From A. Roux's Archive: a text on date palm farming (Goulmima, 1951)

Updated May 9, 2022

                                           

For rich agricultural lore on the date palm, it is hard to top Ibn Waħšiyyah's Kitāb al-Filāḥa al-Nabaṭiyya, (c. 904). It ranges from the philological: why is the date palm called uḫtu 'ādam (lit. "Adam's sister"), to the mildly odd, as in soaking and boiling date pits in mixtures of cow, or mule urine and vinegar before planting; when not truly colorful: to change the color of a palm's dates from yellow to red, take a bunch of red dates, remove the pits and replace them with the pits of yellow dates from your palm of choice, then get some of the people around you to eat the doctored dates, swallowing the pits too; when nature calls, they should excrete in small installments and distribute the pits with feces inside pre-dug holes; these pits will yield date palms bearing red dates similar in shape to the yellow dates, and perhaps even similar in taste. Without forgetting that the man doing the planting or transplanting should be a little effeminate, with a soft and lunar temperament, ample and generous of body; he should also plant while happy and laughing, even if it is forced.

The text from the A. Roux archive describing how date palms are planted (and subsequent stages) in Goulmima (Morocco) circa 1951, though nowhere as rich and coruscating as Waħšiyyah's, it too mentions the fellaħ singing, albeit a devotional lament mourning the prophet, while pollinating the female date palm; it gives the seasons for pollinating and harvesting, and describes planting, harvest and storage.

The manuscript shows that in 1951, writing "berber" in arabic script (for this taleb, Roux's informant) was not a mere act of transliteration, but an act with hierarchical implications. With the arabic script comes vocalization, as can be seen in the prevalence of "arabic vocalism", to paraphrase P. Galand-Pernet (1967) "arabisme poétique". For example, all word initials carry a fatħa where a sukūn is called for, and neither do word beginnings show two successive sukūns. The scribe goes as far as to add an aleph-hamza "أ" to avoid a word initial with sukūn (أَنْتِيْنِي, أَنْتِگِتِينْ). For a different vocalization practice, animated by "berber" morpho-phonology, look at this other manuscript (from 19th century):

It can be argued that the limited vowel representation in arabic rasm drives this pseudo-vocalization; this does not exclude an obvious hierarchy in the symbolic space of script and writing, where arabic is the normative standard for writing; ultimately the power of a hierarchical language ideology. In some ways, this is a reversal of the metaphor used by a member of the IRCAM to describe their dislike for "berber" in latin script: "a cow in the skin of a donkey" (Cornwell & Atia, 2012); in this case, perhaps: "a cow in the skin of a thoroughbred". The verses included in the manuscript seem to also play this hierarchy out.

Arsène Roux Archives:
"Texte sur les dattiers à Goulmima, rédigé par un taleb local, en mai 1951"

Transliteration, retaining the author's vocalization:

"nəkni ayt məṛġad tamazirt ə-nnəġ da nəttəzraɛ iġsan ən-tiyni nəzrəɛtən agənsu-w ən-tigitin nə-yigər ig-təlla əl-fəṣṣa ig-təswa lə-fəṣṣa səwin awəd-nitni

ig-talla
adday gin tifəddaz timəzzanin ar-asənt nə-ttəbbiy tayawin adday gant xəmsa n-isəgg^wasən nəġəd rəbɛa arə-ttarunt

da-sətaliy kəbrayr təbuqqalt də-marəs di-ibril, han ləmnazil nnag nə-ttəkk^war tifərxin

adday təstəġ təbuqqalt nunyas ə-ttəkk^war nassəttit sə-waɛzuf ən-təsəṭṭa, han ləmnazil nnag nə-ttəkk^war tifərxin mayyu dasən-ti-nsərriy aɛzuf  təg təɛanwuṭ ə-rrəkəm təɛawd imiḥ izar ə-rrəkəm ar-isəffəṭ ig awraġ ig annəqrən cəwiy tənu tiyni nbbit gə-səbɛəyyam ig a-ktubr n-asit s-anrar nə-nəqqərt g-izawiyn nləqqəḍ tənna-yənwan n-əfsər tənna ur-inwin nəɛjən tənna yənwan n-asit nə-git tizgaw n-awit əs-taddart nadərt g-ucəqquf nəkni ayt ə-ṣṣaḥra məri-yid i-tiyni qadaġ tədris ləmɛict

adday təbda təbuqqalt [added word illegible] dats-ittəkk^war bab-ənnəs yali s-aflla-nns ar-ittini ya rəbbi səxxər tiyni lḥərma səydina muḥəmmadin

a-tizizwa mər-təssind is-immut mulay muḥəmmadin ur-təggard asəṭṭa bla tifggagin

llah allah ar-mani kə-ttawiġ a-fad digi

lɛən iblis a-yiminu awa-zzur mulay muḥəmmadin subḥan waddi yəbḍan əgənna də-wakal ad gn asəmṭal [added subscript word illegible "inu?"] gər səyyədna əɛli də-rasul əllahinu

ar-itbabba imma suləġ ggiġ kan-ujarradiy ari-tsawal sə-wawal ə-nnun a-nnəbiy muḥəmmadin allah allah ar-mani kə-ttawiġ a-fad digi 

[added: nətta] ətta  ɛəddan iġbula ġur ayt sidi əlġazi"

Transliteration, as I would render it (noting that, though I am from Goulmima, I am not from Ayt Mṛġad). I added punctuation, and a few words (in parentheses) to help, for those who need it, with readability:

"nkkni ayt mṛġad, (g) tmazirt nnġ da nttzraɛ iġsan n tiyni: nzrɛtn agnsu n tigitin n yigr g tlla lfṣṣa, ig tswa lfṣṣa swin awd nitni
ig-talla
adday gin tifddaz timzzanin, ar-asnt nttebbiy tayawin; adday gant xmsa n isgg^wasn nġd rbɛa ar-ttarunt
das (da-yas) ttaliy (g) kbrayr tbuqqalt d mars d ibril, han lemnazil nnag nttekk^war tifrxin
adday tstġ tbuqqalt nunyas ttekk^war, nasst-it s waɛzuf n tsṭṭa, han lemnazil nnag nttekk^war tifrxin; mayyu, dasnti (da-yas-n-t) nsrriy aɛzuf  tg tɛnwuṭ rrkm, tɛawd imiḥ izar rrkm ar-iseffeṭ ig awraġ ig anneqqern; cwiy tnu tiyni nbbit g sbɛ iyyam g uktubr, nasit s anrar n-nqqert g izawiyn nlaqqeḍ tnna ynwan nfser tnna ur inwin, nɛjn tnna ynwan nasit ngt (g) tizgaw nawit s taddart nadert g ucqquf; nkkni ayt ṣṣḥra, mr id i-tiyni qad aġ tdris lmɛict
adday tbda tbuqqalt [added word illegible] dats (da-t-yas) ittekk^war bab-nns yali s aflla-nns ar-ittini:

ya ṛbbi sxxer tiyni, lḥrma (n) syydna muḥmmadin
a tizizwa, mr tssind is immut mulay muḥmmadin, 

ur tggard asṭṭa bla tifggagin
llah allah ar-mani k-ttawiġ a fad digi
lɛn iblis a yiminu, awa zzur mulay muḥmmadin,
subḥan waddi ybḍan ignna d wakal,
ad(i) gn asmṭal [added subscript word illegible: "inu?"] gr syydna ɛli d rasul llahinu
ar-i-tbabba imma sulġ giġ kan ujrradiy,
ar-i-tsawal s wawal nnun a nnbiy muḥmmadin
allah allah ar-mani k-ttawiġ a fad digi 

[added: ntta] ətta  ɛddan iġbula ġur ayt sidi lġazi"

A bit of vocabulary:

• the use of /zrɛ/ instead of /zzu/ which is actually more common
• /iġss/ n. "date pit"
• /tafdduzt/ n. "young date palm"; pl. /tifddaz/
• /t-ayaw-t/ n. "offshoot, sucker", also means "niece, nephew"
• /tabuqqalt/ n. "spathe of a palm tree containing /ttekk^war/
• /lemnazil/ n. pl. "seasons"
• /ttekk^war/ n. "spadix of a palm tree", verb /ttekk^wer/: "to manually pollinate", specific to date palm
• /nunyas/ from v. /uny/ "to push smthg. into"; not as common as /bbz/, /afs/
• /taɛnwuṭ/ n. "bunch, cluster" (régime)
• /rrkm/ n. pl. I expected /abluḥ(n)/ as the word for the first green fruit; /rrkm/ being specific to /abluḥn/ that have fallen off the tree and are collected to eat and as animal feed.
• /sfeṭ/ v. "change color, in this case from green to yellow (or red,... depending on the varietal)"
• /anneqqer/ n.  "yellow, red,... crunchy not yet ripe date"
• /nqqer/ v. "shake the dates off /azawiy/"
• /azawiy/ n. "what remains of /taɛnwuṭ/ (date bunch) after it is stripped of the fruit"
• /acqquf/ n. "a large earthen jar with a wide mouth /zzir axatar/, usually kept in the room where straw is stored /aḥanu n walim/"
• /ajrradiy/ n. "toddler, small child", rare (not in Haddachi, Azdoud) and not sure if it is still in use today

But the high-note, literally and figuratively, of the text is its mystical and mournful coda. Here is a relatively close-to-the-text rendering into english:

lord god make (our) dates plentiful; (we seek) your protection, our master Muḥmmad
bees! if you knew of lord Muḥmmad's death, you would not weave without a loom [lit: warp beams]
god o god to where do I take this thirst in me
my mouth, curse Iblis and start (utter first) with my lord Muḥmmad
glory be to the one who separated the sky and the earth
(I want them to) make me a grave between our master Ali and the messenger of god
my mother carried me on her back when I was still a small child
she spoke to me in your tongue o prophet Muḥmmad
god o god to where do I take this thirst in me 

yet, many are the springs of Ayt Sidi Lġazi

It is striking that only one verse is germane to the date palm. The rest weaves bees, thirst, mouth, language,... and the figure of the prophet into a poetic space of deep spiritual yearning; where the speaker's first language is not one of blood inheritance but one with a sacred genealogy (through the mother!). The base physical words of the "mother tongue" are somehow transmuted into hieratic speech within the mysterious alchemy of transmission from mother to child! Does it still sound like "berber" I wonder? Perhaps, the wrong question to ask, as it is one of metaphysics, and spiritual lineage. The mother's language does not even need to sound like arabic, as the latter's spiritual essence, its breath, courses through the dull words of "berber". A poetic reactivation of the trope: "arabic is the mother of all languages".

Compare with al-Mukhtār Sūsi, in al-Maʕsūl (Vol. 1, p. 13), where he also lays claim to the same hallowed language legacy, but not through a mother's milk or an atavistic inheritance language that is "neither fish nor fowl":

واللسان بما تتفتح له به المعاني الحلوة، لا بما يتهدج به من لغة يرثها لا تعد من نبع ولا غرب

but through "taste", and what man elects and "finds pleasant and beautiful to express": the men of Ilġ, according to al-Mukhtār Sūsi, moved from ʕajamah to eloquence and an "arabness" not of a bloodline, thanks to divine guidance, and by virtue of cultivation and of literary craft.

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May 3, 2022: Updated following a tweet from @AbdellahAmennou pointing out my mistaken transcription of certain instances of fatḥa as /a/ and not as /ə/ (a convention of certain lmazġi scribes) in the section "transcription retaining the author's vocalization"

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Ibn Waḥšiyyah (1993). Kitāb al-Filāḥa al-Nabaṭiyya, 1st Edition (chapter devoted to nakhl, pp. 1339-1435)
• Galand-Pernet, P. (1967). A propos de la langue littéraire berbère du Maroc: la Koïnê des Chleuhs. F. Steiner.
• Cornwell, G. H., & Atia, M. (2012). Imaginative geographies of Amazigh activism in Morocco. Social & Cultural Geography, 13, 255–274.
• Sūsi, al-Mukhtār (1961) al-Maʕsūl (Vol. 1)