מכתב: DK 311 (alt: 3, 6)
מכתב DK 311 (alt: 3, 6)What's in the PGP
- תמונה
- 1 Transcription
- 1 Translation
תיאור
Business letter from Shelomo b. Avraham [. . .] Ruqqī to Abū l-Faraj Nissim b. Shelomo Ruqqī. "Abū l-Faraj Nissim, the recipient of this letter, was an India trader, against whom, while in India selling precious Western textiles and mercury, a power of attorney was issued in Fustat. The date of that document is not preserved, but the names of the signatories, known from other sources, put it around 1090. [Goitein notes elsewhere, Med Soc I, 379, that the names of the sender and recipient also both occur in a document dated 1079.] The sender of the letter shared with him the family name, and since he writes in a style possible only among close relatives, he was most probably his nephew. Both clearly were Maghrebis; therefore, their family name must be read as al-Ruqql, derived from a little town in Tunisia named Ruqqa, and not al-Raqqi, from Raqqa, the ancient city on the Euphrates in northern Mesopotamia. The letter was sent from Fustat to Alexandria, for the writer refers to goods brought by him from North Africa ("the West"), but still remaining in the town of the receiver of the letter (sec. D). Many other details in this letter tally with this assumption. The writer most probably left Alexandria on a Thursday and passed the Sabbath in Fuwwa, where he embarked on a Nile boat; or he could have made the whole journey on a boat, using the KhalIj canal, which connected Alexandria with the Nile. See Med. Soc., i, 298-299." Goitein, Letters, 239–40. “People occasionally explain why they had not done something that was expected of them by their frame of mind, their mood, or their lack of nahda, energy, verve, bounce, pep.” Cf. the word ruḥiyya in this letter, and Med Soc V, x, B, 2, no. 111. From the letter: "Business here is slow and practically at a standstill. For there is much confusion in the rate of exchange and, at the present time, 50 dirhems are to be had for 1 dinar, more [or less]. An epidemic is raging in the environs of the town, and because of this, the flow of good dirhems has been cut off so that everyone is having difficulties with his business." Med Soc I, 379, no. 41. The word for epidemic here is بئة, a derivative of وباء, see Lane and Blau. The recipient of this letter went missing in India, and IB II, 2–9 consists of documents related to a shipment of camphor that was supposed to be sent to Alexandria to support his family and was instead (and very possibly unfairly) held by Maḍmūn as surety against other goods that Abū l-Faraj had taken to India.
תגים
Editor: Goitein, S. D.
Translator: Goitein, S. D. (in English)
DK 311 (alt: 3, 6) Frag. 001r
Recto
- כתאבי אליך יא סידי ומולאי אטאל אללה בקאך ואדאם סלאמתך וסעאדתך
- ואלדי נעלמך בה יא מולאי אן וצלת יום אלגמעה בעד ח' איאם
- ונזלת רחלי יום כתאבי הדא והו יום אלאחד ווצל גמיע מא מעי
- עלי גמלה אלסלאמה ואלדי תריד עלמה אלבלד כאסד כתיר ואקף
- לאן וקע פי אלצרף חירה ואלצרף אליום נ' דרהם בדינר(!) טאלע [נאזל]
- לאנהא חל ביה עלי גהתהא ואנקטע אלדרהם אלטיב מן אלנאס ואתחירו
- אלנאס פי מעאישהם לסבב דלך ואמא אמר אלמתאע אלשקרה אלגיידה
- תסוא ד' ונ' אלגאיה אמא גיר דלך דון אלד' ואלפוט אלכאם ז' ונ'
- ואלחמר כאסדה וקד ערפני סידי אבו אלסרור אנה באע לך י' פוט
- חמר ז' י' קראריט בנצר שהר ואלמלאחף כאסדה כתיר ואמא
- אמר אלשקיראת ואלפוט אלרפאע מא אערף להא צורה לאני מא
- קעדת פי סוק ואלזית כה' רטל בדינר(!) ואנא מתוקף בזיתי לעל
- יחלא קליל וקד אגתמעת במולאי אלשיך אבו סעד פי מא יתעלק בסלמאן
- ווגדת סלמאן קד מצׄא אלי אלשאם והו יכתב לך כתאב צחבה
- כתאבי לאן ערפתה אן אתצדע קלבך מן הדא אלחאל כתיר ואנך
- קאסית פיה אמראן עטׄים . וקד ערפתה חדית אלמתאע אלדי גבתה
- אנא מעי מן אלגרב וקאל קד כתבת כתאב בחמלה וכאלפני פי
- אלטריק ולסעא יא מולאי אן אתפק מן יגד אן יחמל מעה אפעל
- לאנה מא לה סביל אן יכתב לך בחדית ואנה מא יכתב
- בידה ומעה פי אלבית מן לא ימכן אלשרח קדאמה וכדאלך אלשיאל
- אכד אלדי הו פי גמלתך יבצר מא צׄאע מנה ומא בקי וקד [[סאלני]]
- סאלני אן אסאלך אן כאן פי הדה אלכלטה אמא שיה.
Recto, right margin
- סקלי או מאירקי
- או זית מ{א}א
- אנבאע
- מן הדה
- אלגמלה {מא}
- יעטא לה באלדי
- אסתקר
- פיה
- ומא כאן
- גיר דלך
- יבאע
- ויאכד כל
- דינאר חצתה
- ערפת למולאי
- דלך
- ואלתיאב אל
- כז מא יחל אחד
Recto, top margin
- פיהא בדרהם
- יסוא אלתוב
- דון אלד' תתפצל תגעל
- אבו אלחסן
- יערף בדלך
- וכאן (או: יוסף) אלפאסי
- ... סאלני
- פי דלך
- וכדלך
- סידי אבו אלחסן
- אבן אלשאמי לא
- יתחרך בזיתה
- אלא ינדם
Recto
I am writing to you, my lord and master—may God prolong your life and grant you permanent well-being and happiness—to inform you that I arrived on Friday, after an eight days' journey, and unloaded my cargo on Sunday, the day I am writing this. Everything which I carried with me arrived completely intact.
Now, what you wish to know: Business here is slow and practically at a standstill. For there is much confusion in the rate of exchange and, at the present time, 50 dirhems are to be had for 1 dinar, more [or less]. An epidemic is raging in the environs of the town, and because of this, the flow of good dirhems has been cut off so that everyone is having difficulties with his business.
As to the textiles: The reddish material, first class, is worth 4½ (dinars) at most; other qualities, less than 4. Unbleached saris (fūṭa) 7½, but the red ones are selling poorly; Abu ’l-Surūr informed me that he sold for you ten red saris for 7 (dinars) and 10 qīrāṭs, on one month's credit. The cloaks (malāḥif) are selling very poorly. As to the small pieces of reddish material and the fine saris, I do not know the situation, for I did not sit on the market.
Oil is being sold 25 pounds for a dinar; so I am holding my oil back, in the hope that the situation will improve a little.
I met with the elder Abū Saʿd ("Fortunate") with regard to Salmān and learned that Salmān had gone to Palestine. He, Abū Saʿd, will write you a letter to be sent simultaneously with my letter, for I told him that you were very much upset about this matter and took a very serious view of it.
I talked to him about the textiles which I had brought with me from the West; he said that he had sent a letter with instructions to bring them here, but the letter had crossed me on my way. Therefore, my lord, if someone can be found to transport them, please do so; for he has no way of explaining to you what happened, as he does not write with his own hand, and there is someone staying in his house, in whose presence things cannot be discussed.
Al-Shayyāl ("Porter") received what was sent for you and will inquire as to what was lost and what remained. He requested me to ask you whether this involved the partnership. As to his own merchandise—whether (textiles) from Sicily or Majorca, or oil—whatever has been sold of this, he will receive the price agreed upon. As for everything else, after it is sold, each partner will get his share in accordance with his investment. Please take notice of this, my lord.
The silk (khazz) robes do not fetch a thing, one robe being worth less than 4 (dinars). Please inform Abu ’l-Ḥasan accordingly. Likewise, Joseph al-Fāsī (of Fez) asked me about this. Please also tell Abu ’l-Ḥasan Ibn al-Shāmī (Syro-Palestinian) not to move with his oil; he will only regret it.
DK 311 (alt: 3, 6) Frag. 001v
Verso
- וקד ערפני סידי אלשיך אבו סעד אן אלשיך אבו אלבשר באע אל
- חריר מן אלסלטאן ואכד תמנה ומא אתמכן לי רוחיה אליום אסאלה
- כיף באעה ואנא אן שאללה אביע אלדי מעי לאני מא ארא
- שמאילה אלא קליל וקד קאל לי ⸢מולאי⸣ אלשיך אבו סעד פי אמר
- אלמתאע איש פאת מן אלחמלה ותרכה ענדה קלת לה מא
- יריד אלא יסתריח מנה קלת לה לעל יגד מע מן יוגהה יזול מן וגהה
- וקד יא מולאי כנת תרכת תובי אלקטן אלדי כאן עלי פוק אלתוב
- אלפאכתי פי גיבה רקעה אלכראג מע קרטאס פיה דראהם
- וכתאב דפעה לי סלאמה גלאם סיידנא אלנגיד ש"צ פסאעה
- אן תקרא כתאבי תוגה לי רקעה אלכראג לאני צמנת אלי אן תצל
- ומא כאן לך מן חאגה תכתב בהא ותכתב לי כתאב משרוח
- בסער אלזית ענדכם ואיש כאן תקדיר אלחאל לאני מעלק אל
- קלב כתיר אללה יטלעני עלי כיר חסב עואידה אלגמילה
- תכתץ באפצל אלסלאם ומולאי אלשיך אבו אלחסן אפצל אלסלאם ואן כאן
- לה חאגה יכתב לי בהא ורחל וסתהא אלסלאם וכל מן פי אל
- בית אלסלאם ואבו אלחסן אלסלאם ואבן עמתי ואולאדה אלסלאם ושלום
- וחיים יוסיפו לך ותפתש לי אל[מיעה] לאני מא וגדתהא
- פי אלרזמה
Verso, address
- מולאי אלשיך אבו אלפרג נסים בר שלמה נ"ע
- אדאם אללה סלאמתה וסעאדתה רקי
- ולדה וצניעתה שלמה בר אברהם נ"ע
- רקי
Verso
My master, the elder Abū Saʿd, informed me that the elder Abu ’l-Bishr ("Good tidings") sold his silk (ḥarīr) to the government and received its price. However, I was in no mood today to ask him how he sold it. I shall sell what I have with me, for I do not see that there is much hope (for a better price).
My lord, the elder Abū Saʿd talked to me about the textiles, namely, which of them had not been sent and had been left with him. I understood that he wanted to get rid of them; so I said perhaps he could find someone to send them with and get them out of his sight.
My lord, I left my cotton robe, which I used to wear above my iridescent robe; in its pocket there is the tax certificate together with a paper bag in which there are some dirhems and a letter given to me by Salāma, the agent of our master, the Nagid—(may his) R(ock) p(reserve him). Please send me the tax certificate as soon as you have read this letter, for I have given a bail bond on it until it arrives.
Whatever needs you have, please write me about them. Please write me in detail about the price of oil at your place and how things are, for I am very much worried. May God let me receive good tidings, as is his bountiful custom.
Accept my best greetings, and likewise, my best greetings to the elder Abu ’l-Ḥasan; if he needs anything, let him write me about it. Greetings to Rachel and her mother and to everyone in the house. Greetings also to Abu ’l-Ḥasan, to the son of my paternal aunt, and his sons. And Peace. And may your life be prolonged!
And look for the storax for me, for I did not find it in the package.
Verso, address
(To) my lord, the elder Abu ’l-Faraj Nissīm, son of Solomon, (may he) r(est in) E(den)—may God grant him permanent well-being and happiness—Ruqqī.
(From) his "son" and protégé Solomon, son of Abraham, ... Ruqqī.
