The Tale of Attaf E-Book

anonymous

• Herausgeber: DigiCat
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

The Tale of Attaf is an enchanting narrative that weaves elements of folklore, moral philosophy, and human emotion into a rich tapestry of storytelling. The author's use of allegory is particularly striking, as characters embody archetypal virtues and vices that reflect the cultural and ethical dilemmas of the time. Set against a backdrop infused with mystical elements, the prose exhibits a lyrical quality that invites readers to immerse themselves in a world where the lines between reality and fantasy blur, challenging conventional understanding of morality and the human experience. The anonymity of the author adds an intriguing layer to the work, allowing readers to engage with the text free from the preconceptions that often accompany a known writer's identity. This aspect mirrors the oral traditions from which the tale likely originates, suggesting that the narrative draws upon a rich cultural heritage. The blending of personal, communal, and ethical themes may reveal the author's intention to offer insights into universal human struggles, thus transcending time and place. The Tale of Attaf is recommended for readers who appreciate literature that serves both as entertainment and a vehicle for moral reflection. Its timeless lessons resonate in today's world, inviting deep contemplation of our own values and decisions. This book is not only a journey through a fantastical realm but also a mirror reflecting our own moral landscapes.

Leseprobe

Anonymous

The Tale of Attaf

 

EAN 8596547316381

DigiCat, 2022 Contact: [email protected]

Table of Contents

Cover

Titlepage

Text

p.167

Table of Contents

HERE we begin to write and invite the Tale of a man of Syria, Attaf hight.[1]

They relate (but Allah is All-knowing of His unknown and All-cognisant of what forewent in the annals of folk and the wonders of yore, and of times long gone before!) that in the city of Shám[2] there dwelt of old a man Attáf hight, who rivalled Hátim of Tayy[3] in his generosity and his guest-love and in his self-control as to manners and morals. Now he lived in the years when the Caliph Harun al-Rashid was reigning in Baghdad-city, and it happened on a day of the days that this Commander of the Faithful awoke morne and melancholic, and right straitened was his breast. So he arose, and taking Ja'afar the Barmecide and Masrúr the Eunuch passed with them into the place where his treasures were stored. Presently quoth he to the Wazir, "O Ja'afar, open to me this door that I may solace me with the sight, and my breast may be broadened and haply be gladdened by such spectacle." The

1 MS. pp. 588-627. In Gauttier's edit. víi. (234-256), it appears as

Histoire de l'Habitant de Damas

. His advertisement in the beginning of vol. vii. tells us that it has been printed in previous edits., but greatly improved in his: however that may be, the performance is below contempt. In Heron it becomes

The POWER OF DESTINY, or Story of the Journey of Giafar to Damascus, comprehending the adventures of Chebib and his Family

(Vol. i. Pp. 69-175).

3 Hátim of the Tayy-tribe, proverbial for liberality. See vols. iv. 95, and vii. 350.

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Minister did the bidding of his lord, who, finding a room full of books, put forth his hand, and taking up one of the volumes, opened and read. Then he fell to weeping thrice, and thrice to laughing aloud, [4] whereat the Wazir considered him and cried, "O King of the Age, how is it I espy thee reading and weeping and laughing at one and the same moment when none so act save madmen and maniacs?" [5] And having spoken on this wise he held his peace; but the Prince of True Believers turned himwards and cried, "O dog of the sons of Bermak, I see thee going beyond thy degree and quitting the company of sensible men, and thou speakest vainly making me a madman in saying:—None laugh and cry at one and the same time save maniacs?" With these words the Caliph restored the volume to its place in the Treasury and bade lock the door, after which the three returned to the Divan. Here the Commander of the Faithful regarded Ja'afar and exclaimed, "Go thou forth from before me and address me not again nor seat thee upon the Wazirial seat until thou answer thine own question and thou return me a reply concerning that which is writ and aligned in yonder book I was reading, to the end thou learn why I wept and wherefore I laught at one and the same hour." And he cried at him in anger saying, "Off and away with thee, nor face me again save with the answer, else will I slay thee

4 In Mr. Cotheal's MS. the Caliph first laughs until he falls backwards, and then after reading further, weeps until his beard in bathed.

5 Heron inserts into his text, "It proved to be the Giaffer, famous throughout all Arabia," and informs us (?) in a foot-note that it is "ascribed to a prince of the Barmecide race, an ancestor of the Gran Vizier Giafar." The word "Jafr" is supposed to mean a skin (camel's or dog's), prepared as parchment for writing; and Al-Jafr, the book here in question, is described as a cabalistic prognostication of all that will ever happen to the Moslems. The authorship is attributed to Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet. There are many legendary tales concerning its contents; however, all are mere inventions as the book is supposed to be kept in the Prophet's family, nor will it be fully explained until the Mahdi or Forerunner of Doomsday shall interpret its difficulties. The vulgar Moslems of India are apt to confuse Al-Jafr with Ja'afar bin Tayyár, the Jinni who is often quoted in talismans (see Herklots, pp. 109-257). D'Herbelot gives the sum of what is generally known about the "Jafr" (wa Jámi'a) under the articles "Ali" and "Gefru Giame."

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with the foulest of slaughter." Accordingly Ja'afar fared forth and hardly could he see with his eyes, and he kept saying to himself, "Indeed I have fallen with a sore fall; foul befal it for a fall; how fulsome it is!" Then he fared homewards where he encountered face to face his father Yahyá the Bermaki, who was issuing from the mansion and he recounted to him the tale, whereat his parent said, "Go at once, abide not here, but turn thee Damascus-wards until shall terminate this decline of fortune and this disjunciton of favour, and at the ending thereof thou shalt see wonders therein."[6] Ja'afar replied, "Not until I shall have laid a charge upon my Harím;"[7] but Yahya cried, "Enter not these doors, hie thee at once to Al-Shám, for even so 'tis determined by Destiny." Accordingly the Wazir gave ear to his sire, and taking a bag containing one thousand dinars and slinging on his sword farewelled him; then, mounting a she-mule, alone and unattended by slave or page, he rode off and he ceased not riding for ten days full-told until he arrived at the Marj[8] or mead of Damascus. Now it so fortuned that on that same day Attaf,[9] a fair youth and a well-known of the "Smile of the Prophet," and one of the noblest and most generous of her sons, had pitched tents and had spread a banquet outside the city, where chancing to sight Ja'afar mounted on his beast, he knew him to be a wayfarer passing by, and said to his slaves, "Call to me yonder man!" They did his bidding and the stranger rode up to the party of friends, and dismounting from his mule saluted them with the salam which they all returned. Then they sat for a while[10]