parts of his “book” as were unintelligible, to reconcile conflicting statements, and to fit the older legislation to changed circumstances.  As the religious head of the community, his dictum became law; and these logia of the Prophet were handed around and handed down as the unwritten law by which his lieutenants were to be guided, in matters not only religious, but also legal.  For “law” to them was part and parcel of “religion.”  This “hadith” grew apace, until, in the third century of the Hijrah, it was put to writing.  Nothing bears weight which has not the stamp of Muhammad’s authority, as reported by his near surroundings and his friends.  In such a mass of tradition, great care is taken to separate the chaff from the wheat.  The chain of tradition (Isnad) must be given for each tradition, for each anecdote.  But the “friends” of the Prophet are said to have numbered seven thousand five hundred, and it has not been easy to keep out fraud and deception.  The subjects treated are most varied, sometimes even trivial, but dealing usually with recondite questions of law and morals.  Three great collections of the ‘Hadith’ have been made:  by al-Buchari (869), Muslim (874), and al-Tirmidhi (892).  The first two only are considered canonical.  From these are derived the three great systems of jurisprudence which to this day hold good in the Muhammadan world.

The best presentation of the characteristics of Arabic poetry is by W. Ahlwardt, ‘Ueber Poesie und Poetik der Araber’ (Gotha, 1856); of Arabic metres, by G.W.  Freytag, ‘Darstellung der Arabischen Verkunst’ (Bonn, 1830).  Translations of Arabic poetry have been published by J.D.  Carlyle, ‘Specimens of Arabic Poetry’ (Cambridge, 1796); W.A.  Clouston, ‘Arabic Poetry’ (Glasgow, 1881); C.J.  Lyall, ’Translations of Ancient Arabic Poetry’ (London, 1885).  The history of Arabic literature is given in Th.  Noeldeke’s ‘Beitraege zur Kenntniss der Poesie der Alten Araber’ (Hanover, 1864), and F.F.  Arbuthnot’s ‘Arabic Authors’ (London, 1890).

[Author’s signature] Richard Gottheil

DESCRIPTION OF A MOUNTAIN STORM

From the most celebrated of the ’Mu ‘allakat,’ that of Imr-al-Kais, ’The Wandering King’:  Translation of C.J.  Lyall.

     O friend, see the lightning there! it flickered and now is gone,
       as though flashed a pair of hands in the pillar of crowned cloud. 
     Now, was it its blaze, or the lamps of a hermit that dwells alone,
       and pours o’er the twisted wicks the oil from his slender cruse? 
     We sat there, my fellows and I, ’twixt Darij and al-Udhaib,
       and gazed as the distance gloomed, and waited its oncoming. 
     The right of its mighty rain advanced over Katan’s ridge;
       the left of its trailing skirt swept Yadhbul and as-Sitar: 
     Then over Kutaifah’s steep the flood of its onset drave,
       and headlong before its storm the tall trees were borne to ground;