Historical question re the minor arcana

It's interesting, that the items "chess" and "trictrac" are used for longer passages in the following text, which describe great triumphs, but cards not.

It might point to the condition, that the words "cards" either were "added" by later redaction or that the passage for cards was killed by later redaction and they did forget about the above mentioned Kanjifah (whatever the censorhip wanted ... interests for card prohibition existed, perhaps reason enough to forge something).

The complete 16 volumes of Burton's translation, together with comparisons of contents from other translations, is online here:

http://www.wollamshram.ca/1001/index.htm

The paragraph is in Vol. V, 113 night 460.

John Payne translates the passage:

"The Khalif was astounded at her quickness and understanding and said to Ibrahim, 'Put off thy clothes.' So he rose and said, 'I call all who are present in this assembly to witness that she is more learned than I and all the learned men.' And he put off his clothes and gave them to her, saying, 'Take them and may God not bless them to thee!' The Khalif ordered him fresh clothes and said to Taweddud, 'There is one thing left of that for which thou didst engage, namely, chess.' And he sent for professors of chess and draughts and backgammon." Vol. 4, 112.

Kwaw

Burton and Tawaddud

Ah.. someone else reading the tale. Good on you.

THe point, however, is that these are market-place stories, which depend entirely for their effect (and for the teller's income)... on vivid and theatrical like accuracy: character-quirks, plot twists and immediately recognisable types and incidents, even if a bit of the pantomime touches it occasionally.

.. I've already written at length on the tale and its relevance to cards and contest-games of the educational sort, so I won't repeat all that...

Thing is - the hapex 'Kanjifah' sticks out like a sore thumb. Of all the incidents this has no character for her contestant, no drama, no description of how Tawaddud plays, or wins... *nothing but the bare word 'Kanjifah.*

I don't believe the description of hte contest was cut out - why on earth should it be? I do think the word was added, round about the 12thC as the collection was brought together, but not only to bring the sum total of T's accomplishments to 100% - moving with the times - but also because the tokens themselves were foreign, and ?therefore? associated with magical practices. This is why the reference to those signs and tokens appears where it does.

By the way, anyone looking for that reference to "signs and tokens of the Almanac-makers' - It comes at the turning point of the astronomy/medical/astrology contests. I expect the web version will differ, so won't cite pages.

Nice to know that Burton's on the web. Hope his complete index and notes are too.