But our bride’s cheeks are redder blushing bright as the rose. 
    Dark silk! black silk! hear him now as he sings: 
    But our bride’s hair is black, like the raven’s dark wings;
    With the light of our eyes with our Handumeh sweet
    No maid of the Druzes can ever compete. 
    She is worth all the wealth of the Lebanon domain,
    All the vineyards and olives, the silk worms and grain. 
    And no maids of the Christians can with her compare
    Tho’ shining with pearls and with jewels so rare.

The house is now crowded full, the men being all in one room with Shaheen, and the women in the other room, and the court with the bride Handumeh.  One of Shaheen’s brothers comes around with a kumkum, and sprinkles orange flower water in all our faces, and Khalil asks us if we wish the ceremony to take place now?  We tell him that he must ask the bride and groom.  So Abu Shaheen comes into the court with the old priest Eklemandus, as Shaheen’s family belong to the Greek Catholic sect.  Handumeh is really a Protestant, and Shaheen has nothing to do with the priests, but the “old folks” had their way about it.  A white curtain hangs across the court, and the bride stands on one side, with her bridesmaid, and all the women and girls, and on the other side is the priest with Shaheen, and all of the men and boys.  Then candles were distributed, and lighted, and the old priest adjusted his robes and began to read the marriage service.  An assistant stood by his side looking over his shoulder, and responding Amen in a loud and long drawn voice.  At length the priest called out to him, “A little shorter there on those Amens.  We don’t want long Amens at a wedding!” This set the whole crowd laughing, and on he went reading passages of Scripture, prayers and advice to the bride and bridegroom in the most hasty and trifling manner, intoning it through his nose, so that no one could understand what he was saying.  While he was reading from the gospel about the marriage at Cana of Galilee, a small boy, holding a lighted candle, came very near burning off the old man’s beard, and he called out to him, “Put out your candle!  You have tormented my life out of me with that candle.”  This raised another laugh, and on he read.  Then he took two rings, and drawing aside the curtain, placed one on the bride’s head, and the other on the bridegroom’s head, pronouncing them man and wife, and then gave them each a sip of wine and the ceremony was concluded, all the men kissing Shaheen, and the women Handumeh.  Refreshments were then served to the guests from the village, and a dinner to those from other villages.  In the evening there assembled a great company in Shaheen’s house, and the hour was given up to story telling.  Saleh, whose brother married Shaheen’s sister, will begin with the Story of the Goats and the Ghoul.