Tarot History Forum

I'm looking for the Mamluk images and just find some cards, someone knows where to find them all?

Thanks!

lamort wrote:I'm looking for the Mamluk images and just find some cards, someone knows where to find them all?

Thanks!

Private message me your email address - the files are around 25megs total.

Aren't there aphorisms on the court cards? If so, do we have the translations somewhere??

robert wrote:Aren't there aphorisms on the court cards? If so, do we have the translations somewhere??

There is a thread on AT a few years back - I'll look.

Edit - there's too much under "mamluk" on AT. It might be awhile...

Here it is - Kenji quoting the LWB that came with the reproduction of the pack:
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=14201
(post 38)

2. THE APHORISMS OF THE PACK

The calligraphic texts were deciphered by an expert on the subject. Prof.TANGI of the University of Istanbul. The translation proved difficult; the aphorisms consits of rhyming stanzas which obey the very intricate laws of Arabic poetry. To give them sense a literary process was used which respected their contents and their scope.

The texts are often very enchanting, sometimes strange, but always interesting. Here they are:

2.1. Sticks

The King of Sticks says: <<Rejoice in the pleasant things and the success of the objects>>.

The Lieutenant says: <<I am as a flower, a string of pearls is my soil?>>.

The second Lieutenant says: <<The alif rejoices and fullfils your whishes[sic](+)>>

The Boy says: <<Whosoever will call me to his happiness, he will only see joyful looks>>.

(+)What this alif means is not quite clear. As a letter it is equal to the number 1000; in this case it could be the thousand that fullfils the wishes; in mysticism and pseudo-mysticism the alif sometimes means <<Allah>> (KRISS 1962: 72). But would one dare to invoke the name of God in a game of cards?

2.2. [Nothing written: Cups?]
The King of Cups says: <<With the sword of happiness I shall redeem a beloved who will afterwards take my life>>.

The Lieutenant says: <<O thou who hast possesions, remain happy and thou salt have a pleasant life>>.

The second Lieutenant says: <<Let it come to me, because acquired good is durable; it rejoices me with all its utility>>.

The Boy says: <<Pleasures for the soul and agreeable things, in my colours there are all kinds>>.

2.3. Coins

The King of Coins says: <<Look how wonderful my game is and my dress extraordinarily beautiful>>.

The Lieutenant says: <<I am as a garden, the like of which will never exist>>.

The Second Lieutenant says: << O my heart, for thee the good news that rejoices>>.

The Boy says: <<Rejoice in the happiness that returns, as a bird that sings its joy>>.

2.4. Swords

The King of Swords says: <<As for the present that rejoices, (thy) heart will soon (open up).

The Lieutenant says: <<I will, as pearls on a string, be lifted in the hands of kings>>.

The Second Lieutenant says: <<May God give thee prosperity; then thou will already have achieved thy aim>>.

The Boy says: <<Rejoice for thy lasting happiness>>.

(edited by Ross to make clear that there are sixteen inscriptions)

Thank you Ross, (and Kenji!, gee it would be nice to have you come by).

I'm struck by how odd and beautiful these are. I'm also struck by how they don't seem to break up into four different "characteristics" for the four different suits, or at least that I'm noticing. Anyone else see a pattern in the different suits based on the aphorisms?

I think I see a hint of theme when the court cards are combined, but not in the suits.

let me put them together...

Court cards grouped like this I mean:

The King of Sticks says: <<Rejoice in the pleasant things and the success of the objects>>.
The King of Cups says: <<With the sword of happiness I shall redeem a beloved who will afterwards take my life>>.
The King of Coins says: <<Look how wonderful my game is and my dress extraordinarily beautiful>>.
The King of Swords says: <<As for the present that rejoices, (thy) heart will soon (open up).

The Lieutenant says: <<I am as a flower, a string of pearls is my soil?>>.
The Lieutenant says: <<O thou who hast possesions, remain happy and thou salt have a pleasant life>>.
The Lieutenant says: <<I am as a garden, the like of which will never exist>>.
The Lieutenant says: <<I will, as pearls on a string, be lifted in the hands of kings>>.

The second Lieutenant says: <<The alif rejoices and fullfils your whishes[sic](+)>>
The second Lieutenant says: <<Let it come to me, because acquired good is durable; it rejoices me with all its utility>>.
The Second Lieutenant says: << O my heart, for thee the good news that rejoices>>.
The Second Lieutenant says: <<May God give thee prosperity; then thou will already have achieved thy aim>>.

The Boy says: <<Whosoever will call me to his happiness, he will only see joyful looks>>.
The Boy says: <<Pleasures for the soul and agreeable things, in my colours there are all kinds>>.
The Boy says: <<Rejoice in the happiness that returns, as a bird that sings its joy>>.
The Boy says: <<Rejoice for thy lasting happiness>>.

(naturally I sense something deeply erotic in these verses, and read them as if through a fog of bad translation...)

Grouped like this, I'm struck by how the Lieutenant "sounds" like a Queen with references to "Flowers", "Gardens" and being "lifted by the hands of kings".

I'm not saying that these are transferable to the courts, but, I suppose I'm saying that I could see how they could be seen that way.

Ross G. R. Caldwell wrote: The second Lieutenant says: <<The alif rejoices and fullfils your whishes[sic](+)>>
...
(+)What this alif means is not quite clear. As a letter it is equal to the number 1000; in this case it could be the thousand that fullfils the wishes; in mysticism and pseudo-mysticism the alif sometimes means <<Allah>> (KRISS 1962: 72). But would one dare to invoke the name of God in a game of cards?

I would not be surprised if the intended translation were "The caliph rejoices and fulfils your wishes".

These verses are lovely indeed!

Marco