A Perfumed Garden: 'Tongues of Flames' by Giles Abbott

A Perfumed Garden

'Tongues of Flames: The Story of Sir Richard Burton' Told by Giles Abbott Supported in song by Naworz Stowtellers, Walthamstow March 9th 2015

Long ago, amongst immigrants of another world, I first heard the tales of Arabia's 'Thousand and One Nights' from old men with the sand of travel in their shoes. As I grew up I gleaned a little knowledge of their English translator, Richard Francis Burton, and as a teenager I learned to appreciate Burton as a heroic figure, a folklorist after my own soul. Giles Abbott's telling of the story of his life was a vivid, perfume-soaked tapestry; a portrait of a linguist with a gift for dialects in every language he spoke- probably around twenty at least; a soldier whose penchant for disguise enabled him to enter the most forbidden of Islamic cities, as a wretch, or a doctor able to converse with all levels of society; one of Europe's best swordsmen and a devious chess player; a savant who did not suffer fools gladly.

After the death of the man, the deeds of the grieving widow. Burton's 'Arabian Nights'; translations from the Koran; parts of the Kama Sutra; Sir Richard's work on the erotic classic,'The Perfumed Garden': this and all Sir Richard's notebooks were consigned to the fire.

Interspersed throughout this mosaic of one extraordinary man's life was the fireside light of a Persian or Kurdish carpet of song from the ethereal singer Naworz. The beauty of his voice carried inspiration and captivated the attention- indeed, demanded equal attention with the storytelling.

It will take a long time for any of this to slip the memory and imagination.

Del Reid