«وَلَكِنِّي تَلَقِّينِهِ الْيَمِينَ لِيَصْدُقَ أَمْ يَمِينٍ»
But I shall dictate the oath to reveal whether he is truthful or perjuring himself.
The elder is allowed to propose the oath’s wording, leading to an unusually long and elaborate formula. The governor plays on «جَدِّكَ الْمُتَهَالِكِ عَلَى ابْنِكَ الْهَالِكِ»
Your desperate anguish for your deceased son.
The words al-mutahālik / al-hālik introduce an ironic echo.
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The Raḥbiyyah Maqāmah — An Accusation, an Unusual Oath and a Hundred-Mithqāl Offer
«وَلَكِنِّي تَلَقِّينِهِ الْيَمِينَ لِيَصْدُقَ أَمْ يَمِينٍ»
But I shall dictate the oath to reveal whether he is truthful or perjuring himself.
The elder is allowed to propose the oath’s wording, leading to an unusually long and elaborate formula. The governor plays on «جَدِّكَ الْمُتَهَالِكِ عَلَى ابْنِكَ الْهَالِكِ»
Your desperate anguish for your deceased son.
The words al-mutahālik / al-hālik introduce an ironic echo.