AN ARAB SAW 359 



white), brown, black, dun. The last is considered soft. 

 An old weazened sheik, on escort duty with me, once re- 

 cited to me the following verse, which, not knowing 

 Arabic, I must assume the Gallic privilege of misspelling 

 in English letters. I wrote it down according to the 

 sound, and got a dragoman who knew a little Arabic, and 

 spoke French with a most un- Parisian brogue, to translate 

 it for me. The sheik said it was the production of Antar, 

 a celebrated Bedouin emir a prince and poet of many 

 ages ago: 



"El zourk merkoub ilamalirah 

 Blue horses are steeds for the Emirs, 

 Ouar kabham koul ameer ouakoul oali 

 And princes and governors ride them; 

 Amma elshougre lantarou besedig 

 The sorrel, if they fly, I believe it; 

 Bennat elreeli maahn hum zalaly 

 The daughters of the wind fly less fast. 

 Amma eldouhm zidouhoum aliga 

 To the black horses you must give more food; 

 Kalouhoum la itmat elliali 

 Use them for ambuscades on dark nights. 

 Koul elkhai'l lilhamra t'baha 

 All horses trail behind the bay, 

 Mit'l el sit tik dimha el gouari 

 Like the Lady the servants serve her." 



Of such equine notions the Arab mind is full. Before 

 giving me the rhyme the sheik solemnly informed me that 

 the horse wisdom of ages lay concealed therein. The con- 

 cealment I believe. I told this sheik one of our own time- 

 worn driving rhymes; but with the dragoman's small 

 Latin and less Greek, he did not seem to catch its mean- 

 ing: 



"Uphill hurry me not, 



Downhill flurry me not, 



On the level spare me not, 



In the stable forget me not." 



