Jufun'（plur.of Jafn） which may mean eyebrows or eyelashes and only the context can determine which.

[387]Very characteristic of Egyptian manners is the man who loves six girls equally well，who lends them，as it were，to the Caliph； and who takes back the goods as if in no wise damaged by the loan.

[388]The moon is masculine possibly by connection with the Assyrian Lune-god 'Sin'； but I can find no cause for the Sun （Shams） being feminine.

[389]Arab.'Al-Amin，'a title of the Prophet.It is usually held that this proud name 'The honest man，'was applied by his fellow-citizens to Mohammed in early life； and that in his twenty-fifth year，when the Eighth Ka'abah was being built，it induced the tribes to make him their umpire concerning the distinction of placing in position the 'Black Stone'which Gabriel had brought from Heaven to be set up as the starting-post for the seven circuitings.He distributed the honour amongst the clans and thus gave universal satisfaction.His Christian biographers mostly omit to record an anecdote which speaks so highly in Mohammed's favour.（Pilgrimage iii.192.）

[390]The idea is that Abu Nowas was a thought-reader such being the prerogative of inspired poets in the East.His drunkenness and debauchery only added to his power.I have already noticed that 'Allah strike thee dead'（Katala-k Allah） is like our phrase 'Confound the fellow，how clever he is.'

[391]Again said facetiously，'Devil take you！'