“How often have I worn Egyptian silk!”
(Closing)
O ye strangers bearing the coffin,
Wait until his family arrive.
O ye strangers bearing the coffin,
Wait until his kinsfolk come.
The grave of Butrus by the road is in neglect;
He wants a guide to lead him home.
This beginning of public mourning was on November 23. On December 14 the funeral services were held in the village church, just as if the deceased were there. But the public mourning did not cease as long as visiting mourners from other villages came to condole with the family. It is customary for women in mourning to forbear changing or washing their dresses for months.
Graves are usually bordered with heavy broken stone partly sunken into the earth. For shaykhs and notables an oblong, box-like structure of stone and mortar is built over the grave, and perhaps a headstone erected, with an inscription in Arabic. The variety in the ornamentation of graves is very considerable, especially in different districts of the country.