I recently across a copy of The Christian Herald from December 1, 1915 and the lead article by John Maynard Owen Williams is on a recent trip he took to Syria and Iraq. The images are from a century ago and I attach a few excerpts from the article. For the first part, click here.
to be continued
يقرب الله لي بالعاÙيه والسلامه … وصل الØبيب الأغن
ذاك الØبيب الذي Øاز الØلا والوسامه … وكل معنى Øسن
ونسأل الله تعالى عودنا من تهامه … الى سÙØ ØµÙ†Ø¹Ø§Ø¡ اليمن
لأن صنعا سقاها الله Ùيض الغمامه … منزل Øوت كل ÙÙ†
ما مثل صنعاء اليمن … كلا ولا أهلها
صنعاء Øوت كل ÙÙ† … يا سعد من Øلها
تطÙÙŠ جميع الشجن … ثلاثَ ÙÙŠ سÙØها
الماء وخضرة رباها الÙايقه والوسامه … وكل معنى Øسن
كم يضØÙƒ الزهر Ùيها من دموع الغمامه … Ùيا سقاها وطن
يا ليت شعري متى الأيام ØªØ³Ù…Ø Ø¨Ø±Ø¬Ø¹Ù‡ … إلى مدينة أزال
ونستعيد ما مضى يا سيد Ø£Ùديك جمعه … وطيب بساط المطال
لأن من بعدكم ما ك٠لي قط دمعه … والشوق بي لا يزال
وكلما غردت ورقاء بأعلى البشامه … طلقت طيب الوسن
أهيم ÙÙŠ عشقتك … والدمع جاري غزير
ÙˆØ§Ù„Ø±ÙˆØ ÙÙŠ قبضتك … وانا بØبك أسير
والقلب من Ùرقتك … يكاد Ù†Øوك يطير
ÙارØÙ… أسير الهوى من قد تزايد غرامه … إن لم تكن له Ùمن
لأنني لا أطيق الهجر ذا والعدامه … ولا Ø£Øتمل ذا الشجن
تظن يا منيتي ان قد نسيت أو تناسيت … او خنت عهدي القديم
شاØل٠براسك بأني Ùيك من Øين وليت … أبكي Ùˆ ساعه واهيم
ولا Øلى لي سواك Ùˆ لا بغيرك تسليت … يمين والله عظيم
يا ناس ما Øيلة المشتاق ÙÙŠ ريم رامه … ما Øيلة ابن الØسن
يا ربنا يا مجيب … عجل لنا بالرواØ
لوصل ذاك الØبيب … بالأنس والإنشراØ
والدهر ذاك الكئيب … قد تقضًى وراØ
سهل لنا منك باللط٠الخÙÙŠ والكرامه … وعاÙنا واع٠عن
صلي وسلم على طه Ø´Ùيع القيامه .. والأل ما المزن شن
There was a time when “Oriental Tales” were the rage of the age. Montesquieu penned Lettres Persanes in 1721 and Oliver Goldsmith followed up several decades later with The Citizen of the World. But I recently came across a late 19th century text about a future visit of a Persian Prince and Admiral to the ruins of a land known as Mehrica. This is The Last American and purports to be the journal of Khan-Li, a rather bizarre name for a Persian but so thoroughly Orientalist in mode. The Introduction to the text was provided in a previous post.
It is quite apt that the epigraph for the book is a dedication to “the American who is more than satisfied with himself and his country.”
Given the recent “Occupy Wall Street” interest, here is a century old look at what it might have been in ruins…
Continue reading Tabsir Redux: The Last American, #2
There was a time when “Oriental Tales” were the rage of the age. Montesquieu penned Lettres Persanes in 1721 and Oliver Goldsmith followed up several decades later with The Citizen of the World. But I recently came across a late 19th century text about a future visit of a Persian Prince and Admiral to the ruins of a land known as Mehrica. This is The Last American and purports to be the journal of Khan-Li, a rather bizarre name for a Persian but so thoroughly Orientalist in mode. The admiral visits America in 1990 ( a century after the book was written), when American is in ruins, following the massacre of the Protestants in 1907 and the overthrow of the Murfey dynasty in 1930. But let the introduction to the text set up the marvels…
اب الخضراء؛ عبقرية المزارع اليمني ÙˆØكمته ÙÙŠ أبهى صورها
A Youtube video on Aden in 2005:
A video of interest mainly to people who once lived in Aden. Landing at Aden airport (footage taken from within aircraft), Khormaksar, Crater (tanks, commercial centre, market halls, fishermen at Front Bay), Ma’alla, Steamer Point. Please also see part 2 (Gold Mohur beach, car ride around Aden). Footage taken in December 2005.
Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914)
The American admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan is often noted as the man who coined the phrase “Middle East.” After he served in the U.S. Navy on the Union side, he sailed to Hong Kong and passed by the port of Aden in 1867. His comments are brief and reflective more of his own biases than anything significant about Aden. He does provide an interesting description of camels. His narrative is available on archive.org, but I attach here the relevant pages on Aden.
One of the remaining marvels off the east coast of Africa is the island archipelago of Socotra, historically associated with Yemen, the nation which it belongs to. Socotra is a preserve of biodiversity with a local population not yet catapulted into the under-development pains of the 21st century. There is a fascinating film about the need to protect Socotra’s unique environment and its people from the devastating impact of uncontrolled “development.” Among the individuals speaking is Dutch ecologist Paul Scholte, who has extensive research experience both in Yemen and Africa. Check out both parts of the film here and here. There are a number of Youtube videos on Socotra, but most are tourist oriented and do not match the information level of this film.