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Arab Society in the Time of The Thousand and One Nights »

Authors: Edward William Lane, Stanley Lane-Poole
ISBN-13: 9780486433707, ISBN-10: 0486433706
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Dover Publications
Date Published: April 2004
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Edward William Lane

Book Synopsis

In his 1859 translation of Thousand and One Nights, Lane (1801- 76) includes extensive notes that often began short essays. At the second printing, Stanley Lane-Poole compiled those notes, edited out those discussing the text itself, arranged the rest into topical chapters, and produced an index. It was published in 1883 as Arabian Society in the Middle Ages: Studies from the Thousand and One Nights by Chatto and Windus, London. Robert F. Burton complained that Lane's translation left out all the juicy bits, but drew on his notes for commentary on his own translation. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Chapter I.	Religion	1
	Articles of Faith
	Predestination
	Ritual and Moral Laws: prayer, almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage, etc.
	Civil Laws: marriage, divorce, inheritance, manumission
	Criminal Laws: murder, retaliation, theft, etc.
	Religious Festivals
Chapter II.	Demonology	25
	Angels and Jinn (Genii)
	Various kinds of Jinn
	Preadamite Jinn
	History of Iblees
	Long life of the Jinn and manner of death; assumed shapes
	A Jinneeyeh wife
	Spirits of the whirlwind and waterspout
	Abodes of the Jinn
	Solomon's power over them
	Ghools and other inferior orders
Chapter III.	Saints	47
	Welees and their Kutbs
	El-Khidr and Elias
	Miracles
	Influence
	Self-denial and asceticism
	Two authentic saints
	General habits
	A historical saint
	Pilgrimage to the tombs
	Annual festivals
	A Zikr performed by Darweeshes
	A Khatmeh
	Religious murder
Chapter IV.	Magic	80
	Spiritual magic, divine or satanic
	Babel
	Haroot and Maroot
	Enchantment
	Divination
	Astrology
	Geomancy
	Auguration
	Chiromancy
	Omens
	Dreams
	A dream of the Great Plague, 1835
	Lucky and unlucky days
	Natural magic
	Alchymy
	Themagician Sadoomeh and his miracles
Chapter V.	Cosmography	97
	The seven Heavens
	Paradise
	Form and divisions of the earth
	The Sea of Darkness
	Fountain of Life
	Mountains of Kaf
	The lower earths
	What the earth stands on
	The stages of Hell
Chapter VI.	Literature	109
	The Heroic Age
	'Okadh
	The Kur-an
	The Middle Age
	Corrupt dialects
	'Abd-el-Melik
	Haroon Er-Rasheed and Abu-l'Atahiyeh
	The Barmekees
	Dresses of honour
	Two items in Haroon's account book
	Rewards to poets
	Hammad's good fortune
	Reception of Greek ambassadors by a Khaleefeh
	A niggardly king outwitted
	The decline of Arabian literature
	Letters
	The language of flowers, and emblematical conversation
	Secret signs
	El-Mutanebbee's warning
	The language of birds and beasts
Chapter VII.	Feasting and Merrymaking	135
	Muslim meals and mode of eating
	Principal dishes
	A typical feast
	Public dinners
	Clean and unclean meats
	Drinks
	Hospitality
	Bread and salt
	A thief thwarted
	An Arabian room
	A hall or saloon
	The use of wine
	Date wine, etc.
	Prevalence of the habit of drinking wine in the present day and in history
	A bout interrupted
	Moderate drinking
	Effects of wine
	'Abd-el-Melik and his slave
	Preparations for a banquet
	Fruits
	A rose-lover
	Favourite flowers
	Music
	Ibraheem El-Mosilee and Haroon Er-Rasheed
	Ishak El-Mosilee
	Mukharik
	Performers
	Unveiled women singers
	Arab music
	Lyric songs
	Other amusements
	The Bath
	Hunting and hawking
Chapter VIII.	Childhood and Education	186
	Ceremonies at birth, and on the seventh day
	Giving the name
	Sacrifice
	Shaving the head
	Suckling
	Care of children
	Evil eye
	Respect for parents
	The future state of children who die young
	Early education of the father
	Circumcision
	Schools and teaching
	Private tuition
	Education of girls
	Arab character
Chapter IX.	Women	207
	Love among Arabs
	Three tales of true love
	Umm-'Amr
	The ideal of beauty
	Coiffure
	Gait
	Woman's counsel
	Marriage and divorce
	Laws and general habits
	Choice of a wife
	Prohibited degrees
	Cousins preferred
	Ages
	A wife's qualifications
	Dowry
	Marriage contract
	Festivities and ceremonies of marriage
	Wedding horoscopes
	Employment of the hareem
	Polygamy and the Muslim social system in general
	Affection between wives
Chapter X.	Slavery	250
	Conditions, rights, and disabilities of slaves
	Emancipation
	White slaves
	Treatment
	The Prophet's injunctions
	'Othman's compunction
	Jaafar's wife
Chapter XI.	Ceremonies of death	258
	Last duties
	Washing
	Grave-clothes
	Funeral
	Sacrifice
	Biers
	The tomb
	Preparing for the examining angels
	Visits to the grave
	State of the soul between death and the resurrection
	The Well of Barahoot
	Index	267
	Authors and Works referened to	281