Syria and the Holy Land : their scenery and their people : incidents of travel, &cfrom the best and most recent authorities . g only now and then when the expression requires someemphatical attitude. He is commonly heard with great attention, and notunfrequently, in the midst of some interesting adventure, when the expecta-tion of his audience is raised to the highest pitch, he breaks off abruptly,and makes his escape from the room, leaving both his heroine and hisaudience in the utmost embarrassment. Those who happen to be near thedoor endeavour to detain him, insisting on the story being fin
Syria and the Holy Land : their scenery and their people : incidents of travel, &cfrom the best and most recent authorities . g only now and then when the expression requires someemphatical attitude. He is commonly heard with great attention, and notunfrequently, in the midst of some interesting adventure, when the expecta-tion of his audience is raised to the highest pitch, he breaks off abruptly,and makes his escape from the room, leaving both his heroine and hisaudience in the utmost embarrassment. Those who happen to be near thedoor endeavour to detain him, insisting on the story being finished before hedeparts ; but he always makes his retreat good ; and the auditors, suspend-ing their curiosity, are reduced to return at the same hour next day to hearthe sequel. He no sooner has made his exit than the company in separateparties fall to disputing about the characters of the drama or the event of theunfinished adventure. The controversy by degrees becomes serious, and m 3 206 SYRIA AND THE HOLY LAND. opposite opinions are maintained with no less warmth than if the fate of thecity depended on the Damascene Coffee House. The vocal music, to a European ear, seems at first not less uncouth thanthe Arabic language ; and it seldom happens that time, which by degreesreconciles one to the language, does more for the music, than to render itmerely tolerable. There is, in particular, one species of song, between an airand a recitative, named Mowal, which is held universally in the highestesteem. It is performed by a single voice, unaccompanied by instruments,and the singer placing a hand behind each ear, as if to save the drum of thatorgan from destruction, exerts his voice to the utmost stretch. The subjectof the poetry is generally of the plaintive kind. Some hapless wight lamentsthe absence of his mistress—recalls the memory of happier times, and invokesthe pale moon, or the listening night, to bear witness to his constancy. Theperformer frequently makes lo
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