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narrator wonders if the narratee could grasp his deep-rooted and yet
inexpressible feeling about the doum tree. "Every new generation finds
the doum tree as though it had been born at the time of their birth and
would grow up with them." (lines 108-110) From time immemorial, the
doum tree had stood where it now stands. Its life is reborn with the
birth of every new baby. It is a symbol of immortality.
The mystic symbolism of the doum tree is further heightened by the
limitlesi healing power people attribute to the spirit of Wad Hamid.
As the tree casts its massive shade over the village by day, the spirit
of Wad Hamid guards the lives of the village population at night.
People seek refuge in the shade of the tree when the sun is unbearable.
They seek spiritual refuge at the tomb of Wad Hamid when they are sick,
distressed, or dismayed. The spirit of Wad Hamid cures their
illnesses, heals their tortured souls, and wards off every evil. The
doum tree of Wad Hamid has become an obsession which haunts their
dreams. This meaning is embodied in the episode of the man who dreamt
that he lost his way in the desert with an ocean of silver-white sand
all round. Under the scorching sun, he was overcome with thirst and
stricken with hunger. From the top of a hill, he could see a wood of
doum trees with Wad Hamid's towering above them like a camel amid a
herd of goats. He was drawn to it as if by an enormous magnet.
Exhausted and breathless, he found under the tree a vessel full of
fresh milk. He drank until his thirst was quenched with the vessel
still brimful with milk. Upon hearing the man's dream, his neighbour
said: "Rejoice at release from your troubles". (lines 112-123)
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