Assemblies of Al #Ar1ri

THE ASSEMBLIES OF AL #AR1RI ORIENTAL TRANSLATION FUND. NEW SEEIES. III. THE ASSEMBLIES OF AL HARIRI, Ifranstctieb from ffce Jlrabic, WITH 3TOTES, HISTORIQAL the A#8ewblie8 Q Bclitoi of latest Arable twit of Warm's t Englmh, Arabic and Persian JjictionanM. BV F. P. AEBUTHNOT, M.B.A.S. VOL, II. CONTAINING THE LAST TWENTY-FOUR P&IKTEL AND PVBLISBEV VNDER THE PATRONAGE OS1 TB.R ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY, AND SOI D AT 22, ALBEMAELE STREET, LONDON, THOMAS CHENERY, M.A., BORN 1826 ; DIED 1884. WE "know not what havens to UK spiritually after death, and can only repent in the words of the Koran, " IVc belong to God, and unto Him we shall surely return'' Btill, If there be sueh <t thing as continuation, should you (wherever you may be) happen io learn tliat your great worlf here hns been comjneted and indexed, the fact will not, I trust, displease you. Admirvngly 7/owrs, F. F. AEBUTHNOT. PREFACE, work of Hariri consists of or TUB great fifty Maldmfit, Assemblies. Of these the late Mr. Thomas Chenery translated and published the first twenty-six, with in 18()7. copious and valuable notes, Ho had fully intended to complete the translation of the remaining twenty-four, and also to prepare an Index to the two volumes. Rut called away to the editorship of the 7Yww in 1877, his hopes end expectations were never fulfilled, and he died in 1881, leaving his task un- finished, Tn 1891 the Oriental Translation Fund, which had existed from 1828 to 1878, was revived under the same name, but as a new series. Among the works that came under the consideration of the committee appointed Council of the Asiatic trans* by the Royal Society, the of lation and annotation the remaining twenty-four of Dr. F. Assemblies Hariri, proposed by Sfeingass, held an important place, and was accepted. l>v the courtesv of the executors of the late Mr, viii PREFACE. unbound of his Chenery, two hundred and fifty copies these work were obtained and purchased, and during Dr. F. negotiations, with zeal and ability Steingass and translated the remaining twenty-four Assemblies, valuable notes. explained them with important and has been To the above a complete descriptive index added, and these two volumes, bound with the covers of the Oriental Translation Fund New Series, form the issue for 1898 in continuation of the works which have been annually published by the Fund since 1891. Mr. Chenery's introduction to the first volume (extending from pages 1 to 102) contains such a complete survey of the whole work that it is hardly necessary to add to it. But the contents of the second volume continue to show the wonderful subtleties, pliabilities, fertilities, boundless resources and extra- ordinary richness of the Arabic language. A careful of perusal the two volumes will fully bear out the generally-expressed opinion that, next to the Koran, the Assemblies of Hariri are the most celebrated pro- duction of Arabic literature. these Throughout Assemblies, as Chenery says in his " notes at page 273, Not only are verses of the Koran but the freely introduced, whole language is tinged with allusions to which are it, almost imperceptible to PREFACE. ix the European, but which are readily caught by a Moslem who knows the sacred work by heart." In the same way there are many and constant allusions to Arab proverbs, which form a very valuable and instructive addition to the work. Every mention of them, and every allusion to the Koran, have been carefully noted in the index, and, though the references are numerous, it will enable the student or the enthusiast to go through the details of them without any difficulty. This also applies to other subjects, such as Traditions, Legends, Arab manners and customs, etc. Dr. Steingass has completed his portion of the work under great physical difficulties. For some part of the time he was actually blind, and even after his recovery was obliged to be extremely cautious so as not to over- strain his eyesight. His Student's Edition of the Arabic text of the Assemblies of Hariri was published by Sampson Low, Marston and Co. in 1897, while his translation of the last twenty-four Assemblies follows in 1898. One word about the transliteration from the Arabic of the second volume, regarding .which Dr. Steingass was much conceited. Since 1867 considerable pro- gress has been made in this subject, and he was naturally anxious that the names of the people and the places as spelt by Mr. Chenery should be spelt in the x PREFACE. there was style now generally in use. Consequently of Mr. some difference between the transliteration to and it was necessary Chenery and Dr. Steingass, decide how this matter should he dealt with. both advisable For the sake of uniformity, it seemed and and desirable that the names of people, places second volume as in the things should be spelt in the Dr. wish, first, and I insisted, much against Steingass's that this should be done. In this, then, the translitera- as tion of the two volumes will be found to agree, and has had a free hand. regards the rest, Dr. Steingass transla- The difference between the spelling of the two tors will be found in Appendix B at the end of the second volume. The Index to the whole work is rather long, but it was absolutely necessary to give a short description of the various people who appear upon the scene, so that it might be understood at a glance who and what they were. This has been curtailed as much as possible, but further i formation about them can be obtained from the following works, translated for the Oriental Transla- tion Fund Old and New Series : Ibn Khailibin's (1) Biographical Dictionary (O.3.). (2) Hajji Khalfeh's Lexicon (O.S.). Mas'udi's (3) Historical Encyclopaedia (O.S.) (4) Tabari's Chronicles (O.S.). PREFACE. a " " of (5) Mirkhond's Rauzat-us-safa," or Garden Purity" (N.S.). The following works will also be found useful for reference. " (6) Hughes' "Dictionary of Islam (W. H, Allen and Co., London. 1885), (7) Sale, Rodwell, and Palmer's Translations of the Koran. (8) Freytag's Translation of Arab Proverbs into Latin, in three volumes. Burton's to (9) "Pilgrimage Al-Madinah and Meccah" (Tylston and Edwards, London, 1893). " Arabic Authors (10) {William Heinemann, 185)6). Although thirty years have elapsed since Mr. Ohenery published his valuable translation of the first twenty- six Assemblies of Hariri, it is a matter of congratula- tion that the whole work has now been completed and indexed, and that it has been done into English nd in England. F. F. ARBUTHNOT. 22, ALBEMARLE STREET, LONDON, W, THE ASSEMBLIES OF AL HAElEL THE TWENTY-SEVENTH ASSEMBLY, CALLED "OF THE TBNT-DWELLERS." In this Assembly, which Hariri himself marks out as of some importance from a philological point of view by attaching to it a short commentary of his own, Al Harith records another of his early reminiscences. In his youth he cherished a strong desire to mingle with Arabs of the desert, in order to make himself familiar with their manners and idioms. After having acquired, by strenuous exertion, a live-stock of camels and sheep, he settles amongst a Bedouin tribe of genuine descent, who willingly accord him their protection. One night a valuable milch camel wont astray, and he sets out on horseback in search of her* During the night and the are ensuing forenoon his efforts to find her unavailing, and when mid-day grows high [approaches] with its oppressive heat, he feels compelled to seek shelter and rest under a shady tree. Scarcely has he done so, when he perceives a solitary wanderer nearing his of at the resting-place. With mingled feelings annoyance intrusion of a stranger, and of hope that he might hear through him news of his strayed camel, he awaits his coming, On his closer approach, however, he recognises in him Abft Zayd, whose welcome companion- ship makes him almost oblivious of his loss. In reply to his affectionate inquiries, Abft Zayd improvises some beautiful verses, his in which he describes in racy language Bohemian way of living, which renders him independent of favours that would have to be courted by self-ab ement, more hateful to him than death itself. After having questioned on his part Al Harith as to the re on of told his presence in this lonely spot, and being about the lost be t, and the hitherto fruitless search for her, he begs leave to take his VOL II. 1 2 TWSNTY-SSVBSTH ASSEMBLY. drowned in it. Al Htoith tries noon-day sleep, and is soon deeply makes him succumb to keep awake, but the lull in their conversation he finds to his drowsiness, and when he rouses himself at night-fall horse. In to his dismay that Abft Zayd is gone together with the a camel sore distress he awaits the morning, when he sees a rider on his to attract travelling in the desert, to whom he waves garment, has to run his attention, but the signal remains unheeded, and he it after the man, intending to ask him for a lift, however grudgingly on closer might be granted. Having reached him, he perceives scrutiny that the man is seated on the lost camel. He drags him down from her back, and a violent altercation takes place, in the midst of which Abu Zayd again appears on the scene, and his Doming, after yesterday's experience, at first fills Al Harith with misgivings as to his further intentions.

Load more