Scholarship on Letter: T-S 12.320

In Your name, O Merciful.

The letter of your excellency, the illustrious elder, my master, has arrived. It was the most pleasant letter that came

and the most delightful message that reached me. I read and understood it and was pleased to learn that you were well

and your affairs successful, for which I praised the Lord very much. Now, I ask God to

reunite us {lit., ‘facilitate our reunion’} under the most pleasant circumstances and in the best of spirits, through His favor and mercy,

God willing. You, my master—may God make your honored position permanent!—wrote that you kindly sold

the silk and sent goods for {alt. tr.: purchased with} its proceeds and that you sent them in the ships of Rāshmit (!).

I {alt. tr.: we} learned (however) that Rāshmit’s two ships were total losses. May the Holy one blessed be He

compensate me {alt. tr.: us} and you! Do not ask (me), my master, how much I was distressed by the loss of the cargo belonging to you.

But the Creator will {alt. tr.: may the Creator} compensate you soon. In any case, there is no counsel {lit., ‘stratagem’} against

the decree of God. All the copper (vessels) that you sent with Abū Alī

arrived, and the ‘table-bowl’ {alt. tr.: ‘table jug’} also arrived. It was exactly as I wished —may God give you

a good reward and undertake your compensation (for only He is able to do it adequately)! You, my master, mentioned that you approached the kārdāl gently, {Alt. tr.: You, my master, mentioned the affair of the kārdāl. You approach him, my master, with wily graciousness}

in order to get something for us back from him. Perhaps you should threaten him that here in Aden we excommunicate {Alt. tr.: and ask him to pay us. My master, were you to threaten him that we excommunicate in Aden}

anyone that owes us something and does not fulfill his commitments. Maybe, he will be afraid of the excommunication. {Alt. tr.: whoever does not pay a debt to us, perhaps he would fear the excommunication.}

If he does not pay, we shall issue an official letter of excommunication  {Alt. tr.: If he does not deliver anything/merchandise to us, we shall write a real letter of excommunication}

and send it to him, so that he will become aware of his crime. {Alt. tr.: and send it to him, until he attends to his disgraceful behavior.} The red betel nuts arrived,

as well as the two washbasins—may God give you a good reward! Please do not send me any more red

betel nuts, for they are not good. If there are to be had white fresh betel nuts, it will be

all right. Please do not send me anything {add: else}, whether betel nuts

or any other goods you acquire for me, in partnership with anyone, but specify what belongs to each person and (for) every

item purchased. {Add: This is the greatest favor you can do for me.} I am sending you

a broken ewer and a dipper that together weigh seven pounds less a quarter. Please

make me a ewer of the same measure from its copper, for its copper is good copper. The

weight of the ewer should be five pounds exactly. I am sending also eighteen and a quarter pounds

of good yellow copper in bars and five pounds of Qalʿī ‘lead’ in a big mold

and a piece of Egyptian ‘lead’ (in the form of ) a shell. Please put the bars,

the ‘lead’, and what remains from the manufacture of the ewer together and have made for me, your servant,

{add: ⟦a lamp⟧} two table jugs for two platters, each table jug being of

seventeen fills, of the same form {alt. tr.: make} as the table jug you sent me; they should be of good workmanship. From the rest of all the copper (ṣufr) make me

{add: a lamp, it should be:} an attractive lamp. Its column should be octagonal and stout; its base should be in the form of a lampstand with strong

feet. On its head there should be a copper (naḥās) lamp with two ends for two wicks, which should be set on the end of the column so that it could move up and down.

All the three, the column, the stand and the lamp, should be separate parts. If they could

make the feet in spirals, let it be so, for this is more beautiful. The late

Abu ʾl-Faraj al-Jubaylī made a lamp of such a description. Perhaps this will be {alt. tr.: can be made}

like it. This year, I did not succeed in sending gold or silk.

Instead, I am sending currency, 20 Malikī dinars, old dinars of good

gold. Please pay with it {alt. tr.: them} the fee for the labor of the coppersmith and with the rest buy me

a {add: small} quantity of ‘eggs’ and cardamom, and if this is not available, anything else, which God—may He be praised!—makes available.

And, please, send everything with the first ship sailing. Please buy me

two washbasins, of average size, somewhat larger than those you sent me, and a large washbasin, which holds

two water skins of water, measuring two siqāyas. I am sending you what has no importance or value,

namely two rubāʿiyyas of white sugar; a bottle, in a tight basket {alt. tr.: firmly set in a basket/in a basket—of muḥkam glass}, filled with raisins; and in

a mazza a pound of Maghrebi kohl, a pound of costus, a pound of vitriol, half a pound of litharge,

three ounces of ʿilk gum, and five dasts of Egyptian paper; furthermore, in a little basket seven

molds of ‘kosher’ cheese; five packages altogether. Furthermore, all the copper (naḥās) sent by me is

in a canvas. This makes six packages. I wrote on each: ʿAbraham Yijū,

shipment of Joseph,’ and sent the whole together with the 20 dinars with Sheikh

Aḥmad, the captain, b. Abu ʾl-Faraj. Furthermore, in a satchel there are two linen fūṭas

for the children and two network veils dyed with carthamus. Please {add: ⟦forward them⟧} accept delivery and forward them

to Sheikh Abu ʾl-Surūr b. Khallūf al-Ṭalḥī, as well as the letter destined for him. His name is

on the satchel. My lord mentioned that there remained {add: in my credit}, from last year, copper (naḥās) to manufacture two bowls for drinking

water. Kindly send them with the other copper. Altogether there are seven packages with the satchel of (21) Abu ʾl-Surūr al-Ṭalḥī. May my master receive for his esteemed self the best greetings! And upon you be peace!

To his honor my lord, the light of my eyes, and the ornament of my neck, my master and lord

Abraham, the wise and discerning, son of his honor, great and holy master {add: our Rabbi} Peraḥyā—may he rest in Eden!—Yijū.

(From) He that loves you and is proud of your good

name, Joseph b. Abraham.