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“The passion for travelling is, I believe, instinctive in some natures. We have seen men persevere in their enterprises against the most formidable obstacles; and, without means or friends, and even ignorant of the languages of the various countries through which they passed, pursue their perilous journeys into remote places, until, like the knight in the Arabian tale, they succeeded in snatching a memorial from every shrine they visited.”
― James Holman

“Your passion and fire would be wasted on me, Layla. You need to find your Qays."
"You want me to find a man I can drive to madness and death?"
Bob laughed, his gaze flicking to Sam. "I don't think you'll need to look too hard.”
― Sara Desai, The Marriage Game

“Bob is a perfectly fine name. So is Baboo."
"And Layla is a lovely name," Bob said. "Did you know it means 'dark beauty' in Arabic? It suits you."
"Thank you." Her smile faded when Sam scowled.
"It's a tragic name," Sam said. "Very unlucky. I'm sure you know the Arabian legend of Qays and Layla, a young couple who fell so deeply in love they were unable to contain their passionate devotion."
"What exactly does that mean?" Layla asked, hoping to distract him in case Bob was superstitious like Lakshmi Auntie. India had a billion-dollar superstition-centric industry focused on astrology, black magic, and fake babas. An unlucky name had derailed more than one prospective marriage. "Is it anything like being unable to contain your opinion about things no one asked you about?"
"I'm sure we can all guess what it means." Sam didn't address her sarcastic quip. "Layla used poor Qays for his magnificent body and then went prowling around for a new man only hours after leaving his bed. It caused quite the scandal in their conservative community. Qays was denied her hand in marriage and prevented from seeing her ever again, although why he would want her after that, I don't know. Distraught, he fled into the wilderness while chanting love poems about his darling Layla until he descended into madness and death.”
― Sara Desai, The Marriage Game