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266
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CUSTOMS AND MANNERs
OF THE
W O M E N OF P E R SIA
A N D TH FIR,
DOMESTIC SUPERSTITIONS.
1 …ANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL PERSIAN MANUSCRIPT,
By JAMES ATKINSON,
of THE HosourABLE EAST-INDIA company’s BEN GAL. At EDICAL SERVICE.
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Women are ever masters when they like,” .
And cozen with their kindness; they have spells,'
Superior to the wand of the magician;
And from their lips the words of wisdom fall
Like softest music on the listening ear—
O, they are matchless in supremacy –Firdausi.
Would men but follow what the sex advise,
All things would prosper, all the world grow wise.—Pope.
L O N DO N :
PRINTED FOR THE orieNTAL TRANSLATION FUND
of GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
- SOLD BY
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET;
AND PARBURY, ALLEN, & Co., LEADENHALL STREET.
M.DCCC.XXXII.

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L O N D ON ?
Printed by J. L. COX and SøN, Great Queen Street,
Lincoln’s-Inn Fie ds.
THE Publications of the ORIENTAL TRANSLAfroN
FUND may likewise be had of Mr. STRAKER, 61, Holborn;
and of Messrs. THAcKER and Co., Calcutta; Messrs.
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C O N T E N T S.
INTRODUCTION & C & G O C & © tº º 0 G tº e o e º e o e gº tº e º O C & © e º e º e e Q & © e º & & © e º O e º O e tº e ∈ G e
Chap. I.
II.
III.
IV.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
Of those Laws which are deemed imperative...
Of Rules concerning the Bath ........ © & © e º 'º - e º e e º e
Concerning Prayers and Fast-Days ~~~~
Of Singing and Instrumental Music ; and of
the Women of Shirāz, Georgia, Circassia,
Isfahān, and Tabriz ......... e e º e º e º a º e º e º 'º e º e º e º e
. Of the Nuptial Night ...............................
VI.
of Pregnancy, and Child-birth.....................
Of the Conduct of the Wife to her Husband,
Mother-in-law, and to other Relations ......
Of Charms, and the Means of destroying the
Effects of Witchcraft with divers other Ordi-
IlanceS • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * * * * * © e º 'º e g º e º O & © tº e º e º 'º © º e º ſº tº e º & e
Of Guests and Visitors, and the lucky Periods
Page
I
3
14
21
32
42
47
54
62
of their coming and departure
G & © O & © g º ºs & © tº gº tº e
. Of male and female Gossips and Intimates ......
XI.
XII.
Of the composition of Semnâ for presents ......
Of Fruits and Flowers, as symbols of feeling
and passion ..... tº G & © e º O & G O © G e º 'º e º e o O ºr 0 0 e º e o O s is © & © 0 &
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\bº. Ue'l PR EFA C E.

- Cº-
This is a specimen of Persian humour, a
jeu d'esprit, founded upon female customs
and superstitions. It pretends to be a grave
work, and is in fact a circle of domestic ob-
servances, treated with the solemnity of a
code of laws, by five matron law-givers,
assisted by two others. The original manu-
script is called Kitábi Kulsum Naneh, Kul-
sūm Naneh being the name of the principal
lady-judge whose rules and maxims are
therein recorded, especially on the house-
hold rights and privileges, les petites mo-
rales, as the French call them, of Persian
WOIſleIl.
The oriental scholar who is devoted to
the more abstruse labours of the Persian
sages, may look with disdain upon produc-
tions like this of a less formidable calibre—
upon efforts of a light and sportive kind,-
b
vi D R E F A C E .
and think them unworthy of notice; but
literature, as well as nature, has its various
aspects, and the annals of mankind afford
abundant instances, both of littleness and
grandeur in the multifarious shades of cha-
racter which are constantly presented to the
view of the moralist and the philosopher.
In public life every thing is, or ought to be,
of high and imposing gravity; in private life,
particularly in household details, everything
is generally of a contrary description. In-
deed the domestic customs and superstitions
of every country are for the most part absurd
or trivial, and in the East often extremely ri-
diculous; but regarding them as features of
the moral condition of society, as the freaks
and resources of human nature, and forming
part of the history of the human mind,
in its social and moral bearings, they can-
not be totally uninteresting. The customs
here described, puerile as they may be
thought, shew the actual state of Persian
life behind the curtain ; and therefore the
book may be considered curious as an ex-
PR E F A C E . vii
posé of manners and habits, which are ac-
curately enough described, notwithstanding
the amusing turn often given to the descrip-
tions. It presents a view of domestic life,
not as it ought to be, considering human
conduct with reference to perfect order,
but as it is, and consequently deserving of
attention.
For this is not a history, which displays
A comprehensive view of man and things;
'Tis not a picture of the Raphael school,
Or grand creation of old Angelo,
But a familiar portrait, such as Demmer
Was wont to paint, or Gerard Dow, each hair,
Spot, mole, and wrinkle, faithfully depicted,
With microscopic power.
It must be confessed, however, that little
is understood in England of the real situation
of women in the East, beyond the impression
of their being everywhere absolute slaves
to their tyrant-husbands, and cooped up in
a harem, which to them can be nothing
better, it is supposed, than a prison 1 Like
some enthusiasts, who fancy England the
only land of liberty and happiness, because
b 2
viii PR E FA C E.
other countries do not act and feel in the
same way, we think the women in Persia
or India oppressed and degraded, because
they do not possess and exercise exactly
the same rights and privileges as our own.
'Tis very kind in them to feel for others,
Ten thousand miles off—but 'tis all misplaced ;
Sweet souls there are, who think mankind are brothers,
And woman, not at liberty, disgraced ;
Hence they are full of sympathy ; another's
Distress to share, is generous, not a waste
Of human feeling; and with this persuasion,
They pity on without discrimination.
But they are wrong; for what is the fact?
Many persons in England, observes a native
Persian on this subject, believe that Mo-
hammed has declared women have no souls '
If you read the Korán, he adds, you will find
that our Prophet not only ranks women with
men as true believers, but particularly
ordains that they shall be well-treated and
respected by their husbands; he has, indeed,
secured that, by establishing their right to
dowers as well as claims of inheritance.* He
* See “Sketches of Persia.”
T REF A C E . ix
has also put it out of the power of a husband
to hurt the reputation of his wife, unless he
can produce four witnesses of her guilt ;
and should he have witnessed that himself,
he must swear four times to the fact, and
then by a fifth oath imprecate the wrath of
God if he is a liar. Even after this, should
the wife go through the same ceremony,
and imprecate the wrath of God upon her
own head if her husband does not swear
falsely, her punishment is averted ; or if
she is divorced, her whole dower must be
paid to her, though it involve the husband
in ruin.” Kings and rulers indulge in a plu-
rality of wives and mistresses; these un-
doubtedly are immured within high walls,
and are kept during life like slaves. But
* “The Mahometans,” says Chardin, “hold for lawful the
renewing of marriages dissolved, and that they may dissolve
and renew and dissolve three times; but not after the third
time. A fourth, however, may be contracted, but only on this
strange condition: the old wife must marry another husband,
live with him forty days, and then be divorced. This makes
her eligible to remarry her original spouse !”
X Tº R. E. F. A. C. E.
the great and powerful, who alone have such
establishments, are not in the proportion of
one to ten thousand of the population of the
country. If a person of inferior rank mar-
ries a woman of respectable connexions, she
becomes mistress of his family; and should
he have only one house, he cannot place
another on an equality without a certainty
of involving himself in endless trouble
and vexation, if not disgrace. The dower
usually settled on such a lady, added to
other privileges, and an unlimited authority
over her children and servants, give her
much importance, and she is supported
by her relations in the assertion of every
right with which custom has invested her.
With regard to liberty, such a lady can
always go to the public bath; and not only
that, but she visits for one or two days, as
she chooses, at the house of her father,
brother, sister, or son. She not only goes
to all these places unattended, but her hus-
band’s following her would be deemed an
unpardonable intrusion. Then she has visi-
PR EFA C E. xi
tors at home, friends, musicians, dancers,
and the husband cannot enter the lady’s
part of the house without giving notice.
The moment his foot passes the threshold,
every thing reminds him that he is no lon-
ger lord and master; children, servants, and
slaves look alone to the lady. In short,
she is paramount; when she is in good-
humour every thing goes on well, and when
in bad, nothing goes right.
We have seen what a native Persian says
respecting the power and liberty of his
country-women; and it is quite clear that,
whilst Europeans generally think them
treated in the most barbarous and mon-
strous manner, with regard to their liberty
and rank in society, the Persians them-
selves look upon their women as virtually
invested with more power and liberty, and
greater privileges, than the women of Eu-
rope. But every nation has self-compla-
cency and vanity enough to plume itself on
its own exclusive advantages, and, in the
same spirit of self-approbation, there is
xii PR EFA C E.
hardly an individual who would change, in
all respects of mind, body, and pursuit,
with his equally self-approving neighbour.
Every one has something about him, some
valuable propensity or quality, not to be
compared with any other that could be
offered in exchange. Thus it is, happily,
with the Persian women. They admit of no
comparison with the women of other coun-
tries, who boast of their freedom, and their
habits of mixing in society without con-
straint, and unveiled. Their defence in
these matters is not only put forth by them-
selves, but even the men advocate their
rights, and descant pretty largely on their
prescriptive privileges. Among the most
zealous in their cause is Mírza Abū Taleb
Khán, who visited England many years ago,
and, after a good deal of experience, ima-
gined himself fully qualified to appreciate
the merits of the question under considera-
tion. He ranks under eight heads what his
countrywomen enjoy more than European
wives, both by law and custom. The fifth
PR E FA C E. xiii
head runs thus:–“‘The greater deference
the Asiatic ladies find paid to their humours,
and a prescriptive right of teasing their
husbands by every preteat,”—which is con-
sidered,” adds the Mírza, “as constituting
an essential quality of beauty; for if a wife
does not put these in practice, but is sub-
missive to her husband’s will in every thing,
her charms very soon lose their force and
brilliancy in his eyes. Thus, when a wife
goes to visit her father, she will not return to
her husband till he has come himself several
times to fetch her, and being as often vexed
by her breaking her promise. I have
known of many beautiful women,” says the
Mírza, “ constant in their affection, and
obedient to their husbands night and day,
whom, for not having these qualities, the
husbands have quickly deserted, for the sake
of plain women who possessed them!”
Under the siath head the Mírza ranks,
‘‘ ‘ the greater reliance placed by Asiatic
husbands on their wives’ virtue, both from
law and custom.” For as to the European
xiv PR E FA C E .
ladies, although they can go out of doors
and discourse with strangers, yet sleeping
out all night is absolutely denied them—
contrary to the way of the Asiatic ladies,
who, when they go to the house of a lady of
their acquaintance, though their husbands
be entire strangers, are not attended by any
person of the husband’s or father's, and
they spend not only one or two nights in
that house, but even a whole week ; and
in such a house, although the master is
prohibited entering the apartments where
they are, yet the young men of fifteen,
belonging to the family or relations, under
the name of children, have free access,
and eat with and enter into the amusements
of their guests.”
The influence of woman, indeed, may be
said to be universal, and is probably ad-
mitted, whether in sadness or good-humour,
by every one. Pir Mohammed the Moralist,
says jocularly—
PR E FA C E. XV
In every country—whether hot or cold—
That gentle wight called Jerry Sneak is found;
From king to peasant, cowardly or bold,
All bend when woman gains the 'vantage ground.
It matters not, if juvenile or old,
Sultans are sometimes Jerries, they abound
In India, kind, accommodating fellows,
Almost afraid to frown, or shew they’re jealous.
Reader, art thou a Jerry 3 Few confess;
But if it be to live in peace and quiet;
To be exempt from all uneasiness
About domestic matters, drink and diet;
All household family cares; thou mayst express
Unbounded thanks to heaven for such a fiat ;
Most women rule their husbands, and they know it;
The only difference is, some never shew it.
Yes, white and black acknowledge woman's sway,
So much the wiser, and the better too;
Deeming it most convenient to obey,
Or possibly they might their folly rue.
And always seeming at their ease, and gay,
For common to all climates, in a shrew;
There's nothing like a husband kept in trim,
Else he gets tired of her, and she of him.
But, seriously, this little book contains
some highly characteristic points of do-
xvi PREFA C E.
mestic arrangement in a Persian family,
and has not only novelty to boast of,
but it is mainly valuable on account of
its coming from the fountain-head, and
offering, as it does, another proof, added
to thousands, that human nature is every-
where the same, and only modified, when
it is modified, by external circumstances.
London,
October, 1832.
PRO i. M.
Tânough whom came knowledge, and the powers of mind?
Through whom but Eve, the mother of mankind
And, though her sons have shone from age to age,
Blazoning with glory History's ample page,
In arms, in wisdom, and in arts renowned,
Yet has superior skill her daughters crowned ;
Still they, pre-eminent, their sway retain
O'er life's home-joys, and learning's rich domain.
Still they preserve with undiminished pride,
Their ruling influence, either sex to guide;
And hence, our own best interests to befriend,
On woman's nobler genius we depend.
Hence social maxims flow with better grace
From those endowed with charms of form and face;
From ruby lips, with pearls divinely set,
From eyes of languid softness, dark as jet;
And hence domestic precepts, rules, and laws,
Pronounced by beauty, must command applause.
Here Persia's matrons, skilled in worldly lore,
Assert the power their mothers held of yore:
In council deep, grave matters they debate,
And household cares, and mysteries too, relate ;
xviii PROEM .
Proudly in solemn conclave they unfold
By what nice conduct husbands are controlled;
Tell of the spells which check connubial strife,
And all the vagaries of a woman's life.
These moral laws the sex’s homage claim,
And shed renown on Kulsiºm Nameh's name.
CUSTOMS AND MANNERS
OF THE
W O M E N OF P E R S I A.
-
INTRoductio N.
TH is learned treatise was not written for the
use of the lords of creation, but for the instruction
and edification of the female sex; should any wo-
man, therefore, remain in doubt as to the true mode
of proceeding in household matters, she has only
to refer to the grave expounders of those laws and
observances, which are deemed so highly impor-
tant and necessary among women who aspire to
conduct themselves with propriety, prudence, and
decorum. These expounders of the laws are five
accomplished females, peculiarly qualified by
study, and a complete knowledge of the pursuits
and habits of the sex, to settle every point of dif-
B
2 C USTO MS A N D M A N N ERS OF
ficulty or embarrassment that may occur in the
course of domestic life. Their names are
Kulsám Naneh, the senior matron,
Shahr-Báná Dadeh,
Dadeh-Bazm Ará,
Bájí Yásmin, and
Khála Gul-barſ.
And there are two other functionaries, named
Khála Ján Aghā and Bibi Ján Afróz, who deliver
their opinions with equal confidence, and who
support or question the judgment of the other five
on points of great importance, which naturally
require the most careful consideration.
It is proper to remark that there are four degrees
of obligation specified in this work, viz. waſib,
necessary, expedient; mustahab, desirable; sunnat,
according to the law and traditions of Mohammed;
and sunnat mu'akkad, imperative or absolutely ne-
cessary.
THE WOMEN OF PE IRSIA. 3
CHAPTER I.
Of those Laws which are deemed imperative.
I.
IT is highly essential to urge that the institu-
tions and ordinances described and explained in
the following pages, under the authority and sanc-
tion of matrons of deep learning, equally vers-
ed in the mystery of averting misfortune, and the
means of making mankind subservient to the
will of the softer sex, should be most strictly
attended to and enforced in every respect. Hu-
man life and human affairs only hang by a thread,
success or failure depends on the nicest movement,
and, therefore, to avoid the approach and pressure of
calamity, no ceremony or prescribed observance
ought to be, under any circumstances, omitted :
For what is life? a breath, a vapour,
A bubble, a still wasting taper;
Now scarcely seen, now dull—now bright,
And now it sheds a quivering light,
Then quickly fades away in night.
Above all, the heavenly bodies, the sun and moon,
B 2
4 CUST.O MS AND M A N N ERS OF
and stars, must be invariably consulted on every
important occasion.*
—------amº-º-º-
* A journey cannot be commenced, nor a new dress put on
by the Persians, without reference to the astrologer; like the
Romans they have all their dies fasti atque nefasti, their lucky
and unlucky days. Their talismans are generally sentences
from the Korán fixed on, under particular situations of the
moon and stars, on different parts of the body.
Their universal dependence on astrological interpretations
is well illustrated by the following amusing fact, related in
Malcolm's History of Persia.
“Some years ago, when a Persian ambassador was about to
proceed to India, he was informed by his astrologer of a most
fortunate conjunction of the stars, which, if missed, was not
likely to occur again for some months. He instantly deter-
mined that, though he could not embark, as the ship was not
ready which was to carry him, to move from his house in the
town of Abusheher to his tents, which were pitched at a
village five miles off to receive him. It was however discovered
by the astronomer, that he could neither go out of the door of
his own dwelling, nor by the gate of the fort, as an invisible
but baneful constellation was exactly opposite, and shed dan-
gerous influence in that direction. To remedy this a large
aperture was made in the wall of his house, but that only opened
into his neighbour's; and four or five more walls were to be
cut through before the ambassador and his friends (which in-
cluded the principal men who were to accompany him) could
reach the street. They then went to the beach, where it was
intended to take a boat, and proceed two miles by sea, in order
that their backs might be turned on the dreaded constellation;
but the sea was rough, and the party hesitated encountering
a real
THE WO M. EN OF P E R S I A . 5
II.
Days appointed or set apart for rejoicing and
mirth ought always to be celebrated accordingly.
On the Ede festival old Bābā Sujá-ud-din, three
score and ten, snapped his fingers and played on
the dyra, and began dancing merrily; and this is
stated by the seven learned women to have been
quite orthodox, and according to law. And it is
also proper that all sects, and men of every creed,
should do the same thing on the same joyous occa-
sion. On that day, too, every hammām must be
decorated with roses and other sweet flowers, and
the people entertained with music and dancing at
the expense of the keeper of the bath; the full
and free expression of gladness in times devoted
to hilarity being a great consolation to the heart,
and ought never to be omitted.
III.
Whenever a person pays the debt of nature on
a Wednesday, and on the following Wednesday
another person of the same house dies, it is neces-
sary to put one of the dead man's shoes into the
a real danger in order to avoid an imaginary one. In this
dilemma the governor was solicited to allow a part of the wall
of the town to be thrown down, that a mission on which so
much depended might not be exposed to misfortune. The
request, extraordinary as it may appear, was complied with,
and the cavalcade marched over the breach to their tents.”
6 C USTOM'S A N D M A N N ERS OF
grave with him, to check the mortality which
might without that precaution continue in the
family. When one of the shoes of the deceased
cannot be found, Bájí Yásmin and Shahr Báná
Dadeh concur in the old saying:
If you cannot find a shoe,
Take an egg, and that will do.
IV.
Among other customs known to be of great
efficacy and power is the following: On the last
Friday of the blessed month of Ramazán the
women ought to dress superbly and perfume
themselves, and put on their best ornaments, and
go to the porticos of the mosques, because young
men of cypress forms, with tulip cheeks and
amorous demeanour, assemble there in greater
numbers than at other places. There they must
sit down, and stretch out their feet, and every one
must light twelve tapers, and in doing this care
must be taken to lift the hand high above the
head, so as to raise up the veil, as if by accident,
and thus display their beautiful faces. Their
crimson-tinted toes must also be exposed, in order
that the young men may see and admire them
with wounded hearts. But it would be an un-
lucky omen if one of the tapers was left unlighted.
Bibi Ján Aghā and the rest of the learned con-
clave are unanimous in this opinion. Further, it
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 7
is not at all necessary that in lighting the tapers
silence should be observed: on the contrary,
lovely women should always let their sweet voices
be heard;
For there is nothing in the world more pleasing,
Than hearing strains of melting melody
From lips that shame the ruby.
And on that day, the last Friday of Ramazán,
prayer should be twice performed (kneeling), to
secure the speedy accomplishment of their wishes
and desires. Kulsám Naneh and her colleagues
agree that the efficacy of these observances is
much increased when attended to in those
mosques which are mostly frequented by the
poor and afflicted; for -
Wherever the wretched assemble in prayer,
Most surely the blessing of heaven will be there.
V. -
Should a favourable opportunity occur for the
beautiful young girls to remain with the young
men for a short time, and especially if their inter-
course arises from mutual affection, there can be
nothing wrong in the indulgence of their attach-
ments. Indeed it is a fortunate circumstance,
and, upon the whole, more satisfactory and gratify-
ing to them than fasting the whole year. And
whenever the young women visit their female
friends on that blessed day, for the purpose of
8 C US TO MS AND M A N N E R S OF
meeting their lovers, they may be permitted, with-
out any violation of decorum, to remain till a late
hour. For every female ought to be her own mas-
ter on that occasion; and if her husband presumes
to ask where she has been, and why returned so
late, it is highly reprehensible on his part, for
through the sacred influence of that blessed day
she stands acquitted of all impropriety.
VI.
Dadeh Bazm Ará, BájíYásmin, and Shahr-Báná
Dadeh are of opinion that when a woman applies
the end of a taper to the tips of the toes of her
right foot, and at the time of lighting it dis-
plays the beautiful shape of her leg, she will
undoubtedly be in no danger of hell-fire. And
Kulsám Naneh, the senior of the learned conclave,
is decidedly of opinion that no woman can enter-
tain the least hope of heaven whose husband for-
bids the things that are herein commanded, and
considered proper for her pleasure and happiness
in this world. For with what comfort can a
woman remain in the house of her husband, who
is continually opposed to those recreations to which
her whole soul is devoted ? Dadeh-Bazm Ará
says, I have proved, from the instructions of my
master Iblis, that the man who does not allow his
wife to visit holy places and mosques, and the
houses of her friends, male and female, with whom
T H E W O M E N OF PERSIA. 9
interviews may have been concerted, and who
prohibits other innocent and agreeable proceedings,
such as we have deemed proper and expedient
for her own satisfaction and comfort, that man,
I say, will be condemned hereafter to severe
and merited punishment. And in such case it is
wájib that the relations of the wife should carry
the husband before the Kázi and claim a divorce,
or deed of separation, to the end that the wife
may be released from her misery, and be furnished
with a separate maintenance.* If the husband
should refuse to be divorced, and the wife die of
a broken heart, he and his relations are deservedly
liable to pay the expiatory mulct, as in cases of
murder. &
VII.
The following are also among the number of
necessary observances. If a funeral passes by the
* Divorces, says Sir John Malcolm, are never on account of
adultery, as that crime, if proved, subjects a woman who haš
been legally married to capital punishment! The general
causes are complaints of badness of temper, or extravagance,
on the part of the husbands; and of neglect, or cruel usage,
on that of their wives. If the husband sues for a divorce, he
is compelled to pay his wife's dower; but if she sues for it, her
claim to that is cancelled. The consequence is, that it is not
unfrequent, among the lower orders, when a man desires to be
rid of his partner, to use her so ill, that she is forced to insti-
tute a suit for separation; and that, if granted, abrogates all
her claims upon her husband.
10 CUST.O MS AND MAN N ERS OF
door of a man afflicted with any disease, let the
hands and feet of the sick be immediately bound
in henna and washed, and let the water be after-
wards sprinkled behind the bier. Then raising
up the patient, cause him to move forward seven
steps, and his sufferings will be relieved.
VIII.
Khála Ján Aghā says, that when a cock crows
in the house unseasonably it must be killed, ac-
cording to the old rhyme:
If a cock crows untimely, the wise-ones have said,
We should always be careful to wring off his head.*
IX,
The custom of women going to public places
where prayers are read,t and where they may hear
the news of the day, has already been adverted to.
If a woman with child happens to be delivered
* In the north of England there is a similar superstitious
motion, only the hen is the sufferer: if a hen happens to crow
like a cock, it is immediately killed.
t In Sir John Malcolm's History of Persia, he says, women
are not allowed to join in public prayer at the mosques; and
the learned Sale, the translator of the Korán, observes, on the
authority of a Mohammedan doctor of eminence, that the
Moslems were of opinion, that the presence of females inspired
a different kind of devotion from that which was required in a
place dedicated to the worship of God. They are therefore
directed to offer up their prayers at home, or, if they attend the
place of public worship, it must be at a period when the male
sex are not there.
THE WOM EN OF PE, RS [ A. | 1
at the foot of the pulpit, her good fortune is incal-
culable. If she brings forth a son his name should
be Ishwar, that he may be among the blessed in
heaven. If a girl, she should be named Bibi
Khánam Ján Aghā, and at the last day she will
have authority to intercede for forty souls. It is
again urged that moon-faced beauties are entitled
to go where young men assemble, and whatever
husband prevents his wife so doing, will be sure
to have the seven learned women his enemies at
the day of resurrection.
X.
A woman should never on any occasion neglect
to shew her predilection for rich apparel” and
scenes of gaiety. For, as Gholām Nabí the poet
says:
Soft speech, and languid looks, and gay attire,
Beauty improve, and joyous thoughts inspire:
Perfum'd with musk, in silk and gems arrayed,
Resistless are the charms of wife or maid;
Since richly dress'd, with smiles that ever please,
A lovely woman wins the heart with ease.
XI.
Another custom well deserving of particular
attention is that of sitting down at the junction of
* So also thought the Wife of Bath:
The wasting moth ne'er spoiled my best array;
The cause was this, I wore it every day.
12 C US TO MS AND MAN N ERS OF
four cross-roads on a Wednesday night, and ap-
plying every sentence spoken by the passers-by
to yourself, and considering it as a good or bad
omen. There are several other ways in which
a woman may obtain the knowledge of future
good fortune. Take the Korán, and in the mid-
dle of the night, in the dark, open the volume,
and lay the chamber-door key upon the leaves to
mark the place. At day-break make two pros-
trations in prayer, and the words upon which the
handle of the key is found will be prophetic of
her destiny. Take also a mirror, and some sweet-
meats arranged in a circle, and place a lock upon
the mirror within the ring; then beckon to every
person who passes along the road, and let each
take the key in his or her possession, and try to
turn back the lock. If the person who succeeds
in opening the lock happens to be an agreeable
and handsome youth, the wishes of her heart,
of whatever kind, will be quickly accomplished;
but should the opener of the lock be ill-favoured,
ugly, and deformed, her happiness will be blighted
for ever. And there is another custom which re-
quires most scrupulous attention in the observance.
When a woman is seized with night-fever, and
she is attacked by the same complaint every twen-
ty-four hours, a person should go to the top of
THE - WOMEN OF PERSIA. 13
the house in the dark, and call out with a loud
voice for succour,
“Ye, who have the power to calm
The fever's rage with healing balm,
In pity come, assistance give,
And bid a dying daughter live.”
This invocation, or call, may be repeated three
times. If the first time does not succeed, nor the
second, then the third must be tried. A case is
mentioned of a moon-faced damsel being seized
with night-fever : her mother called out for her—
no answer was given,_and she died.
14 C US TO MS AND MI A N N E R S OF
CHAPTER II.
Of Rules concerning the Bath.*
I.
IN going to the hammām it is considered abso-
lutely requisite that the woman, the moment she
reaches the first door of the hot-rooms, should
crack a few walnuts with the heel of her shoe, and
* The baths in Persia generally consist of two large apart-
ments, one of which is appropriated to undressing, and the
other to the cistern containing water. In the former, stone seats
covered with rich carpeting are placed along the walls for the
accommodation of the bathers. There is usually a long pas-
sage between this apartment and the bath, which latter is sup-
plied with small benches, raised a little from the ground, upon
which the bather performs his preparatory devotions.
The bather having undressed in the outer room, and re-
taining nothing about him but a piece of loose cloth round
his waist, is conducted by the proper attendant into the hall
of the bath ; a large white sheet is then spread on the
floor, on which the bather extends himself. The attendant
brings from the cistern, which is warmed from the boiler
below, a succession of pails full of water, which he continues
to pour over the bather till he is well drenched and heated.
The attendant then takes his employer's head upon his knees,
T H E W O M E N OF PERSIA. 15
then walk with naked feet into the bath: this
is wajib. She must then, with great care, sit
and rubs in with all his might, a sort of wet paste of henna
plant, into the mustachios and beard. In a few minutes this
pomade dyes them a bright red; again he has recourse to the
little pail, and showers upon his quiescent patient another
torrent of warm water ; then putting on a glove made of soft
hair, yet possessing some of the scrubbing-brush qualities, he
first takes the limbs and then the body, rubbing them hard for
three quarters of an hour. A third splashing from the pail
prepares the operation of the pumice-stone, this he applies to
the soles of the feet. The next process scours the hair of the
face, whence the henna is cleansed away, and is replaced by
another paste called rang, composed of the leaves of the indigo
plant. To this succeeds the shampooing, which is done by
pinching, pulling, and rubbing, with so much force and pres-
sure, as to produce a violent glow over the whole frame. Some
of the natives delight in having every joint in their bodies
strained till they crack, and this part of the operation is brought
to such perfection, that the very vertebrae of the back are made
to ring a peal in rapid succession. This over, the shampooed
body, reduced again to its prostrate state, is rubbed all over
with a preparation of soap confined in a bag, till he is one mass
of lather. The soap is then washed off with warm water, when
a complete ablution succeeds, by his being led to the cistern
and plunged in. He passes five or six minutes, enjoying the
perfectly pure element, and then emerging has a large, dry,
warm sheet thrown over him in which he makes his escape back
to the dressing-room. During the process of the bath, many
of the Persians dye not only their hair black, but their nails,
feet, and hands, a bright red. They often smoke half a dozen
kalyouns, and in short take the whole business more easily than
16 C US TO M S A N D M A N N ERS OF
down in a basin in which various aromatic ingre-
dients are mingled. Others say, if the shell of the
walnut which the woman cracks on reaching the
first door of the bath is burnt to smoke under
the teeth of a person who has the tooth-ache, the
pain will cease. Let the mother be fed with nou-
rishing diet, and frequently with sugar and aniseed,
which will make her milk abundant, and give
strength to the child; a little cinnamon added to
her food will also have a good effect. And when
she comes out of the bath she must eat some yolks
a European would his sitting down under the hands of a barber
to shave his beard. The process with women is nearly the
same. The same bath is used by both sexes, but at different
periods, sometimes on alternate days, and at other times on
alternate weeks. -
The Persian ladies regard the bath as the place of their
greatest amusement ; they make appointments to meet there,
and often pass seven or eight hours together in the carpeted
saloon, telling stories, relating anecdotes, eating sweetmeats,
sharing their kalyouns, and embellishing their beautiful forms
with all the fancied perfections of the East, dyeing their hair and
eyebrows, and curiously staining their fair bodies with a
variety of fantastic devices, not unfrequently with the figures
of trees, birds, and beasts, sun, moon, and stars. This sort of
pencil-work spreads over the bosom, and continues down as
low as the navel, round which some radiated figure is generally
painted. All this is displayed by the style of their dress, every
garment of which, even to the light gauze chemise, being open
from the neck to that point; a singular taste and certainly
more barbarous than becoming.—See Porter's Travels in Persia.
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 17
of eggs, and seeds, and hul, and faufal, a species of
Indian nut, mixed together, and the women who
accompany her must partake of the same dish: this,
according to Kulsám Naneh, is wajib ; the others
pronounce it sunnat. Shahr Báná Dadeh says, one
of the candles used at the nuptial feast ought to be
taken into the bath and lighted there, that the life
of the child. may be passed in splendour. And
farther, as long as the woman gives milk, what-
ever she sees and wishes for must be presented to
her, that her milk may not be disturbed by un-
pleasant emotions, which would be injurious to
the health and temper of the child.
II.
There are many things which must be special-
ly observed in visiting the hammām. The woman
must enter the bath with only her cincture on,
and when the kísa * and soap are used, it may
be taken off. It is wajib to wash the head three
times with soap ; and respecting the application
of the nāra,t it is improper for any young girl to
* The kisa is a kind of small sack made of goats' hair,
which they put upon their hands and use in the manner of a
flesh-brush. A cloth bag to fit the hand, roughly stitched all
over, is commonly used in India for the same purpose.
+ In eastern countries the hair under the arms, &c. is always
removed. Nära is quick lime, or a composition made of it
with arsenic, for taking out hairs by the roots.
C
18 CUSTOM'S AND MA N N ERS OF
use that depilatory. When women wish to use
the nāra, they must request a female friend to
rub it on ; it is quite wrong to apply it with your
own hands. It is wajib for them to sit in a circle,
and apply the nāra to each other reciprocally,
conversing good-humouredly all the while. This
is generally a mirthful meeting, and all kinds of
tittle-tattle considered perfectly wéjib. It is also
wájib to take kalyāns into the bath to smoke;
and previous to visiting the bath, every woman of
spirit and liberality orders her servants to get
ready a delicious collation to be taken there, such
as lettuce and vinegar, every sort of roast and
boiled, and all the fruits in season, with sherbet
and scented water.” This is wajib: and the women
must sit down together and partake of the colla-
tion, and laugh and talk with all the hilarity and
cheerfulness of youthful hearts. Others say that
when women come out of the bath they ought to
dress in gay apparel, and if they have any engage-
ment, they must first proceed to the house of their
friend or lover. And if they meet a handsome
young man on their way, they must cunningly re-
* Tavernier says the Persian women pass their time in
taking tobacco in different forms, and when in the bath, they
are richly attired, and have delicious collations. They make
their attendants shampoo their arms, legs, and thighs, till
they go off to sleep, and thus lead most voluptuous lives.
T H E W O M EN OF PERSIA. 19 -
move a little of the veil which covers their face,
and draw it off gradually, pretending “It is very
hot, how I perspire; my heart is wounded:” and
talk in this manner, and stand a little, till the
youth smells the perfume of ottar, and he looks
captivated, and sends a message describing the
enchanted and bewildered state of his mind.
º III.
Again, it is wrong in men, when they see a wo-
man come out of the bath or any private retreat,
to ask her where she has been. Shahr Báná Dadeh
says, there are three sorts of men: 1. A proper
man; 2. Half a man; 3. A Hupul-hupla. A
proper man at once supplies whatever necessaries
or indulgences his wife may require; he never
presumes to go out without his wife's permission,
or do any thing contrary to her wish. Your half
man, of the second class, is a very poor snivelling
wretch, always meddling, with but little furniture
in his house, and just bread and salt enough for
bare subsistence, never on any occasion enjoying
the least degree of comfort. The wife sits in his
house and works, and all she earns is applied to
procure food and lights. It is therefore wajib in that
industrious woman to reply harshly to whatever he
says; and if he beats her, it is wajib for her to bite
and scratch him, and pull his beard, and do every
thing in her power to annoy him. If his severity
C 2
20 C US TOM'S AND MANNERS OF
exceeds all bounds, let her petition the Kázi and
get a divorce. The third class, or Hupul-hupla,
has nothing, no friends. He wants to dress and
live luxuriously, but is totally destitute of means.
If the wife of such a man absents herself from his
house even for ten days and ten nights, he must
not on her return ask her where she has been ; and
if he sees a stranger in the house, he must not ask
who it is, or what he wants. Whenever he comes
home and finds the street door shut, he must not
knock, but retire, and not presume to enter till he
sees it thrown open. Should he act contrary to
this, the wife must immediately demand a divorce.
Kulsám Naneh says, that if such a husband should
afterwards even beg to be pardoned and allowed
to resume his former domestic habits, it would be
wrong in the wife to remain a single day longer
under his roof. -
T H E WOMEN OF PERSIA. 21
CHAPTER III. .
Concerning Prayers and Fast-days.
I.
WITH respect to prayers and fasts, and sacred
ablutions, and purifications, among women, they
may be dispensed with under certain circum-
stances of inconvenience or indisposition.” On
some occasions, indeed, they are improper. There
are seasons for prayer, and seasons for bathing,
these practices not being always consistent with
each other. If prayers are much desired, ablu-
tion may be omitted, or left to the imagination;
but in that case they are said to be of no avail.
*--—
* Hammāms like most things have substitutes, and a slight
application of water will often answer the purpose of religious
purification. Tavernier says: “before Persians pray, they are
always obliged to bathe or wash themselves, and in every
house they have a reservoir of water, which is often stagnant,
dirty, and full of worms, as in many places water is not easily
procured. They plunge the head into the water, wash the
mouth, and rub the face, which is considered a sufficient puri-
fication.”
22 C US'I'O M S A N D M A N N E R S OF
Of the two, it is best to dispense with prayer.
Shahr Báná Dadeh and Khála Ján Aghā say that
until seven days have elapsed, prayer is improper.
Kulsám Naneh says ten days, but never more than
ten. When females are engaged with their friends
in pleasant conversation, and in the mutual com-
munication of secrets, and this happens at the
time of prayer, it is not required that they should
cease their agreeable intercourse on that account;
prayers may be dispensed with. Kulsám Naneh
says that when resting from a promenade in the gar-
den, or other amusements, prayer may be indulged
in without any evil ensuing. Kulsám Naneh asked
Shahr Báná Dadeh to explain why, on hearing
the sound of the drum and other instruments,
prayer should be thought improper ? Shahr Báná
replied, “Is it not well established in law, that
when two commands are considered wájib the one
least liked is dispensed with, every true woman
being allowed to follow the one most suitable to
her fancy, and most soothing to her heart? There-
fore, hearing the lively sound of the drum, the de-
lightful tones of musical instruments, and discussing
secrets with your dear friends, need not be inter-
rupted by a less congenial mode of employing
your leisure.” Another of the conclave said: “If
a woman wishes to go to the bath, and has a slave
girl in the house, she must on no account leave
*
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 23
her alone, because the husband might come home
in the mean time and make love to her.” This is
one among a great number of things to be specially
observed by a wife. The slave girl must not be
left in the house, and the wife must abandon the
thought of going to the bath. That is wajib. Again,
when a woman is lame, and her bathing linen in a
poor condition, the bath may be dispensed with, be-
cause it is permitted, before God, that the infirm
shall be excused, and the law not enforced.
She need not go to the bath, for until her lameness
is cured, and her linen is renewed, ablutions and
prayer are not wajib ; in fact they would be in-
jurious both to mind and body. And also, so
long as the husband will not allow his wife the fees
for the bath, and she is thus prevented from per-
forming her ablutions, so long will fasting and
prayer be of no use, even were his opposition to
last for years. Kulsám Naneh says, when a woman
has not been to the bath for a considerable period,
she ought to take whatever there is in the house of
her husband to pay the expenses of the bath. And
it is wajib that she should scold and fight with her
husband, at least once or twice a day, till she ob-
tains from him the amount required. And since
there is no constancy in the disposition, nor cer-
tainty in the life of a husband, who may repudiate
his wife from caprice, or chance to die suddenly,
24 C USTO MS AND M A N N E RS OF
it is necessary and wéjib, whilst she does remain
in his house, to scrape together, by little and little,
all in her power, that when the hour of separation
arrives she may be able to dress elegantly, and
enjoy herself, until (if alive) he repents and be-
comes obedient to her will. Whilst a bride enjoys
the pleasures of life, and the passing hour is
marked by all that can delight and enchant her
senses, it is not necessary that she should em-
barrass herself with fasts and prayers; these,
under such circumstances, are superfluous things.
But it is still wajib for the husband to be assi-
duous in prayer and thanksgivings for benefits re-
ceived. And moreover, when his wife goes on a
visit to the houses of her female friends or rela-
tions, it is incumbent on him to follow her with
every thing he may have it in his power to provide
to please her taste or fancy. This too is wajib.
Further, when a woman is in the bath, and is
amusing herself with her friends in cheerful con-
versation, or when she is listening to the fond pro-
testations of a lover, and has not leisure for more
serious calls on her thoughts, prayer is not re-
quired; nor is it necessary, when women have
guests, or are guests, nor when they go to see a
bride, nor when a husband goes on a journey, or
arrives from a journey. But should a woman,
whilst engaged in prayer, happen to discover her
T H E W O M EN OF PERSIA. 25
husband speaking to a strange damsel, it is wajib
for her to pause and listen attentively to what
passes between them, and if necessary, to put an
end to their conversation.
II.
The most remarkable fasts pronounced by the
conclave wajib and sunnat, are those of Bíbí Húr
and Bībī Nār.* On those days the women wear
* And who were Bībī Hūr and Bībī Nār Who, but holy
women, martyrs, and saints One of the many traditions re-
lative to these venerated personages, describes the latter, Bibi
Nür, as a woman of great heroism, but originally the wife of
a camel-keeper. She had from her infancy a proud spirit, and
always looked up to a higher station than that in which fortune
had first placed her. Her union with the camel-keeper hardly
raised her one step : but he was a sordid wretch, and contri-
buted nothing to her happiness; in consequence, she solicited
and obtained a divorce. At that time war was raging between
Medina and Syria, and fond of warlike pursuits, she had the re-
solution to dress herselfin male attire, for the purpose of fighting
in the cause of Hussen and Hussain. She is said to have per-
formed prodigies of valour in their defence, and when Hussen
was delivered into the hands of his enemies, and poison was admi-
nistered to him, she indignantly put to death the wretch who
had mixed the deleterious drug in his drink. Bībī Nār was
also in the field of Kerbela, and was foremost in repulsing the
enemy, and driving the Syrian legions marshalled against Hus-
sain, across the Euphrates. She was present when Hussain
was betrayed into the hands of the enemy, and when, expecting
the
26 CUSTOM'S AND MA N N ERS OF
their best ornaments and go abroad, and consider
it peculiarly gratifying to walk amidst young
the fatal blow, he begged to be allowed time to offer up his
prayers to heaven. She was also present when, in the midst
of those prayers, the cruel axe severed his head from his body,
without the means of being revenged on the executioner, and saw
the blessed head afterwards displayed on the point of a spear.
She then, with a deep design, assumed the attire of one of the
enemy's soldiers, and accompanied the head into Syria, and was
witness to a thousand miracles which were wrought by it on
the road. Still believed to be a Syrian, she was confidently
trusted, and availing herself of the opportunities she had, deter-
mined upon at once rescuing the head of Hussain, and conveying
it back to Kerbela to be buried there, with the sacred body of
the Imām. Her plans were well laid, and with a few confe-
derates she succeeded in her pious exertions, after undergoing
infinite pain and fatigue in crossing the desert. Many mira-
culous circumstances occurred in her progress, On one occa-
sion, whilst guarding the head in the night, she beheld it
burst through its covering, rise up, and remain in mid-air,
self-balanced, like the moon, luminous and full of splendour.
It then made three circuits round the halting ground, and
stopped, looked at Bibi Nür full in the face, and thus addressed
her, with a smile—“Thou art no Syrian soldier, but the friend
of the Prophet. Thou art Bībī Nār, and thy martyrdom is at
hand.” The head then became invisible.
That noble front, that comely mien,
Such as on earth is rarely seen,
Which speaks at once the Prophet's race,
So full of dignity and grace.
On
THE WOM EN OF PERSIA. 27
men with tulip cheeks and cypress forms, and
they never fail to sit down wherever they are
On another night, the tent in which the head was deposited
seemed to be illuminated by ten thousand lamps, and suddenly
an angelic form appeared. It was Mohammed, the Prophet him-
self, who stooped and kissed the pale face of Hussain, and
turning to Bíbí Núr, presented to her his seal-ring, as a token
of his approbation. This seal-ring was possessed of singular
powers, and could make the wearer invisible, and transport
him to a remote distance in the shortest space of time. After
the head of Hussain was buried, Bíbí Nür returned to her old
habitation, where her former husband again claimed her, not-
withstanding the divorce. His former violent conduct was
still fresh in her memory, but she now relied on the seal-ring
of the Prophet, and touching with it the camel-keeper's head,
and hands, and feet, he was not only changed into a superior
being, but his poor dwelling was converted into a splendid
mansion. His temper, at the same moment, became gentle
and complying, and he was wholly subservient to the will of
his re-married wife. Bíbí Nūr is further said to have been an
example and a pattern to all wives, having shewn the most
efficient method of domestic government ever known. But
her career was drawing to a close, and the prophecy of Hussain
was soon to be accomplished. Azíd, the Syrian despot, had
now discovered that she was the person who had, in man's
disguise, put to death the woman employed to poison Hussen,
and had subsequently, in the assumed character of a Syrian, be-
trayed her trust, and carried off the forfeited head of the Imām.
Her fate was therefore instantly decided on. A band of spies hav-
ing been dispatched toget possession of her person, they forcibly
entered
28 C US TO MS AND MAN N ERS OF
to be found. They usually take with them a little
girl, under age, to sit by them. They bow their
entered the tent of the camel-keeper, and after binding him to
a post, escaped with their prize. They tied her, almost naked,
on a camel, and so tight were the cords drawn that she had
not power to move her limbs. Three days and three nights
she was kept in this position, and on the fourth morning she
was found dead. The loud screaming of the pinioned camel-
keeper, her husband, was soon heard by his neighbours, who
as soon as they were informed of the outrage that had been
committed, set off in a body in pursuit of the robbers, but
only came up with them when she had ceased to exist.
Some years after she had been buried, those gossips and
friends, who knew and recognized her worth, assembled near
her grave, to pay her departed spirit that respect to which she
was entitled. A cloud of fragrance was seen to rise from the
sod, and sparks of light seemed to issue from the ground up-
wards. Thepeople, all enthusiasm on the occasion, supposed that
the martyr was still alive, and immediately proceeded to open
the grave. Removing the earth they found the body, breathless
indeed, but blooming and fresh as in life, rich with the sweet-
est perfume, with the seal-ring of Mohammed glittering on her
finger, from which had issued the sparks already mentioned.
It was thus that her name of Bábí När was confirmed, she
being all light, all splendour, even in death. Ever after this
Bíbí Nūr was held sacred, and a fast ordained in her name.
Bibi Húr, her sister, was more particularly distinguished
for her conjugal perfections, and the authority she exercised at
home over her gentle spouse. She too was a martyr, and is
now a saint, having been slain by the Syrians with special
cruelty, at the battle of Kerbela.
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 29
heads twice in prayer, and after that go on with
the romantic story of Bíbí Húr and Bībī Nār, and
whilst they speak they keep their eyes on the little
girl, who looks up and exclaims continually,
“May God grant the fulfilment of your wishes I”
till the story is concluded. Then they break their
fast, and doubtless in that week, or that month,
or that year, the special wish of the party will be
accomplished, and a great many other advantages
and benefits obtained.
III.
Kulsám Náneh says, no woman who has a doubt
or suspicion about these fasts can have derived
any profit from her instructions. Another fast
occurs on the 17th of the blessed month of Rajab.
It is kept till mid-day. Then with water poured
out of a new vessel, make some halwā,” and break
your fast. Take off your veil when conversing in
private with friends on your domestic concerns.
IV. -
Another fast is sacred to Hizrat Amir-ul-
Mūminīn, the peace of God be upon him, say the
learned seven. When a woman keeps this fast, she
must take up a ghulbál and a kasab, and beg at the
door of seven houses, striking at the same time the
ghulbál with the kasab to make a noise. Whatever
* A sort of sweet cake.
30 CUST.O MS AND MIA N N ERS OF
she obtains from the seven houses must be applied
to the purchase of something to break her fast. On
that day she must hold her peace, and speak to no
one. It is lucky to do the menial service of the house,
to cook, to bake bread, and sweep the floors; but
in cooking no salt must be used. If she eats dates
on that day, the effect will be propitious. Bájí
Yásmin says, this fast should be kept on a Mon-
day. Another fast is that of Hizrat Bibí, whose
radiant soul is now shining in heaven. On that
occasion you must obtain something by begging
from seven houses, and draw water from seven wells,
cook with that water, and then break your fast.
It is wajib to do this along with your friends and
a beloved youth. Shahr Báná Dadeh says, it is
necessary to break your fast with water poured
from a new vessel whilst it is cool. No one except
yourself must drink from the same vessel, and after
thus breaking your fast it is wajib to make two
prostrations in prayer. The conclave unanimously
agree that every wife and maid who has faith, and
performs all the ceremonies required at this fast,
will have her desires fully realized. If a girl's
fortune has not been already told, and she keeps
this fast, it will soon be developed: and if a
woman unhusbanded keep this fast, she will soon
be united to a spouse. Again, for telling the for-
tune of young damsels the following method is
T H E W O MEN OF PERSIA. 31
pursued. The women take up a maiden and con-
vey her to the top of a minar. They place on
the first step a walnut, and on the second two
walnuts, and then proceed to the top, where two
prostrations in prayer are required. In descend-
ing, when she comes to the step where the two
walnuts are placed, she must sit down upon
them, that by the weight of her body they may be
cracked. After this, on returning home, she must
not look back. Dadeh Bazm Ará, and Bībī Jān
Afróz, exclaim : “Well do we remember that,
many a time and oft, a damsel has done this, as it
were to-day, and the next her fortune has been
abundantly indicated.”
32 CUST.O MS AND M A N N ERS OF
CHAPTER IV.
of Singing and Instrumental Music, and of the Women of
Shárás, Georgia, Circassia, Isfahán, and Tabriz.
I. -
AND now of music and singing, two favourite
amusements among the women of Persia. A mu-
sical instrument of one kind or other should always
be kept in the house, that neighbours, whilst
visitingeach other, may never be without the means
of adding to the pleasure and sociability of their
parties. If it so happen that neither a dyra hul-
hadár" nor a síkdār is provided, the house ought
at any rate to possess a brass dish and a mallet for
that purpose. Every woman should be instructed
in the art of playing upon the dyra, or tambourine,
and she in turn must teach her daughters, that
their time may be passed in joy and mirth; and
the songs of Hāfiz, above all others, must beremem-
bered. It is also most agreeable and gratifying to
have music whilst engaged at the banquet, and on
* The dyra hulka-dár is a large tambourine with rings.
T H E W O M EN OF PERSIA. 33
all occasions of taking refreshments. No game
or diversion has half its spirit when it is not
accompanied by the thrilling sound of some
sweet instrument. Even the pleasing exercise
of the swing is rendered more delightful by the
tinkling of a cymbal, or the dulcet notes of a
kettle-drum.
II.
In the swing it is both mustahab and wéjib for
two persons to sit together, one passing a leg round
the waist of the other. If one is a youth, and his
companion a girl, so much the better. Kulsám
Naneh says, when they are thus sitting in the
swing-rope, mutually embracing and vibrating to
and fro, nothing can be more graceful and charm-
ing, and free from blame. Bájí Yásmin is of
opinion that, whilst enjoying the swing, it is
also wajib to repeat the following lines:
Swing, swing from the tree, see how quickly we go!
Now high as the branches, now sweeping below ;
Does a rival presume to supplant me? O, no ;
If he did, in a moment his life-blood should flow.
Now we cut through the wind, up and down is our flight,
My soul it drinks wine, and is wild with delight.
My heart's crimson current rolls only for thee,
Therefore be thou compassionate, sweet one, to me.
D
34 CUSTOM'S AND MAN N ERS OF
Swing, swing from the tree; swing, swing from the tree;
I am thine—thine for ever, then cling fast to me.*
III.
On the 13th of the month Saffar, and on a
Wednesday, it is wajib to enjoy the exercise of the
swing. Others say that whenever a person mounts
the swing without the music of the dyra, it is like
prayer without sincerity, and is of no use. Again,
playing on the dyra and being joyful on six dif-
ferent occasions is wajib, viz. first, at the bridal
feast; secondly, whilst enjoying the luxury of the
bath; thirdly, on the arrival of friends from a
journey; fourthly, at hospitable entertainments;
fifthly, at childbirth, when a son is born; and
sixthly, whilst enjoying the swing. If these ap-
pointed times of rejoicing are neglected, and unat-
tended with music, what hope is there of heaven 7
* It may be noted here, once for all, that the learned seven
give their sanction to no extra attachment in any man or
woman but that which is purely platonic.
Platonic souls how precious to each other
Truly platonic, ask ye 2 Yes, why not?
She may love him as dearly as a brother,
And he love her, too, without stain or spot;
A married woman often claims another,
Besides her gentle spouse, her lawful lot.
'Tis all the same at Venice, or Aleppo,
You must have read Iord Byron’s story, Beppo.
T H E W O M EN OF PERSIA. 35
It is mustahab for every person who has any taste
for pleasure and luxurious indulgence to play on
the drum, the dyra, and other instruments. Every
house that can boast of music is blessed, and
blesses others;” and it is a great sin ever to be
without the charm of harmonious sounds. Bájí
Yásmin says, that when a person returns from a
journey, even if his wife should be at the moment
giving birth to a child, let not music be omitted;
and wherever the musicians are at work, women
must assemble and listen to them with delight.
Kulsám Naneh, Shahr-Báná Dadeh, and others,
insist that if a woman at prayers suddenly hears the
sound of music, she ought to start up instantly
and listen to the song of the minstrels. But Bájí
Yásmin, Bíbí Ján Afróz, and Dadeh Bazm Ará,
say, that if the woman at prayers is old and de-
crepid she may continue her devotions without
listening to a single note: but whoever, pos-
sessing youth and beauty, hears sweet music and
neglects to attend to it, continuing the occupation
upon which he or she happens to be engaged, is
guilty of improper conduct, and unworthy of
either respect or consideration. And whenever a
company of performers assemble, and their exhila-
* It is twice blessed;
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.
Merchant of Venice.
D 2
36 C US TO MS AND M A N N E R S OF
rating music is heard, every one, far and near,
must immediately run to the spot and listen to the
last moment. If they fail to manifest this praise-
worthy disposition, and shew themselves destitute
of feeling and taste, they are not only to be pitied
for their dullness and stupidity, but condemned
for the neglect of an ancient custom.
IV.
The women of Shirāz may be properly imitated
in this respect. They are remarkable for their
taste in minstrelsy, and their devotion to the me-
mory of Hāfiz. Bájí Yásmin says, calling to mind
the spot on which he was buried,—
Hail to the bard, whose picturings warm,
Derived from love-inspiring wine,
Through every heart diffuse a charm,
And prove the poet's powers divine !
Here jocund crowds were wont to meet,
And round his sacred ashes throng,
And quaffing wine would oft repeat
Mutribā Khūsh, his sweetest song.
Each maid an offering loved to pay
Upon her favourite poet's bier,
For still his sweetly melting lay
Breathes joy in every Persian ear.”
* The tomb of Hāfiz stands about two miles out of the city.
It is of white marble, eight feet long by four broad, and was
© built
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 37
V.
Shirāz is, indeed, a city very much celebrated for
beautiful women, and equally remarkable for its
gaiety and magnificence.
The lovely damsels of Shiráz,
Are skilled in Kulstäm Naneh’s laws,
Adding to charms that wisdom blind,
The richer treasures of the mind.
Their glowing cheeks have tints that cast
A shadow o'er the rose's bloom ;
Their eyes, by Laili’s” unsurpassed,
Give splendour to the deepest gloom.
built by Kerrím Khán, covering the original one of brick. The
principal youth of the city, says Colonel Francklin, assemble
here and shew every mark of respect for their favourite poet,
making plentiful libations of the delicious wine of Shirāz to
his memory.
* The story of Lailí and Majnán is one of the most celebrated
in the Persian language. “The tale itself is extremely simple,
and the more affecting, because it is true; for Kais, who be-
came frantic from disappointed love, and thence had the
surname of Majnán, was a most accomplished and amiable
youth, the only son of an Arabian chieftain in the first age of
the Mohammedan empire: fragments of his beautiful poetry
are still repeated with rapture by the Arabs of Hijáz, and the
best works of the Persians abound in allusions to his unfortu-
nate passion. Lailí was the daughter of a neighbouring chief,
and was also eminently accomplished: yet she had no transcen-
dent beauty, it seems, in any eyes but those of her lover. Sa'dí,
who
38 C U STOM'S A N D M A N N ERS OF
Black brows just like the bended bow,
O'erarch those stars of living light;
And mingling with each other, show
The glance of beauty still more bright.
who represents her with a swarthy complexion and of low
stature, tells a long, but agreeable story on the same subject,
which the Maulavi of Rúm has comprized in two couplets:
“The Khalīfeh said to Lailí, art thou the damsel for whom
the lost Majnán has become a wanderer in the desert? thou
surpassest not other girls in beauty.” She said, “Be silent, for
thou art not Majnán.”—See the Works of Sir William Jones.
It may be added here that the poplar, or cypress, is called
azád derakht, or the free tree, because Majnán saved one from
the axe of a gardener, on the plea of its resembling the shape of
Lailí. Wandering amidst lonely groves in frantic mood, Majnán
thus addressed the man who was about to commit the sacrilege:
“Gardener | did ever love thy heart control?
Was ever woman mistress of thy soul?
When joy has thrilled through every glowing nerve,
Hadst thou no wish that feeling to preserve 2
Does not a woman's love delight, entrance, ,
And every blessing fortune yields enhance 2
Then stop that lifted hand, the stroke suspend,
Spare, spare the cypress tree, if thou’rt my friend!
And why? look there, and be forewarn’d by me,
'Tis Lailí's form, all grace and majesty.
Would'st thou root up resemblance so complete,
And lay its branches withering at thy feet?
What, Lailí’s form no, spare the cypress tree,
Let it remain, still beautiful and free.
Yes, let my prayers thy kindliest feelings move,
And save the graceful shape of her I love.”
—The gardener dropped his axe, o'ercome with shame,
And left the tree to bloom, and speak of Lailí's fame.
T H E W O M E N OF PERSIA « 39
Their musky locks have each a spell,
Each hair itself ensnares the heart;
Their moles* are irresistible,
And rapture to the soul impart.
And what is better; wise and fair,
And more discreet than others are,
The lovely damsels of Shirāz
Are skilled in Kulsåm Naneh’s laws
But Georgia is a garden sweet,
And beauty's own romantic seat;
The dark-browed maidens there possess
The boon of perfect loveliness.
Stags' eyes in sleepy languor roll,
And captivate the softened soul;
Long silken lashes shade the ball,
And tresses o'er the shoulders fall
In many a heart-bewildering ring,
Glossy and black as raven's wing.
Their forms with fine proportion graced,
Full-bosomed, slender round the waist,
With tapering limbs of snowy whiteness,
Eclipsing even the moon in brightness.f
* The reader will here remember the beautiful ode of Hāfiz
in which this passage occurs, “ I would give for the mole on
her cheek the cities of Samarkand and Bokhara.”
+ The old traveller, Sir John Chardin, says, “the complex-
ion of the Georgians is the most beautiful in all the east, and
I can safely say that I never saw an ill-favoured countenance
in
40 CUST.O MS AND MA N N ERS OF
—Circassian damsels, too, display
Superior charms, and ever gay,
Chase sorrow from the heart away.
Though often they are bought and sold,
By mothers given for paltry gold;
Yet is not their's a slavish part,
Beauty still holds in chains the heart.*
And they, in princely hall or bower,
With wedded dames have equal power;
For they have never failed to look
In Kulsim Nameh's matchless book,
And, studying there, obtained that blessing,
More than all others worth possessing.
in all that country, either of the one or the other sex; but I have
seen those that have had angels' faces, nature having bestowed
upon the women of that country graces and features which
are not other where to be seen, so that 'tis impossible to be-
hold them,” adds the ancient chronicler, “without falling in
love. More charming countenances, nor more lovely statures
and proportions cannot be pencilled forth by all the art of man.
They are tall, clean-limbed, plump, and full, but not over fat,
and extremely slender in the waist. Let them have never so
few clothes on, you shall not see their hips. That which spoils
all, is this, that they all paint, as well the lovely as less beautiful;
for they make use of paint instead of other ornaments.”
* Tavernier saw most beautiful women in Persia. The fair,
he says, were from Poland, Moscow, Circassia, Mingrelia,
Georgia, and the frontiers of Great Tartary; the tawny, from
the kingdom of the Great Mogul, Golconda, and Visapār;
and the dark, from the borders of the Red Sea.
T H E WOMEN OF PERSIA. 41
Daughters of Persia! still is yours
The art to charm, while life endures;
But search Büshír to Khorassán,
There’s none like those of Isfahán
For wit and pleasantry, and loving,
Ever the joys of life improving.
But they are jealous, and make man
Know who's supreme at Isfahán
Since they, upholding woman's cause,
Her rights, and Kulsum Naneh’s laws,
Have, heroine-like, the resolution
To put them well in execution.
What are the women of Tabriz
Not beautiful, and yet they please.
Please ? Yes, by heavens, and they command,
And always keep the upper-hand.
Their tempers, sharp as Damask sword,
Throw bitterness in every word;
Yet man, obsequious to their will,
Controlled, and unresisting still,
Bends patiently beneath their sway,
Anxious to live as best he may :
Thus, whether beautiful or plain,
Woman asserts her lordly reign,
Which proves her intellectual power—
For wisdom is the sex’s dower
42 C US TO M S A N D M A N N ERS OF
CHAPTER V.
Of the Nuptial Night.
I.
It is necessary that the ceremonies and customs
of the nuptial night should be well understood,
lest any mistake arise prejudicial to the peace and
future prospects of the parties concerned ; for in
every undertaking, whether mercantile, social, or
connubial, the success of the initiatory process is
generally considered prophetic of a prosperous
career. This notion holds good especially in a
Persian wedding. It is therefore declared by the
learned conclave, that on the day the bride is es-
corted to the nuptial chamber, the husband is al-
lowed to wait some time, with the women who
accompanied her, in another room; but he is not
allowed, on any account, to treat them familiarly,
or toy with them. Kulsám Naneh says, although
it is wajib for the husband to remain with the bride-
women, it is highly indecorous in him to indulge
in any thing like flirtation, because such conduct
would infallibly irritate the feelings of the wife.
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 43
It is also wajib for the mother of the bride to be
present on the nuptial night. When the husband
is introduced into the bridal-chamber, he is seated
by her side. The right leg of the bride is placed
upon the left leg of the husband, and her right
hand is placed upon the hand of her husband,
to shew that she ought always to have the upper
hand of her spouse. It is wajib that the husband
should then make two prostrations in prayer. A
basin and ewer and water are now brought, and the
right leg of the bride and the left leg of the bride-
groom are placed together and washed, and their
hands also in the same manner.” The husband
then takes the bride in his arms and places her on
the nuptial couch, and scatters cotton seed over
her head.
II.
Fresh fish fried and mixed in the food of the
bride and bridegroom on the nuptial night is of
great advantage; and if it rains on that night the
bridegroom will doubtless be prosperous.
* The Mussulmans in India do not observe exactly the same
initiatory process. Placing the bride's and bridegoom's arms
round each other's neck, with their faces turned towards the
kibleh, they cause them to make two prostrations; after which
the bride first washes the bridegroom's feet in a mixture of
sandal and water, and then he washes her’s. That being done,
the couple retire.—Qanoon-e-Islam.
44 C USTOMS AND MANNERS OF
III.
It is sunnat for both to take aromatic seeds in
their mouths, that they may be sweet to each
other: and looking into a glass and the Korán,
and particularly consulting the sūra, or chapter
of Joseph, is also sunnat. Some think it only
wájib. Bibi Ján Afróz says, that the seeds scat-
tered over the head of the bride are useful in for-
tune-telling. The same virtue is communicated
to the seeds tied up in the corner of the bride's
handkerchief; and he who eats the seed found in
the turban of the bridegroom will have every wish
of his heart realized. Kulsám Naneh says, that
when the bride enters the nuptial chamber, music
should be struck up from all kinds of instruments,
the women making the air resound with
“ Mubărak bád Mubărak bád
Auspicious may your fortunes bel
And ever may your hearts, still glad,
Respond to nuptial revelry;
Mubărak bád Mubărak bád l’”
IV.
Should there be no dyra hulkadár in the house,
prayer in that house is of no avail. Shahr Báná
Dadeh says it is indispensable to have a dyra sik-
dār; but Bibi Ján Afróz and the others contend,
that if there is neither a dyra hulkadár nor síkdár,
a dyra without a hulka or sík will be sufficient to
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 45
drive misfortune away. It is also wajib at the time
of repeating the benediction, mubărak bád, that
these verses by Shahr Báná Dadeh should be sung:
This house is resplendent and joyous to-night,
The beautiful lamps give a dazzling light:
O this night ! this night, it is fit to inspire
Every heart with the passion of love and desire.
May these joys never cease to entrance them, O never;
What a night! what a night ! be it blessed and for
eVer.
Though the lamps are all burning, the guests are now
gone,
And the bride and the bridegroom left happy alone.
V.
The whole conclave concur in approving of these
congratulatory verses on the occasion, preceded
and followed by loud strains of enlivening music.
It is wajib that a handsome woman should throw
the sleeping apparel of the bride,” that the husband
may be constant and true to his wife; and it is
lucky for both to sleep on one pillow. Special
care must be taken that an ugly black woman
does not throw the sleeping apparel, for according
to Kulsám Naneh, it would be highly injurious to
the wedded pair. Others are of opinion, that
* Something like throwing the stocking in several parts of
England.
46 CUSTOM'S A N D M A N N ERS OF
after the bride and bridegroom have retired to the
nuptial chamber, those women who attended the
bride from her mother's house to that of her hus-
band should sit in a corner and listen to all that
is said, and in the morning tell the gossip to their
friends and acquaintances.
VI.
Should there be no convenient opportunity for
prayer on the nuptial night, the omission is not
considered of any consequence. On the following
day it is usual for the company to re-assemble, and
play on the dyra, and dance. For the company to
dance is wajib; for the bride, sunnat; though some
think it only wéjib. They also say that the
bride's dinner ought to be cooked in her mother's
house, behind a screen. And on the day of the
marriage a little camphor and rose-water, with
fried seeds, should be given to her, and doubtless
her first child will be a son. This is not a recipe
of questionable efficacy; it is established. And
when the bride is taken to the house of her hus-
band, it is absolutely necessary that every one
related to the bride should carry along with her
an offering of sweetmeats. A bride may dispense
with prayers forty days; and if she is married in
the blessed month of Ramazán, it is not necessary
that she should either pray or fast at all during
that period.
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 47
CHAPTER VI.
Of Pregnancy and Child-birth.
I.
THERE are several rules necessary to be attended
to during the time of gestation, and the infancy of
the child. When a woman becomes pregnant, she
must communicate the circumstance to the rela-
tions of her husband, who will assemble together
and make such arrangements for her comfort and
convenience as to prevent every chance of ac-
cident.
II.
In that state, too, the woman should take a needle
and thread, and sew into a piece of linen some
grains, particularly of wheat and arzen, and a
gold coin. These she must keep, and mark the
effect. If one of the articles should be lost, that
year will be unfortunate to the loser. Should,
however, any untoward event occur, the child,
at the time of birth, will be the greatest suf-
ferer. Whatever the pregnant woman may long
for, whether beef, or goat, or mutton, fruit, or
48 C US TOM'S A N D M A N N ERS OF
apparel, or wine, the husband must provide and
bring to her; for if he does not furnish that which
she may have set her heart upon, the child's eyes
will be green: this is sunnat. And when the pe-
riod of delivery is nigh, a proper nurse must be
brought. On her arrival she places herself at the
head of the woman in labour, and claps her hands
three times: and if the birth is protracted, Kulsám
Naneh advises the child’s binder to be thrown at
her head to expedite delivery. Shahr Báná Dadeh
says, that the nurse, on any occasion of delay,
ought to address the infant thus:
“O, thou sweet and gentle child !
Why this long delay P
Pure thou art, and undefiled—
Prithee come away.
Cherub what hast thou to fear P
Love and joy await thee here,
Sweet! no longer stay.
The water is warm to bathe thee,
Thy raiment is ready to swathe thee,
Then why this long delay P
Thy mother's fair bosom is throbbing with pleasure,
Impatient to yield thee its balmy treasure;
And thy cradle is ready to rock thee to rest,
Come away, then, and let thy fond mother be blest.
Come away, come away !”
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 49
These are among the secrets and mysteries em-
ployed to induce a more speedy accouchement;
and Khála Ján Aghā says, that no person of im-
moral conduct, no person habitually negligent of
prayer, or in a state of impurity, should be present
on such occasions. Another considers it prudent to
draw the sword half way out of the scabbard, and .
wait awhile, otherwise fatal consequences may
ensue. For Al” may chance to supervene and lace-
rate the heart of the woman: caution, therefore, is
of the greatest importance; and nothing even of the
colour of al, which is scarlet, should be seen in the
room; but it is of use to put a black handkerchief
over the woman's head, and, tying a knot in it, con-
tributes in a high degree to a favourable result.
III.
It is especially necessary that the woman should
not drink water for three days.T. If she dies of thirst
she will be among the blessed in heaven. When the
child is born wash him well, wrap him in swaddling
clothes, and put him in a large dish or basin till
the umbilical cord is cut. The ceremony observed
* Al in this place means a child-bed disease, the puerperal
fever, to which the mother is said to be subject during the first
seven days after delivery, and is generally fatal.
t In the south of India, the only drink permitted for forty
days after confinement is water, in which a red-hot horse-
shoe, or any other piece of iron, has been slaked, and allowed
to cool.— Qanoon-e-Islam.
F.
50 C U STOM'S A N D M A N N E RS OF
in performing this operation is as follows: The
nurse takes up the sword, or knife, and makes a
mark or sign upon the four sides of the room,
successively repeating a prayer four times. Kul-
sūm Naneh says, if these marks are not drawn as
prescribed, the apprehended disease will come on
violently, and the woman undoubtedly die. Be-
ware, therefore, of neglecting the injunctions of
the learned seven, and of doing that which they
have forbidden: and be sure never to use the word
al, the very utterance of which is sometimes the fore-
runner of the disease. Kulsám Naneh says, I have
myself seen the apparition of al several times; it
is like a girl of slender form, rosy complexion, and
with hair like red tulips; on this account they call
her Al, for al means scarlet.
Would you know Alf she seems a blushing maid,
With locks of flame, and cheeks all rosy red.
IV.
It is also wajib that three onions should be
suspended from the woman's head, that Al may
be frightened away by the smell. Let not an in-
cautious person come near her. BájíYásmin says,
leave not a woman alone during delivery, for if you
do, fever may take possession of her heart. And on
those occasions, when great pain ensues, it is ne-
cessary, for the purpose of alleviating the symp-
toms, to pour barley into her lap, and bring a
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 51
horse to eat it there: and for seven days she must
be called Mariam, and her own name not men-
tioned, otherwise she will fall sick and be in danger.
Life is too sweet a boon,
Not to be kept with fondest care;
Neglect the lamp—and soon
It ceases to illume the air.
Cherish we must that flower,
Whose bud is opening to the day,
And stay the fatal hour
And brighten life's uncertain ray.
V.
Again, for six days the child must be kept by
its mother's side, and not put into the cradle;
during those days it is regarded as a dear friend
returned from a long journey: the host is the mo-
ther. After that, it must be put into the cradle, near
which and the mother they place some sweetmeats,
and bread and cheese, and roasted fowl,and sherbet,
that if any bad symptom appear she may employ
herself in eating, and then nothing unpleasant will
happen either to herself or to the child. In putting
the infant into the cradle they tie a little bread and .
sweet cake in a handkerchief, and fasten it round
the child, which they call tosha, or provisions for a
journey.” And it is also wajib that seven women
* The Mohammedans of India do not place the infant in
the cradle before the fortieth day.—Qanoon-e-Islam.
E 2
52 CUSTOM'S AND MANN ERS OF
should sit down together in a ring and hand the
child about from, one to another: the first who
takes the child, in giving it to the other, should say,
“Take it; ” the other asks “What is it?” the giver
says, “A child !” In this manner the infant is
handed among the seven till it comes to the nurse,
who, on receiving it back, exclaims in an affectionate
tone, “God preserve thee, dear cherubl” and places
it in the cradle: this is wajib. All the seven wise
women agree in this, except Khála Gul-bari, who
contends that it is not only wéjib, but sunnat.
Khála Ján Aghā is decidedly of opinion, that when
the child is put into the cradle some walnuts ought
to be cracked, and these words addressed to the
infant to make him courageous :
Fear not croak of loathsome frog,
Nor the bark of wolf or dog,
Nor the crowing of a cock,
Nor the winter tempest's shock;
Fear not raven, nor sink under
Lightning's flash or deafening thunder;
Fear not screeching owl or rat,
Snake or scorpion, fowl or bat.
VI.
Dadeh Bazm Ará says, that during the time the
mother suckles her child no person ought to ruffle
her feelings in any way, lest her milk should be
soured; in short, she must not be questioned or
contradicted, but kept in as perfect a state of
'º-º-º: ‘.
**** +..
T H E W O MEN OF PERSIA. 53
tranquillity in body and mind as possible: this
is peculiarly wéjib.
- VII.
Another usage. When the time of parturition
is nigh, it is proper to spread the table-cloth and
place a lamp at each of the four corners of the
table, to burn night and day; and to place upon
the table fruits of seven sorts, and seven kinds of
aromatic seeds. Kulsám Naneh contends, that a
pomegranate on the table takes away the good
effects of the Ede, and therefore it is incumbent on
every person in the house to eat every twelfth seed
of that fruit, to destroy its power and prevent mis-
fortune.
54 CUSTOM'S AND M A N N ERS OF
CHAPTER VII.
Of the Conduct of the Wife to her Husband, Mother-in-
law, and to other Relations.
I.
THIs chapter embraces the conduct of husband
to wife, and wife to husband. That man is to be
praised who confines himself to one wife; for if he
takes two it is wrong, and he will certainly repent
of his folly. Thus say the seven wise women—
Be that man's life immersed in gloom
Who weds more wives than one,
With one his cheeks retain their bloom,
His voice a cheerful tone;
These speak his honest heart at rest,
And he and she are always blest;
But when with two he seeks for joy,
Together they his soul annoy;
With two no sun-beam of delight
Can make his day of misery bright.*
* The learned seven have here, as indeed on all occasions,
meritoriously shewn a proper regard for strictly moral conduct,
and the happiness of domestic life. They very justly insist
upon
T H E WOMEN OF PERSIA. 55
II.
That man, too, must possess an excellent dispo-
sition, who never fails to comply with his wife's
wishes, since the hearts of women are gentle and
tender, and harshness to them would be cruel.
If he be angry with her, so greatis her sensibility,
that she loses her health and becomes weak and
delicate. A wife, indeed, is the mirror of her
husband, and reflects his character; her joyous
and agreeable looks being the best proofs of his
temper and goodness of heart. She never of
herself departs from the right path, and the
upon it that a man ought not to be burthened with more than
one wife at a time, being satisfied that the management of two
is beyond his power, if not impossible. The same view of the
case is entertained by Widow Wali in the old play of The
Sultan :
Wretch! wouldst thou have another wedded slave?
Another! What, another . At thy peril
Presume to try th’experiment; wouldst thou not
For that unconscionable, foul desire,
Be linked to misery 2 Sleepless mights, and days
Of endless torment, still recurring SOrrow
Would be thy lot. Two wives! O never, never.
Thou hast not power to please two rival-queens,
Their tempers would destroy thee; sear thy brain;
Thou canst not, Sultan, manage more than one !
Even one may be beyond thy government.
Hear the confession of Mirza Abu Taleb Khān himself
“From what I know,” he says, “it is easier to live with two
tigresses than with two wives "’
56 C US TOM'S AND MIA N N E R S OF
colour of her cheeks is like the full blown rose ;
but if her husband is continually angry with her,
her colour fades, and her complexion becomes
yellow as saffron. He should give her money
without limit : God forbid that she should die of
sorrow and disappointment 1 in which case her
blood would be upon the head of her husband.
The parrot tears the rose with felon-beak,
As sorrow preys on beauty's tempting cheek;
The robber-worm destroys both fruit and flower,
As grief cuts shorter life's fast fleeting hour;
If thou wouldst live and love, and joy impart,
Wain fool! keep grief and sorrow from her heart.
III.
The learned conclave are unanimous in declaring
that many instances have occurred of women dying
from the barbarous cruelty of their husbands in
this respect; and if the husband be even a day-
labourer, and he does not give his wages to his
wife, she will claim them on the day of judgment.
It is incumbent on the husband to bestow on
the wife a daily allowance in cash, and he must
also allow her every expense of feasting, and of ex-
cursions, and the bath, and every other kind of
recreation. If he has not generosity and pride
enough to do this, he will assuredly be punished
for all his sins and omissions on the day of resur-
rection. And whenever he goes to the market, he
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 57
must buy fruit and other little things, and put
them in his handkerchief, and take them to his
wife, to shew his affection for her, and to please
her heart. And if she wishes to undertake a little
journey, to go to the house of her friends for a
month, to attend the baths, or enjoy any other
pastime, it is not fit for the husband to deny those
wishes, and distress her mind by refusal. And
when she resolves upon giving an entertainment,
it is wajib that he should anticipate what she wants,
and bring to her all kinds of presents, and food,
and wine, required on the festive occasion. And
in entertaining her guests, and mixing among
them, and doing all that hospitality and cordial
friendship demand, she is not to be interrupted
or interfered with by her husband saying “What
have you done? where have you been 2° And if
her female guests choose to remain all night, they
must be allowed to sleep in the woman's room,
whilst the husband sleeps apart and alone. The
learned conclave unanimously declare that the
woman who possesses such a husband—a man so
accommodating and obedient, is truly fortunate;
but if he happens to be of an opposite character,
morose, disobliging, and irritable, then indeed
must she be the most wretched of womankind.
In that case she must of necessity sue for a
divorce, or make him faithfully promise future
obedience and readiness to devote himself wholly
58 C USTOM'S AND M A N N ERS OF
to her will and pleasure. If a divorce is denied,
she must then pray devoutly to be unburthéned of
her husband, and that she may soon become a
widow. By artifice and manoeuvring the spouse
may thus be at length induced to say : “Do, love,
whatever you please, for I am your dutiful slave.”
Bibi Ján Afróz says, “a woman is like a nose-
gay, always retaining its moisture so as never to
wither.” It is not, therefore, proper that such a
lovely object should be refused the comfort and
felicity of taking pleasant walks in gardens with
her friends, and manifesting her hospitality to
her guests; nor is it reasonable that she should be
prevented from playing on the dyra, and frequently
visiting her acquaintance.
'Tis perpetual Spring
When a woman is kind;
But her frowns always bring
Winter tempests to mind.
* This is in the true spirit of the Wife of Bath.
But after many a hearty struggle past,
I condescended to be pleased at last;
Soon as he said, “My mistress and my wife,
Do what you list, the term of all your life;”
I took to heart the merits of the cause,
And stood content to rule by wholesome laws;
Received the reins of absolute command,
With all the government of house and land,
The empire o'er his tongue and o'er his hand.
T H E W O M EN OF PERSIA. 59
IV.
Should her husband, however, maliciously and
vexatiously refuse these rights, she cannot remain
longer in his house. An old or ugly woman does
not lie under the same obligation; she may sub-
mit to any privation without infringing the rules
of decorum. The conclave also declare that the
husband's mother, and other relations, are inva-
riably inimical to the wife: it is therefore wajib
that she should maintain her authority when
thwarted in her views, by at least once a day using
her fists, her teeth, and kicking, and pulling their
hair, till tears come into their eyes, and fear pre-
vents further interference with her plans.” Kulsám
Naneh says that she must continue this indomita-
ble spirit of independence until she has fully esta-
blished her power, and on all occasions she must
ring in her husband’s ears the threat of a divorce.
If he still resists, she must redouble all the vexa-
tions which she knows from experience irritate
his mind, and day and night add to the bitterness
and misery of his condition. She must never,
whether by day or by night, for a moment relax.
For instance, if he condescends to hand her the
* The Wife of Bath again:-
I, like a dog, could bite as well as whine,
And first complained, whene'er the guilt was mine.
60 C USTOMS AND MANNERS OF
loaf, she must throw it from her, or at him, with
indignation and contempt. She must make his
shoe too tight for him, and his pillow a pillow of
stone: so that at last he becomes weary of life,
and is glad to acknowledge her authority. On
the other hand, should these resources fail, the
wife may privately convey from her husband's
house every thing valuable that she can lay her
hands upon, and then go to the Kázi, and complain
that her husband has beaten her with his shoe,
and pretend to shew the bruises on her skin. She
must state such facts in favour of her case as she
knows cannot be refuted by evidence, and pursue
every possible plan to escape from the thraldom
she endures. For that purpose, every effort of
every description is perfectly justifiable, and ac-
cording to law.
V.
And the seven learned expounders of the cus-
toms regarding the conduct and demeanour of
women in Persia declare, that among the forbidden
things is that of allowing their features to be
seen by men not wearing turbans, unless indeed
they are handsome, and have soft and captivat-
ing manners; in that case their veils may be
drawn aside without the apprehension of incurring
blame, or in any degree exceeding the discre-
tionary power with which they are traditionally
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 61
invested. But they must scrupulously and reli-
giously abstain from all such liberties with Mál-
lahs and Jews; since, respecting them, the pro-
hibition is imperative. It is not necessary, how-
ever, to be very particular in the presence of
common people; there is nothing criminal in being
seen by singers, musicians, hammām-servants, and
such persons as go about the streets to sell their
wares and trinkets.
62 C US'ſ O M S A N D M A N N ERS OF
CHAPTER VIII. .
Of Charms, and the means of destroying the effects of
Witchcraft, with divers other Ordinances.
I.
THIs chapter refers to the charms and amulets
which are worn to keep off the blight of an evil
eye, and the wicked witchcraft of fortune-tellers
and enchanters:* such as stags' antlers, wolf and
tiger claws, and lizards, tied round children's
* It is much to the credit of Kulsám Naneh and her col-
leagues, that no philtres or charms, or love potions, are recom-
mended to make men obedient to the will of their wives. The
Mussulman ladies of India are more crafty. “Many women,”
says the Qanoon-e-Islam, “make the men eat the flesh of the
chameleon, and various kinds of wild roots, and herbs, and betel-
nut. They likewise procure some of the ashes of the dead from
the burning place of the Hindús, and having read someincanta-
tion over them, sprinkle them at night on the bed of the hus-
band, or on himself, when asleep: or they apply to their own
foreheads or eyebrows a well-known kind of philtre, in order
that their husbands on beholding them may become enamoured
and kind to them.” These strange and revolting mixtures of
unmentionable ingredients are concocted for the same purpose,
none of which disgrace the pure pages of the learned seven.
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 63
necks. If a girl is of a timid disposition, place a
frying-pan at the street-door and put fire into it to
make it hot. The mother and daughter must then
stand on one side of the frying-pan, close to each
other, and every time they change hands they
must scatter a little salt and water into it. They
must then look steadfastly upon the frying-pan,
and particularly upon the spot where the salt and
water were thrown, and, wonderful to relate, the
image of the beast or animal which is the secret
cause of fear will be seen 1 Again, on a Sunday
night take an unburnt brick, and pour some oil
upon it, drop by drop, and with a knife scrape
up wherever the oil has fallen, and say, this is the
eye of such a one, man or woman, mentioning
their names. After that put a piece of cotton and
an egg upon the brick, then set fire to the cotton,
and place the brick on the road. In returning
home be careful not to look back. Kulsám Naneh
says, this is an excellent preservative against the
evil eye. Again, the claws of the tiger and the
wolf are also of great power in destroying the
pernicious influence of enchanters. Some of these
amulets are bound round the temples, and others
over the shoulders, and some again near the heart.
II.
With regard to fortune-telling, a variety of
stories are related. Take, hot from the oven, a
64 C US TO MS AND MAN N E R S OF
loaf that is joined to another, and throw them
both at the head of the girl whose fortune is to be
told. If they do not separate, she will soon be
married.
III.
Take some bride-millet seed, called arzen artist,
and when the bride is entering the bridal chamber,
throw them backwards after her, pronouncing her
name, and by counting, the seeds that fall, her
future fortune may be ascertained. Upon first
seeing the new moon, a girl should look at a crow,
that her destiny may be known: if the girl's eyes
and the crow's eyes meet each other at the same
moment, the omen is propitious. If the palm of
the hand itches, rub it on the head of a boy
whose father and mother are still living, and a
present of money will be the consequence. If a
dog catches a fly, take and wrap it up in the
corner of a handkerchief, and undoubtedly some
good will ensue. A kind and loving disposition
is always considered sunnat, and worthy of being
cultivated by the sex. If a woman's apparel is
torn, and she wishes it to be restored to its former
state, she must take something in her mouth and
hold it till the repairs are completed; that is,
she ought not to rest till the work is done. Others
say, when a fire makes a crackling noise, cry
“kuch kuch,’ three times, and undoubtedly the
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 65
sparks and the noise will cease. When you hear
the summons of the Mu’azzin, kiss your index
finger and pass it twice over your ears. That is
sunnat mu'akkad. And the seven wise women de-
clare that if any thing written in this book is
rejected, and not faithfully attended to and prac-
tised, the offender will suffer for it, both in this
world and the next. Again, on the very day a
woman goes to the house of her husband, upon
being married, it is necessary that every thing of
importance relating to her own interest and ad-
vantage should be first settled; all arrangements
made to secure her own comfort, and the unin-
terrupted exercise of her own will; so that she
may be exonerated from the responsibility which
might otherwise attach to her; for it is sunnat
that all blame should be invariably laid upon the
back of her husband : and whatever he does, she
must require again of him, as if it had not been
done at all. Kulsám Naneh says, she is astonished
how a woman can live all her life with one hus-
band in one house.” Why should he deprive her
of the full enjoyment of this world's comforts 2
Days and years roll on and are renewed, whilst a
woman continues the same melancholy inmate, in
* In conformity with the well-known distich :
The mouse that is content with one poor hole,
Can never be a mouse of any soul.”
H'
66 C USTOM'S A N D M A N N ERS OF
the same melancholy house of her husband. She
has no renewal of happiness, none.
The seasons change, and Spring
Renews the bloom of fruit and flower;
And birds, with fluttering wing,
Give life again to dell and bower.
But what is woman’s lot ?
No change her anxious heart to cheer;
Confined to one dull spot,
To one dull husband all the year !
IV.
Báji Yásmin says it is wajib to have bread of
the blessed month of Ramazán on the table on
the night of the Nau-roz" festival : the others say
it is sunnat. Shahr Báná Dadeh recommends
every man to steep the bread of the month of
Ramazán in water, and also to kill a kid and eat
it, and during that year he will have no pain
in his throat. And it is further ordained and di-
rected, that when a person dies it is necessary
to spill all the water to be found in the house of
the deceased, for if any one should drink of that
water he will have an inflammation of the stomach.
This doctrine is of the greatest consequence; and
there are other matters which the whole conclave
also consider of great moment. On Sundays and
* The first day of the Persian year, when the sun enters
Aries; the festival of the vernal equinox.
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 67
Tuesdays, linen and cotton and earthen vessels
should not be brought into the house. On Wed-
nesdays the lamps should not be lighted. On
Fridays neither wood nor bread should be re-
ceived for consumption, nor furniture nor apparel
washed on that day. On Sundays and Tuesdays
we ought not to visit the sick. Those who are in
one place on Saturday night, must be in the same
place on the night of Sunday: and in this manner,
every person who passes Thursday night in one
place, must pass Friday night there also: and
likewise he who passes Tuesday night in one place,
must also be there on the night of Wednesday.”
* Such are the superstitious notions of the Persians. But
the Mohammedans of India seem to be still more dependent
on days and dates. In the Qanoon-e-Islam it is written, that
if a person has his measure taken for new clothes on a Sun-
day, he will be found mournful and crying ; if on a Monday,
he will have ample food and provisions; if on a Tuesday, his
clothes will be burnt; if on a Wednesday, he will enjoy happi-
ness and tranquillity; if on a Thursday, it will be good and
propitious; if on a Friday, well; on a Saturday, he will ex-
perience numerous troubles and misfortunes | | And according
to the same authority, if a person bathe on a Sunday he
will experience affliction; if on a Monday, his property
will increase ; if on a Tuesday, he will labour under anx-
iety of mind; if on a Wednesday, he will increase in beauty;
if on a Thursday, his property will increase; if on a Friday,
all his sins will be forgiven him ' ' if on a Saturday, all his ail-
ments will be removed ' ' '
F 2
68 C US TO MIS A N D M A N N E R S OF
CHAPTER IX.
Of Guests and Visitors, and the lucky periods of their
coming and departure.
I.
THE rules of hospitality regarding the reception
and entertainment of guests or visitors have been
slightly adverted to in a former chapter. There
are lucky and unlucky days on this subject as in
every other human proceeding, and it behoves
every person to follow implicitly what tradition
and experience have proved to be productive of
the greatest good. Although it is not lucky for a
guest to enter the house of a friend on a Wednes-
day night, Tuesday night is not liable to the same
objection. The moment he arrives he is welcomed
by being presented with the kalyān and coffee.
And if your guest be a young man of noble pre-
sence and attractive manners, he is entitled to
enjoy your hospitality for three days certain; after
that, at his own option, he may be permitted to
lengthen his stay : and it is wajib for the young
mistress of the house, in the mean time, unknown
T H E W O M EN OF PE RSIA. 69
to her husband, to seek every convenient opportu-
nity to converse with him and exchange vows of
friendship, so dear and consoling to youthful
hearts. And, on any occasion, should her return
home be delayed till a late hour, a ladder may be
placed against the wall, that she may enter the
house by the door on the terrace, unseen.” And
the guest should be presented with a red apple, or
a yellow quince, and sugar-cake and aromatics as
a token of kindness and favour. Bíbí Ján Afróz
insists, that after a guest has eaten his fill at
dinner, it is wajib to take up two or three large
morsels of meat, and present them to him to eat,
whether he will or not, and if he cannot swallow
the whole, another banquet must be given the fol-
lowing night. And also, whenever female friends
are entertained by the husband and wife, every
thing that transpires must be repeated, and com-
mented upon to other friends. Besides, Kulsám
Naneh says, whenever a youth of prepossessing
exterior, expressive eyes, and smiling mouth is
invited to a house, the wife must take an oppor-
tunity of whispering softly in his ear, “ Khūsh
Amadīd,” “You are welcome.” And whatever
* House tops in most countries of the East are terraced and
flat.
70 C USTOM'S AND MI A N N E R S OF
passes between them she must relate to her fa-
miliar associates and friends, without omitting
the smallest particular in the account. This is
wájib.
II.
With respect to marriage and bridehood, and
whatever depends upon them, it is proper, when
a woman is engaged, that all conjugal arrange-
ments should be completed at once. They present
a lighted candle before her face, and place the
Korán near her, and a mirror, and also a tray with
ambergris-tapers, different kinds of perfume, some
arzen and dried dates, called kyáni mordd, and
cress-seed, aspund, and other articles required
by ancient usage. And it is proper, also, that a
person should stand at the head of the bride and
pronounce the Khotbeh of Hazrat Adam, and they
should also throw over the head of the bride a sort
of veil of a green colour, so that her whole person
may be enveloped in its folds. The bride herself
must not speak to any one. She must then be
undressed, even her gauze chemise taken off, and
whilst thus hid from view, a large brass basin
must be turned upside down, and a lighted lamp
put under it, fed with oil made of ox-fat. Upon
this basin they must place a saddle, if they have
one, and then a pillow, on which the bride is
T H E WOMEN OF PERSI A. 71
seated, the attendants singing aloud:
“The husband is saddled, the journey begun,
And the beautiful bride her own race has to run."
III.
The veil, or rather drapery of ample dimensions,
which is brought for the bride from the house
of the bridegroom, is always thrown over the
head of the bride whilst the marriage ceremony
is being performed. Kulsám Naneh and Khála
Ján Agha recommend the bride to tie privately
some aromatic seeds in her dress, and when she
is taken to the house of her husband she must
eat them, so as to have always a sweet breath in
his presence. Shahr Báná Dadeh says, she may
present to her husband some of the seeds, which,
for the same reason, will have a good effect. The
other members of the conclave contend that it is not
right for the bride, at the time of the nuptials, to
use henna, or wear a peculiar ornament on her head.
But it is wajib that she should be continually
looking in her glass. Dadeh Bazm Ará says, the
bride should take a hen's egg in her hand, and on
getting up throw it against the wall to break
it, keeping her face towards the Kibleh, or in
the direction of Mecca. Kulsám Naneh thinks
that a useless proceeding, and recommends a
needle to be presented to her on her marriage;
72 C U STOM'S AND MAN NER'S OF
and Dadeh Bazm Ará says, that a piece of green
silk ought to be sent along with the needle, that
her good fortune may ever flourish. Black and
blue, and yellow silk are not lucky, but white
and purple are. And the conclave hold it unques-
tionable, that a girl unhusbanded ought never to
use the nära, the substance for destroying, and
preventing the growth of, hair. It is indeed
strictly forbidden; and if it be necessary to re-
move hair, it must be taken away by other means.
IV.
It is wajib for a mother to instruct her daughter,
even from the tenderest age, how to conduct her-
self, according to what has been, and what will
be laid down in this book for her guidance. She
must especially teach her the arts of endearment,
how to dart amorous glances with effect, how to
play off coquettish airs, blandishments, heart-ravish-
ing smiles, and, in short, every characteristic of
an accomplished beauty must be placed at her
command. This is wajib and sunnat ; since,
when she is taken to her husband's house, she
may probably have no opportunity of learning
these important acquirements. It is always wājib
to obtain, and to desire information from the seven
wise women. Kulsåm Naneh says, that among
the things of greatest importance to be observed
T H E WOMEN OF PERSIA. 73
by the bride on going to bed is a devout prayer,
involving blessings especially on her own head.
She may say in her heart:
“Holy Prophet ! grant, I pray,
On this happy nuptial day,
That my husband, and his mother,
Cousin, uncle, sister, brother,
May, from all suspicion free,
Never be unkind to me;
That from morn till night they may
Never frown at what I say,
What I want, or what I do ;
But, to all my interests true,
Sanction, without stint or measure,
Every thing that yields me pleasure.”
V.
And the same learned personage urges the im-
portance of every woman, before she goes to the
house of the bridegroom, being made to under-
stand the things that are wéjib and sunnat respect-
ing herself. Such matters are recorded in this
excellent book, in order that she may not suffer for
want of information on a subject so dear to her
own interests and personal convenience.
74 C U STOM'S AND MIA N N E R S OF
CHAPTER X.
Of male and female Gossips and Intimates.
I.
For a woman to be without familiar friends of
her own sex is reckoned a heavy misfortune, and
there is no one so poor who does not struggle hard
to avoid so great a curse. Kulsám Naneh and the
other members of the learned conclave agree in
thinking that a woman dying without friends or
gossips has no chance of going to heaven; whereas
happy is that woman whose whole life is passed in
constant intercourse with kind associates, for she
will assuredly go to heaven. What can equal the
felicity of that woman whose daily employment is
sauntering hand in hand with friends, amidst rose-
bowers and aromatic groves, and visiting every
place calculated to expand and exhilarate the
heart? That woman, at the day of resurrection,
will be seen dancing with her old companions on
earth, in the regions of bliss. Kulsám Naneh says,
the very circumstance of living in such a state of
social freedom and harmony always produces a
forgiveness of sins. And Khála Ján Aghā, Bājí
T H E W O MEN OF PERSIA. 75
Yásmin, Shahr Báná Dadeh, and Bibi Ján Afróz
concur in opinion, that if a damsel dies before she
has established a circle of intimates, to whom she
can communicate her most secret thoughts and
actions, the other world can never be to her a
scene of happiness and joy. But if she is more
favourably circumstanced, every supplication for
pardon will have the effect of angel-prayers; and
this is the reward of those who in this life cultivate
social connexions, and are bound in the endearing
ties of friendship.
II.
A woman should prefer residing near a place
of prayer, where young men mostly assemble.
If at Isfahán, near the Masjidi Shāh, built by the
renowned Shāh Abbás, the superb dome of which
is covered with blue enamelled tiles, highly po-
lished and glittering in the sun; and also near
that of Lutf Alí, both of them being situated close
to the Maidani Sháh, for there the flower of the
land in strength and beauty may be seen. If at
Shirāz, near the Sháh Chirāgh, in the centre of
the city, a place of the greatest sanctity, con-
taining the mausoleum of the Imām Syad Mír
Ahmed Ibn Mūsá;* for there the streets and
* The Shāh Chirāgh, or mausoleum of Ahmed Ibn Mūsā, is a
place of great antiquity and of miraculous sanctity. According
to the chronicles of the Masjid, when Amír Sultán Azid ud
Doulah
76 C U STOM'S AND MAN NERS OF
paths are crowded with young men of the most
agreeable aspect and winning address, regaling
Doulah came to the holy sepulchre, he ordered it to be opened,
which being done, the sacred corpse was discovered to the eyes
of the Sultán and those that were with him. Upon the tomb
they perceived a lighted candle, scented with camphire, and
the body of that holy person appeared quite fresh and sweet,
as if but lately interred, whilst from the blessed tomb there
was emitted the scent of pure musk and ambergris, and from
the top of the dome the rays of a clear and bright light were
reflected around. It is further related, that Sultán Azíd ud
Doulah, and those who were with him, observed on the finger
of the corpse a seal-ring, on which was engraved words in
Arabic to the following effect, “ Glory to the Most High,
Ahmed, the son of Mūsá;” and moreover the Sultán drew this
ring off the finger, when suddenly it became invisible to him,
and was on the finger of another of the company (but God
knows who ! says the chronicle). The Sultán at this time was
afflicted with a violent asthma, and the moment he entered the
holy sepulchre, by virtue of that sacred body, he became per-
fectly cured, without the smallest trace of his disorder remain-
ing; in acknowledgment of which great blessing the Sultán
determined on rebuilding and beautifying the sacred tomb.
And Bībī Jān Khátim rebuilt the tower which had fallen into
decay, and those apartments which are about the area, both
above and below, as also the market-place adjoining the
maidán or square, and richly endowed the place with exten-
sive lands in the village of Maimún. Mir Habib Allah was
the last beautifier of this celebrated edifice. The whole docu-
ment is translated in Francklin's Tour to Persia.
Ibn Batūta, the Arabian traveller, also speaks of this famous
musiid, in which is the tomb of the Imām Abú Abdallah,
who
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 77
on fruits, and sherbet, and coffee. And the tombs
of Sa'dí and Hāfiz are also frequented by persons
of superior worth, who sit by the lone stream of
Roknābād in the Spring season, and drink its
pure waters, uttering in sorrow the following plain-
tive stanzas:
There the clear sparkling streamlet of Roknābād flows,
There the love-bower of Hāfiz once shed its perfume;
There the nightingale warbled his vows to the rose,
And the flowers of all dyes were accustomed to bloom.
But the summer is past, all is changed, and in vain
Do we look for the groves which resounded of yore
With the nightingale's song, and the minstrel's sweet strain,
For their music has ceased, and the groves are no more.
who made known the way from India to the mountain of
Serindeb. One of His miracles is thus related: Whilst wander-
ing over the mountains of Ceylon with about thirty fakeers,
these persons were suffering from extreme hunger, and con-
sulted the saint on the necessity of slaughtering and eating an
elephant, which he positively refused and forbade. They ne-
vertheless killed and ate the elephant, but he refused to touch
a morsel. When they had all gone to sleep, the elephants came
in a body, and smelling one of them, put him to death. They
next came to the Sheikh, but did him no harm. One of them,
however, lifted him up in his trunk and conveyed him to some
houses, where he laid him down and walked off. The peo-
ple on seeing this were much astonished, and took him to
their king, who treated him with great kindness and respect.
—See the translation by the Rev. Samuel Lee, Chaplain to the
Earl of Munster. . . . . .';
78 CUSTOM'S AND MANNERS OF
Only thy limpid current remains, Roknābād 1
How thy desolate waters, unsheltered, roll on 1
Like an orphan deserted, thy murmurs are sad,
Since thy friends and companions are withered and gone.
III.
Kulsúm Naneh says the women who are anxious
to be admired must be dressed in all their orna-
ments, and perfumed with ottar; and if they are
presented with a cup of sherbet they must drink
it as an acknowledgment of a friendly disposition,
and act in every respect according to the instruc-
tions laid down in this valuable book. Kulsám
Naneh again says, when two women are strongly
attached to each other, they must continue inse-
parable friends through good report and evil
report, and be ever faithful to the last; and when
one of them dies, the survivor, whether in her
promenades in the rose-garden, visiting the bath,
or assisting at the making of semnă, must keep her
deceased favourite in remembrance, and in her
devotions never forget to pray for her happiness in
the next world. This is sunnat.
IV.
On a Wednesday night fill a vase or earthen
vessel with water, take it up stairs into a west-
erly room, and at day-light throw both pot and
water together into the street. This will as-
suredly prevent the occurrence of any accident to
: thé people of the house for that day. Dadeh Bazm
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 79
Ará observes, that there ought to be rose-water
in the vessel, and her colleagues support the same
opinion. Shahr Báná Dadeh thinks, that when the
person takes up the earthen pot she ought to say,
at the moment of throwing it from the window,
“This vessel I throw,
In the street below,
That to-day we may know
Neither sorrow nor woe.”
In descending, the person ought not to look back;
for Dadeh Bazm Ará adds, that if the person does
look back, fate will have its course on that day.
Bájí Yásmin contends, that there certainly ought
to be a pleasant perfume of some kind in the
vessel, to increase its efficacy.
V.
When a person is setting out on a journey, fill
a cup with water, and take up a looking-glass and
some green leaves, and at the moment of his de-
parture scatter the water after him, that he may
quickly return. Again; it is not lucky to sweep
the house on a Wednesday. Keep a filbert and
some almonds by you, and you will be safe from
the bite of a scorpion. In the Moharram it is
wájib to break the seeds of a melon and eat
them, rejecting their outer rind, to prevent the
quinsy. When a woman commences any under-
80 C US TO MS AND M A N N ERS OF
taking she must place her foot lightly on the palm
of her hand to ensure a fortunate result. On
the first night of every month it is wajib to wash
the kitchen threshold. If a husband conducts
himself with severity towards his wife, he must
be under the influence of an enchanter, and for
the purpose of removing the accursed spell, it
is wajib that cold water should be poured over his
head on three successive Wednesdays. When a
person has set his heart and soul on any enter-
prize, turning over his daughter's water-jug will
doubtless contribute to his success. And if, whilst
on a journey, a crow caws on the house-top, the
journey will be easily brought to an end. When
one lamp is burning, you must not light another;
if you do, extinguish the first and let the second
burn. If a person is on his travels, and tidings
are brought of his death, and those tidings prove
to be untrue, when he returns home he must
enter his house by the door on the terrace. And
it is very unlucky for a person to take water or
fire out of the house at sun-set. Again, if a
kettle or frying-pan, or other utensil of the kind is
received into the house at night, it is wajib to
sprinkle a little water upon it, and say,
“Spirits of the Evil One
Get ye hence, away, begone !
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 81
Scatter not your poison-dew,
Near the house of Moslem true.”
And it is proper to add—
“Glorious prophet, we are thine !
Prostrate at thy holy shrine;
Firm adherents of the Faith !
Moslems, even unto death!
Keep, then, from us spirits dire
Sent by Iblis in his ire;
Keep away dark charm and spell,
Keep us far from demon fell;
Keep, oh keep, we thee implore,
Ghoul and goblin from our door.”
VI.
Now if any woman, regardless of her good fame
and character, and any man desirous of doing that
which is praiseworthy, and just, and lawful, should
neglect the golden rules contained in these pages,
they will deviate from the path of rectitude, and
forfeit the indulgent opinion of the wise and the
good.
* The dread of the ghoul, or goblin, is very great among
the Persians. The ghoul is a lonely demon—ghtli biában,—it
is the dragon or fiend of the desert, and in Kábul they repre-
sent him, says Mr. Elphinstone, as a gigantic and frightful
spectre. He devours both the living and the dead!
G
82 CUSTOM'S AND MANNERS OF
CHAPTER XI.
Of the composition of Semná, for presents.
I.
This chapter is explanatory of what the seven wise
women consider as sunnat mu'akkad, or confirm-
ed and established laws. There is indeed no impor-
tant part of a woman's conduct or duty in the ma-
nagement of her household concerns, which is not
prescribed and laid down in these pages. The hos-
pitality and sociability which prevail in Persia have
introduced a great variety of presents and offerings
in cookery among the women; and one of the most
popular dishes in their catalogue is called semnă,
considered wájib by the expounders of the law.
The preparation of this offering is as follows: First
scatter some wheat upon a board, and throw over
the whole a cloth; then water it once a day till
green sprouts appear, upon which occasion you
must call your kindred and friends together, and
it is complimentary to send every person so called
a blue seed, or green leaf, as a token of cordiality.
T H E W O M E N O F P E R SIA . S3
When the women are assembled, each with a pair
of scissors clips off the stalk from the head of the
grain, and at the moment of doing this she must
express what her wishes are. The stalks being
cut off, the fibres must be bruised and the juice
poured into a kettle or boiler. To one mun
(80lbs.) of wheat, four muns of flour are added. If
less than that quantity is used, the semnă is not
good. There must also be put into it, to give it a
flavour, walnuts and almonds, and at night a lamp
should be placed near the kettle, and music should
be produced from as many instruments as can be
obtained; and the more the women sing and play,
and make merry, the better. Thus the night of
preparation must be kept alive by harmony and
rejoicing, and every prayer put forth over the ket-
tle will, without doubt, be peculiarly acceptable.
As soon as morning dawns, incense must be burned
freely, and then it is the business of the mistress
of the house to place her hand in the kettle, so as
to leave an impression of her blessed fingers upon
the surface of the semnă. Day being advanced,
the women engaged in this employment again put
up their prayers, again burn incense, and invoke
blessings on their work, and then divide and place
the semnă on china and other dishes, and take it to
their several homes. This is wajib ; for BájíYás-
min says, repeating the old stanza—
G 2
84 C US TO MS AND M A N N ERS OF
Wherever this semnă is found,
Neither care nor misfortune can come ;
'Tis a charm which makes pleasure abound,
whether met with abroad or at home!
II.
Dadeh-Bazm Ará says that poppy seed ought
to be scattered over the semnă. That, she con-
siders indispensable; and it is also positively com-
manded that the dish which contains the semná,
and is taken to every house, should not be washed,
but when emptied a sprinkling of perfume only is
necessary. There are many opinions respecting
the etymology of the name: some think the word
was originally sé-mun, now corrupted and changed
into semná. Those most familiar with the prepa-
ration of this composition observe that it consists
of three muns of flour and one of wheat, and
thence called semnă. Dadeh-Bazm Ará and
Shahr-Báná Dadeh are of opinion, that the name
comes from there being three muns of flour and
three of wheat. But Kulsám Naneh says that it
consists of three things, flour, water, and wheat,
and it is therefore called semnă :
Take three, and three, and three,
In three there is a charm.
This derivation is supposed to be the true one ;
T H E WOMEN OF PERSIA. S5
for seh (three) mun, they observe, might be easily
converted into semnă.*
III.
If a woman wishes to make Semnâ, and indeed
is resolved to make it, and her husband will not
incur the expense, saying he cannot afford it, it is
then wäjib for that woman to sell any part of her
husband's property, to enable her to carry into
effect her fixed determination. Before God and
his Prophet such conduct would not be repre-
hensible. It is also wajib and sunnat that she
should collect the means in every possible way,
to pay the expenses of feasts to her intimates,
going to the bath, and other indulgences, without
fear of being chastised or reproved by her parsi-
monious husband, who ought to be thus reminded
of his duty.
IV.
There are many methods of producing an in-
crease to a family. By some it is recommended
to put a tray in an unoccupied house, with meat
and refreshments upon it of seven kinds,
fruits, sherbet, sugar-candy, and musk. On a
* Richardson, in his Dictionary, describes semnă as oblong
pieces of meat, paste, &c.; a soup made of dates, honey, and
a little flour; or any sweet dish
86 C US TO MS AND M A N N ERS OF
Friday night remove the tray, and light four large
lamps with sufficient oil to burn till morning.
When it is day, the master, who is anxious to have
his wishes realized, goes to the tray to see what
has been eaten by the birds. Of every dish that has
been eaten, every year the same quantity must be
dressed and presented to your friends and neigh-
bours, till your object is accomplished. With respect
to the women who have no children, the opinions
of the members of the conclave are various and con-
tradictory. Kulsám Naneh says that a barren wo-
man ought to pour some rose-water into the mouth
of a dead dog on a Wednesday night, that she may
bear children. The other members of the conclave
say, that she should at night go upon the roof of
the bath, and, taking up a glass with sweetmeats,
throw them into the cistern below. If a smart sound
arise, she will doubtless become pregnant; but if,
on the contrary, a dull sound arise, she will remain
barren. Bibi Ján Afróz directs a barren person,
when going into the bath, to give a little shíríní to
the oldest bathing woman present whilst the cis-
tern is filling, and doubtless she will become a
mother.
V.
The Persian women have also a kind of pot-
tage-offering, which is recommended to be given
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 87
on a Wednesday, in the month of Saffar, particu-
larly the lastWednesday, which has more influence
than any other day. Kulsám Naneh says that
these and all other propitious charms are best
administered in the Moharrem; whilst others, again,
think their efficacy more decided at other periods of
the year. They all agree that a woman should
always begin to wear a new garment on a Wednes-
day.
88 C USTOM'S AND MANNERS OF
CHAPTER XII.
Of Fruits and Flowers, as symbols of feeling and passion.
I.
ONE of the fancies of women, in which they
frequently indulge, is making puppets, or dolls,
called little brides. And it is proper that each
puppet should have a partner, or companion, that
the object in view may be fulfilled. Every
person who is blessed with gossiping friends
and associates makes one, and dresses it in rich
attire, and places it on a tray with sweetmeats
and green leaves, and gives it to a confidential
domestic to be presented to her dear favourite.
And it is proper for the woman who carries the pup-
pet to say, “I have brought this offering for you
from such a one.” If that woman or damsel who
receives the offering is partial to the sender, she
kisses the puppet and rejoices, and gives it a
khilāt, with a suitable present to the bearer; but
if she has little or no regard for the party, the pup-
pet is dressed in black and returned. The observ-
ance of this rule is sunnat mu'akkad.
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 89
In those cases where the offering is accepted with
satisfaction, a banquet takes place, with music
and dancing. -
Then does the sprightly heart rebound,
Arch smiles and laughing jokes go round,
The joyous dancers beat the ground,
And anklet-bells with tinkling sound,
Betoken their delight.
And nosegays sweet, of brightest hue,
The crimson rose and violet blue,
Which in the Prophet's garden grew,
Refreshed by heaven's delicious dew,
Are interchanged by lovers true,
On that inspiring night.
And amidst this gay scene, with infinite good-
humour, the wiser ones communicate to the less
informed whatever it may be necessary and pro-
per for them to learn and to know.
II.
The conclave also adduce a great number of
things expressive of sentiment and passion, and
the following effusion from a Persian poet is on
the same fanciful subject.
Eor lovers 1—fruits and flowers possess
A charm, and joy or grief express;
Their influence heart can break or bless.
90
C U STOMS AND M A N N ERS OF
And as their various powers they try,
They hope, despair, rejoice, or die.
A youth, in passion's whirlpool tost,
His peace of mind for ever lost,
With eyes all tears, his colour gone,
Thus fondly, wildly, makes his moan :
“Since thou wert in an evil hour
Bestowed on me, thou regal flower;”
Like Majnunţ, mad, thou mayst discern,
I in the fire of absence burn.
Unhappy flower the curse of heaven
Had better far than thee been given.
And HUL too is a symbol true,
It tells of heart-wounds ever new,
And many a rending tale of grief,
How worm destroys the rose's leaf;
It tells how sorrow poisons sleep,
And how for thee I groan and weep;
With love my soul is void of light,
With love my hair is silver white;
Sweet idol not one transient smile,
A lover's anguish to beguile !
DARCHINIf cannot sooth my woe,
My tongue has almost turned my foe,
And fails to plead the cause of one
By thy resistless charms undone;
* The rose. + See the note at page 37.
; Cinnamon.
THE WOMEN OF PERSIA. 9 |
FULFUL* amidst the flames I’ve thrown,
In hopes to make thee all my own;
But Fulful cannot cure the pain
Which tears my heart, and dries my brain;
It seems to drive thee farther hence,
And render keener every sense;
I stand remembering thee so much,
In thought thy glowing lips I touch,
But all in vain, these doating eyes
Behold how quick thy image flies;
It vanishes before my sight,
And leaves me dark as moonless night.
SAFFRON thou tell'st a tale, as true,
My cheek presents a yellow hue ;
O may’st thou feel misfortune never,
But smile in joy and gladness ever;
Absent from thee my wounds are deep,
I sit and sigh, and wail, and weep.
A prisoner in thy toils, alone,
The perfume of my heart is gone.
O PEACH ! thou art for lovers meet,
For thou art soft, and moist, and sweet;
Thy cheek an orange tint displays,
And thou canst charm a thousand ways.
AN AR lift from thee removed I feel
Acuter sorrow through me steal;
Thy friendship is a source of pleasure,
Thou art my own, my darling treasure.
* Long pepper. f Pomegranate.
92 C US TO M S A N D M A N N E R S OF
And thou sweet TULIP when from thee,
What am I but a withered tree ?
By cruel fortune disunited,
We meet not, and all hope is blighted,
What! does my anguish raise a smile P
Can scorn that beauteous brow defile P
I would not for the world that thou
Shouldst feel the torture I do now ;
From morn till eve, and eve till morn,
I wander desolate, forlorn ;
No eye to pity, voice to bless,
None to relieve my wretchedness.
O had I wings to thee I’d fly,
And at thy feet in rapture die.
As slender as a thread l’m grown,
“Misery has worn me to the bone;”
Yet is my heart capacious still,
It pants for thee, and ever will ;
O give it then, in pity give
One soothing smile, and bid it live;
Since I have, faith and truth to prove,
Abandoned all for thee, my love ſ”
And here endeth the admirable precepts, the
golden ordinances of the seven wise women of
Persia:
* It may appear odd enough to make a Persian poet quote the
words of Shakespear; but the idea is strictly the same, and lite-
rally—“With misery on thy account I am become like bone.”
T H E W O M E N OF P E R S I A. 93
As in a landscape we have often seen
Art strive with Nature—softly flowing rills,
And towers, and palaces, and copses green,
And shadowy walks, and purple-tinted hills;–
So here a perfect picture you may view,
By Kulsum Naneh skilfully designed;
Rules, precepts, laws, laid down to nature true,
To store, enrich, and dignify the mind,
And vindicate the ways of peerless woman-kind.
One word more. Those who wilfully act in a
manner contrary to the spirit of Kulsim Naneh’s
laws, must be looked upon as examples to be
shunned. It is thus that we learn goodness by
avoiding the practices of the wicked. Accordingly,
to illustrate this maxim, a passage from the poet
Sa'dí is quoted, in which he says:—
“Who, in Politeness, Lokmán, was thy guide?”
“The Unpolite,” the learned sage replied.
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Illustrated with Plates from Cingalese Designs.
Translated by JOHN CALLAWAY, late Missionary in Ceylon.
In Demy Octavo ; 8s.
8. -
THE ADVENTURES OF HATIM TAI,
A Romance, translated from the Persian. By DUNCAN FOR BES, A. M.
In Demy Quarto; 16s.
9.
THE LIFE OF SHEIKH MOHAMMED ALI HAZIN,
Written by Himself: translated from two Persian Manuscripts, and Illustrated
with Notes explanatory of the History, Poetry, Geography, &c. which
therein occur.
By F. C. BELFOUR, M.A. Oxon. &c. &c.
In Demy Octavo ; 10s. 6d.
For the Persian Text of this Work—see No. 16.
10.
MEMOIRS OF A MALAYAN FAMILY,
Written by themselves; and translated from the Original,
By W. MARSDFN, F.R.S., &c. &c.
In Demy Octavo ; 2s. 6d.
11.
HISTORY OF THE WAR IN BOSNIA,
During the Years 1737-8 and 9.
Translated from the Turkish by C. FRASER, Professor of German in the Naval
and Military Academy, Edinburgh. In Demy Octavo ; 4s.
12.
THE MULFUZAT TIMURY; or AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL
MEMOIRS OF THE MOGHUL EMPEROR TIMUR,+
Written in the Jagtay Turky language, turned into Persian by Abū Tālib
Hussaini, and translated into English
By MAJOR CHARLES STEWART, late Professor of Oriental Languages
- in the Honourable East-India Company’s College.
With a Map of Transoxania. In Demy Quarto; 12s.
4
13.
TIHE HISTORY OF WARTAN AND OF THE BATTLE OF
- - THE ARMENIANS, -
Containing an Account of the Religious Wars between the Persians and
Armenians, by Elisæus Bishop of the Amadunians.
Translated from the Armenian, by C. F. NEUMANN,
Member of the Armenian Academy of the Mechitaristes at St. Lazaro, &c. &c.
In Demy Quarto; 10s.
14.
THE TRAVELS OF MACARIUS, PATRIARCH OF ANTIOCH,
Written by his Attendant Archdeacon, Paul of Aleppo, in Arabic.
Part the Second.—Wallachia, Moldavia, and the Cossack Country.
Translated by F. C. BELFOUR, A.M. Oxon. &c. &c.
- In Demy Quarto; 10s. *
For the First Part of this Work—see No. 3.
15.
THE LIFE OF HAFIZ UL MULK, HAFIZ REHMUT
KHAN.
Written by his Son Nuwäb Must'ujáb Khán Buhadar, and entitled
Gulistán-i Itehmut.
Abridged and translated from the Persian, by CHARLES ELLIOTT, Esq.,
Of the Bengal Civil Service.
In Demy 8vo. 58.
16.
THE LIFE OF SHEIKH MOHAMMED ALI HAZIN,
Written by Himself; edited from two Persian Manuscripts, and noted with their
various Readings, by F. C. BELFOUR, M.A. Oxon, &c. &c.
- In Demy 8vo. 10s. 6d.
For the English Translation of this Work—see No. 9.
17.
MISCELLANEOUS TRANSLATIONS FROM OFIENTAL
LANGUAGES,
Volume the First. In Demy 8vo. 8s.
CONTENTS :
I. NoTEs of A Journey INTo THE INTERIOR of NoFTHERN AFRICA.—By Haji
Ibn-ud-din Al-Aghwaati. Translated from the Arabic by W. B. Hodgson, Esq.,
late American Consul at Algiers, F.M. R. A. S.
II. ExTRACTS FROM THE SAKAA THEVAN SAASTERAM, or Book of FATE.-
Translated from the Tamul Language, by the Rev. JoSEPH Roberts, Cor. M.R.A.S.
III. THE LAST DAYS OF KRISHNA AND THE SONS of PANDU, from the con-
cluding Section of the Mahabharat. Translated from the Persian version, made
by Nekkeib Khan, in the time of the Emperor Akbar. By Major DAVID PRICE,
of the Bombay Army, M.R. A.S., of the Oriental Translation Committee, and of
the Royal Society of Literature.
IV. THE VEDALA CADA1, being the Tamul Version of a Collection of Ancient
Tales in the Sanscrit Language; popularly known throughout India, and entitled
the Vetàla Panchavinsati. Translated by B. G. BABINGTON, M.D., F.R.S.,
M. R. A.S., M. Madras Lit.Soc., &c.
V. INDIAN CookERY, as practised and described by the Natives of the East.
Translated by SANDFORD ARNOT.
5
18.
THE ALGEBRA OF MOHAMMED BEN MUSA,t
ARABIC AND ENGLISH. s
Edited and translated by FREDERIC ROSEN.
In Demy Octavo; 10s.
19.
THE HISTORY OF THE MARITIME WARS
OF THE TURKS,
Translated from the Turkish of Haji Khalifeh, by JAMES MITCHELL.
Part I. In Demy Quarto; 7s.
20.
TRANSLATIONS FROM THE CHINESE AND ARMENIAN,
By CHARLES F. NEUMANN.
In Demy 8vo. 12s. bds,
CONTENTS : g
I. History of the Pirates who infested the China Sea, from 1807 to 1810.
Translated from the Chinese Original, with Notes and Illustrations.
II. The Catechism of the Shamans; or, the Laws and Regulations of the
Priesthood of Buddha, in China. Translated from the Chinese Original, with
Notes and Illustrations.
III. Vahram's Chronicle of the Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia, during the time
of the Crusades. Translated from the Original Armenian, with Notes and
Illustrations. -
21 & 22.
THE GEOGRAPHICAL WORKS OF SADIK ISFAHANI’;
And a CRITICAL ESSAY ON VARIOUS MANUSCRIPT
WORKS, ARABIC AND PERSIAN,
Translated by J. C. from Original Persian MSS. in the Collection of
Sir William Ouseley, the Editor.
Octavo; 10s.
23.
THE SHAH NAMEH OF THE PERSIAN POET
FIRDAUSI’,” • *
Translated and Abridged in Prose and Verse, with Notes and Illustrations,
By JAMES ATKINSON, Esq.,
Of the Honourable East-India Company’s Bengal Medical Service.
Octavo; 15s. -
24.
THE TEZKEREH AL VAKIAT; OR, PRIVATE MEMOIRS
OF THE MOGHUL EMPEROR HUMAYUN.
Written in the Persian Language by Jouh ER, a Confidential Domestic of his
Majesty. *
Translated by Major CHARLES STEWART, of the Honourable East-India
Company's Service, M.R.A.S., &c. &c.
Quarto; 10s.
6
25.
THE SIYAR-UL-MUTAKHERIN,
A History of the Mahomedan_Power in India, during the last Century.
By MIR. GHOLAM HUSSEIN-KHAN.
Revised from the Translation of Haji Mustafa, and Collated with the Persian
Original, by Lieut. Colonel John Briggs, M.R.A.S. &c. &c.
Vol. I. 8vo. 148.
26.
HOEI LAN KI; OU, L'HISTOIRE DU CERCLE DE CRAIE,
Drame en prose et en vers, traduit du Chinois, et accompagné de Notes,
Par STANISLAS JULIEN. 8vo. ; 7s.
27.
SAN KOKF TSOU RAN TO SETS; OU, APERCU
GENERAL DES TROIS ROYAUMES.
Traduit de l’Original Japonais-Chinois, par M. J. KLAPROTH.
(Ouvrage accompagné de cinque Cartes.)
Octavo.; 15s
28.
ANNALS OF THE TURKISH EMPIRE, FROM 1591 TO
1659 OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA,
Translated from the Turkish, by CHARLES FRASER.
Vol. I, 4to.; 381. 11s. 6d.
29.
RAGHUVANSA, KALIDASAE CARMEN,”
Sanskrite et Latine
Edidit ADOLPHUS FRIDERICUS STENZLER.
Quarto; £I. 1s.
30.
HISTORY OF THE EARLY KINGS OF PERSIA,
From Kaiomars, the first of the Peshdádian Dynasty, to the conquest of Irán by
Alexander the Great.
Translated from the original Persian Mirkhond, entitled the Rauzat-us-Safa,
with Notes and Illustrations, by DAVID SHEA, of the Oriental Department
of the Hon. East-India Company's College. 8vo. *
31.
CUSTOM'S AND MANNERS OF THE WOMEN OF PER-
SIA, AND THEIR DOMESTIC SUPERSTITIONS.
Translated from the original Persian Manuscript, by JAMES ATKINSON, Esq.
of the Hon. East-India Company’s Bengal Medical Establishment. 8vo.
LIST OF WORKS IN THE PRESS.
The Travels of Evliya Effendi; translated by M. de Hammer.
This work contains an account in Turkish, of the travels of Evliya in all parts of the Turkish
empire, and in Turkestan, &c. in the middle of the seventeenth century.
Nipon u dai itsi ran; translated by M. Jules de Klaproth.
This Japanese work contains the History of the Dairis or Ecclesiastical Emperors of Japan from
the year 660 Ante Christum.
7
The Text of the Alfiyya of Ebn Malek, edited by the Baron Silvestre de Sacy.
This is one of the most esteemed works on Arabic Grammar. It will be accompanied by a
Commentary.
The Travels of Macarius, Patriarch of Antioch. Written by his Attendant
Archdeacon, Paul of Aleppo; translated by F. C. Belfour, Esq. M.A., LL.D.,
Part III.
This Arabic Manuscript, which is of great rarity, describes, the Patriarch's journey through
Syria, Anatolia, Rumelia, Walachia, Moldavia, and Russia, between the years 1653 and 1660 of
the Christian AEra.
Hājī Khalifa's Bibliographical Dictionary; translated by Monsieur Gustave
Flugel.
H. valuable Arabic work, which formed the ground-work of d'Herbelot’s “Bibliothèque
. Orientale,” contains accounts of upwards of 13,000 Arabic, Persian, and Turkish works, arranged
alphabetically.
The Tuhfat ul Mujáhedín ; translated by Lieutenant Rowlandson.
This Arabic work gives an account of the first settlement of the Mohammedans in Malabar, and
of their subsequent struggles with the Portuguese.
A History of the Birman Empire, translated by Father Sangermano.
This work, which contains the political and religious history of Birmah, was translated by Fa-
ther Sangermano, who was a #. in Ava twenty-six years. It also furnishes accounts of the
natural productions, laws, and metaphysics of that country.
The Didascalia, or Apostolical Constitutions of the Abyssinian Church; translated
by T. P. Platt, Esq. A.M.
his ancient Ethiopic work is unknown in Europe, and contains many very curious opinions.
The Harivansa, translated by M. Langlois.
This Sanskrit work is generally considered as a Supplement to the Mahābhārata, and throws
much light upon Hindu Mythology.
The Tarikh Tabari; translated by M. Dubeux.
A highly esteemed and very authentic history, written in Persian, containing accounts of
the Patriarchs, Prophets, Philosophers, of Mohammed and of the Khalifs.
The Divan of the Huzeilis; translated by Professor Kosegarten.
This is a collection of ancient Arabic Poems similar to the Hamasa ; the translation will be
accompanied by the Arabic Text and scholia.
The Khatai Nameh; translated by M. Fleischer.
I This curious Turkish work contains a description of China, with accounts of its government,
aWS, &C.
LIST OF TRANSLATIONS PREPARING FOR
PUBLICATION.
Class 1st.—THEology, ETHICs, and METAPHYSICS.
The Sánkhya Káriká; translated by Henry Thomas Colebrooke, *:::::,
This Sanskrit work contains, in seventy-two stanzas, the principles of the Sámkhya System of
Metaphysical Philosophy.
The Li ki, translated by M. Stanislas Julien. * *
This ancient Chinese work, which is attributed to Confucius, was the original moral and cere-
monial code of China, and is still the principal authority on those subjects in that empire.
A Collation of the Syriac MSS. of the New Testament, both Nestorian and
Jacobite, that are accessible in England, by the Rev. Professor Lee.
This collation will include the various readings of the Syriac, MSS. of the New Testament
in the British Museum, and the Libraries at Oxford, Cambridge, &c.
The Vrihad Aranyaka; translated by Dr. Stenzler. º -
This ancient Sanskrit Upanishad is reckoned part of the Yajur Veda. . It consists of reflections
and dialogues on the origin and nature of the gods, men, fire, &c., and is one of the principal
authorities in the Vedanta system of philosophy.
*
Class 2d.—HISTORY, GEographY, and TRAVELS-
The Sharaf Nāmah; translated by Professor Charmoy. se e -
This is a Persian History of the Dynasties which have governed in Kurdistan, written by
Sheref Ibn Shams-ud-din, at the close of the sixteenth century.
The History of Mázindarán and Tabaristán; translated by Professor Charmoy.
This is a Persian history of part of the Persian empire, written by Zahir-uddin, and comes
down to A.D. 1475,
S
The Tárikh-i-Afghān; translated by Professor Bernhard Dorn. Part II.
This is a Persian History of the Afghans, who claim to be descended from the Jews. It will be
accompanied by an account of the Afghan tribes. -
The Annals of Elias, Metropolitan of Nisibis; translated by the Rev. Josiah
Forshall, A.M.
This Syriac Chronicle contains chronological tables of the principal dynasties of the world,
brief memoirs of the Patriarchs of the Nestorian church, and notices of the most remarkable
events in the East, from the birth of our Saviour to the beginning of the eleventh century.
Ibn Haukal's Geography; translated by Professor Hamaker.
This Arabic work was compiled in the 16th century by a celebrated Mohammedan Traveller,
º: i not the same as the Oriental Geography of Ebn Haukal that was translated by Sir William
useley.
The History of Rájá Krishan Chandra, translated by Graves C. Haughton, Esq.,
M. A. F. R. S., &c. &c.
This Bengali work includes an account of the Rise of the Raja's family, of the events that led to
the fatal catastrophe of the Black Hole at Calcutta, and of the triumphant establishment of the
English under Lord Clive in Bengal.
The Chronicle of Abulfat'h Ibn Abulhasan Alsamari; translated by the Rev. T.
Jarrett, M. A.
This rare Arabic work, of which only one perfect copy is known to be in Europe, is a History
of the Samaritans from the creation to the middle of the fourteenth century.
Ibn Khaldūn's History of the Berbers; translated by the Rev. Professor Lee.
This is a most rare and valuable work, containing an account of the origin, progress, and
decline of the dynasties which governed the northern coast of Africa.
Ibn Koteiba's History of the Arabians, translated by Dr. J. H. Moeller.
This celebrated work contains the History of the Arabians from the time of Ismael the son of
Abraham to near the end of the third century of the Mahommedan, or the 9th of the Chris-
tian era.
Makrizi's Khitat, or History and Statistics of Egypt; translated by Abraham
Salamé, Esq.
This Arabic work includes accounts of the conquest of Egypt by the Caliphs, A.D. 640; and
of the cities, rivers, ancient and modern inhabitants of Egypt, &c.
The Tuhfatal Kibár of Hājī Khalīfah; translated by Mr. James Mitchell. Part II.
This Turkish History contains an account of the maritime wars of the Turks in the Mediter-
ranean and Black Seas, and on the Danube, &c., principally in the time of the Crusades.
The Siyar ul Mutakherin of Mír Gholām Hussein Khan; translated by Lieut.
Col. John Briggs. Vol. II.
This celebrated Persian work comprises the annals of Hindustán from the time of the Emperor
Aurungzebe to the administration of Warren Hastings in Bengal.
The great Geographical Work of Idrisi; translated by the Rev. G. C. Re-
nouard, B. D.
This Arabic work was written A.D. 1153, to illustrate a large silver globe made for Roger,
King of Sicily, and is divided into the seven climates described by the Greek geographers.
Class 3d.—BIBLIOGRAPHY, BELLES-LETTREs, and BIOGRAPHY.
Haft Paiker, an historical Romance of Bahrām Gūr; translated by the Right
Hon. Sir Gore Ouseley, Bart.
This Persian poem of Nazami of Ganjah, contains the romantic history of Behrām, the
Wth of the Sassanian dynasty of Persian Kings.
Mihr-u-Mushteri; translated by the Right Hon. Sir Gore Ouseley, Bart.
This Persian Poem, of which an abridgment will be Pºlº, was composed by Muhammed
Assár, and celebrates the friendship and adventures of Mihr and Mushteri, the sons of King
Shapur and his grand Vizier.
Ibn Khallikán's Lives of Illustrious Men: translated by Dr. F. A. Rosen.
This is an Arabic Biographical Dictionary, arranged alphabetically, of the most celebrated
Arabian historians, poets, warriors, &c. who lived in the seven first centuries of the era of
Mahommed, A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300.
The Bustān of Sãdí; translated by James Ross, Esq., A.M.
This is a much-admired Persian Poem, consisting of Tales, &c, illustrative of moral duties.
Royal Asiatic Society’s House,
14, Grafton Street, Bond Street, London.
1st December 1832.
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