Thursday 13 October 2011

THE TAGGERS OF SABEA

"He alone sees Him"

"I take my leave of this day."

Sami-Ali, the wandering epigrapher, recently returned from the great desert city of Sabea,where he explored the streets of the abandonned lower town and recorded all the inscriptions he came across. He has kindly allowed us to reproduce two of these inscriptions here. The background color of each inscription attempts to reconstitute the original color of the wall on which it was found.

As can be seen above, the writing of the Sabean civilisation is very similar to Arabic, which makes it an ideal vehicle for handsome calligraphy.

The taggers of Sabea were widely admired as poets and their inscriptions are generally pithy ande enigmatic.

"He alone sees Him" probably refers to a reputed Finder of dreamstones. The stone itself is referred to as a person - which was customary in Sabea.

As for the lower inscription "I take my leave of this day," it may be seen as a lyrical acknowledgement of the power of time.

Readers will bind a detailed description of Sabea in the second volume of Chronicles of the Greater Dream - The Sleepers of Lethe.