THE TOBACCO PLANT.

Grey River Argus, 27 June 1922, Page 3

THE TOBACCO PLANT.

AN ARABIAN LEGEND. This legend was originally written in the Spanish language by Cervera Bachiller, translated into Esperanto by Jayme. ileinlien Ferriera, and published in the ‘‘Fundamenta Krcstomatio ’' of Dr Zanicnhof. author of the Esperanto language. It is now translated into English by “ Laburisto ’ ‘ for the benefit of “Argus” readers:— In the name of Allah, forgiving and good hearted. Who gave us the. reed for writing, and who daily teaches the people something they did not know, listen; He .alone is the great, the powerful the master of the angels and of the sun, which shines over the mountains, comes from his eyes. One of his lingers governs the mechanism of the worlds. The breath of liis mouth is the wind, which drives the sands ot the desert. Listen: It is nut the legend of the beauty of Tobeida, nor the legend about the Sultan of Kandalicre, nor the story of the Bedouin beauty, nor one of the sweet folk tales and tales of witchery, which the poets of the Eastern peoples sing to the acompauiment of the guzlo, sitting near the doors of the Bagdad cafes, or before the bazaars of the wealthy Djcdn. It is not one of the rosy legends, which the Bedouins sing near the ‘‘Well of Blessing” during the filling of the jugs, when the sun sleeps in the arms of the evening, or which the watchers of the desert sing together near the “Coloured Rocks,” when the camels repose under the while tent, and the moon arises on the horizon. It is the legend which the true believers always repeat, with the ryes turned to “Holy Alecca,” and which was related to be by Ali Hasan of the tribe “Beni cl Vedaro,” on’’ morning when we both walked on the shore of the sea. When the sun arose Ali extended the mat of prayer, fell on his knees and pronounced the “Fatah.” When his prayer was finished,. m> arose am! ofi'ered to me the pipe of friendship. We became seated and commenced io smoke. ‘ ‘ Christian. ” he said t<» me, “you do rod know the history of the birth of this leaf, whose odour we now smell, ami whose smoke ascends to the throne of Allah, mixed .with the odours of the flowers?” “Mohamedan, I do not know,” 1 replied. “Allah be praised,” ho exclaimed. “Wb.o only to the believers, by the mouth of the prophet, disclose the mvsteries of hidden things. From God we are ami to God we -will return! He is great. Putting more tobacco into his pipe, he related to mo the following legend, deeply and st ri<dly religious. “Mohamed (God keep him in sacred glory) once voyaged through the desert of demon. It was winter ami on account of the cold all creeping things slept the sleep of the long nights. The horse, on which tlm pioplud rode, put a hoof (hi the nest of a serpent and di’-elcsod a tiny reptile sleeping from Hie cold. Mohamed pitied the creature. descended from his horse, took the little serpent and put it into the sh.'ove of his mantle, that the warmth of his body might revive it. The warmth of his body returned to it the life. Soon it mox’ed. latter it put out its head and said: Prophet, 1 wish to bite vmir hand.” Bo not ungrateful.'’ replied 11:° prophet.. “1 wish to do so!” “ Wh('n you show what makes vgu ■wish to do evil to me, I will permit to bite me.” “Your wars against ours. Y- ur feet and the hoofs of your horses always conquer us, and 1 now wish to revenged on v.m.” “We speak neither abouT vour tribo nor about ours,’’ replied the prophet, “only between you and me is this alTr.ir. What evil have I done to you? Ifive I no* done g >od in returning to you the life by the warmth of inv body.”’ ‘ ‘ Nothwithstanding that i wish to bitt' you, in order that vou might not, later, do evil to my sons nor to otlu'rs of my tribe.” This, evil, reptile, is ingratitude. You will return <'vil for good. Woe to you who evilly will repay tlie good turns, which one does to yoii!'' “1 wish,” exclaimed the serpent angrily, “J wish and swear to von by God, the greal and powerful, that I. will bile you.” Jinxing heard the name of Allah, the prophet did not dale to reply further. He bent his head and said: “His name be praised, We are from Him an 1 from Him we have the life!” And he uncovered his hand that tlm serpent might bite there. And the serpent bit the sacred hand of Mohammed. Having fell the pain, the prophet hurled the sc'i'i'ent afar off and cursed it in the name of Allah, J because it was ungrateful, and with it I he also cursed all who pay evil for good, and are not grateful for the good which He does for them. After wards the prophet pressed his lips to the wound, strongly sucked and extracted the poison, which the reptile had left there, ami he spit on the sands of the desert, in that same minute, on. the place where tell the spittle, a errowth was born, rapidly unfolding and giving leaves. T’he Arabs, who accompanied the messenger ot Allah, burned some leaves as a sacrifice to God alone, forgiving and good-hearted, "who saved the chief of the believers from perish ing bv tht' poison, ami then they smelt the strange ami delicate odour, which this growth gives, on being burned. From that d:ty all good Mohamedans smoke the loaves of this wonderful herb, blessed by Allah; plant it in the oasis, and smell its odour with respect and jov, because its taste contains the bitterness of the serpent ’s poison ami the sweetness of the sacred saliva ot the prophet. Krom that distant time the tobacco is the pleasure of the “Hadji.” who journey to Mecca, by the “Clemoj’s” who insiruct wisdom near the step of the mosque of “El Hazar,” fountain of gaiety ami light ami bv the sons of the white ten’., who are the kings of the desert. Also from that time the believer, having received under the tent of another Moharnedan, the salt of hospitality, must love ami. proto: i him, till death, if needs be, because the curse of the prophet stands over the head ot an in fr rato, who will not be able to see the clear light of paradise, on the night of his death. 'Phis is the legend about tobacco which descends fiom v tribe to tribe, related by the old believers through tlm generations ami centuries, for the glory of Allah, whose name is blessed. He alone is great.”