The sun shines out now, and Khalil says the “world has got well” again, so he sings: 

    Shines the sun with brightest beam
    On the roof of Im Seleem;
    Now the bear will dance a reel,
    On the roof of Im Khaleel.

The roofs of the houses are low and flat, and on the hill-sides you can walk from the street above upon the roof of the houses below.  I once lived in a house in Duma in which the cattle, donkeys, and sheep used to walk on our roof every evening as they came in from pasture.  It was not very pleasant to be awakened at midnight by a cow-fight on the roof, and have the stones and dirt rattling down into our faces, but we could get no other house, and had to make the best of it.  You can understand then Khalil’s song: 

    The sun is rising all so bright
    Upon the Pasha’s daughter: 
    See her toss the tassels blue,
    As her mother taught her. 
    Turn the oxen on the roof
    Of the village priest;
    He will kill them one and all,
    And give the poor a feast.

The boys seem to be in high glee.  They all know Handumeh and her betrothed Shaheen Ma’ttar, so they are swinging and singing in honor of her wedding.

But the time has come for the wedding, and we will go over to Ain Kesur, about a mile away, and join in the bridal procession.  As we come near the house we hear the women inside singing.  They have been dressing the bride, and after she is dressed they lead her around and try to make her dance.  Perhaps they will let us see how she is dressed.  Her head is covered with a head-dress of pink gauze, embroidered with gold thread and purple chenille, and ornamented with pearl beads and artificial flowers, and over all a long white gauze veil trimmed with lace.  Her ear-rings are gold filigree work with pendant pearls, and around her neck is a string of pure amber beads and a gold necklace.  She wears a jacket of black velvet, and a gilt belt embroidered with blue, and fastened with a silver gilt filigree buckle in the form of a bow knot with pendants.  On her finger is a gold ring set with sapphire, and others with turquoises and amethysts.  Her dress is of brown satin, and on her arms are solid gold bracelets which cost 1400 piastres or fifty-six dollars.  You know Handumeh is not a rich girl, and her betrothed is a hard working muleteer, and he has had to work very hard to get the money to buy all these things, for it is the custom for the bridegroom to pay for the bride’s outfit.  The people always lay out their money in jewelry because it is easily carried, and easily buried in time of civil wars and troubles in the land.  Shaheen’s brothers and relatives have come to take her to Abeih, but he is nowhere to be seen.  It would not be proper for him to come to her house.  For weeks she has not been over to Abeih, except to invite us to her wedding, and when Anna asked her on what day she was to be married, she professed not to know anything about it.  They think it is not modest for a bride to care anything about the wedding, and she will try to appear unwilling to go when they are ready to start.  The women are singing now: