Letter: T-S 8J21.26

Letter T-S 8J21.26

Tags

Input date

In PGP since 2017

Description

Letter from Abū Sahl Levi ha-Levi (?) in Qalyūb (?). Goitein's note card: "The writer's wife quareled with the wife of the recipient. The latter's brother had consulted an astrologer. The recipient should visit next Sunday, since he was at peace with the writer's wife. The recipient should feign that he would bring his own wife to come. Verso: Arabic chancellery script" (for which see PGPID 35177). It is not clear that the recipient's wife features in this letter at all. Goitein read "ahl al-makān" in line 14 as referring to the recipient's wife, but this could just as well be referring to the writer's conflict with his own wife, which he wishes the recipient to mediate. The handwriting and colloquial spellings resemble those of Abu Sahl (Levi) the cantor, the father of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi and Abu l-Ḥasan Yedutun. Moshe was in the habit of visiting Fustat from Qalyub on Sundays, as mentioned here. Curiously, the writer switches from Judaeo-Arabic to Arabic in the margin, but this is not for secrecy, as it is just a repetition of what he said in the main text. ASE.

T-S 8J21.26 1r

1r

Transcription

Alan Elbaum, unpublished editions (n.p., 2020).

Recto:

  1. בש רח
  2. וצל כתאבך אללה לא יקטעה ועצדך
  3. באלתופיק ונחן מן פצל אללה פי
  4. עאפיה ומא עלא קלבנא [. . . .] מן
  5. וחשתנא מנך ואללה לא יוחשנא מנך
  6. ותפצל אגעל דכולך יום אלאחד כמא
  7. גרת אלעאדה ואנת ליס עלי מפאצלה
  8. בל עלי מא גרת בה אלעאדה חתי א (!)
  9. נגתמע ותנצר אלחאל ותקול אנא דאכל
  10. אחאכם . . . תי גמעה מן אלזמאן ואללה אלמדבר
  11. באלכיר אמן ולא תאכד עלי פי האדא אלכלאם
  12. ואללה אלמופק ואן אכוך מצא אלי אלמנגם וקאל
  13. לה חתא יגתמע בך ויקולה לך פאגעל דכולך
  14. יום אלאחד מן כל בד ואנת מע אהל אלמכאן עלי
  15. צלח ומא כאן קד תקרר ביננא ושלום

Translation

T-S 8J21.26 1v

1v

Recto margins:

  1. على انك تقول لهم انك
  2. تدخل تحاكم
Image Permissions Statement
  • T-S 8J21.26: Provided by Cambridge University Library. Zooming image © Cambridge University Library, All rights reserved. This image may be used in accord with fair use and fair dealing provisions, including teaching and research. If you wish to reproduce it within publications or on the public web, please contact genizah@lib.cam.ac.uk.