The Sundry Names to the Sexual parts of man

Know, O Vizir (to whom God be good!), that man’s member bears different names, as:96

Ed de keur, the virile member.
El kamera, the penis.
El air, the member for generation.
El hamama, the pigeon.
Et teunnana, the tinkler.
El heurmak, the indomitable.
El ahlil, the liberator.
Ez zeub, the verge.
El hammache, the exciter.
El fadelak, the deceiver.
En naasse, the sleeper.
Ez zodamne, the crowbar.
El khiade, the tailor.
Mochefi el relil, the extinguisher of passion.
Ei khorrate, the turnabout.
El deukkak, the striker.
El aouame, the swimmer.
Ed dekhal, the housebreaker.
El khorradj, the sorter.
El aouar, the one-eyed.
El fortass, the bald.

Abou aine, the one with an eye.97
El atsar, the pusher.
Ed dommar, the strong-headed.
Abou rokba, the one with a neck.
Abou quetaia, the hairy one.
El besiss, the impudent one.
El mostahi, the shamefaced one.
El bekkai, the weeping one.
El hezzaz, the rummager.
El lezzaz, the unionist.
Abou laaba, the expectorant.
Ech chebbac, the chopper.
El hattack, the digger.
El fattache, the searcher.
El hakkak, the rubber.
El mourekhi, the flabby one.
El motela, the ransacker.
El mokcheuf, the discoverer.

As regards the names of kamera98 and dekeur, their meaning is plain. Dekeur is a word which signifies the male of all creatures, and is also used in the sense of “mention” and “memory.” When a man has met with an accident to his member, when it has been amputated, or has become weak, and he can, in consequence, no longer fulfil his conjugal duties, they say of him: “the member of such a one is dead”; which means: the remembrance of him will be lost, and his generation is cut off by the root. When he died they will say, “His member has been cut off,” meaning, “His memory is departed from the world.”99

The dekeur plays also an important part in dreams. The man who dreams that his member has been cut off is certain to live long after that dream, for, as said above, it presages his loss of memory and the extinction of his race.

I shall treat this subject more particularly in the explication of dreams.100

The teeth (senane) represent years (senine); if therefore a man sees in a dream a fine set of teeth, this is for him a sign of a long life.

If he sees his nail (defeur) reversed or upside down, this is an indication that the victory (defeur) which he has gained over his enemies will change sides; and from a victor; he will become the vanquished; inversely, if he sees the nail of his enemy turned the wrong way, he can conclude that the victory which had been with his enemy will soon return to him.

The sight of a lily (sonsana) is the prognostication of a misfortune lasting a year (son, misfortune; sena, year).

The appearance of ostriches (namate) in dreams is of bad augury, because their name being formed of naa and mate, signifies “news of death,” namely, peril.

To dream of a shield (henata) means the coming on of all sorts of misfortune, for this word, by a change of letters, gives koul afa, “all bad luck.”

The sight of a fresh rose (ourarde) announces the arrival (oroud) of a pleasure to make the heart tremble with joy; a faded rose indicates deceitful news. It is the same with baldness of the temples, and similar things.101

The pessamine (yasmine) is formed of yas, signifying deception, or the happening of a thing contrary to your wish, and mine, which means untruth. The man, then, who sees a pessamine in his dream is to conclude that the deception, yas, in the name yasmine, is an untruth, and will thus be assured of the success of his enterprise.102 However, the prognostications furnished by the jessamine have not the same character of certainty as those given by the rose. It differs greatly from this latter flower, inasmuch as the slightest breath of wind will upset it.

The sight of a saucepan (beurma) announces the conclusion (anuberame) of affairs in which one is engaged. Abou Djahel103 (God’s curse be upon him!) has added that such conclusion would take place during the night.

A jar (khabia) is the sign of turpitude (khebets) in every kind of affair, unless it is one that has fallen into a pit or river and got broken, so as to let escape all the calamities contained in it.

Sawing wood (nechara) means good news (bechara).

The inkstand (douaia) indicates the remedy (doua), namely, the cure of a malady, unless it be burnt, broken or lost, when it means the contrary.

The turban (amama) if seen to fall over the face and covering the eyes is a presage of blindness (aina), from which God preserve us!

The finding again in good condition a gem that has been lost or forgotten is a sign of success.

If one dreams that he gets out of a window (taga) he will know that he will come with advantage out of all transactions he may have, whether important or not. But if the window seen in the dream is narrow so that he had trouble to get out, it will be a sign to him that in order to be successful he will have to make efforts in proportion to the difficulty experienced by him in getting out.

The bitter orange signifies that from the place where it was seen calumnies will be issuing.104

Trees (achedjar) mean discussions (mechadjera).

The carrot (asefnaria) prognosticates misfortune (asef) and sorrow.

The turnip (cufte) means for the man that has seen it a matter that is past and gone (ameur fate), so that there is no going back to it. The matter is weighty if it appeared large, of no importance if seen small; in short important in proportion to the size of the turnip seen.105

A musket seen without its being fired means a complot contrived in secret, and of no importance. But if it is seen going off it is a sign that the moment has arrived for the realization of the complot.

The sight of fire is of bad augury.

If the pitcher (brik)106 of a man who has turned to God breaks, this is a sign that his repentance is in vain, but if the glass out of which he drinks wine breaks, this means that he returns to God.

If you have dreamed of feasts and sumptuous banquets, be sure that quite contrary things will come to pass.

If you have seen somebody bidding adieu to people on their going away you may be certain that it will be the later who will shortly wish him a good journey, for the poet says:

“If you have seen your friend saying good-bye, rejoice;

Let your soul be content as to him who is far away,

For you may look forward to his speedy return,

And the heart of him who said adieu will come back to you.”107

The coriander (keusbeur) signifies that the vulva (keuss) is in proper condition.

On this subject there is a story that the Sultan Haroun er Rachid having with him several persons of mark with whom he was familiar, rose and left them to go to one of his wives, with whom he wanted to enjoy himself. He found her suffering from the courses, and returned to his companions, resigned to his disappointment.

Now it happened that a moment afterwards the woman found herself free from her discharge. When she had assured herself of this, she made forthwith her ablutions, and sent to the Sultan by a negress, a plate of coriander.108

Haroun er Rachid was seated amongst his friends when the negress brought the plate to him. He took it and examined it, but did not understand the meaning of its being sent to him by his wife. At last he handed it to one of his poets, who, having looked at it attentively, recited to him the following verses.

“She has sent you coriander (keusbeur),

White as sugar;

I have placed it in my palm,

And concentrated all my thoughts upon it,

In order to find out its meaning;

And I have seized it. O my master, what she wants to say.

It is, ‘My vulva is restored to health’ (keussi beuri).”

Er Rachid was surprised at the wit shown by the woman, and at the poet’s penetration. Thus that which was to remain a mystery remained hidden, and that which was to be known was divulged.

A drawn sword is a sign of war, and the victory will remain with him who holds its hilt.

A bridle means servitude and oppression.

A long beard points to good fortune and prosperity; but it is a sign of death if it reaches down to the ground.

Others pretend that the intelligence of each man is in an inverse proportion to the length of his beard; that is to say, a big beard denotes a small mind. A story goes in this respect, that a man who had a long beard saw one day a book with the following sentence inscribed on its back. “He whose chin is garnished with a large beard is as foolish as his beard is long.” Afraid of being taken for a fool by his acquaintances, he thought of getting rid of what there was too much of his beard, and to this end, it being night time, he grasped a handful of his beard close to the chin, and set the remainder on fire by the light of the lamp. The flame ran rapidly up the beard and reached his hand, which he had to withdraw precipitately on account of the heat. Thus his beard was burnt off entirely. Then he wrote on the back of the book under the abovementioned sentence, “These words are entirely true. I, who am now writing this, have proved their truth.” Being himself convinced that the weakness of the intellect is proportioned to the length of the beard.109

On the same subject it is related that Haroun er Rachid, being in a kiosk, saw a man with a long beard. He ordered the man to be brought before him, and when he was there he asked him, “What is your name?” “Abou Arouba,” replied the man. “What is your profession?” “I am master in controversy.

Haroum then gave him the following case to solve. A man buys a he-goat, who, in voiding his excrements, hits the buyer’s eye with part of it and injures the same. Who has to pay for the damages? “The seller,” promptly says Abou Arouba. “And why?” asked the Kalif. “Because he had sold the animal without warning the buyer that it had a catupult in its anus,” answered the man. At these words the Kalif began to laugh immoderately, and recited the following verses:

“When the beard of the young man

Has grown down to his navel,

The shortness of his intellect is in my eyes

Proportioned to the length his beard has grown.”

It is averred by many authors that amongst proper names there are such as bring luck and others that bring ill luck, according to the meaning they bear.

The names Ahmed, Mohammed, Hamdouna, Hamdoun indicate in encounters and dreams the lucky issue arrived at in a transaction.110 Ali, Alia indicate the height and elevation of rank.111 Naserouna, Naseur, Mansour, Naseur Allah, signify triumph over enemies.112 Salem, Salema Selim, Selimane indicate success in all affairs; also security for him who is in danger.113 Fetah Allah, Fetah indicate victory, like all the other names which in their meaning speak of lucky things.114 The names Rad, Raad signify thunder, tumult, and comprise everything in connection with this meaning.115 Abou el Feurdj and Ferendj indicate joy; Ranem and Renime success, Khalf Allah and Khaleuf compensation for a loss, and benediction. The sense of Abder Rassi, Hafid and Mahfond is favourable. The names in which the words latif (benevolent), mourits (helpful), hanine (compassionate), aziz (beloved), carry with them, in conformity with the sense of these words, the ideas of benevolence, lateuf (charity), iratsa (compassion), hanana, and aiz (favour). As an example of words of an unfavourable omen I will cite el ouar, el ouara, which imply the idea of difficulties.

As supporting the truth of the preceding observations I will refer to this saying of the Prophet (the salutation and benevolence of God to him!). Compare the names appearing in your dreams with their significance, so that you may draw therefrom your conclusions.”116

I must confess that this was not the place for treating of this subject, but one word leads on to more. I now return to the subject of this chapter, viz: the different names of the sexual parts of man.

The name of el air is derived from el kir (the smith’s bellows). In fact if you turn in the latter word the K, kef, so that it faces the opposite way, you will find the word to read ei air.117 The member is called so on count of its alternate swelling and subsiding again. If swollen up it stands erect, and if not sinks down flaccid.

It is called el hamama (the pigeon), because after having been swelled out it resembles at the moment when it returns to repose a pigeon sitting on her eggs.118

El teunnana (the tinkler). — So called because when it enters or leaves the vulva in coition it makes a noise.

El heurmak (the indomitable).119— It has received this name because when in a state of erection it begins to move its head, searching for the entrance to the vulva till it has found it, and then walks in quite insolently, without asking leave............