NOTES
Reading edition
The exclamation “Yehh!” which occurs in the play, is an Arab cry of surprise; the exclamation “Awah!” or “Wah!” a cry of grief, synonymous with “Alas!” In both cases the final “h” is pronounced gutturally, something like the “ch” in the German “Ach!” or Scotch “Och!”
The rhymed prose which occurs in moments of emotion is a peculiarity of Arab speech and literature. There are endless examples of it in Burton’s “Arabian Nights.”
In addressing a person, “O” is always used as “O Hajj.” If “O” is left out it is the sign of deliberate insult. This “O” is not emphasised except when expedient.