«إِلَى أَنْ عُمِرَا بِالنَّحْلَانِ وَأَخَذَا مِنَ الْخُلَّانِ، وَكُنَّا بِمُعَرَّسٍ»
Until the two had received generous gifts and support from friends, while we were at a travellers’ stopping place.
Naḥlān concerns gifts; khullān means friends. The words echo each other without having the same meaning. Muʿarras is a place to stop briefly on a journey.
Nearby villages are within sight. This shift in setting matters: it makes Abū Zayd’s subsequent request to visit a village seem plausible.
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The Dimyāṭī Maqāmah: Abū Zayd Unmasked and His Parting Message
«إِلَى أَنْ عُمِرَا بِالنَّحْلَانِ وَأَخَذَا مِنَ الْخُلَّانِ، وَكُنَّا بِمُعَرَّسٍ»
Until the two had received generous gifts and support from friends, while we were at a travellers’ stopping place.
Naḥlān concerns gifts; khullān means friends. The words echo each other without having the same meaning. Muʿarras is a place to stop briefly on a journey.
Nearby villages are within sight. This shift in setting matters: it makes Abū Zayd’s subsequent request to visit a village seem plausible.