Chapter 46

Arab. "Kurrat al-ayn;" coolness of eyes as opposed to a hot eye ("sakhin") _i.e._ one red with tears. The term is true and picturesque so I translate it literally. All coolness is pleasant to dwellers in burning lands: thus in Al-Hariri Abu Zayd says of Bassorah, "I found there whatever could fill the eye with coolness." And a "cool booty" (or prize) is one which has been secured without plunging into the flames of war, or simply a pleasant prize. Footnote 122: Popularly rendered Caucasus (see Nig…