There is no woman for him but me,
no love but mine,
no love-making but mine.
He comes to me, he comes, he is here with me,
With me, Laughter-of-Waves-o-o-o!
As recently as 1956, in the Flute of Sand, Lawrence Morgan describes an experience among the Ouled-Naïl dancers of North Africa:
Interwoven into their lives were sorcery, black magic, and, most common of all, the use of love-philtres with which they believed they could enslave any man. In the pot of mint tea in Yacourte’s room had been a philtre intended to help the erring lover to make up his mind.
The term bayadère is derived from the Portuguese baladeira, associated with bailar, to dance. Originally, the expression was applied to a Hindu dancing girl, noted for erotic performances. The bayadère, in fact, like the nautsch dancers, could be equated with prostitution.