286 Sino-Iranica 



likewise from Iranian regions, presumably in the first centuries of 

 our era. The tree is not mentioned in Vedic, Pali, or early Sanskrit 

 literature; and the word dalima, dddima, etc., is traceable to Iranian 

 *dulim(a), which we have to reconstruct on the basis of the Chinese 

 transcription. The Tibetans appear to have received the tree from 

 Nepal, as shown by their ancient term bal-poi seu-Un ("seu tree of 

 Nepal")- 1 From India the fruit spread to the Malayan Archipelago 

 and Camboja. Both Cam dalim and Khmer tatitn 2 are based on the 

 Sanskrit word. The variety of pomegranate in the kingdom of Nan-cao 

 in Yun-nan, with a skin as thin as paper, indicated in the Yu yan tsa 

 tsu, 3 may also have come from India. J. Anderson 4 mentions pome- 

 granates as products of Yun-nan. 



Pomegranate-wine was known throughout the anterior Orient at 

 an early date. It is pointed out under the name asls in Cant. VIII, 2 

 (Vulgata: musturn) and in the Egyptian texts under the name ledek-it} 

 Dioscorides 6 speaks of pomegranate- wine (potrr/s olvos). Ye-lu C'u- 

 ts'ai, in his Siyulu (account of his journey to Persia., 1219-24), speak- 

 ing of the pomegranates of Khojand, which are "as large as two fists 

 and of a sour-sweet taste," says that the juice of three or five fruits is 

 pressed out into a vessel and makes an excellent beverage. 7 In the 

 country Tun-sun HI 21 (Tenasserim) there is a wine-tree resembling 

 the pomegranate; the juice of its flowers is gathered and placed in jars, 

 whereupon after several days it turns into good wine. 8 The inhabitants 

 of Hai-nan made use of pomegranate-flowers in fermenting their wine. 9 

 I have not found any references to pomegranate-wine prepared by the 

 Chinese, nor is it known to me that they actually make such wine. 



It is known that the pomegranate, because of its exuberant seeds, 

 is regarded in China as an emblem alluding to numerous progeny; it 

 has become an anti-race-suicide symbol. The oldest intimation of this 

 symbolism looms up in the Pei H At $., where it is told that two pome- 

 granates were presented to King Nan-te ;2c M of Ts'i ^ on the occasion 



1 This matter has been discussed by me in T'oung Pao, 1916, pp. 408-410. In 

 Lo-lo we have sa-bu-se in the A-hi dialect and se-bu-se in Nyi. Sa or se means "grain " 

 (corresponding to Tibetan sa in sa-bon, "seed"). The last element se signifies 

 "tree." The fruit is se-bu-ma (ma, "fruit"). 



• Aymonier and Cabaton, Dictionnaire cam-francais, p. 220. 



• Ch. 18, p. 3 b. 



4 Report on the Expedition to Western Yunan, p. 93 (Calcutta, 1871). 



• V. Loret, Flore pharaonique, pp. 77, 78. 

 ' v, 34- 



7 Bretschneider, Mediaeval Researches, Vol. I, p. 19. 



8 Liafi Su, Ch. 54, p. 3. 



• Hirth, Chau Ju-kua, p. 177. 



. 



