DESERT STARS by TINA GE
T
hey say the night sky tells stories. The fiery red eye of the East, in the constellation Taurus, is called ad-dabarān, the Follower. It is named as such because it follows on the heels of its lover, the cluster athThurayyā. Yet the star al-‘ayyūq prevents them from being together, condemning the follower to chase ath-Thurayyā across the sky for eternity. Another star, al-Jawza’, was engaged to Suhayl, the second brightest star in the sky. Suhyal lived with his two sisters across the river, the Milky Way. On the day of the wedding, al-Jawza’ was found dead and Suhyal crossed the river with one of his sisters who was subsequently named the Shi’ra Who Crossed Over. The other sister stayed home and cried relentlessly and so she was named the Little BlearyEyed Shi’ra. She is said to shine less brightly because her eyes are filled with tears.
al-Jawza’, Suhayl, and his two sisters 4