Page:Islam, Turkey, and Armenia, and How They Happened.djvu/177

Rh exaggerations and obscenity, spoken in an imaginative and proverbial style. Among the educated the rule is that the first person of the pronoun is expressed in humblest style and the second person just the contrary, for instance: I—"your servant," "your humble servant," "your most worthless slave;" you—"your highness," "your excellency," "your highest excellency;" holy are you—"how is the honored pleasure of your excellent nobility?" The answer is, "your servant kisses the sacred hands of your highest personality."

The Turkish style of addressing a letter: "By the grace of the Most High. Behold this letter is offered to the sacred direction of sagacious Ali Effendi, the assistant clerk in the financial department of the County of Keller, in the State of Bagdad."

In anger and quarreling the following expressions are very commonly used: "May your eyes be blinded, and you be left by the walls helpless;" "may your bread run from you on horseback, and you pursue it on foot and never reach it;" "may you not own two garments;" "may your lamp be extinguished suddenly" (die); "may you fall down like a pine tree;" "may melted lead be poured into your ears;" "may you be a vagabond in your life, and be dead in a stormy day;" and many indecent words which we can not put here.

The expressions for good wishes also are many and flattering, as: "May God hold your hands;" "may God build your household;" "whatever you touch