650 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Benyah [Uecemberj 1907. 



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He passed the whole night"saying, "Do this," and "Do that," 

 not allow mg her to close her eyes in sleep. In the morning her 

 father came. As soon as he enfcei^d, she began to cry. He said 

 to her, '^ Why dost thou cry ? " She related to him all that her 

 cousin had done. Her .-father said to her, '' This is the son of So- 

 and-so, a boy of blood and spirit I He is not a weaver's son! " 

 When I left them, the youth and his wife were living together 

 happily. 



vin. 



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Story op Yahyd ^XJmar^ the Guitar-player. 



[A true story,) 



Yahya 'Umar was a native of §an^a^. He left §an'a^ ^nd 

 came to India. He arrived at Baroda, and there married. After 

 living with his wife for only fifteen days he divoi-ced her, and 

 took himself off to Hindustan.^ From Hindustan he went to 

 Calcutta; and from Calcutta to Madras; and from there, after an 

 absence of sixteen years, he went back to Baroda. He went to 

 live with the Arab colon}' which is at Baroda. After some days 

 the Arabs said to him, ''We think that thou oughtest to marry 

 here.*' " Very well," said he. Now the woman whom he had first 

 married had conceived by him, and had given birth to a daughter. 

 When the girl was seven years old her mother died, and she was 

 brought up by her maternal uncles, who ki\ew not who her 



father was. 



Tahy 



g on whtcn was engrave 



^Jlmavi^ This ring was given to the girl the day her mother died. 

 The Arabs said to Yahya 'Umar, " There is a young girl, an orphan, 

 and the daughter of an Arab, and she has no relation to bother 

 you; you had better take her and save her from harm." He said 

 ** Certainly." So they went to the girl*s uncles, who consented, 

 and the marriaofe was decided on. Tl»e night of the marriage, 

 Yahya 'JJmar hired a house that had an outer hall. At night he 

 went in to the girl. Now it was a habit of his not to sleep until 

 he had played and sang, and in the verses he sang he 



always repeated liis name Yahyd 'TJmar} So, before approach- 

 inor the girl, he took up his guitar, and the girl heard the 

 words Yahya 'Untan Wfien he had finished his tune, he 

 approached the trirl. She said to him, " Keep away from me.*' 

 Hesaid toher, '' Why?*' She asked him, *' Wert thou ever in 

 this town before?" He said, '*Yes/* "And didst thou many 

 here ? " He said, " Yes, I did marry." Thereupon she took o^ 

 the rins: from her hand and showed it to him. He saw the ring 

 and said to her, '' What about this ring ? How didst thou get it ? 

 This is the ring I gave the woman'I first married." The girl said, 

 *' She was my mother and thou art my father." When he beard 



i ie., Delhi, Agra, etc. 



* Persian and Indian poets always mention their taklt<illun or ' nom de 

 plnme/ bat not so Arab poets. * . " . 



