An Account of The Manners and Customs of The Modern Egyptians, Volume 2 by Edward William Lane

Author:Edward William Lane [Lane, Edward William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Geschichte
Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag
Published: 2017-07-19T22:00:00+00:00

The beloved of my heart visited me in the darkness of night:

I stood, to show him honour, until he sat down.

I said, ' O thou my petition, and all my desire!

Hast thou come at midnight, and not feared the watchmen?'

He said to me ' I feared; but, however, love

Had taken from me my soul and my breath.' ”

Compare the above with the second and five following verses of the fifth chapter of Solomon's Song.—Finding that songs of this description are extremely numerous, and almost the only poems sung at zikrs; that they are composed for this purpose, and intended only to have a spiritual sense (though certainly not understood in such a sense by the generality of the vulgar); I cannot entertain any doubt as to the design of Solomon's Song. The specimens which I have just given of the religious love-songs of the Moos'lims have not been selected in preference to others as most agreeing with that of Solomon; but as being in frequent use; and the former of the two, as having been sung at the zikr which I have begun to describe. I must now resume the description of that zikr.

At frequent intervals (as is customary in other zikrs), one of the moon'shids sang out the word med'ed'; accenting each syllable. “Med'ed” signifies, when thus used, spiritual or supernatural aid, and implies an invocation for such aid.

The zikkee'rs, after having performed as above described, next repeated the same words to a different air,for about the same length of time; first, very slowly; then, quickly. Then they repeated these words again to another air in the same manner.

They next rose, and, standing in the same order in which they had been sitting, repeated the same words to another air. During this stage of their performance, they were joined by a tall, well-dressed, black slave, whose appearance induced me to inquire who he was: I was informed that he was a eunuch, belonging to the Ba'sha. The zikkee'rs, still standing, next repeated the same words in a very deep and hoarse tone; laying the principal emphasis upon the word La' and the first syllable of the last word (Al'lah); and uttering, apparently, with a considerable effort: the sound much resembled that which is produced by beating the rim of a tambourine. Each zikkee'r turned his head alternately to the right and left at each repetition of “La' ila'ha il'la-l'lah.” The eunuch above mentioned, during this part of the zikr, became what is termed melboo's, or possessed. Throwing his arms about, and looking up, with a very wild expression of countenance, he exclaimed, in a very high tone, and with great vehemence and rapidity, “Al'lah! Al'lah! Al'lah! Al'lah! Al'la'h! la' la' la' la' la' la' la' la' la' la' la' la' la'h! Ya' 'am'mee! Ya”am'mee! Ya”am'mee Ashma'wee! Ya' Ashma'-wee! Ya' Ashma'wee! Ya' Ashma'wee!” His voice gradually became faint; and when he had uttered these words, though he was held by a durwee'sh who was next him, he fell on the

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