Page:The Works of Lord Byron (ed. Coleridge, Prothero) - Volume 3.djvu/136

"Ho! who art thou?"— "This low salam^{[decimal 1]}
Replies of Moslem faith I am.^{[lower-roman 1]}
The burthen ye so gently bear, 360
Seems one that claims your utmost care,
And, doubtless, holds some precious freight—
My humble bark would gladly wait."^{[lower-roman 2]}

⁠"Thou speakest sooth: thy skiff unmoor,
And waft us from the silent shore;
Nay, leave the sail still furled, and ply
The nearest oar that's scattered by,
And midway to those rocks where sleep
The channelled waters dark and deep.
Rest from your task—so—bravely done, 370
Our course has been right swiftly run;
Yet 'tis the longest voyage, I trow,
That one of—^{[decimal 2]}⁠*⁠*⁠*
⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠* "

⁠Sullen it plunged, and slowly sank,
The calm wave rippled to the bank;
I watched it as it sank, methought

Variants

1. Take ye and give ye that salam,
   That says of Moslem faith I am.—[MS.]]
2. Which one of yonder barks may wait.—[MS.]

Notes

1. "Salam aleikoum! aleikoum salam!" peace be with you; be with you peace—the salutation reserved for the faithful:—to a Christian, "Urlarula!" a good journey; or "saban hiresem, saban serula," good morn, good even; and sometimes, "may your end be happy!" are the usual salutes.
   ⁠["After both sets of prayers, Farz and Sunnah, the Moslem looks over his right shoulder, and says, 'The Peace (of Allah) be upon you and the ruth of Allah,' and repeats the words over the left shoulder. The salutation is addressed to the Guardian Angels, or to the bystanders (Moslem), who, however, do not return it."—Arabian Nights, by Richard F. Burton, 1887: Supplemental Nights, i. 14, note.
2. [In the MS. and the first five editions the broken line (373) consisted of two words only, "That one."]