Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 21, 1910.djvu/314

 276 Marriage Customs of the Bedu and Fellahin.

— pointing perhaps to their pagan origin. It was attended by an immense crowd, including many biladiye (towns- people), whom I was surprised to see in such association. It was explained as being due to the respect felt for one who had, with his own hands, unhesitatingly killed his own daughter on hearing of her misconduct. A man who wrongs a girl with her consent must marry her and pay "the price of her virginity," i.e. the same sum as if he had killed a man. Moreover, her family have the right to harry and loot his clan during a period of eight days.

Love plays quite an important role in Bedawi marriages. Arabic poetry tells many a tale of secret meetings, though these are not sanctioned by convention. It is, however, easy enough for a lad to make known his sentiments, and for a girl to send him word enet hdss must rdsi (" thou hast entered into the comb of my head").

" The woman is a donkey by day and a wife by night," say the Bedu, yet the man is, in general, considerate of his wife and, unlike the fellah, commonly sets his wife on camel-back when travelling, if only on account of the work which is expected of her on alighting, when the erection and arrangement of the tent falls to her lot. The Bedawi poet Nimr, whose songs may be heard at every camp fire, celebrated his first wife in 365 songs, and could not be consoled for her death, although he tried 80 others, all of whom he returned to their homes.

A Bedawi has very rarely two wives at a time. Baldens- perger, the longest and perhaps the most trustworthy observer of Arab customs, says he has never known a single case. Divorce is easy, and, like Nimr, he may have many wives in succession. Divorce does not carry the stigma which it does with us, as adultery in the desert is practically unknown. Both persons would be at once put to death. A man who desires his neighbour's wife, asks him for her, — naturally for "a consideration," which commonly con- sists of the bridal money he has already paid with certain