thing of transience, the human soul. In Syria the dove is often
carved upon their ancient tombstones. And the Longobards among
their graves erected poles in memory of kinsfolk who had died
abroad or had been slain in battle; on the summit of the pole was
a wooden image of a dove, whose head was pointed in the direction
where the loved one lay buried. With us, as with Abu'l-Ala
(_quatrain_ 26), the soul may metaphorically be imagined as a
bird, but for the European's ancestor it was a thing of sober
earnest, as it is to-day to many peoples. Thus the soul of
Aristeas was seen to issue from his mouth in the shape of a
raven.[6] In Southern Celebes they think that a bridegroom's soul
is apt to fly away at marriage, wherefore coloured rice is
scattered over him to induce it to remain. And, as a rule, at
festivals in South Celebes rice is strewed on the head of the
person in whose honour the festival is held, with the object of
detaining his soul, which at such times is in especial danger of
being lured away by envious demons.[7] . . . This metaphor was
used by Abu'l-Ala in the letter which he wrote on the death of
his mother: "I say to my soul, 'This is not your nest, fly
away.'" And elsewhere (_quatrain_ 34) Death is represented as a
reaper. Says Francis Thompson:

The goodly grain and the sun-flushed sleeper
The reaper reaps, and Time the reaper.

It is interesting to find Death also called a sower, who
disseminates weeds among men: "Dô der Tôt sînen Sâmen under si
gesœte."

It was an ancient custom of the Arabs when they took an oath of