Faithful! by Allâh! they have well recollected in making their plaint; and have spoken truly in what they have said; and have made known that which took place; and have described that which occurred. And I will now recount my story before you, and judgment thereupon rests with you.
"Know, O Commander of the Faithful! that I am an Arab of the Arabs.[1] I was reared in the dwellings of the desert, and years of misfortune darkened my life. So I came to the outskirts of this city with my household, and my goods, and my children. I followed one of its roads which led me between gardens, having with me she-camels, beloved by me, dear to me; and amongst them a he-camel of noble race, the sire of a large progeny, of beautiful form, an excellent breeder, who walked in their midst like a
- ↑ That is, an Arab of Arab descent, and not mustʾaráb—that is, made an Arab by lapse of time, and birth in Arabia, though the original progenitor was not of Arabia. (See Note *, p. 79.)
beauty of youth—and which is in truth the kind of beauty that most appeals to a pure heart. Even in the streets of Cairo one may see a mother or other relative take up a little child, and exclaim, "O thy youth! O thy youth!" (Yâ shabâbak! yâ shabâbak!)
