"What!" exclaim'd Okba, " darest thou disobey, "Abandoning all claim "To Allah's longer aid?" The eager exultation of his speech Earthward recall'd the thoughts of Thalaba. "And dost thou triumph, Murderer? dost thou deem "Because I perish, that the unsleeping lids "Of Justice shall be closed upon thy crime? "Poor, miserable man! that thou canst live "With such beast-blindness in the present joy, "When o'er thy head the sword of God "Servant of Allah, thou hast disobey'd, "God hath abandon'd thee, "This hour is mine!" cried Okba, And shook his daughter off, And drew the dagger from his vest, And aim'd the deadly blow. All was accomplish'd. Laila rush'd between, She met the blow, and sunk into his arms, And Azrael, from the hands of Thalaba, Receiv'd her parting soul. NOTES TO BOOK X. No faithful crowded round her bier.-P. 170. When any person is to be buried, it is usual to bring the corpse at mid-day, or afternoon prayers, to one or other of these Mosques, from whence it is accompanied by the greatest part of the congregation to the grave. Their processions, at these times, are not so slow and solemn as in most parts of Christendom; for the whole company make what haste they can, singing, as they go along, some select verses of their Koran. That absolute submission which they pay to the will of God, allows them not to use any consolatory words upon these occacasions; no loss or misfortune is to be hereupon regretted or complained of: instead likewise of such expressions of sorrow and condolence, as may regard the deceased, the compliments turn upon the person who is the nearest concerned, a blessing (say his friends) be upon your head. Shaw. All Mahometans inter the dead at the hour set apart for prayer; the defunct is not kept in the house, except he expires after sunset; but the body is transported to the Mosque, whither it is carried by those who are going to prayer; each, from a spirit of devotion, is desi rous to carry in his turn. Women regularly go on Friday to weep over, and pray at the sepulchres of the dead, whose memory they hold dear.-Chenier. This custom of crowding about a funeral contributes to spread the plague in Turkey. It is not many years since, in some parts of Worcestershire, the mourners were accustomed to kneel with their heads upon the coffin during the burial service. The fullest account of a Mohammedan funeral is in the Lettres sur la Grece, of M. Guys. Chance made him the spectator of a ceremony which the Moslem will not suffer an infidel to profane by his presence. About ten in the morning, I saw the grave-digger at work; the slaves and the women of the family were seated in the burial-ground, many other women arrived, and then they all began to lament. After this prelude, they, one after the other, embraced one of the little pillars which are placed upon the graves, crying out, Ogloum, · ogloum, sæna Mussaphir gueldi, My Son, my Son, a guest is coming to see thee. At these words, their tears and sobs began anew; but the storm did not continue long; they all seated themselves, and entered into conversation. At noon I heard a confused noise, and cries of lamen tation; it was the funeral which arrived. A Turk preceded it, bearing upon his head a small chest; four other Turks carried the bier upon their shoulders, then came the father, the relations, and the friends of the dead, in great numbers. Their cries ceased at the entrance of the burial ground, but then they quarrelled—and for this: The man who bore the chest opened it, it was filled with copies of the Koran; a crowd of Turks, young and old, threw themselves upon the books, and scrambled for them. Those who succeeded, ranged themselves around the Iman, and all at once began to recite the Koran, almost as boys say their lesson. Each of the readers received ten parats, about fifteen sols, wrapt in paper. It was then for these fifteen pence, that these pious assistants had quarrelled, and in our own country you might have seen them fight for less. The bier was placed by the grave, in which the gravedigger was still working, and perfumes were burnt by it. After the reading of the Koran, the Iman chanted some Arabic prayers, and his full-chant would, no doubt, have appeared to you, as it did to me, very ridiculous. All the Turks were standing; they held their hands open over the grave, and answered Amen, to all the prayers which the Iman addressed to God for the deceased. The prayers finished, a large chest was brought, about six feet long, and three broad; its boards were very thick. The coffin is usually made of cypress; thus, literally, is verified the phrase of Horace, that the cypress is our last possession: Neque harum, quas colis, arborum, |