Vol. IT, No. 7.] Some Street Cries of Persia. 283 
[N.S.] 
35.. Some Street Cries collected in Persia —By Lrevt.-Cox. D. C. 
PuILLorTt, Secretary to the Board of Examiners. 
-_ Persia is the very home of figurative language, and striking 
examples are to be found even in the cries of street-vendors. The 
following were collected in Kirman :— 
The vendors of eee oil cry Naft-i daram misl-c-guiab, “ A Kerosine oil. 
naptha have I like rose-water”; while the sellers of castor os Castor oil. 
(for burning) say, “ Ya shah-i chiragh | ! Ya shah-i chiragh,” 
king of lamps! Oh king of lamps!’ 
Fruits and sweets are sold to a cry of Quvoat- i baza, quvvat-t ob 
pa, * ee to your arms, strength to your legs. weets. 
Wor figs alone, there is a somewhat similar cry, Quvvat-i Figs. 
9 ‘ 
2anh anj ir ast, “ Strength to the knees are figs. resins oy to 
to be that the refreshment will give the guest the necessary 
strength to continue his journey. Another cry for figs is Anyjir! 
anjir! bulbul-< ba ete Bihisht, “ Figs! figs! a eer Sey of the 
Garden of Paradis 
) otngoranthidd there seem to be many cries: Andr tram, Pomegra- 
anair-t baigh-i Bihisht, ‘ Dae Sage have I, pomegranates of the na 
Garden of Paradise ;” Nar,? bab-i dil-i bimar, . Hh Beis: t 
for the sick.” A fine and esteemed variety of pomegrana 
atabaki is vended to the ery of ‘* Atabaki daram ci “atabaki 
diram nar 
For grapes, Tila daram mushtari, “ Gold have I, oh buyer!” Grapes. 
For cucumbers, Ay qand-i tar khiyar,’ “Oh liquid sugar, Cucumbers. 
cucumbers!’ 
The chant for mulberries is, “ Bidana nabat ; bidaina ab-i te Mulberries. ; 
bidana shakar nabat ; bidana ; bi-yit lazzat mi-bart az rik, “ Seedless 
ul ie 
of life; seedless mulberries, like sugar and candy ; mulberries ; ; 
oh come! thou wilt delight thy soul.” Black mulberries are also 
sold to Miva-y: safra-bur, shth-miva, “ Bile-removing fruit, the 
king of fruits!” and white moles to Nugl-¢ hil-a (i.e., hil 
ast) ‘ Sad cardamoms are 
For plums a cry is Ay PR ala, Ohplums, a cure Plums. 
for bile!” ss 
For halva of dates, Ay halva-yi kharak.* _ Halva. 
l %.¢\, B t the Garden of Eden 
éaven ; not the Ga so ~ chen preendived iby: Gadind: 
Nar, corru andar 
: Qand is loaf sugar, dese esteemed by modern Persians, by whom all 
other ather despise Some Persians, however, consi oaf 
Pp ause it is said larified by bones at 
ps, There are also a few old-fashioned 
if it has been purchased from a Hindu. 
ey cena 
