had little to take pride in or to distinguish them from other slaves except their language Consequently, the language be came invested not only with the aura of the religion whose ntual it enshrined but also with the identity of the Zensunm as a people Nowhere is this feeling better illustrated than in the dying worlds of 1 Akum one ol the leaders of the resistance on Bela Tegeuse "Our speech is the most precious treasure our fathers left us, it puts a shirt on us when our bodies arc smitten, it is the soul of the Zensunm Cdn a body live without a soul, or a soul live without a body' It is the strong rope of the Zensunm which does not slacken, it is the flag we follow' ] For the Zensunm, their language was the language of Paradise, the language of Nilotic al Ourouba To spurn it by using other tongues was a sin Its guardians-poets, grammarians, memonzers, readers-were the foundation of the society, held in esteem among the people and consulted on matters of grave import In the sayings of the language was preserved the wisdom of the fathers, no matter how widely the Zensunm were scattered FREMEN LANGUAGE 240 FREMEN LANGUAGE they would have all recognized the proverbs that expressed their people's stoicism and resilience And they would have treasured them When half the population of Pontnn was uprooted for transporting to Salusa Secundus, the impoverished, frightened wretches crowded in the heighlmers consoled themselves with this thought in kan madat al-hawaum baqat al-asabi (if the nngs are gone tile fingers are left )2 They knew well that their destination, Salusa Secundus, was the breeding and training planet of the Sardaukar who had slaughtered so many of their kinsmen A proverb like al lubb ay ma yawi ma yadi (wolves do not cause harm in their dens) may seem to some like whistling in the dark, but to the thoughtful it will seem a welcome attempt to stave off despair Those sent to Bela Tegeuse were better treated, but after their experiences, ever watchful They grouped together in their own communities both for protection and for preservation of their ways OK of their leaders, '1-Riyas, forever settled the controversy over how much interaction the Zensunm would have with their neighbors on Bela Tegeuse by resorting to proverbial wisdom al rags quddam alumi majhudan la yura amal-u (dancing m front of the blind is an effort that goes unseen) But their watchfulness did not prevent still another forced migration, once again, Sardaufcar invaded and conquered the Zensunm, transporting them to Rossak (or as the Zensunm called it, moqbom "graveyard') and Harmonthep Rossak, a bitter and barren glacier of a world, made Bela Tegeuse worth yearning for But the Zensunm as a people did not took back, in the first winter on Rossak, when thousands died of pneumonia and thousands more of starvation, the mention of die crops of Bela Tegeuse was invariably met with ash-hal takul sayint tusbih (no matter how much you eat, you wake up fasting) As is now well known, the Zensonm on Salusa Secundus eventually fared better In 5295 Ezhar VII released the Zensunm on that planet and provided them with transpor tation to Ishia, the second planet of Beta Tygn As always, their language expressed their distrust of attempts at governmental benevolence A popular saying on this trip was man la yarifjadd ak la yanf akfi waqd ok (whoever didn t know your grandfather won t know you) The Zensunm name for the planet was Albudeite (scarce water), Ishia was no Caladan, but neither was it a Rossak The Zensunm adapted to the planet and lived there m relative tranquillity The language was more than an identity and a consolation it also expressed the hu mor of the Zensunm-sometimes grim but always effective For example, the sindar of Salusa Secundus m 4495 was named Hamn Famun as was the custom among his class, he added the tribal name of his wife, Dart, between his own personal and tnbal name When his appointment as sindar was an nounced, the Fremen were much amused to hear the proclamation that their new ruler was Hamn Dart Famun because of its similarity to the Zensunm phrase aynayn darratfi hamman meaning 'the eyes of one who breaks wind in a bathhouse '' Succeeding sindars never questioned why the Zensunm referred to them as "the eyes," but the Zensunm knew It was the same Smdar Famun who employed a chamberlain with a notorious speech impediment In 4501 the Sindars son was preparing to lead a group of Saidaukar novices on a blooding raid, and the various subject peoples on the planet were commanded to witness the departure timed to coin cide with the bringing of the annual tribute As each national group approached the reviewing stand they would offer the tribute and add a compliment or blessing for the na Sindar The chamberlain would then trum pet the good wishes, first in the native language and then m translation The Zensunni were prepared After presenting their tnbute, they told the chamberlain that their wish was sallamaka al lahu wa nasaraka (May God protect you, and grant you victory) The Sardaukar interpreter verified this meaning, and the chamberlain turned to the throng and proclaimed, thallamaka al lahu wa natharaka1 The interpreter valued his life, and therefore did not report what the Zensunm knew and what he should have foreseen-that the chamberlain's lisp had given it a different meaning May God split you and scatter you all over' THE DISCOVERY Although their language FREMEN LANGUAGE 241 FREMEN LANGUAGE was the pride and mainstay of the Zensunni, they were powerless to prevent its slow change over time.