«كَلِفْتُ مُذْ مِيطَتْ عَنِّي التَّمَائِمُ وَنِيطَتْ بِيَ الْعَمَائِمُ»
I have been captivated by it since the childhood amulets were removed from me and turbans were placed upon me.
Tamāʾim were amulets associated with children; ʿamāʾim are turbans, here evoking a later stage of life.
Instead of supplying an age or date, the narrator uses two tangible symbols to convey a movement from childhood toward maturity. The echo between the nouns makes the contrast especially memorable.
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The Ḥulwān Maqāmah: Seeking Knowledge and Abū Zayd’s Many Roles
«كَلِفْتُ مُذْ مِيطَتْ عَنِّي التَّمَائِمُ وَنِيطَتْ بِيَ الْعَمَائِمُ»
I have been captivated by it since the childhood amulets were removed from me and turbans were placed upon me.
Tamāʾim were amulets associated with children; ʿamāʾim are turbans, here evoking a later stage of life.
Instead of supplying an age or date, the narrator uses two tangible symbols to convey a movement from childhood toward maturity. The echo between the nouns makes the contrast especially memorable.