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Title: The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 14
Author: Richard F. Burton, - To be updated
Language: English
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SUPPLEMENTAL
NIGHTS
To The Book Of The Thousand
And One Nights With Notes
Anthropological And
Explanatory
By
Richard F. Burton
VOLUME FOUR
Privately Printed By The Burton Club
To William H. Chandler, Esq,.
Pembroke College, Oxford.
My Dear Mr. Chandler,
As without your friendly and generous aid this volume could
never have seen the light, I cannot resist the temptation of
inscribing it to youand without permission, for your modesty
would have refused any such acknowledgment.
I am, ever,
Yours sincerely,
Richard F. Burton.
Trieste, March 10th, 1888.
Contents of the Fourteenth Volume.
1. Story of the Sultan of Al-Yaman and His Three Sons
2. Story of the Three Sharpers
a. The Sultan Who Fared Forth in the Habit of a Darwaysh
b. History of Mohammed, Sultan of Cairo
c. Story of the First Lunatic
d. Story of the Second Lunatic
e. Story of the Sage and the Scholar
f. The Night-Adventure of Sultan Mohammed of Cairo with
the Three Foolish
Schoolmasters
g. Story of the Broke-Back Schoolmaster
h. Story of the Split-Mouthed Schoolmaster
i. Story of the Limping Schoolmaster
j. Story of the Three Sisters and Their Mother the
Sultanah
3. History of the Kazi Who Bare a Babe
4. Tale of the Kazi and the Bhang-Eater
a. History of the Bhang-Eater and His Wife
b. How Drummer Abu Kasim Became a Kazi
c. Story of the Kazi and His Slipper
d. Tale of Mahmud the Persian and the Kurd Sharper
e. Tale of the Sultan and the Poor Man Who Brought To Him
Fruit
f. The Fruit-Seller's Tale
g. Tale of the Sultan and His Three Sons and the
Enchanting Bird
h. Adventure of the Fruit-Seller and the Concubine
i. Story of the King of Al-Yaman and His Three Sons and
the Enchanting Bird
j. History of the First Larrikin
k. History of the Second Larrikin
l. History of the Third Larrikin
m. Story of a Sultan of Al-Hind and His Son Mohammed
n. Tale of the Fisherman and His Son
o. Tale of the Third Larrikin Concerning Himself
5. History of Abu Niyyah and Abu Niyyatayn
Appendix A: - Ineptiæ Bodleianæ
Appendix B: - The Three Untranslated Tales in Mr. E. J. W. Gibb's
"Forty Vezirs"
The Translator's Foreword.
As my first and second volumes (Supplemental) were composed of
translated extracts from the Breslau Edition of The Nights, so
this tome and its successor (vols. iv. and v.) comprise my
version from the (Edward) Wortley Montague Codex immured in the
old Bodleian Library, Oxford.
Absence from England prevents for the present my offering a
satisfactory description of this widely known manuscript; but I
may safely promise that the hiatus shall be filled up in vol. v.,
which is now ready for the press.
The contents of the Wortley Montague text are not wholly
unfamiliar to Europe. In 1811 Jonathan Scott, LL.D. Oxon. (for
whom see my vols. i., ix. and x. 434), printed with Longmans and
Co. his "Arabian Nights Entertainments" in five substantial
volumes 8vo, and devoted a sixth and last to excerpts entitled
TALES
SELECTED FROM THE MANUSCRIPT COPY
OF THE
1001 NIGHTS
BROUGHT TO EUROPE BY EDWARD WORTLEY MONTAGUE, ESQ.
Translated from the Arabic
BY JONATHAN SCOTT, LL.D.
Unfortunately for his readers Scott enrolled himself amongst the
acolytes of Professor Galland, a great and original genius in the
line Raconteur, and a practical Orientalist whose bright example
was destined to produce disastrous consequences. The Frenchman,
however unscrupulous he might have been about casting down and
building up in order to humour the dead level of Gallican bon
goût, could, as is shown by his "Aladdin," trans- late literatim
and verbatim when the story-stuff is of the right species and
acceptable to the average European taste. But, as generally
happens in such cases, his servile suite went far beyond their
master and model. Petis de la Croix ("Persian and Turkish
Tales"), Chavis and Cazotte ("New Arabian Nights"), Dow ("Ináyatu
llah") and Morell ("Tales of the Genii"), with others manifold
whose names are now all but forgotten, carried out the Gallandian
liberties to the extreme of licence and succeeded in producing a
branchlet of literature, the most vapid, frigid and insipid that
can be imagined by man,--a bastard Europeo-Oriental,
pseudo-Eastern world of Western marionettes garbed in the gear
which Asiatic are (or were) supposed to wear, with sentiments and
opinions, manners and morals to match; the whole utterly lacking
life, local colour, vraisemblance, human interest. From such
abortions, such monstrous births, libera nos, Domine!
And Scott out-gallanded Galland:--
Diruit, aedificat, mutat quadrata rotundis.
It is hard to quote a line which he deigned textually to
translate. He not only commits felony on the original by
abstracting whole sentences and pages ad libitum, but he also
thrusts false goods into his author's pocket and patronises the
unfortunate Eastern story-teller by foisting upon him whatever
he, the "translator and traitor," deems needful. On this point no
more need be said: the curious reader has but to compare any one
of Scott's "translations" with the original or, for that matter,
with the present version.
I determined to do that for Scott which Lane had done partly and
imperfectly, and Payne had successfully and satisfactorily done
for Galland. But my first difficulty was about the text. It was
impossible to face without affright the prospect of working for
months amid the discomforts and the sanitary dangers of Oxford's
learned atmosphere and in her obsolete edifices the Bodleian and
the Radcliffe. Having ascertained, however, that in the so-called
"University" not a scholar could be found to read the text, I was
induced to apply for a loan--not to myself personally for I
should have shunned the responsibility--but in the shape of a
temporary transfer of the seven-volumed text, tome by tome, to
the charge of Dr. Rost, the excellent Librarian of the India
Office.
My hopes, however, were fated to be deferred. Learned bodies,
Curators and so forth, are ponderous to move and powerless to
change for
The trail of the slow-worm is over them all.
My official application was made on September 13th, 1886. The
tardiest steps were taken as if unwillingly and, when they could
no longer decently be deferred, they resulted in the curtest and
most categorical but not most courteous of refusals, under
circumstances of peculiar disfavour, on November 1st of the same
year. Here I shall say no more: the correspondence has been
relegated to Appendix A. My subscribers, however, will have no
reason to complain of these "Ineptiæ Bodleianæ." I had pledged
myself in case of a loan "not to translate Tales that might be
deemed offensive to propriety:" the Curators have kindly set me
free from that troublesome condition and I thank them therefor.
Meanwhile I had not been idle. Three visits to Oxford in
September and October had enabled me to reach the DIVth Night.
But the laborious days and inclement evenings, combined with the
unsanitary state of town and libraries--the Bodleian and the
Rotunda--brought on a serious attack of "lithiasis" as it is now
called, and prostrated me for two months, until it was time to
leave England en route for my post.
Under these circumstances my design threatened to end in failure.
As often befalls to men out of England, every move ventured by me
menaced only check-mate. I began by seeking a copyist at Oxford,
one who would imitate the text as an ignoramus might transcribe
music: an undergraduate volunteered for the task and after a few
days dropped it in dumb disgust. The attempt was presently
repeated by a friend with the unsatisfactory result that three
words out of four were legible. In London several Easterns were
described as able and willing for the work; but they also were
found wanting; one could not be trusted with the MS. and another
was marriage-mad. Photography was lastly proposed, but
considerations of cost seemed to render it unavailable. At last,
when matters were at the worst, the proverbial amendment
appeared. Mr. Chandler, whose energetic and conscientious
opposition to all "Bodleian loans," both of books and of
manuscripts, had mainly caused the passing of the prohibitory
statute, came forward in the most friendly and generous way: with
no small trouble to himself he superintended the "sun- pictures,"
each page of the original being reduced to half-size, and he
insisted upon the work being done wholly and solely at his own
expense. I know not how to express my gratitude.
The process was undertaken by Mr. Percy Notcutt, of Kingsbury and
Notcutt, 45, St. George's Place, Knightsbridge, and the four
hundred and odd pages were reproduced in most satisfactory style.
Being relegated to a port-town which never possessed even an
Arabic lexicon, I have found some difficulty with the Wortley
Montague MS. as it contains a variety of local words unknown to
the common dictionaries. But I have worked my best to surmount
the obstacle by consulting many correspondents, amongst whom may
be mentioned the name of my late lamented friend, the Reverend
George Percy Badger; and, finally, by submitting my proofs to the
corrections and additions of the lexicologist Dr. Steingass.
Appendix B will require no apology to the numerous admirers of
Mr. E. J. W. Gibb's honest and able work, "The History of the
Forty Vezirs" (London, Redway, MDCCCLXXXVI). The writer in a book
intended for the public was obliged to leave in their original
Turkish, and distinguished only by italics, three "facetious"
tales which, as usual, are some of the best in the book. These
have been translated for me and I offer them to my readers on
account of their curious analogies with many in The Nights.
Richard F. Burton.
TRIESTE, April 10th, 1888.
Supplemental Nights
To The Book Of The
Thousand Nights And A Night
Story of the Sultan of Al-Yaman and His three Sons.[FN#1]
There was erewhile in the land of Al-Yaman a man which was a
Sultan and under him were three Kinglets whom he overruled. He
had four children; to wit, three sons and a daughter: he also
owned wealth and treasures greater than reed can pen or page may
contain; as well as animals such as horses and camels, sheep and
black cattle; and he was held in awe by all the sovrans. But when
his reign had lasted for a length of time, Age[FN#2] brought with
it ailments and infirmities and he became incapable of faring
forth his Palace to the Divan, the hall of audience; whereupon he
summoned his three sons to the presence and said to them, "As for
me, 'tis my wish to divide among you all my substance ere I die,
that ye may be equal in circumstance and live in accordance with
whatso I shall command." And they said, "Hearkening and
obedience." Then quoth the Sultan, "Let the eldest of you become
sovereign after me: let the cadet succeed to my moneys and
treasures[FN#3] and as for the youngest let him inherit my
animals of every kind. Suffer none to transgress against other;
but each aid each and assist his co-partner." He then caused them
to sign a bond and agreement to abide by his bequeathal; and,
after delaying a while, he departed to the mercy of Allah.
Thereupon his three sons got ready the funeral gear and whatever
was suited to his estate for the mortuary obsequies such as
cerements and other matters: they washed the corpse and
enshrouded it and prayed over it: then, having committed it to
the earth they returned to their palaces where the Wazirs and the
Lords of the Land and the city-folk in their multitudes, high and
low, rich and poor, flocked to condole with them on the loss of
their father. And the news of his decease was soon bruited abroad
in all the provinces; and deputations from each and every city
came to offer condolence to the King's sons. These ceremonies
duly ended, the eldest Prince demanded that he should be seated
as Sultan on the stead of his sire in accordance with the
paternal will and testament; but he could not obtain it from his
two brothers as both and each said, "I will become ruler in room
of my father." So enmity and disputes for the government now
arose amongst them and it was not to be won by any; but at last
quoth the eldest Prince, "Wend we and submit ourselves to the
arbitration of a Sultan of the tributary sultans; and let him to
whom he shall adjudge the realm take it and reign over it." Quoth
they "'Tis well!" and thereto agreed, as did also the Wazirs; and
the three set out without suite seeking the capital of one of the
subject Sovrans.--And Shahrázád[FN#4] was surprised by the dawn
of day[FN#5] and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyázád, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night, an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Thirtieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deed fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the three
Princes fared seeking a Sultan of the sultans who had been under
the hands of their sire, in order that they might take him to
arbitrator. And they stinted not faring till the middle way, when
behold, they came upon a mead abounding in herbage and in
rainwater lying sheeted.[FN#6] So they sat them down to rest and
to eat of their victual, when one of the brothers, casting his
eye upon the herbage, cried, "Verily a camel hath lately passed
this way laden half with Halwá-sweetmeats and half with
Hámiz-pickles."[FN#7] "True," cried the second, "and he was blind
of an eye." Exclaimed the third, "'Tis sooth; and indeed he hath
lost his tail." Hardly, however, had they ended their words when
lo! the owner of the camel came upon them (for he had overheard
their speech and had said to himself, "By Allah, these three
fellows have driven off my property, inasmuch as they have
described the burthen and eke the beast as tail-less and
one-eyed"), and cried out, "Ye three have carried away my
camel!"[FN#8] "By Allah we have not seen him," quoth the Princes,
"much less have we touched him;" but quoth the man, "By the
Almighty, who can have taken him except you? and if you will not
deliver him to me, off with us, I and you three, to the Sultan."
They replied, "By all manner of means; let us wend to the
Sovran." So the four hied forth, the three Princes and the
Cameleer, and ceased not faring till they reached the capital of
the King. There they took seat without the wall to rest for an
hour's time and presently they arose and pushed into the city and
came to the royal Palace. Then they craved leave of the
Chamberlains, and one of the Eunuchs caused them enter and
signified to the sovereign that the three sons of Such-and-such a
Sultan had made act of presence. So he bade them be set before
him and the four went in and saluted him, and prayed for him and
he returned their salams. He then asked them, "What is it hath
brought you hither and what may ye want in the way of enquiry?"
Now the first to speak was the Cameleer and he said, "O my lord
the Sultan; verily these three men have carried off my camel by
proof of their own speech."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then
quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Thirty-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Cameleer came forward between the Sultan's hands and said, "O my
lord, verily these men have carried away the camel which
belongeth to me,[FN#9] for they have indeed described him and the
burthen he bore! And I require of our lord the Sultan that he
take from these wights and deliver to me the camel which is mine
as proved by their own words." Presently asked the Sultan, "What
say ye to the claims of this man and the camel belonging to him?"
Hereto the Princes made answer, "By Allah, O King of the Age, we
have not seen the camel, much less have we stolen him." Thereupon
the Cameleer exclaimed, "O my lord, I heard yonder one say that
the beast was blind of an eye; and the second said that he was
tail-less, and the third said that half his load was of sour
stuff and the other half was of sweet stuff." They replied,
"True, we spake these words;" and the Sultan cried to them, "Ye
have purloined the beast by this proof." They rejoined, "No, by
Allah, O my lord. We sat us in such a place for repose and
refreshment and we remarked that some of the pasture had been
grazed down, so we said, 'This is the grazing of a camel; and he
must have been blind of one eye as the grass was eaten only on
one side.' But as for our saying that he was tail-less, we noted
the droppings lying heaped[FN#10] upon the ground which made us
agree that the tail must have been cut off, it being the custom
of camels at such times to whisk their tails and scatter the dung
abroad. So 'twas evident to us that the camel had lost his tail.
But as for our saying that the load was half Halwá and half
Hámiz, we saw on the place where the camel had knelt the flies
gathering in great numbers while on the other were none: so the
case was clear to us (as flies settle on naught save the sugared)
that one of the panniers must have contained sweets and the other
sours." Hearing this the Sultan said to the Cameleer, "O man,
fare thee forth and look after thy camel; for these signs and
tokens prove not the theft of these men, but only the power of
their intellect and their penetration."[FN#11] And when the
Cameleer heard this, he went his ways. Presently the Sultan
cleared a place in the Palace and allotted to it the Princes for
their entertainment: he also directed they be supplied with a
banquet and the eunuchs did his bidding. But when it was eventide
and supper was served up, the trio sat down to it purposing to
eat; the eldest, however, having hent in hand a bannock of bread
exclaimed, "By Allah, verily this cake was baked by a woman in
blood, to wit, one with the menses." The cadet tasting a bit of
kid exclaimed, "This kid was suckled by a bitch"; and the
youngest exclaimed, "Assuredly this Sultan must be a son of
shame, a bastard." All this was said by the youths what while the
Sultan had hidden himself in order to hear and to profit by the
Princes' words. So he waxed wroth entered hastily crying, "What
be these speeches ye have spoken?" They replied, "Concerning all
thou hast heard enquire within and thou wilt find it wholly
true." The Sultan then entered his women's apartments and after
inquisition found that the woman who had kneaded the bread was
sick with her monthly courses. He then went forth and summoned
the head-shepherd and asked him concerning the kid he had
butchered. He replied, "By Allah, O my lord, the nanny-goat that
bare the kid died and we found none other in milk to suckle him;
but I had a bitch that had just pupped and her have I made
nourish him." The Sultan lastly hent his sword in hand and
proceeded to the apartments of the Sultánah-mother and cried, "By
Allah, unless thou avert my shame[FN#12] we will cut thee down
with this scymitar! Say me whose son am I?" She replied, "By
Allah, O my child, indeed falsehood is an excuse, but fact and
truth are more saving and superior. Verily thou art the son of a
cook!"--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Thirty-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Sultan's mother said to him, "Verily thou art a cook's son. Thy
sire could not beget boy-children and I bare him only a single
daughter. But it so fortuned that the kitchener's wife lay in of
a boy (to wit, thyself); so we gave my girl-babe to the cook and
took thee as the son of the Sultan, dreading for the realm after
thy sire's death." The King went forth from his mother in
astonishment at the penetration of the three youths and, when he
had taken seat in his Palace, he summoned the trio and as soon as
they appeared he asked them; "Which of you was it that said, 'She
who kneaded the bread was in blood'?" Quoth the eldest, "That was
I;" and quoth the King, "What led thee to suspect that she was
menstruous?" He replied, "O my lord, when I took the bannock and
broke off a bittock, the flour fell out in lumps.[FN#13] Now had
the kneader been well, her strength of hand would have remained
and the bread would have been wrought by all the veins; but, when
the blood came, her powers were minished for women's force is in
their hands; and as soon as the monthly period cometh upon them
their strength is lost. Their bodies contain three hundred and
sixty veins all lying hard by one another and the blood of the
catamenia floweth from them all; hence their force becometh
feebleness. And this was my proof of the woman which was
menstruous." Quoth the Sultan, "'Tis well. We accept as certain
thy saying upon this evidence, for it is agreeable to man's
understanding nor can any challenge it; this being from the power
of insight into the condition of womankind. And we are assured of
its soothfastness, for 'tis evident to us without concealment.
But which is he who said of the kid's meat that the beast was
suckled by a bitch? What proof had he of this? How did he learn
it and whence did his intelligence discover it to him?" Now when
the deceased Sultan's second son heard these words, he made
answer. "I, O King of the Age, am he who said that say!" The King
replied, "'Tis well;" and the Prince resumed, "O my lord, that
which showed me the matter of the meat which was to us brought is
as follows. I found the fat of the kid all hard by the bone, and
I knew that the beast had sucked bitch's milk; for the flesh of
dogs lieth outside and their fat is on their bones, whereas in
sheep and goats the fat lieth upon the meat. Such, then, was my
proof wherein there is nor doubt nor hesitation; and when thou
shalt have made question and inquiry thou wilt find this to be
fact." Quoth the Sultan, "'Tis well; thou hast spoken truth and
whatso thou sayest is soothfast. But which is he who declared
that I am a bastard and what was his proof and what sign in me
exposed it to him?" Quoth the youngest Prince, "I am he who said
it;" and the Sultan rejoined, "There is no help but that thou
provide me with a proof." The Prince rejoined, "'Tis well!"--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased
saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How
sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Thirty-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
youngest Prince said to the Sultan, "O my lord, I have evidence
that thou art the son of a cook and a base-born in that thou
didst not sit at meat with us and this was mine all-sufficient
evidence. Every man hath three properties which he inheriteth at
times from his father, at times from his maternal uncle and at
times from his mother.[FN#14] From his sire cometh generosity or
niggardness; from his uncle courage or cowardice; from his mother
modesty or immodesty; and such is the proof of every man." Then
quoth to him the Sultan, "Sooth thou speakest; but say me, men
who like you know all things thoroughly by evidence and by your
powers of penetration, what cause have they to come seeking
arbitration at my hand? Beyond yours there be no increase of
intelligence. So fare ye forth from me and manage the matter
amongst yourselves, for 'tis made palpable to me by your own
words that naught remaineth to you save to speak of mysterious
subjects;[FN#15] nor have I the capacity to adjudge between you
after that which I have heard from you. In fine an ye possess any
document drawn up by your sire before his decease, act according
to it and contrary it not." Upon this the Princes went forth from
him and made for their own country and city and did as their
father had bidden them do on his death-bed. The eldest enthroned
himself as Sultan; the cadet assumed possession and management of
the moneys and treasures and the youngest took to himself the
camels and the horses and the beeves and the muttons. Then each
and every was indeed equal with his co-partner in the gathering
of good. But when the new year came, there befel a drought among
the beasts and all belonging to the youngest brother died nor had
he aught of property left: yet his spirit brooked not to take
anything from his brethren or even to ask of them aught. This
then is the Tale of the King of Al-Yaman in its entirety; yet is
the Story of the Three Sharpers[FN#16] more wondrous and
marvellous than that just recounted.--And Shahrazad was surprised
by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her
permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy
story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth
she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you
on the coming night, an the King suffer me to survive." Now when
it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Thirty-fourth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will! It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating;" and she began
to recount
THE STORY OF THE THREE SHARPERS.[FN#17]
Saying, "Verily their adventure is wondrous and their actions
delightsome and marvellous," presently adding--There were in time
of yore three Sharpers who were wont every day in early morning
to prowl forth and to prey, rummaging[FN#18] among the mounds
which outlay the city. Therein each would find a silver bit of
five parahs or its equivalent, after which the trio would for-
gather and buy whatso sufficed them for supper: they would also
expend two Nusfs[FN#19] upon Bast,[FN#20] which is Bhang, and
purchase a waxen taper with the other silver bit. They had hired
a cell in the flank of a Wakálah, a caravanserai without the
walls, where they could sit at ease to solace themselves and eat
their Hashísh after lighting the candle and enjoy their
intoxication and consequent merriment till the noon o' night.
Then they would sleep, again awaking at day-dawn when they would
arise and seek for spoil, according to their custom, and ransack
the heaps where at times they would hit upon a silverling of five
dirhams and at other times a piece of four; and at eventide they
would meet to spend together the dark hours, and they would
expend everything they came by every day. For a length of time
they pursued this path until, one day of the days, they made for
the mounds as was their wont and went round searching the heaps
from morning to evening without finding even a half-parah;
wherefore they were troubled and they went away and nighted in
their cell without meat or drink. When the next day broke they
arose and repaired for booty, changing the places wherein they
were wont to forage; but none of them found aught; and their
breasts were straitened for lack of a find of dirhams wherewith
to buy them supper. This lasted for three full-told and following
days until hunger waxed hard upon them and vexation; so they said
one to other, "Go we to the Sultan and let us serve him with a
sleight, and each of us three shall claim to be a past master of
some craft: haply Allah Almighty may incline his heart uswards
and he may largesse us with something to expend upon our
necessities." Accordingly all three agreed to do on this wise and
they sought the Sultan whom they found in the palace-garden. They
asked leave to go in to him, but the Chamberlains refused
admission: so they stood afar off unable to approach the
presence. Then quoth they one to other, "'Twere better we fall to
and each smite his comrade and cry aloud and make a
clamour,[FN#21] and as soon as he shall hear us he will send to
summon us." Accordingly they jostled one another and each took to
frapping his fellow, making the while loud outcries. The Sultan
hearing this turmoil said, "Bring me yonder wights;" and the
Chamberlains and Eunuchs ran out to them and seized them and set
them between the hands of the Sovran. As soon as they stood in
the presence he asked them, "What be the cause of your wrath one
against other?" They answered, "O King of the Age, we are past
masters of crafts, each of us weeting an especial art." Quoth the
Sultan, "What be your crafts?" and quoth one of the trio, "O our
lord, as for my art I am a jeweller by trade." The King
exclaimed, "Passing strange! a sharper and a jeweller:[FN#22]
this is a wondrous matter." And he questioned the second--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased
saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How
sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night which was
The Three Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
asked the second Sharper saying, "And thou, the other, what may
be thy craft?" He answered, "I am a genealogist[FN#23] of the
horse-kind." So the King glanced at him in surprise and said to
himself, "A sharper yet he claimeth an astounding knowledge!"
Then he left him and put the same question to the third who said
to him, "O King of the Age, verily my art is more wondrous and
marvellous than aught thou hast heard from these twain: their
craft is easy but mine is such that none save I can discover the
right direction thereto or know the first of it from the last of
it." The Sultan enquired of him, "And what be thy craft?" Whereto
he replied, "My craft is the genealogy of the sons of Adam."
Hearing these words the Sovran wondered with extreme wonderment
and said in himself, "Verily He informeth with His secrets the
humblest of His creatures! Assuredly these men, an they speak
truth in all they say and it prove soothfast, are fit for naught
except kingship. But I will keep them by me until the occurrence
of some nice contingency wherein I may test them; then, if they
approve themselves good men and trustworthy of word, I will leave
them on life; but if their speech be lying I will do them die."
Upon this he set apart for them apartments and rationed them with
three cakes of bread and a dish of roast meat[FN#24] and set over
them his sentinels dreading lest they fly. This case continued
for a while till behold, there came to the Sultan from the land
of 'Ajam a present of rarities, amongst which were two gems
whereof one was clear of water and the other was clouded of
colour.[FN#25] The Sultan hent them in hand for a time and fell
to considering them straitly for the space of an hour; after
which he called to mind the first of the three Sharpers, the
selfstyled jeweller, and cried, "Bring me the jeweller-man."
Accordingly they went and brought him and set him before the
Sovran who asked him, "O man, art thou a lapidary?" And when the
Sharper answered "Yes" he gave him the clear-watered stone,
saying, "What may be the price of this gem?"--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is
thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate
to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Sharper took the jewel in hand and turned it rightwards and
leftwards and considered the outside and pried into the inside;
after which he said to the Sultan, "O my lord, verily this gem
containeth a worm[FN#26] bred within the heart thereof." Now when
the King heard these words he waxed wroth with exceeding wrath
and commanded the man's head to be stricken off, saying, "This
jewel is clear of colour and free of flaw or other default; yet
thou chargest it falsely with containing a worm!" Then he
summoned the Linkman[FN#27] who laid hands on the Sharper and
pinioned his elbows and trussed up his legs[FN#28] like a camel's
and was about to smite his neck when behold, the Wazir entered
the presence and, seeing the Sovran in high dudgeon and the
Sharper under the scymitar, asked what was to do. The Sultan
related to him what had happened when he drew near to him and
said, "O my lord, act not after this fashion! An thou determine
upon the killing of yonder man, first break the gem and, if thou
find therein a worm, thou wilt know the wight's word to have been
veridical; but an thou find it sound then strike off his head."
"Right is thy rede," quoth the King: then he took in hand the gem
and smote it with his mace[FN#29] and when he brake behold, he
found therein the worm amiddlemost thereof. So he marvelled at
the sight and asked the man, "What proved to thee that it
harboured a worm?" "The sharpness of my sight," answered the
Sharper. Then the Sultan pardoned him and, admiring his power of
vision, addressed his attendants saying, "Bear him back to his
comrades and ration him with a dish of roast meat and two cakes
of bread." And they did as he bade them. After some time, on a
day of the days, there came to the King the tribute of 'Ajamland
accompanied with presents amongst which was a colt whose robe
black as night[FN#30] showed one shade in the sun and another in
the shadow. When the animal was displayed to the Sultan he fell
in love with it and set apart for it a stall and solaced himself
at all times by gazing at it and was wholly occupied with it and
sang its praises till they filled the whole country side.
Presently he remembered the Sharper who claimed to be a
genealogist of the horse-kind and bade him be summoned. So they
fared forth and brought him and set him between the hands of the
Sovran who said to him, "Art thou he who knoweth the breed and
descent of horses?" "Yea verily," said the man. Then cried the
King, "By the truth of Him who set me upon the necks of His
servants and who sayeth to a thing 'Be' and it becometh, an I
find aught of error or confusion in thy words, I will strike off
thy head." "Hearkening and obedience," quoth the Sharper. Then
they led him to the colt that he might consider its genealogy. He
called aloud to the groom[FN#31]--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she,
"And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on
the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Sharper called aloud to the stirrup-holder and when they brought
him he bade the man back the colt for his inspection. So he
mounted the animal and made it pace to the right and to the left
causing it now to prance and curvet and then to step leisurely,
while the connoisseur looked on and after a time quoth he to the
groom, "'Tis enough!" Then he went in to the presence and stood
between the hands of the King who enquired, "What hast thou seen
in the colt, O Kashmar?"[FN#32] Replied the Sharper, "By Allah, O
King of the Age, this colt is of pure and noble blood on the side
of the sire: its action is excellent and all its qualities are
praiseworthy save one; and but for this one it had been perfect
in blood and breed nor had there been on earth's face its fellow
in horseflesh. But its blemish remaineth a secret." The Sultan
asked, "And what is the quality which thou blamest?" and the
Sharper answered, "Its sire was noble, but its dam was of other
strain: she it was that brought the blemish and if thou, O my
lord, allow me I will notify it to thee." "'Tis well, and needs
must thou declare it," quoth the Sultan. Then said the Sharper,
"Its dam is a buffalo-cow."[FN#33] When the King heard these
words he was wroth with wrath exceeding and he bade the Linkman
take the Sharper and behead him, crying, "O dog! O accursed! How
can a buffalo-cow bear a horse?" The Sharper replied, "O my lord,
the Linkman is in the presence; but send and fetch him who
brought thee the colt and of him make enquiry. If my words prove
true and rightly placed, my skill shall be stablished; but an
they be lies let my head pay forfeit for my tongue. Here standeth
the Linkman and I am between thy hands: thou hast but to bid him
strike off my head!" Thereupon the King sent for the owner and
breeder of the colt and they brought him to the presence.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth the sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
sent for the owner and breeder of the colt and asked him saying,
"Tell me the truth anent the blood of this colt. Didst thou buy
it or breed it so that it was a rearling of thy homestead?" Said
he, "By Allah, O King of the Age, I will speak naught which is
not sooth, for indeed there hangeth by this colt the strangest
story: were it graven with graver-needles upon the eye-corners it
had been a warning to whoso would be warned. And this it is. I
had a stallion of purest strain whose sire was of the steeds of
the sea;[FN#34] and he was stabled in a stall apart for fear of
the evil eye, his service being entrusted to trusty servants. But
one day in springtide the Syce took the horse into the open and
there picquetted him when behold, a buffalo-cow walked into the
enclosed pasture where the stallion was tethered, and seeing her
he brake his heel-ropes and rushed at her and covered her. She
conceived by him and when her days were completed and her
throwing-time came she suffered sore pains and bare yonder colt.
And all who have seen it or have heard of it were astounded,"
said he, presently adding, "by Allah, O King of the Age, had its
dam been of the mare-kind the colt would have had no equal on
earth's surface or aught approaching it." Hereat the Sultan took
thought and marvelled; then, summoning the Sharper he said to him
when present, "O man, thy speech is true and thou art indeed a
genealogist in horseflesh and thou wottest it well. But I would
know what proved to thee that the dam of this colt was a
buffalo-cow?" Said he, "O King, my proof thereof was palpable nor
can it be concealed from any wight of right wits and intelligence
and special knowledge; for the horse's hoof is round whilst the
hooves of buffaloes are elongated and duck-shaped,[FN#35] and
hereby I kenned that this colt was a jumart, the issue of a
cow-buffalo." The Sultan was pleased with his words and said
"Ration him with a plate of roast meat and two cakes of bread;"
and they did as they were bidden. Now for a length of time the
third Sharper was forgotten till one day the Sultan bethought him
of the man who could explain the genealogy of Adam's sons. So he
bade fetch him and when they brought him into the presence he
said, "Thou art he that knowest the caste and descent of men and
women?" and the other said, "Yes." Then he commanded the Eunuchs
take him to his wife[FN#36] and place him before her and cause
him declare her genealogy. So they led him in and set him
standing in her presence and the Sharper considered her for a
while looking from right to left; then he fared forth to the
Sultan who asked him, "What hast thou seen in the Queen?"
Answered he, "O my lord, I saw a somewhat adorned with loveliness
and beauty and perfect grace, with fair stature of symmetrical
trace and with modesty and fine manners and skilful case; and she
is one in whom all good qualities appear on every side, nor is
aught of accomplishments or knowledge concealed from her and
haply in her centre all desirable attributes. Natheless, O King
of the Age, there is a curious point that dishonoureth her from
the which were she free none would outshine her of all the women
of her generation." Now when the Sultan heard the words of the
Sharper, he sprang hastily to his feet and clapping hand upon
hilt bared his brand and fell upon the man purposing to slay
him;--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable
and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that
I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
fell upon the Sharper with his sword purposing to slay him; but
the Chamberlains and the Eunuchs prevented him saying, "O our
lord, kill him not until his falsehood or his fact shall have
been made manifest to thee."The Sultan said to him, "What then
appeared to thee in my Queen?" "He[FN#37] is ferly fair," said
the man, "but his mother is a dancing-girl, a gypsey."[FN#38] The
fury of the King increased hereat and he sent to summon the
inmates of his Harem and cried to his father-in-law, "Unless thou
speak me sooth concerning thy daughter and her descent and her
mother I"--[FN#39] He replied, "By Allah, O King of the Age,
naught saveth a man save soothfastness! Her mother indeed was a
Gháziyah: in past time a party of the tribe was passing by my
abode when a young maid strayed from her fellows and was lost.
They asked no questions concerning her; so I lodged her and bred
her in my homestead till she grew up to be a great girl and the
fairest of her time. My heart would not brook her wiving with any
other; so I wedded her and she bare me this daughter whom thou, O
King, hast espoused." When the Sultan heard these words the flame
in his heart was quenched[FN#40] and he wondered at the subtlety
of the Sharper man; so he summoned him and asked him saying, "O
wily one, tell me what certified to thee that my Queen had a
dancing girl, a gypsey, to mother?" He answered, "O King of the
Age, verily the Ghaziyah race hath eye-balls intensely black and
bushy brows whereas other women than the Ghaziyah have the
reverse of this." On such wise the King was convinced of the
man's skill and he cried, "Ration him with a dish of roast meat
and two scones." They did as he bade and the three Sharpers
tarried with the Sultan a long time till one day when the King
said to himself, "Verily these three men have by their skill
solved every question of genealogy which I proposed to them:
first the jeweller proved his perfect knowledge of gems; secondly
the genealogist of the horse-kind showed himself as skilful, and
the same was the case with the genealogist of mankind, for he
discovered the origin of my Queen and the truth of his words
appeared from all quarters. Now 'tis my desire that he do the
same with me that I also may know my provenance." Accordingly
they set the man between his hands and he said to him, "O fellow,
hast thou the power to tell me mine origin?" Said the Sharper,
"Yes, O my lord, I can trace thy descent, but I will so do only
upon a condition; to wit, that thou promise me safety[FN#41]
after what I shall have told thee; for the saw saith, 'Whilst
Sultan sitteth on throne 'ware his despite, inasmuch as none may
be contumacious when he saith 'Smite.'" Thereupon the Sultan told
him, "thou hast a promise of immunity, a promise which shall
never be falsed."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and fell silent, and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth
her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and
how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this
compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an
the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night,
and that was
The Three Hundred and Fortieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
pledged his word for the safety of the Sharper with the customary
kerchief[FN#42] and the man said, "O King of the Age, whenas I
acquaint thee with thy root and branch, let it be between us
twain lest these present hear us." "Wherefore O man?" asked the
Sultan, and the Sharper answered, "O my lord, Allah of Allmight
hath among His names 'The Veiler';"[FN#43] wherefore the King
bade his Chamberlains and Eunuchs retire so that none remained in
the place save those two. Then the Sharper came forward and said,
"O my lord, thou art a son of shame and an issue of adultery." As
soon as the King heard these words his case changed and his
colour waxed wan and his limbs fell loose:[FN#44] he foamed at
the mouth;[FN#45] he lost hearing and sight; he became as one
drunken without wine and he fell fainting to the ground. After a
while he recovered and said to the Sharper, "Now by the truth of
Him who hath set me upon the necks of His servants, an thy words
be veridical and I ascertain their sooth by proof positive, I
will assuredly abdicate my Kingdom and resign my realm to thee,
because none deserveth it save thou and it becometh us least of
all and every. But an I find thy speech lying I will slay thee."
He replied, "Hearing and obeying;" and the Sovran, rising up
without stay or delay, went inside to his mother with grip on
glaive, and said to her, "By the truth of Him who uplifted the
lift above the earth, an thou answer me not with the whole truth
in whatso I ask thee, I will cut thee to little bits with this
blade." She enquired, "What dost thou want with me?" and he
replied, "Whose son am I, and what may be my descent?" She
rejoined, "Although falsehood be an excuse, fact and truth are
superior and more saving. Thou art indeed the very son of a cook.
The Sultan that was before thee took me to wife and I cohabited
with him a while of time without my becoming pregnant by him or
having issue; and he would mourn and groan from the core of his
heart for that he had no seed, nor girl nor boy; neither could he
enjoy aught of sweet food or sleep. Now we had about the Palace
many caged birds; and at last, one day of the days, the King
longed to eat somewhat of poultry, so he went into the court and
sent for the Kitchener to slaughter[FN#46] one of the fowls; and
the man applied himself to catching it. At that time I had taken
my first bath after the monthly ailment and quoth I to myself,
'If this case continue with the King he will perish and the
Kingdom pass from us.' And the Shaytan tempted me to that which
displeased Allah"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister
mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Three Hundred and Forty-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Queen
continued, "And Satan tempted me and made the sin fair in my
sight. So I went up to the Kitchener, attired and adorned as I
was in my finest apparel and I fell a-jesting with him and
provoking him and disporting with him till his passions were
excited by me: so he tumbled me at that very hour, after which he
arose and slaughtered one of the birds and went his ways. Then I
bade the handmaids sprinkle water on the fowl and clean it and
cook it; and they did my bidding. After a while symptoms of
pregnancy declared themselves in me and became evident; and when
the King heard that his Queen was with child, he waxed gladsome
and joyful and gave alms and scattered gifts and bestowed robes
upon his Officers of State and others till the day of my delivery
and I bare a babe--which is thyself. Now at that time the Sultan
was hunting and birding and enjoying himself about the gardens
all of his pleasure at the prospect of becoming a father; and
when the bearer of good news went to him and announced the birth
of a man-child he hurried back to me and forthright bade them
decorate the capital and he found the report true; so the city
adorned itself for forty days in honour of its King. Such is my
case and my tale."[FN#47] Thereupon the King went forth from her
to the Sharper and bade him doff his dress and when this had been
done he doffed his own raiment and habited the man in royal gear
and hooded him with the Taylasán[FN#48] and asked him saying,
"What proof hast thou of my being a son of adultery?" The Sharper
answered, "O my lord, my proof was thy bidding our being
rationed, after showing the perfection of our skill, with a dish
of roast meat and two scones of bread; whereby I knew thee to be
of cook's breed, for the Kings be wont in such case to make
presents of money and valuables, not of meat and bread as thou
didst, and this evidenced thee to be a bastard King." He replied,
"Sooth thou sayest," and then robed him with the rest of his
robes including the Kalansuwah or royal head-dress under the
hood[FN#49] and seated him upon the throne of his estate.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me
to survive." Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Forty-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
enthroned the Sharper upon the throne of estate and went forth
from him after abandoning all his women to him and assumed the
garb of a Darwaysh who wandereth about the world and formally
abdicated his dominion to his successor. But when the Sharper-
king saw himself in this condition, he reflected and said to
himself, "Summon thy whilome comrades and see whether they
recognize thee or not." So he caused them be set before him and
conversed with them; then, perceiving that none knew him he
gifted them and sent them to gang their gait. And he ruled his
realm and bade and forbade and gave and took away and was
gracious and generous to each and every of his lieges; so that
the people of that region who were his subjects blessed him and
prayed for him. Such was the case with the Sharper; but as for
The Sultan who Fared Forth in the Habit of a
Darwaysh,[FN#50]
He ceased not wayfaring, as become a wanderer, till he came to
Cairo[FN#51] city whose circuit was a march of two and a half
days and which then was ruled by her own King Mohammed hight. He
found the folk in safety and prosperity and good ordinance; and
he solaced himself by strolling about the streets to the right
and left and he diverted his mind by considering the crowds and
the world of men contained in the capital, until he drew near the
palace when suddenly he sighted the Sultan returning from the
chase and from taking his pleasure. Seeing this the Darwaysh
retired to the wayside, and the King happening to glance in that
direction, saw him standing and discerned in him the signs of
former prosperity. So he said to one of his suite, "Take yon man
with thee and entertain him till I send for him." His bidding
being obeyed he entered the Palace and, when he had rested from
the fatigues of the way, he summoned the Fakír to the presence
and questioned him of his condition, saying, "Thou, from what
land art thou?" He responded, "O my lord, I am a beggar man;" and
the other rejoined, "There is no help but that thou tell me what
brought thee hither." The Darwaysh retorted, "O my lord, this may
not be save in privacy," and the other exclaimed, "Be it so for
thee." The twain then arose and repaired to a retired room in the
Palace and the Fakir recounted to the Sultan all that had
befallen him since the loss of his kingship and also how he, a
Sultan, had given up the throne of his realm and had made himself
a Darwaysh. The Sovran marvelled at his self-denial in yielding
up the royal estate and cried, "Laud be to Him who degradeth and
upraiseth, who honoureth and humbleth by the wise ordinance of
His All-might," presently adding, "O Darwaysh, I have passed
through an adventure which is marvellous; indeed 'tis one of the
Wonders of the World[FN#52] which I needs must relate to thee nor
from thee withhold aught thereof." And he fell to telling--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased
saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How
sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Forty-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the King
fell to telling the beggar man
The History of Mohammed, Sultan of Cairo.
I began my career in the world as a Darwaysh, an asker, owning
naught of the comforts and conveniences of life, till at length,
one day of the days, I became possessor of just ten
silverlings[FN#53] (and no more) which I resolved to expend upon
myself. Accordingly I walked into the Bazar purposing to purchase
somewhat of provaunt. While I was looking around, I espied a man
passing by and leading in an iron chain a dog-faced baboon and
crying "Haraj![FN#54] this ape is for sale at the price of ten
faddahs." The folk jibed at the man and jeered at his ape; but
quoth I to myself, "Buy this beast and expend upon it the ten
silverlings." Accordingly I drew near the seller and said to him,
"Take these ten faddahs;" whereupon he took them and gave me the
ape which I led to the cell wherein I dwelt. Then I opened the
door and went in with my bargain but began debating in my mind
what to do and said, "How shall I manage a meal for the baboon
and myself?" While I was considering behold, the beast was
suddenly transformed, and became a young man fair of favour who
had no equal in loveliness and stature and symmetric grace,
perfect as the moon at full on the fourteenth night; and he
addressed me saying, "O Shaykh Mohammed, thou hast bought me with
ten faddahs, being all thou hadst and art debating how we shall
feed, I and thou." Quoth I, "What art thou?" and quoth he, "Query
me no questions, concerning whatso thou shalt see, for good luck
hath come to thee." Then he gave me an Ashrafi[FN#55] and said,
"Take this piece of gold and fare thee forth to the Bazar and get
us somewhat to eat and drink." I took it from him and repairing
to the market purchased whatso food our case required; then
returning to the cell set the victual before him and seated
myself by his side. So we ate our sufficiency and passed that
night, I and he, in the cell, and, when Allah caused the morn to
dawn, he said to me, "O man, this room is not suitable to us: hie
thee and hire a larger lodging." I replied, "To hear is to obey;"
and, rising without stay or delay, went and took a room more
roomy in the upper part of the Wakálah.[FN#56] Thither we
removed, I and the youth, and presently he gave me ten dinars
more and said, "Go to the Bazar and buy thee furniture as much as
is wanted." Accordingly, I went forth and bought what he ordered
and on my return I found before him a bundle containing a suit of
clothes suitable for the Kings. These he gave to me desiring that
I hie me to the Hammam and don them after bathing, so I did his
bidding and washed and dressed myself and found in each pocket of
the many pockets an hundred gold pieces; and presently when I had
donned the dress I said to myself, "Am I dreaming or wide
awake?"[FN#57] Then I returned to the youth in the room and when
he saw me he rose to his feet and commended my figure and seated
me beside him. Presently he brought up a bigger bundle and bade
me take it and repair to the Sultan of the City and at the same
time ask his daughter in marriage for myself.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is
thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate
to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
of Cairo continued:[FN#58]--So I took it and repaired with it to
the King of that city, and a slave whom the youth had bought bore
the bundle. Now when I approached the Palace I found thereabout
the Chamberlains and Eunuchs and Lords of the Land: so I drew
near them and when they saw me in that suit they approved my
appearance and questioned me saying, "What be thy business and
what dost thou require?" I replied, "My wish is to have audience
of the King," and they rejoined, "Wait a little while till we
obtain for thee his permission." Then one of the ushers went in
and reported the matter to the Sultan who gave orders to admit
me; so the man came out and led me within and on entering the
presence I salamed to the Sovran and wished him welfare and
presently set before him the bundle, saying, "O King of the Age,
this be in the way of a gift which besitteth my station not thine
estate." The Sultan bade the package be spread out, and he looked
into it and saw a suit of royal apparel whose like he never had
owned. So he was astonished at the sight and said in his mind,
"By Allah, I possess naught like this, nor was I ever master of
so magnificent a garment;" presently adding, "It shall be
accepted, O Shaykh, but needs must thou have some want or
requisition from me." I replied, "O King of the Age, my wish is
to become thy connection through that lady concealed and pearl
unrevealed, thy daughter." When the Sultan heard these words, he
turned to his Wazir and said, "Counsel me as to what I should do
in the matter of this man?" Said he, "O King of the Age, show him
thy most precious stone and say him, 'An thou have a jewel
evening this one it shall be my daughter's marriage-dowry.'" The
King did as he was advised, whereat I was wild with wonderment
and asked him, "An I bring thee such a gem wilt thou give me the
Princess?" He answered, "Yea, verily!" and I took my leave
bearing with me the jewel to the young man who was awaiting me in
the room.[FN#59] He enquired of me, "Hast thou proposed for
Princess?" and I replied, "Yes: I have spoken with the Sultan
concerning her, when he brought out this stone, saying to me, 'An
thou have a jewel evening this one, it shall be my daughter's
marriage dowry;' nor hath the Sultan power to false his word."
The youth rejoined, "This day I can do naught, but to-morrow
(Inshallah!) I will bring thee ten jewels like it and these thou
shalt carry and present to the Sovran." Accordingly when the
morning dawned he arose and fared forth and after an hour or so
he returned with ten gems which he gave me. I took them and
repaired with them to the Sultan and, entering the presence, I
presented to him all the ten. When he looked upon the precious
stones he wondered at their brilliant water and turning to the
Wazir again asked him how he should act in this matter. Replied
the Minister, "O King of the Age, thou requiredst of him but one
jewel and he hath brought thee ten; 'tis therefore only right and
fair to give him thy daughter."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then
quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Minister said to the Monarch, "Give him thy daughter."
Accordingly the Sultan summoned the Kazis and the Efendis[FN#60]
who wrote out the marriage-contract between me and the Princess.
Then I returned to the youth who had remained in the room and
told him all that had occurred when he said, "'Twere best to
conclude the wedding-ceremony and pay the first visit to thy
bride at once; but thou shalt on no wise consummate the nuptials
until I bid thee go in unto her, after somewhat shall have been
done by me." "Hearing and obeying," replied I; and, when the
night of going in[FN#61] came, I visited the Sultan's daughter
but sat apart from her by the side of the room during the first
night and the second and the third; nor did I approach her
although every day her mother came and asked her the usual
question[FN#62] and she answered, "He hath never approached me."
So she grieved with sore grief for that 'tis the wont of
womankind, when a maid is married and her groom goeth not in unto
her, to deem that haply folk will attribute it to some matter
which is not wholly right. After the third night the mother
reported the case to her father who cried, "This night except he
abate her pucelage I will slay him!" The tidings reached my bride
who told all to me, so I repaired to the young man and acquainted
him therewith. He cried, "When thou shalt visit her say, 'By
Allah, I will not enjoy thee unless thou give me the
amulet-bracelet hanging to thy right shoulder.'" I replied, "To
hear is to obey;" and, when I went in to her at nightfall, I
asked her, "Dost thou really desire me to futter thee?" She
answered, "I do indeed;" so I rejoined, "Then give me the
amulet-bracelet hanging over thy right shoulder." She arose
forthright and unbound it and gave it to me, whereupon I bled her
of the hymeneal blood[FN#63] and going to the young man gave him
the jewel. Then I returned to my bride and slept by her side till
the morning when I awoke and found myself lying outstreched in my
own caravanserai-cell. I was wonderstruck and asked myself, "Am I
on wake or in a dream?" and I saw my whilome garments, the
patched gabardine[FN#64] and tattered shirt alone with my little
drum;[FN#65] but the fine suit given to me by the youth was not
on my body nor did I espy any sign of it anywhere. So with fire
burning in my heart after what had befallen me, I wandered about
crowded sites and lone spots and in my distraction I knew not
what to do, whither to go or whence to come; when lo and behold!
I found sitting in an unfrequented part of the street a
Maghrabi,[FN#66] a Barbary man, who had before him some written
leaves and was casting omens for sundry bystanders. Seeing this
state of things, I came forward and drew near him and made him a
salam which he returned; then, after considering my features
straitly, he exclaimed, "O Shaykh, hath that Accursed done it and
torn thee from thy bride?" "Yes," I replied. Hereupon he said to
me, "Wait a little while," and seated me beside him; then, as
soon as the crowd dispersed he said, "O Shaykh, the baboon which
thou boughtest for ten silver bits and which was presently
transformed into a young man of Adam's sons, is not a human of
the sons of Adam but a Jinni who is enamoured of the Princess
thou didst wed. However, he could not approach her by reason of
the charmed bracelet hanging from her right shoulder, wherefore
he served thee this sleight and won it and now he still weareth
it. But I will soon work his destruction to the end that Jinnkind
and mankind may be at rest from his mischief; for he is one of
the rebellious and misbegotten imps who break the law of our lord
Solomon (upon whom be the Peace!)." Presently the Maghrabi took a
leaf and wrote upon it as it were a book.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is
thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate
to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Maghrabi wrote a writ and signed his name within and sealed it;
after which he handed it to me saying, "O Shaykh, take this
missive and hie thee herewith to a certain spot where thou must
wait and observe those who pass by. Hearten thy heart and when
thou shalt see approaching thee a man attended by a numerous
train, present to him this scroll for 'tis he who will win for
thee thy wish." I took the note from the Barbary man and fared
forth to the place which he had described and ceased not faring
till I reached it after travelling all that night and half the
next day; then I sat down until darkness set in to await whatso
might befal me. When a fourth part of the night had passed, a
dazzling glare of lights suddenly appeared from afar advancing
towards me; and as it shone nearer, I made out men bearing
flambeaux[FN#67] and lanthorns, also a train of attendants
befitting the Kings. They looked on and considered me whilst my
heart fluttered with fear, and I was in sore affright. But the
procession defiled and drew off from before me, marching two
after two, and presently appeared the chief cortège wherein was a
Sultan[FN#68] of the Jánn. As he neared me I heartened my heart
and advanced and presented to him the letter which he, having
halted, opened and read aloud; and it was:--"Be it known to thee,
O Sultan of the Jann, that the bearer of this our epistle hath a
need which thou must grant him by destroying his foe; and if
opposition be offered by any we will do the opponent die. An thou
fail to relieve him thou wilt know to seek from me relief for
thyself." When the King of the Jann had read the writ and had
mastered its meaning and its mysteries, he forthwith called out
to one of his serjeants[FN#69] who at once came forward and bade
him bring into his presence without delay such-and-such a Jinni
who by his spells had wrought round the daughter of the Cairene
Sultan. The messenger replied, "Hearing and obeying," and
departed from him and disappearing was absent an hour or
thereabouts; after which he and others returned with the Jinni
and set him standing before the King who exclaimed, "Wherefore, O
Accurst, hast thou wrought ill to this man and done on this wise
and on that wise?" He replied, "O my lord, all came of my
fondness for the Princess who wore a charm in her armlet which
hindered my approaching her and therefore I made use of this man
to effect my purpose. I became master of the talisman and won my
wish but I love the maiden and never will I harm her." Now when
the Sultan heard these words he said, "Thy case can be after one
of two fashions only. Either return the armlet that the man may
be reunited with his wife and she with her husband as whilome
they were; or contrary me and I will command the headsman strike
thy neck." Now when the Jinni heard this speech (and 'twas he who
had assumed the semblance of a dog-faced baboon), he refused and
was rebellious to the King and cried, "I will not return the
armlet nor will I release the damsel, for none can possess her
save myself." And having spoken in this way he attempted to
flee.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent
and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale, that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Márid
would fain have fled from before the King of the Jann, but the
Sovran bade other Marids and more forceful arrest him; so they
seized him and pinioned him and bound him in chains and collar
and dragged him behind the King of the Jann till the latter had
reached his place and had summoned him and had taken from him the
armlet. Then the Sultan gave order for him to be slain and they
slew him. When this was done, I prayed for the charm-armlet and I
recovered it after the Marid's death; they also restored to me my
fine suit. So I proceeded to the city which I entered, and as
soon as the guards and courtiers saw me, they cried out for joy
and said, "This is the son-in-law of the Sultan who was lost!"
Hereat all the lieges hurried up to me and received me with high
respect and greeted me. But after entering the Palace I proceeded
forthright till I reached the apartment set apart by them for
myself and my spouse whom I found in a deep sleep and stupefied,
as it were; a condition in which she had lain ever since I took
from her the talismanic armlet. So I replaced the jewel upon her
right shoulder and she awoke and arose and ordered herself;
whereat her father and family and the Lords of the Land and all
the folk joyed with exceeding joy. After this we lived together
in all happiness till the death of her sire who, having no son,
named me his successor so that I became what I am. Now when the
Darwaysh-Sultan heard all this he was astounded at what happeneth
in this world of marvels and miracles; upon which I said to him,
"O my brother wonder not; for whatso is predetermined shall
perforce be carried out. But thou needs must become my Wazir;
because thou art experienced in rule and governance and, since
what time my sire-in-law the Sultan died, I have been perplexed
in my plight being unable to find me a Minister who can
administer the monarchy. So do thou become my Chief Counsellor in
the realm." Thereupon the Darwaysh replied, "Hearkening and
obedience." The Sultan then robed him in a sumptuous robe of
honour and committed to him his seal-ring and all other matters
pertinent to his office, at the same time setting apart for him a
palace, spacious of corners, which he furnished with splendid
furniture and wadded carpets and vaiselle and other such matters.
So the Wazir took his seat of office and held a Divan or Council
of State forthright and commanded and countermanded, and bade and
forbade according as he saw just and equitable; and his fame for
equity and justice was disproved abroad; insomuch that who ever
had a cause or request or other business he would come to the
Wazir for ordering whatso he deemed advisable. In this condition
he continued for many years till, on a day of the days, the
Sultan's mind was depressed. Upon this he sent after the Minister
who attended at his bidding, when he said, "O Wazir, my heart is
heavy!" "Enter then," replied the Minister, "O King, into thy
treasury of jewels and rubies and turn them over in thy hands and
thy breast will be broadened." The Sultan did accordingly but it
took no effect upon his ennui; so he said, "O Wazir, I cannot win
free of this melancholic humour and nothing pleasureth me in my
palace; so let us fare forth, I and thou, in disguise." "Hearing
is obeying," quoth the Minister. The twain then retired into a
private chamber to shift their garb and habited themselves as
Darwayshes, the Darwayshes of Ajam-land, and went forth and
passed through the city right and left till they reached a
Máristán, a hospital for lunatics.[FN#70] Here they found two
young men, one reading the Koran[FN#71] and the other hearkening
to him, both being in chains like men Jinn-mad; and the Sultan
said in his mind, "By Allah, this is a marvel-case," and bespake
the men asking, "Are ye really insane?" They answered saying,
"No, by Allah; we are not daft but so admirable are our
adventures that were they graven with needle-gravers upon the
eye-corners they had been warners to whoso would be warned."
"What are they?" quoth the King, and quoth they, "Each of us, by
Allah, hath his own story;" and presently he who had been reading
exclaimed, "O King of the Age, hear my tale."--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is
thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate
to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night, and that was
The Three Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth
began relating to the Sultan
The Story of the First Lunatic.[FN#72]
I was a merchant and kept a shop wherein were Hindi goods of all
kinds and colours, highmost priced articles; and I sold and
bought with much profit. I continued in this condition a while of
time till one day of the days as I, according to my custom, was
sitting in my shop an old woman came up and gave me the good
morning and greeted me with the salam. I returned her salute when
she seated her upon the shopboard and asked me saying, "O master,
hast thou any pieces of choice Indian stuffs?" I replied, "O my
mistress, I have with me whatso thou wantest;" and she rejoined,
"Bring me forth one of them." Accordingly I arose and fetched her
a Hindi piece of the costliest price and placed it in her hands.
She took it and examining it was greatly pleased by its beauty
and presently said to me, "O my lord, for how much is this?" Said
I, "Five hundred dinars;" whereupon she pulled forth her purse
and counted out to me the five hundred gold pieces. Then she took
the stuff and went her ways; and I, O our lord the Sultan, had
sold to her for five hundred sequins a piece of cloth worth at
cost price three hundred and fifty gold pieces. She came to me
again, O my lord, on the next day and asked me for another piece;
so I rose up and brought her the bundle and she paid me once more
five hundred dinars: then she took up her bargain and ganged her
gait. She did the same, O my lord, on the third and the fourth
day and so on to the fifteenth, taking a piece of stuff from me
and paying me regularly five hun- dred golden pieces for each
bargain. On the sixteenth behold, she entered my shop as was her
wont, but she found not her purse; so she said to me, "O
Khwájah,[FN#73] I have left my purse at home." Said I, "O my
lady, an thou return 'tis well and if not thou art welcome to
it." She sware she would not take it and I, on the other hand,
sware her to carry it off as a token of love and
friendship.[FN#74] Thereupon debate fell between us, and I, O our
lord the Sultan, had made muchel of money by her and, had she
taken two pieces gratis, I would not have asked questions anent
them. At last she cried, "O Khwajah, I have sworn an oath and
thou hast sworn an oath, and we shall never agree except thou
favour me by accompanying me to my house so thou mayest receive
the value of the stuff, when neither of us will have been
forsworn: therefore lock up thy shop lest anything be lost in
thine absence." Accordingly I bolted my door and went with her, O
our lord the Sultan, and we ceased not walking, conversing the
while we walked, I and she, until we neared her abode when she
pulled out a kerchief from her girdle and said, "'Tis my desire
to bind this over thine eyes." Quoth I, "For what cause?" and
quoth she, "For that on our way be sundry houses whose doors are
open and the women are sitting in the vestibules of their homes,
so that haply thy glance may alight upon some one of them,
married or maid, and thy heart become engaged in a love-affair
and thou abide distraight, because in this quarter of the town be
many fair faces, wives and virgins, who would fascinate even a
religious, and wherefore we are alarmed for thy peace of mind."
Upon this I said in myself, "By Allah, this old woman is able of
advice;" and I consented to her requirement, when she bound the
kerchief over my eyes and blindfolded me. Then we walked on till
we came to the house she sought; and when she rapped with the
door-ring a slave-girl came out and opening the door let us in.
The old body then approached me and unbound the kerchief from
over my eyes; whereupon I looked around me, holding myself to be
a captive, and I found me in a mansion having sundry separate
apartments in the wings and 'twas richly decorated resembling the
palaces of the Kings.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth
her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And
where is this com- pared with that I would relate to you on the
coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth
pursued:--By Allah, O our lord the Sultan, of that house I never
saw the fellow. She then bade me hide within a room and I did her
bidding in a corner place where beside me I beheld heaped
together and cast down in that private site all the pieces of
stuff which the ancient dame had purchased of me. Seeing this I
marvelled in my mind and lo! appeared two damsels as they were
moons and came down from an upper story till they stood on the
ground-floor; after which they cut a piece of cloth into twain
and each maiden took one and tucked up her sleeves. They then
sprinkled the court of that palace with water of the rose and of
the orange-flower,[FN#75] wiping the surface with the cloth and
rubing it till it became as silver; after which the two girls
retired into an inner room and brought out some fifty
chairs[FN#76] which they set down, and placed over each seat a
rug[FN#77] with cushions of brocade. They then carried in a
larger chair of gold and placed upon it a carpet with cushions of
orfrayed work and after a time they withdrew. Presently, there
descended from the staircase, two following two, a host of
maidens in number till they evened the chairs and each one of
them sat down upon her own, and at last suddenly appeared a young
lady in whose service were ten damsels, and she walked up to and
they seated her upon the great chair. When I beheld her, O my
lord the Sultan, my right senses left me and my wits fled me and
I was astounded at her loveliness and her stature and her
symmetric grace as she swayed to and fro in her pride of beauty
and gladsome spirits amongst those damsels and laughed and
sported with them. At last she cried aloud, "O mother mine!" when
the ancient dame answered her call and she asked her, "Hast thou
brought the young man?" The old woman replied, "Yes, he is
present between thy hands;" and the fair lady said, "Bring him
hither to me!" But when I heard these words I said to myself,
"There is no Majesty and there is no Might, save in Allah, the
Glorious, the Great! Doubtless when this damsel shall have
discovered my being in such hiding place she will bid them do me
die." The old woman then came forwards to me and led me before
the young lady seated on the great chair; and, when I stood in
her presence, she smiled in my face and saluted me with the salam
and welcomed me; after which she signed for a seat to be brought
and when her bidding was obeyed set it close beside her own. She
then commanded me to sit and I seated me by her side.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fiftieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth
pursued:--She seated me beside her, O our lord the Sultan, and
fell to talking and joking with me for an hour or so when she
said, "O youth, what sayest thou of me and of my beauty and my
loveliness? Would Heaven that I could occupy thy thought and
please thee so that I might become to thee wife and thou be to me
man." When I heard these her words I replied, "O my lady, how
dare I presume to attain such honour? Indeed I do not deem myself
worthy to become a slave between thy hands." Hereupon said she,
"Nay, O young man, my words have in them nor evasion nor
alteration; so be not disheartened or fearful of returning me a
reply, for that my heart is fulfilled of thy love." I now
understood, O our lord the Sultan, that the damsel was desirous
of marrying me; but I could not conceive what was the cause
thereof or who could have given her intelligence concerning me.
She continued to enjoy herself in the gladsomest way till at
length I was emboldened to say to her, "O my lady, an thy words
to me be after the fashion of thy will, remember the proverb,
'When a kindness is to be done, this is its time.'" "By Allah, O
youth, there cannot be a more fortunate day than this present."
"O my lady, what shall I apportion to thee for dowry?" "The dowry
hath been paid to me in the value of the stuffs which thou
entrustedst to this ancient dame who is my mother!" "That cannot
suffice." "By Allah, naught shall be added; but, O youth, 'tis my
intention forthright to send after the Kazi and his Asses- sors
and I will choose me a trustee[FN#78] that they may tie together
us twain without delay; and thou shalt come in to me this coming
evening. But all such things be upon one condition." "And what
may be thy condition?" "This, that thou swear never to address or
to draw near any woman save myself." And I, O our lord the
Sultan, being unmarried and eager to possess so beautiful a
bride, said to her, "This be thine; and I will never contrary
thee by word or by deed." She then sent to summon the Kazi and
his witnesses and appointed an agent; upon which they knotted the
knot. After the marriage ceremony was ended she ordered
coffee[FN#79] and sherbets and gave somewhat of dirhams to the
Kazi and a robe of honour to her trustee; and this done, all went
their several ways. I was lost in astonishment and said in my
mind, "Do I dream or am I on wake?" She then commanded her
damsels to clear the Hammam-bath and cleanse it and fill it
afresh and get ready towels and waist-cloths and silken
napkins[FN#80] and scented woods and essences, as virgin
ambergris and ottars and perfumes of vari-coloured hues and
kinds. And when they had executed her orders, she ordered the
Eunuchry standing in her service to take me and bear me to the
Bath, largessing each one with a sumptuous dress. They led me
into a Hammam which had been made private and I saw a place
tongue is powerless to portray. And as we arrived there they
spread vari-coloured carpets upon which I sat me down and doffed
what clothing was upon me: then I entered the hot rooms and smelt
delicious scents diffused from the sides of the hall,
sandal-wood, Comorin lign-aloes and other such fragrant
substances. Here they came up to me and seated me, lathering me
with perfumed soaps and shampoo'd me till my body became
silver-bright; when they fetched the metal tasses and I washed
with water luke-warm after which they brought me cold water
mingled with rose water and I sprinkled it over me. After this
they supplied me with silken napkins and drying-towels of
palm-fibre[FN#81] wherewith I rubbed me and then repaired to the
cool room outside the calidarium[FN#82] where I found a royal
dress. The Eunuchry arrayed me therein and after fumigating me
with the smoke of lign-aloes served up somewhat of
confections[FN#83] and coffee and sherbets of sundry sorts; so I
drank after eating the Ma'jun. About eventide I left the Baths
with all the Eunuchry in attendance on me and we walked till we
entered the Palace and they led me into a closet spread with
kingly carpets and cushions. And behold, she came up to me
attired in a new habit more sumptuous than that I had seen her
wearing erewhile.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister
mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth
continued:--And I, O our lord the Sultan, went into the closet
and behold, she met me wearing a habit of the most sumptuous: so
when I sighted her she seemed to me from the richness of her
ornaments like an enchanted hoard wherefrom the talisman had been
newly removed. She sat down beside me and bent lovingly over me
and I rose up for I could no longer contain my passion and
wrought that work which was to be worked.[FN#84] Presently she
again disappeared but soon returned in vestments even richer than
the last and she did with me as before and I embraced her once
more. In short, O our lord the Sultan, we ceased not dwelling
together, I and she, in joyaunce and enjoyment, laughter and
disport and delicious converse for a space of twenty days. At the
end of this time I called to mind my lady-mother, and said to the
dame I had espoused, "O my lady, 'tis long since I have been
absent from home and 'tis long since my parent hath seen me or
wotteth aught concerning me: needs must she be pining and
grieving for my sake. So do thou give me leave to visit her and
look after my mother and also after my shop." Quoth she, "No harm
in that: thou mayst visit thy mother daily and busy thyself about
thy shop-business; but this ancient dame (my mother) is she who
must lead thee out and bring thee back." Whereto I replied, "'Tis
well." Upon this the old woman came in and tied a kerchief over
my eyes according to custom and fared forth with me till we
reached the spot where she had been wont to remove the bandage.
Here she unbound it saying, "We'll expect thee to-morrow about
noontide and when thou comest to this place, thou shalt see me
awaiting thee." I left her and repaired to my mother whom I found
grieving and weeping at my absence; and upon seeing me she rose
up and threw her arms round my neck with tears of joy. I said,
"Weep not, O my mother, for the cause of my absence hath been a
certain matter which be thus and thus." I then related to her my
adventure and she on hearing it was rejoiced thereby and
exclaimed, "O my son, may Allah give thee gladness; but I pray
thee solace me[FN#85] at least every two days with a visit that
my longing for thee may be satisfied." I replied,"This shall be
done;" and thenceforth, O our lord the Sultan, I went to my shop
and busied myself as was my wont till noontide, when I returned
to the place appointed and found the old woman awaiting me. Nor
did I ever fare forth from the mansion without her binding my
eyes with the kerchief which she loosed only when we reached my
own house; and whenever I asked her of this she would answer, "On
our way be sundry houses whose doors are open and the women
sitting in the vestibules of their homes, so that haply thy
glance may alight upon some one of them, matron or maid: all
sniff up love like water,[FN#86] and we fear for thee lest thy
heart be netted in the net of amours."For thirty days, a whole
month, I continued to go and come after this fashion but, O our
lord the Sultan, at all times and tides I was drowned in thought
and wondered in my mind, saying, "What chance caused me forgather
with this damsel? What made me marry her? Whence this wealth
which is under her hand? How came I to win union with her?" For I
knew not the cause of all this. Now, on a day of the days, I
found an opportunity of being private with one of her black slave
girls[FN#87] and questioned her of all these matters that
concerned her mistress. She replied, "O my lord, the history of
my lady is marvellous; but I dare not relate it to thee in fear
lest she hear thereof and do me die." So I said to her, "By
Allah, O handmaid of good, an thou wilt say me sooth I will veil
it darkly for in the keeping of secrets there is none like
myself: nor will I reveal it at any time." Then I took oath of
secrecy when she said, "O my lord,"--And Shahrazad was surprised
by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her
permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy
story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth
she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you
on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now
when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth
continued:--Then the handmaiden said to me, "O my lord, my lady
went forth one day of the days to the Hammam with the object of
pleasuring and of diverting herself, for which purpose she made
goodly preparation including gifts and presents,[FN#88] matters
worth a mint of money.[FN#89] After leaving the baths she set out
upon an excursion to eat the noon-day meal in a flower garden
where she enjoyed herself with exceeding joy and enjoyment,
eating and drinking till the evening; and when she designed to
depart she collected the fragments of the feast and distributed
them amongst the mean and the mesquin. On her return she passed
through the Bazar-street wherein standeth thy shop, and it was a
Friday when thou wast sitting, adorned with thy finest dress, in
converse with the nearest neighbour. And suddenly as she fared
by, she beheld thee in such state and her heart was stricken with
sore stroke of love albeit none of us observed her condition and
what affection she had conceived for thee. However, no sooner had
she reached her palace than her melancholy began to grow upon her
with groans and her cark and care, and her colour left her: she
ate and drank little and less and her sleep forsook her and her
frame was sorely enfeebled till at last she took to her bed. Upon
this her mother went to summon a learned man[FN#90] or a
mediciner that he might consider the condition of her daughter
and what sickness had gotten about her: she was absent for an
hour and returned with an ancient dame who took seat beside her
and putting forth her hand felt the patient's pulse. But she
could perceive in her no bodily ailment or pain, upon which the
old woman understood her case, but she durst not bespeak her of
it nor mention to her mother that the girl's heart was distraught
by love. So she said, 'There is no harm to thee! and (Inshallah!)
to-morrow I will return hither to thee and bring with me a
certain medicine.' She then went forth from us and leading the
mother to a place apart, said to her, 'O my lady, Allah upon
thee, pardon me for whatso I shall mention and be thou convinced
that my words are true and keep them secret nor divulge them to
any.' The other replied, 'Say on and fear not for aught which
hath become manifest to thee of my daughter's unweal: haply Allah
will vouchsafe welfare.' She rejoined, 'Verily, thy daughter hath
no bodily disorder or malady of the disease kind but she is in
love and there can be no cure for her save union with her
beloved.' Quoth the mother, 'And how about the coming of her
sweetheart? This is a matter which may not be managed except thou
show us some contrivance whereby to bring this youth hither and
marry him to her. But contriv- ance is with Allah.' Then the old
lady went her ways forthright and the girl's mother sought her
daughter and said to her after kindly fashion, 'O my child, as
for thee thy disorder is a secret and not a bodily disease. Tell
me of him thou requirest and fear naught from me; belike Allah
will open to us the gate of con- trivance whereby thou shalt win
to thy wish.' Now when the maiden heard these words she was
abashed before her parent and kept silence, being ashamed to
speak; nor would she return any reply for the space of twenty
days. But during this term her distraction increased and her
mother ceased not to repeat the same words, time after time, till
it became manifest to the parent that the daughter was madly in
love with a young man; so at last quoth she, 'Describe him to
me.' Quoth the other, 'O mother mine, indeed he is young of years
and fair of favour; also he woneth in such a Bazar, methinks on
its southern side.' Therewith the dame arose without stay or
delay and fared forth to find the young man and 'tis thyself, O
youth! And when the mother saw thee she took from thee a piece of
cloth and brought it to her daughter and promised thou shouldst
visit her. Thence- forwards she ceased not repeating her calls to
thee for the period thou wottest well until by her cunning she
brought thee hither; and that happened which happened and thou
didst take the daughter to wife. Such is her tale and beware lest
thou reveal my disclosure." "No, by Allah," replied I. Then the
lunatic resumed speaking to the Sultan:--O my lord, I continued
to cohabit with her for the space of one month, going daily to
see my mother and to sell in my shop and I returned to my wife
every evening blindfolded and guided as usual by my
mother-in-law. Now one day of the days as I was sitting at my
business, a damsel came into the Bazar-street.--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her
permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth
continued:--A damsel came into the Bazar-street bearing the image
of a cock made of precious ore and crusted with pearls and rubies
and other gems; and she offered it to the goodmen[FN#91] of the
market for sale. So they opened the biddings at five hundred
dinars and they ceased not contending[FN#92] thereanent till the
price went up to nine hundred and fifty gold pieces. All this
time and I looked on nor did I interfere by speaking a syllable
or by adding to the biddings a single bit of gold. At last, when
none would offer aught more, the girl came up to me and said, "O
my lord, all the gentlemen have increased their biddings for the
cock; but thou hast neither bidden nor heartened my heart by one
kind word." Quoth I, "I have no need thereof;" and quoth she, "By
Allah, needs must thou bid somewhat more than the others." I
replied, "Since there is no help for it, I will add fifty dinars
which will fill up the thousand." She rejoined, "Allah gar thee
gain!"[FN#93] So I fared into my shop to fetch the money, saying
in my mind, "I will present this curiosity to my Harim: haply
'twill pleasure her." But when I was about, O my lord the Sultan,
to count out the thousand ducats, the damsel would not accept
aught of me but said, "I have a request to make of thee, O youth!
to wit, that I may take one kiss from thy cheek." I asked her,
"For what purpose?" and she answered, "I want one kiss of thy
cheek which shall be the price of my cock, for I need of thee
naught else." I thought to myself, "By Allah, a single kiss of my
cheek for the value of a thousand sequins were an easy price;"
and I gave my consent thereto, O my lord. Then she came up to me
and leaned over me and bussed my cheek, but after the kiss she
bit me with a bite which left its mark:[FN#94] then she gave me
the cock and went her ways in haste. Now when it was noon I made
for my wife's house and came upon the old woman awaiting me at
the customed stead and she bound the kerchief over my eyes and
after blindfolding them fared with me till we reached our home
when she unbound it. I found my wife sitting in the saloon
dressed from head to foot in cramoisy[FN#95] and with an ireful
face, whereupon I said to myself, "O Saviour,[FN#96] save me!" I
then went up to her and took out the cock which was covered with
pearls and rubies, thinking that her evil humour would vanish at
the sight of it and said, "O my lady, accept this cock for 'tis
curious and admirable to look upon; and I bought it to pleasure
thee." She put forth her hand and taking it from me examined it
by turning it rightwards and leftwards; then exclaimed, "Didst
thou in very sooth buy this on my account?" Replied I, "By Allah,
O my lady, I bought it for thee at a thousand gold pieces."
Hereupon she shook her head at me, O my lord the Sultan, and
cried out after a long look at my face, "What meaneth that bite
on thy cheek?" Then with a loud and angry voice she called to her
women who came down the stairs forthright bearing the body of a
young girl with the head cut off and set upon the middle of the
corpse;[FN#97] and I looked and behold, it was the head of the
damsel who had sold me the cock for a kiss and who had bitten my
cheek. Now my wife had sent her with the toy by way of trick,
saying to her, "Let us try this youth whom I have wedded and see
if he hold himself bound by his plighted word and pact or if he
be false and foul." But of all this I knew naught. Then she cried
a second cry and behold, up came three handmaids bearing with
them three cocks like that which I had brought for her and she
said, "Thou bringest me this one cock when I have these three
cocks; but inasmuch as, O youth, thou hast broken the covenant
that was between me and thee, I want thee no more: go forth! wend
thy ways forthright!" And she raged at me and cried to her
mother, "Take him away!"[FN#98]--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the
coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Youth
continued to the King:--Hereupon the old woman, O my lord, hent
me by the hand and bound the kerchief over my eyes as was her
wont and led me to the customed place when she loosed the bandage
saying, "Begone!" and disappeared. But I, O my lord, became like
a madman and ran through the streets as one frantic crying, "Ah
her loveliness! Ah her stature! Ah her perfect grace! Ah her
ornaments!" Hereupon the folk seeing me and hearing me say these
words shouted out, "Yonder is a lunatic;" so they seized me
perforce and jailed me in the madhouse as thou hast seen me, O
our lord the Sultan. They say, "This man is Jinn-mad;" but, by
Allah, I am no maniac, O my lord, and such is my tale. Hereat the
King marvelled and bowed his brow groundwards for a while in deep
thought over this affair: then he raised his head and turning to
his Minister said, "O Wazir, by the truth of Him who made me
ruler of this realm, except thou discover the damsel who married
this youth, thy head shall pay forfeit." The Wazir was consterned
to hear the case of the young man; but he could not disobey the
royal commandment so he said, "Allow me three days of delay, O
our lord the Sultan;" and to this much of grace the King
consented. Then the Wazir craved dismissal and would have taken
the Youth with him; when the Sultan cried, "As soon as thou shalt
have hit upon the house, the young man will go into it and come
forth it like other folk." He replied, "Hearkening and
obedience." So he took the Youth and went out with aching head
and giddy as a drunken man, perplexed and unknowing whither he
should wend; and he threaded the city streets from right to left
and from east to west, tarrying at times that he might privily
question the folk. But naught discovered himself to him and he
made certain of death. In this condition he continued for two
days and the third till noontide, when he devised him a device
and said to the Youth, "Knowest thou the spot where the old woman
was wont to blindfold thine eyes?" He replied, "Yes." So the
Minister walked on with him till the young man exclaimed, "Here,
'tis this!"[FN#99] The Wazir then said, "O Youth, knowest thou
the door-ring wherewith she was wont to rap and canst thou
distinguish its sound?" He said, "I can." Accordingly, the Wazir
took him and went the round of all the houses in that quarter and
rapped with every door-ring asking him, "Is't this?" and he would
answer, "No." And the twain ceased not to do after such fashion
until they came to the door where the appointment had taken place
without risk threatened;[FN#100] and the Wazir knocked hard at it
and the Youth, hearing the knock, exclaimed, "O my lord, verily
this be the ring without question or doubt or uncertainty." So
the Minister knocked again with the same knocker and the
slave-girls threw open the door and the Wazir, entering with the
Youth, found that the palace belonged to the daughter of the
Sultan who had been succeeded by his liege lord.[FN#101] But when
the Princess saw the Minister together with her spouse, she
adorned herself and came down from the Harem and salam'd to him.
Thereupon he asked her, "What hath been thy business with this
young man?" So she told him her tale from first to last and he
said, "O my lady, the King commandeth that he enter and quit the
premises as before and that he come hither without his eyes being
bandaged with the kerchief." She obeyed and said, "The
commandments of our lord the Sultan shall be carried out." Such
was the history of that youth whom the Sultan heard reading the
Koran in the Máristán, the public madhouse: but as regards the
second Lunatic who sat listening, the Sultan asked him, "And
thou, the other, what be thy tale?" So he began to relate the
Story of the Second Lunatic.[FN#102]
"O my lord," quoth the young man, "my case is marvellous, and
haply thou wilt desire me to relate it in order continuous;" and
quoth the Sultan, "Let me hear it."--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she,
"And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on
the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the second
youth said:--O my lord the Sultan, I am by calling a merchant man
and none of the guild was younger, I having just entered my
sixteenth year. Like my fellows I sold and bought in the Bazar
every day till, one day of the days, a damsel came up to me and
drew near and handed to me a paper which I opened; and behold, it
was full of verses and odes in praise of myself, and the end of
the letter contained the woman's name professing to be enamoured
of me. When I read it I came down from my shopboard, in my folly
and ignorance, and putting forth my hand seized the girl and beat
her till she swooned away.[FN#103] After this I let her loose and
she went her ways and then I fell into a brown study saying to
myself, "Would Heaven I wot whether the girl be without relations
or if she have kith and kin to whom she may complain and they
will come and bastinado me." And, O our lord the Sultan, I
repented of what I had done whenas repentance availed me naught
and this lasted me for twenty days. At the end of that time as I
was sitting in my shop according to my custom, behold, a young
lady entered and she was sumptuously clad and sweetly scented and
she was even as the moon in its fullness on the fourteenth night.
When I gazed upon her my wits fled and my sane senses and right
judgment forsook me and I was incapable of attending to aught
save herself. She then came up and said, "O youth, hast thou by
thee a variety of metal ornaments?" and said I, "O my lady, of
all kinds thou canst possibly require." Hereupon she wished to
see some anklets which I brought out for her, when she put forth
her feet to me and showing me the calves of her legs said, "O my
lord, try them on me." This I did. Then she asked for a
necklace[FN#104] and I produced one when she unveiled her bosom
and said, "Take its measure on me:" so I set it upon her and she
said, "I want a fine pair of bracelets," and I brought to her a
pair when, extending her hands and displaying her wrists to me
she said, "Put them on me." I did so and presently she asked me,
"What may be the price of all these?" when I exclaimed, "O my
lady, accept them from me in free gift;" and this was of the
excess of my love to her, O King of the Age, and my being wholly
absorbed in her. Then quoth I to her, "O my lady, whose daughter
art thou?" and quoth she, "I am the daughter of the Shaykh
al-Islám."[FN#105] I replied, "My wish is to ask thee in marriage
of thy father," and she rejoined, "'Tis well: but, O youth, I
would have thee know that when thou askest me from my sire he
will say, 'I have but one daughter and she is a cripple and
deformed even as Satíh was.[FN#106] Do thou, however, make answer
that thou art contented to accept her and if he offer any
remonstrance cry, 'I'm content, content!'" I then enquired, "When
shall that be?" and she replied, "Tomorrow about undurn
hour[FN#107] come to our house and thou wilt find my sire, the
Shaykh al-Islam, sitting with his companions and intimates. Then
ask me to wife." So we agreed upon this counsel and on the next
day, O our lord the Sultan, I went with several of my comrades
and we repaired, I and they, to the house of the Shaykh al-Islam,
whom I found sitting with sundry Grandees about him. We made our
salams which they returned and they welcomed us and all entered
into friendly and familiar conversation. When it was time for the
noon-meal the tablecloth[FN#108] was spread and they invited us
to join them, so we dined with them and after dinner drank
coffee. I then stood up saying, "O my lord, I am come hither to
sue and solicit thee for the lady concealed and the pearl
unrevealed, thy daughter." But when the Shaykh al-Islam heard
from me these words he bowed his head for awhile groundwards--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth
resumed:--Now when the Shaykh al-Islam heard from me those words
he bowed his brow groundwards for a while in deep thought
concerning the case of his daughter who was a cripple and
wondrously deformed. For the damsel who had told me of her had
played me a trick and served me a sleight, I all the time knowing
nothing about her guile. Presently he raised his head and said to
me, "By Allah, O my son, I have a daughter but she is helpless."
Quoth I, "I am content;" and quoth he, "An thou take her to wife
after this description, 'tis on express condition that she be not
removed from my house and thou also shalt pay her the first visit
and cohabit with her in my home." I replied, "To hear is to
obey;" being confident, O King of the Age, that she was the
damsel who had visited my shop and whom I had seen with my own
eyes. Thereupon the Shaykh al-Islam married his daughter to me
and I said in my mind, "By Allah, is it possible that I am become
master of this damsel and shall enjoy to my full her beauty and
loveliness?" But when night fell they led me in procession to the
chamber of my bride; and when I beheld her I found her as hideous
as her father had described her, a deformed cripple. At that
moment all manner of cares mounted my back and I was full of fury
and groaned with grief from the core of my heart; but I could not
say a word, for that I had accepted her to wife of my own free
will and had declared myself contented in presence of her sire.
So I took seat silently in a corner of the room and my bride in
another, because I could not bring myself to approach her, she
being unfit for the carnal company of man and my soul could not
accept cohabitation with her. And at dawntide, O my lord the
Sultan, I left the house and went to my shop which I opened
according to custom and sat down with my head dizzy like one
drunken without wine; when lo! there appeared before me the young
lady who had caused happen to me that mishap. She came up and
salam'd to me but I arose with sullenness and abused her and
cried, "Wherefore, O my lady, hast thou put upon me such a piece
of work?" She replied, "O miserable,[FN#109] recollect such a day
when I brought thee a letter and thou after reading it didst come
down from thy shop and didst seize me and didst trounce me and
didst drive me away." I replied, "O my lady, prithee pardon me
for I am a true penitent;" and I ceased not to soften her with
soothing[FN#110] words and promised her all weal if she would but
forgive me. At last she deigned excuse me and said, "There is no
harm for thee; and, as I have netted thee, so will I unmesh
thee." I replied, "Allah! Allah![FN#111] O my lady, I am under
thy safeguard;" and she rejoined, "Hie thee to the Aghá of the
Janákilah,[FN#112] the gypsies, give him fifty piastres and say
him, 'We desire thee to furnish us with a father and a mother and
cousins and kith and kin, and do thou charge them to say of me,
This is our cousin and our blood relation.' Then let him send
them all to the house of the Shaykh al-Islam and repair thither
himself together with his followers, a party of drummers and a
parcel of pipers. When they enter his house and the Shaykh shall
perceive them and exclaim, 'What's this we've here?' let the Agha
reply, 'O my lord, we be kinsmen with thy son-in-law and we are
come to gladden his marriage with thy daughter and to make merry
with him.' He will exclaim, 'Is this thy son a gypsey musician?'
and do thou explain, saying, 'Aye, verily I am a Jankali;' and he
will cry out to thee, 'O dog, thou art a gypsey and yet durst
thou marry the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam?' Then do thou
make answer, 'O my lord, 'twas my ambition to be ennobled by
thine alliance and I have espoused thy daughter only that the
mean name of Jankali may pass away from me and that I may be
under the skirt of thy protection.'" Hereat, O my lord the
Sultan, I arose without stay and delay and did as the damsel bade
me and agreed with the Chiefs of the Gypsies for fifty
piastres.[FN#113] On the second day about noon lo and behold! all
the Janákilah met before the house of the Shaykh al-Islam and
they, a tom-toming and a-piping and a-dancing, crowded into the
courtyard of the mansion.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then
quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth
continued:--So the Janákilah entered the house of the Shaykh
al-Islam all a-drumming and a-dancing. Presently the family came
out and asked, "What is to do? And what be this hubbub?" The
fellows answered, "We are gypsey-folk and our son is in your
house having wedded the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam." Hearing
these words the family went up and reported to its head, and he,
rising from his seat, descended to the courtyard which he found
full of Jankalis. He enquired of them their need and they told
him that the youth, their kinsman, having married the daughter of
the house, they were come to make merry at the bride-feast. Quoth
the Shaykh, "This indeed be a sore calamity that a gypsey should
espouse the daughter of the Shaykh al-Islam. By Allah, I will
divorce her from him." So he sent after me, O our lord the
Sultan, and asked me saying, "What is thy breed and what wilt
thou take to be off with thyself?" Said I, "A Jankali; and I
married thy daughter with one design namely to sink the mean name
of a gypsey drummer in the honour of connection and relationship
with thee." He replied, "'Tis impossible that my daughter can
cohabit with thee: so up and divorce her." I rejoined, "Not so: I
will never repudiate her." Then we fell to quarrelling but the
folk interposed between us and arranged that I should receive
forty purses[FN#114] for putting her away. And when he paid me
the moneys I gave her the divorce and took the coin and went to
my shop, rejoicing at having escaped by this contrivance. On the
next day, behold, came the damsel who had taught me the sleight
and saluted me and wished me good morning. I returned her salam
and indeed, O our lord the Sultan, she was a model of beauty and
loveliness, stature and symmetrical grace and my heart was
enmeshed in her love for the excess of her charms and the limpid
flow of her speech and the sweetness of her tongue. So I said to
her, "And when this promise?" and said she, "I am the daughter of
Such-andsuch, a cook in such a quarter; and do thou go ask me in
marriage of him." So I rose up with all haste and went to her
father and prayed that he would give her to me. And presently I
wedded her and went in unto her and found her as the full moon of
the fourteenth night and was subjugated by her seemlihead. Such,
then, is the adventure which befel me; but, O my lord the Sultan,
the Story of the Sage Such-an-one and his Scholar is more
wonderful and delectable; for indeed 'tis of the marvels of the
age and among the miracles which have been seen by man. Thereupon
the Sovran bade him speak, and the Second Lunatic proceeded to
recount the
Story of the Sage and the Scholar.[FN#115]
There was in times of yore and in ages long gone before a learned
man who had retired from the world secluding himself in an upper
cell of a Cathedral-mosque, and this place he left not for many
days save upon the most pressing needs. At last a beautiful boy
whose charms were unrivalled in his time went in to him and
salam'd to him. The Shaykh returned the salute and welcomed him
with the fairest welcome and courteously entreated him seating
him beside himself. Then he asked him of his case and whence he
came and the boy answered, "O my lord, question me not of aught
nor of my worldly matters, for verily I am as one who hath fallen
from the heavens upon the earth[FN#116] and my sole object is the
honour of tending thee." The Sage again welcomed him and the boy
served him assiduously for a length of time till he was twelve
years old. Now on one day of the days[FN#117] the lad heard
certain of his fellows saying that the Sultan had a daughter
endowed with beauty whose charms were unequalled by all the
Princesses of the age. So he fell in love with her by
hearsay.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the
Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night, and
that was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the lad
who served the Sage fell in love with the Sultan's daughter by
hearsay. Presently he went in to his master and told him thereof
adding, "O my lord, verily the King hath a daughter beautiful and
lovesome and my soul longeth to look upon her an it be only a
single look." The Shaykh asked him saying, "Wherefore, O my son?
What have the like of us to do with the daughters of Sovrans or
others? We be an order of eremites and selfcontained and we fear
the Kings for our own safety." And the Sage continued to warn the
lad against the shifts of Time and to divert him from his intent;
but the more words he uttered to warn him and to deter him, the
more resolved he became to win his wish, so that he abode
continually groaning and weeping. Now this was a grievous matter
to the good Shaykh who loved him with an exceeding love passing
all bounds; and when he saw him in this condition he exclaimed,
"There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the
Glorious, the Great." And his heart was softened and he had ruth
upon the case of his scholar and pitied his condition, and at
last said to him, "O my son, dost thou truly long to look but a
single look at the Sultan's daughter?" Quoth he, "Yes, O my
lord," and quoth the other, "Come hither to me." Accordingly he
came up to him and the Shaykh produced a Kohl-pot and applied the
powder to one of his scholar's eyes, who behold, forthright
became such that all who saw him cried out, "This is a
half-man."[FN#118] Then the Sage bade him go about the city and
the youth obeyed his commands and fared forth; but whenas the
folk espied him they cried out, "A miracle! a miracle! this be a
half-man!" And the more the youth walked about the streets the
more the folk followed him and gazed upon him for diversion and
marvelled at the spectacle; and as often as the great men of the
city heard of him they sent to summon him and solaced themselves
with the sight and said, "Laud to the Lord! Allah createth whatso
He wisheth and commandeth whatso He willeth as we see in the
fashioning of this half-man." The youth also looked freely upon
the Harims of the Grandees, he being fairer than any of them; and
this case continued till the report reached the Sultan who bade
him be brought into the presence, and on seeing him marvelled at
the works of the Almighty. Presently the whole court gathered
together to gaze at him in wonderment and the tidings soon
reached the Queen who sent an Eunuch to fetch him and introduce
him into the Serraglio. The women all admired the prodigy and the
Princess looked at him and he looked at her; so his fascination
increased upon him and he said in his secret soul, "An I wed her
not I will slay myself!" After this the youth was dismissed by
the Sultan's Harim and he, whose heart burned with love for the
King's daughter, returned home. The Shaykh asked him, "Hast thou,
O my son, seen the Princess?" and he answered, "I have, O my
master; but this one look sufficeth me not, nor can I rest until
I sit by her side and fill myself with gazing upon her." Quoth
he, "O my child, we be an ascetic folk that shun the world nor
have we aught to do with enmeshing ourselves in the affairs of
the Sultan, and we fear for thee, O my son." But the youth
replied, "O my lord, except I sit by her side and stroke her neck
and shoulders with these my hands, I will slay myself." Hereupon
the Sage said in his mind, "I will do whatso I can for this good
youth and perchance Allah may enable him to win his wish." He
then arose and brought out the Kohl-pot and applied the powder to
his scholar's either eye; and, when it had settled therein, it
made him invisible to the ken of man. Then he said, "Go forth, O
my son, and indulge thy desire; but return again soon and be not
absent too long." Accordingly the youth hastened to the Palace
and entering it looked right and left, none seeing him the while,
and proceeded to the Harem where he seated himself beside the
daughter of the Sultan. Still none perceived him until, after a
time, he put forth his hand and softly stroked her neck. But as
soon as the Princess felt the youth's touch, she shrieked a loud
shriek heard by all ears in the Palace and cried "I seek refuge
with Allah from Satan, the stoned!" At this proceeding on the
girl's part all asked her saying, "What is to do with thee?"
Whereto she answered, "Verily some Satan hath this instant
touched me on the neck." Upon this her mother was alarmed for her
and sent for her nurse[FN#119] and when informed of what had
befallen the girl the old woman said, "If there be aught of
Satans here naught is so sovereign a specific to drive them away
and keep them off as the smoke of camel's dung."[FN#120] Then she
arose and brought thereof a quantity which was thrown into the
fire and presently it scented and pervaded the whole apartment.
All this and the Youth still sat there without being seen. But
when the dung-smoke thickened, his eyes brimmed and he could not
but shed tears, and the more smoke there was the more his eyes
watered and big drops flowed till at last all the Kohl was washed
off and trickled down with the tears. So he became visible
a-middlemost the royal Harem; and, when the dames descried him,
all shrieked one shriek, each at other, upon which the Eunuchry
rushed in; then, finding the young man still seated there, they
laid hands upon him and haled him before the Sultan to whom they
reported his crime and how he had been caught lurking in the
King's Serraglio a-sitting beside the Princess. Hearing this, the
Sovran bade summon the Headsman and committed to him the criminal
bidding him take the youth and robe him in a black habit
bepatched with flamecolour;[FN#121] then, to set him upon a camel
and, after parading him through Cairo city and all the streets,
to put him to death. Accordingly the executioner took the
Youth.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent
and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Linkman took the youth and fared forth with him from the palace:
then he looked at him and found him fair of form and favour, a
sans peer in loveliness, and he observed that he showed no fear
nor shrinking from death. So he had pity upon him and his heart
yearned to him and he said in his mind, "By Allah, attached to
this young man is a rare history." Then he brought a leathern
gown which he put upon him, and the flamey black habit which he
passed over his arms: and setting him upon a camel as the Sultan
had commanded, at last carried him in procession crying out the
while, "This is the award and the least award of him who
violateth the Harem of the King;" and he threaded the streets
till they came to the square before the great Mosque wherein was
the Shaykh. Now as all the folk were enjoying the spectacle, the
Sage looked out from the window of his cell and beheld the
condition of his scholar. He was moved to ruth and reciting a
spell he summoned the Jann and bade them snatch the young man off
the camel's back with all care and kindness and bring him to his
cell; and he also commanded an 'Aun of the 'Auns[FN#122] to seize
some oldster and set him upon the beast in lieu of the Youth.
They did as he bid them for that he had taken fealty of the Jann
and because of his profound studies in the Notaricon[FN#123] and
every branch of the art magical. And when all the crowd saw the
youth suddenly transformed into a grey-beard they were
awe-stricken and cried, "Alhamdolillah--laud to the Lord--the
young man hath become an old man!" They then looked again and
behold, they saw a person well-known amongst the lieges, one who
had long been wont to sell greens and colocasia at the hostelry
gate near the Cathedral-mosque. Now the headsman noting this case
was confounded with sore affright; so he returned to the palace
with the oldster seated on the camel and went in to the Sultan
followed by all the city-folk who were gazing at the spectacle.
Then he stood before the King and the eunuchry and did homage and
prayed for the Sovran and said, "O our lord the Sultan, verily
the Youth hath vanished, and in lieu of him is this Shaykh well
known to the whole city." Hearing these words the King was
startled; sore fear entered his heart and he said to himself,
"Whoso hath been able to do this deed can do e'en more: he can
depose me from my kingship or he can devise my death." So his
affright increased and he was at a loss how to contrive for such
case. Presently he summoned his Minister and when he came into
the presence said to him, "O Wazir, advise me how to act in the
affair of this Youth and what measures should be taken." The
Minister bowed his brow groundwards in thought for a while, then
raising it he addressed the Sultan and said, "O King of the Age,
this be a thing beyond experience, and the doer must be master of
a might we comprehend not and haply he may work thee in the
future some injury and we fear from him for thy daughter.
Wherefore the right way is that thou issue a royal autograph and
bid the Crier go round about the city and cry saying, 'Let him
who hath wrought this work appear before the King under promise
of safety and again safety--safety on the word of a Sultan which
shall never be falsed.' Should the Youth then surrender himself,
O King of the Age, marry him to thy daughter when perhaps his
mind may be reconciled to thee by love of her. He hath already
cast eyes upon her and he hath seen the inmates of thy Harem
unrobed, so that naught can save their honour but his being
united with the Princess." Hereupon the Sultan indited an
autographic rescript and placed it in the Crier's hands even as
the Wazir had counselled: and the man went about the streets
proclaiming, "By Command of the just King! whoso hath done this
deed let him discover himself and come to the Palace under
promise of safety and again safety, the safety of
sovereigns--safety on the word of a Sultan which shall never be
falsed." And the Crier ceased not crying till in fine he reached
the square fronting the great Mosque. The Youth who was standing
there heard the proclamation and returning to his Shaykh said, "O
my lord, the Crier hath a rescript from the Sultan and he crieth
saying, 'Whoso hath done this deed let him discover himself and
come to the Palace under promise of safety and again
safety--safety on the word of a Sultan which shall never be
falsed.' And, I must go to him perforce." Said the Sage, "O my
son, why shouldst thou do on such wise? Hast thou not already
suffered thy sufficiency?" But the young man exclaimed, "Nothing
shall prevent my going;" and at this the Shaykh replied, "Go
then, O my son, and be thy safeguarding with the Living, the
Eternal." Accordingly, the Youth repaired to the Hammam and
having bathed attired himself in the richest attire he owned,
after which he went forth and discovered himself to the Crier who
led him to the Palace and set him before the Sovran. He salamed
to the Sultan and did him obeisance and prayed for his long life
and prosperity in style the most eloquent, and proffered his
petition in verse the most fluent. The Sultan looked at him (and
he habited in his best and with all of beauty blest), and the
royal mind was pleased and he enquired saying, "Who art thou, O
Youth?" The other replied, "I am the Half-man whom thou sawest
and I did the deed whereof thou wottest." As soon as the King
heard this speech he entreated him with respect and bade him sit
in the most honourable stead, and when he was seated the twain
conversed together. The Sultan was astounded at his speech and
they continued their discourse till they touched upon sundry
disputed questions of learning, when the Youth proved himself as
superior to the Sovran as a dinar is to a dirham: and to whatever
niceties of knowledge the monarch asked, the young man returned
an allsufficient answer, speaking like a book. So the Sultan
abode confounded at the eloquence of his tongue and the purity of
his phrase and the readiness of his replies; and he said in his
mind, "This Youth is as worthy to become my daughter's mate as
she is meet to become his helpmate." Then he addressed him in
these words, "O Youth, my wish is to unite thee with my daughter
and after thou hast looked upon her and her mother none will
marry her save thyself." The other replied, "O King of the Age, I
am ready to obey thee, but first I must take counsel of my
friends." The King rejoined, "No harm in that: hie thee home and
ask their advice." The Youth then craved leave to retire and
repairing to his Shaykh,--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then
quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Sixtieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Youth
then craved leave to retire and, repairing to his Shaykh,
informed him of what had passed between himself and the Sultan
and said to him, "'Tis also my wish, O my lord, to marry his
daughter." The Sage replied, "There be no fault herein if it be
lawful wedlock: fare thee forth and ask her in marriage." Quoth
the Youth, "But I, O my lord, desire to invite the King to visit
us;" and quoth the Sage, "Go invite him, O my son, and hearten
thy heart." The Youth replied, "O my lord, since I first came to
thee and thou didst honour me by taking me into thy service, I
have known none other home save this narrow cell wherein thou
sittest, never stirring from it by night or by day. How can we
invite the King hither?" The Sage rejoined, "O my son, do thou go
invite him relying upon Allah, the Veiler who veileth all things,
and say to him, 'My Shaykh greeteth thee with the salam and
inviteth thee to visit him next Friday.'" Accordingly, the Youth
repaired to the King and saluted him and offered his service and
blessed him with most eloquent tongue and said, "O King of the
Age, my Shaykh greeteth thee and sayeth to thee, 'Come eat thy
pottage[FN#124] with us next Friday,'" whereto the Sultan
replied, "Hearing is consenting." Then the Youth returned to the
Sage and waited upon him according to custom, longing the while
for the coming of Friday. On that day the Sage said to the Youth,
"O my son, arise with me and I will show thee what house be ours,
so thou mayst go fetch the King." Then he took him and the two
walked on till they came upon a ruin in the centre of the city
and the whole was in heaps, mud, clay, and stones. The Sage
looked at it and said, "O my son, this is our mansion; do thou
hie thee to the King and bring him hither." But the Youth
exclaimed, "O my lord, verily this be a ruinous heap! How then
can I invite the Sultan and bring him to such an ill place? This
were a shame and a disgrace to us." Quoth the Sage, "Go and dread
thou naught." Upon this the Youth departed saying in himself, "By
Allah, my Shaykh must be Jinn-mad and doubtless he confoundeth in
his insanity truth and untruth." But he stinted not faring till
he reached the Palace and went in to the Sultan whom he found
expecting him; so he delivered the message, "Deign honour us, O
my lord, with thy presence."[FN#125] Hereupon the King arose
without stay or delay and took horse, and all the lords of the
land also mounted, following the Youth to the place where he told
them his Shaykh abode. But when they drew near it they found a
royal mansion and eunuchry standing at the gates in costliest
gear as if robed from a talismanic hoard. When the young man saw
this change of scene, he was awe-struck and confounded in such
way that hardly could he keep his senses, and he said to himself,
"But an instant ago I beheld with mine own eyes this very place a
ruinous heap: how then hath it suddenly become on this same site
a Palace such as belongeth not to our Sultan? But I had better
keep the secret to myself." Presently the King alighted as also
did his suite, and entered the mansion, and whenas he inspected
it he marvelled at the splendour of the first apartment, but the
more narrowly he looked the more magnificent he found the place,
and the second more sumptuous than the first. So his wits were
bewildered thereat till he was ushered into a spacious speak-room
where they found the Shaykh sitting on one side of the
chamber[FN#126] to receive them. The Sultan salam'd to him
whereupon the Sage raised his head and returned his greeting but
did not rise to his feet. The King then sat him down on the
opposite side when the Shaykh honoured him by addressing him and
was pleased to converse with him on various themes; all this
while the royal senses being confounded at the grandeur around
him and the rarities in that Palace. Presently the Shaykh said to
his Scholar, "Knock thou at this door and bid our breakfast be
brought in." So the young man arose and rapped and called out,
"Bring in the breakfast;" when lo! the door was opened and there
came out of it an hundred Mamelukes[FN#127] of the Book, each
bearing upon his head a golden tray, whereon were set dishes of
precious metals; and these, which were filled with
breakfast-meats of all kinds and colours, they ranged in order
before the Sultan. He was surprised at the sight for that he had
naught so splendid in his own possession; but he came forwards
and ate, as likewise did the Shaykh and all the courtiers until
they were satisfied. And after this they drank coffee and
sherbets, and the Sultan and the Shaykh fell to conversing on
questions of lore: the King was edified by the words of the Sage
who on his part sat respectfully between the Sovran's hands. Now
when it was well nigh noon, the Shaykh again said to his Scholar,
"Knock thou at that door and bid our noonday-meal be brought in."
He arose and rapped and called out, "Bring in the dinner;" when
lo! the door opened of itself and there came out of it an hundred
white slaves all other than the first train and each bearing a
tray upon his head. They spread the Sufrah-cloth before the
Sultan and ranged the dishes, and he looked at the plates and
observed that they were of precious metals and stones; whereat he
was more astonished than before and he said to himself, "In very
deed this be a miracle!" So all ate their sufficiency when basins
and ewers, some of gold and others of various noble ores, were
borne round and they washed their hands, after which the Shaykh
said, "O King, at how much hast thou valued for us the dower of
thy daughter?" The Sovran replied, "My daughter's dower is
already in my hands." This he said of his courtesy and respect,
but the Shaykh replied, "Marriage is invalid save with a dower."
He then presented to him a mint of money and the tie of wedlock
was duly tied; after which he rose and brought for his guest a
pelisse of furs such as the Sultan never had in his treasury and
invested him therewith and he gave rich robes to each and every
of his courtiers according to their degree. The Sultan then took
leave of the Shaykh and accompanied by the Scholar returned to
the Palace.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Sixty-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
took with him the Scholar and they fared till they reached the
citadel and entered the Palace, during which time the King was
pondering the matter and wondering at the affair. And when night
came he bade them get ready his daughter that the first visit
might be paid to her by the bridegroom. They did his bidding and
carried the Youth in procession to her and he found the apartment
bespread with carpets and perfumed with essences; the bride,
however, was absent. So he said in his mind, "She will come
presently albeit now she delayeth;" and he ceased not expecting
her till near midnight, whilst the father and the mother said,
"Verily the young man hath married our daughter and now sleepeth
with her." On this wise the Youth kept one reckoning and the
Sultan and his Harem kept another till it was hard upon dawn--all
this and the bridegroom watched in expectation of the bride. Now
when the day brake, the mother came to visit her child expecting
to see her by the side of her mate; but she could not find a
trace of her, nor could she gather any clear tidings of her.
Accordingly she asked the Youth, her son-in-law, who answered
that since entering the apartment he had expected his bride but
she came not to him nor had he seen a sign of her. Hereupon the
Queen shrieked and rose up calling aloud upon her daughter, for
she had none other child save that one. The clamour alarmed the
Sultan who asked what was to do and was informed that the
Princess was missing from the Palace and had not been seen after
she had entered it at eventide. Thereupon he went to the Youth
and asked him anent her, but he also told him that he had not
found her when the procession led him into the bridal chamber.
Such was the case with these; but as regards the Princess, when
they conducted her to the bridal room before the coming of the
bridegroom, a Jinni[FN#128] of the Márids, who often visited the
royal Harem, happened to be there on the marriage-night and was
so captivated by the charms of the bride that he took seat in a
corner, and upon her entering and before she was ware snatched
her up and soared with her high in air. And he flew with her till
he reached a pleasant place of trees and rills some three months'
journey from the city, and in that shady place he set her down
But he wrought her no bodily damage and every day he would bring
her whatso she wanted of meat and drink and solaced her by
showing her the rills and trees. Now this Jinni had changed his
shape to that of a fair youth fearing lest his proper semblance
affright her, and the girl abode in that place for a space of
forty days. But the father, after failing to find his daughter,
took the Youth and repaired to the Shaykh in his cell, and he was
as one driven mad as he entered and complained of the loss of his
only child. The Shaykh hearing these words dove into the depths
of meditation for an hour: then he raised his head and bade them
bring before him a chafing-dish of lighted charcoal. They fetched
all he required and he cast into the fire some incenses over
which he pronounced formulae of incantation, and behold! the
world was turned topsy-turvy and the winds shrieked and the earth
was canopied by dust-clouds whence descended at speed winged
troops bearing standards and colours.[FN#129] And amiddlemost of
them appeared three Sultans of the Jánn all crying out at once
"Labbayka! Labbayk! Adsumus, hither we speed to undertake thy
need." The Shaykh then addressed them, saying, "My commandment is
that forthright ye bring me the Jinni who hath snatched away the
bride of my son," and they said, "To hear is to obey," and at
once commanded fifty of their dependent Jinns to reconduct the
Princess to her chamber and to hale the culprit before them.
These orders were obeyed: they disappeared for an hour or so and
suddenly returned, bringing the delinquent Jinni in person; but
as for the Sultan's daughter, ten of them conveyed her to her
Palace, she wotting naught of them and not feeling aught of fear.
And when they set the Jinni before the Shaykh, he bade the three
Sultans of the Jann burn him to death and so they did without
stay or delay. All this was done whilst the Sovran sat before the
Shaykh, looking on and listening and marvelling at the obedience
of that host and its Sultans and their subjection and civil
demeanour in presence of the Elder. Now as soon as the business
ended after perfectest fashion, the Sage recited over them a
spell and all went their several ways; after which he bade the
King take the Youth and conduct him to his daughter. This bidding
was obeyed and presently the bridegroom abated the maidenhead of
the bride, what while her parents renewed their rejoicings over
the recovery of their lost child. And the Youth was so enamoured
of the Princess that he quitted not the Harem for seven
consecutive days. On the eighth the Sultan was minded to make a
marriage-banquet and invited all the city-folk to feast for a
whole month and he wrote a royal rescript and bade proclaim with
full publicity that, according to the commands of the King's
majesty, the wedding-feast should continue for a month, and that
no citizen, be he rich or be he poor, should light fire or trim
lamp in his own domicile during the wedding of the Princess; but
that all must eat of the royal entertainment until the expiry of
the fete. So they slaughtered beeves and stabbed camels in the
throat and the kitcheners and carpet-spreaders were commanded to
prepare the stables, and the officers of the household were
ordered to receive the guests by night and by day. Now one night
King Mohammed of Cairo said to his Minister, "O Wazir, do thou
come with me in changed costume and let us thread the streets and
inspect and espy the folk: haply some of the citizens have
neglected to appear at the marriage-feast." He replied, "To hear
is to obey." So the twain after exchanging habits for the gear of
Persian Darwayshes went down to the city and there took place
The Night-Adventure of Sultan Mohammed of Cairo.[FN#130]
The Sultan and the Wazir threaded the broadways of the city and
they noted the houses and stood for an hour or so in each and
every greater thoroughfare, till they came to a lane, a
cul-de-sac wherethrough none could pass, and behold, they hit
upon a house containing a company of folk. Now these were
conversing and saying, "By Allah, our Sultan hath not acted
wisely nor hath he any cause to be proud, since he hath made his
daughter's bride-feast a vanity and a vexation and the poor are
excluded therefrom. He had done better to distribute somewhat of
his bounty amongst the paupers and the mesquin, who may not enter
his palace nor can they obtain aught to eat." Hearing this the
Sultan said to the Wazir, "By Allah, needs must we enter this
place;" and the Minister replied, "Do whatso thou willest."
Accordingly the King went up to the door and knocked, when one
came out and asked, "Who is at the door?" The Sultan answered,
"Guests;" and the voice rejoined, "Welcome to the guests;" and
the door was thrown open. Then they went in till they reached the
sitting-room where they found three men of whom one was lame, the
second was broken-backed and the third was split-mouthed.[FN#131]
And all three were sitting together in that place. So he asked
them, "Wherefore sit ye here, ye three, instead of going to the
Palace?" and they answered him, "O Darwaysh, 'tis of the weakness
of our wits!" The King then turned to his Minister and said,
"There is no help but thou must bring these three men into my
presence, as soon as the wedding-fêtes be finished, that I may
enquire into what stablished their imbecility."--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to
say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet
is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate
to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Sixty-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
said to the Wazir, "Needs must thou bring these three men into my
presence, as soon as the wedding-fêtes be finished, and we will
enquire into what proved their imbecility." Then quoth the King
to them, "Wherefore fare ye not, ye three, and eat of the royal
banquet day by day?" and quoth they, "O Darwaysh, we are crippled
folk who cannot go and come, for this be grievous to us; but, an
the Sultan would assign to us somewhat of victual, and send it
hither, we would willingly eat thereof." He rejoined, "What
knoweth the Sultan that ye sit in this place?" and they retorted,
"Ye be Darwayshes who enter everywhere: so when ye go in to him,
tell him our tale; haply shall Almighty Allah incline his heart
uswards." The King asked them, "Be you three ever sitting
together in this stead?" and they answered, "Yea, verily: we
never leave one another by night or by day." Then the King and
the Minister rose up and having presented them with a few silvers
took leave and departed. Now it was midnight when they reached a
tenement wherein sat three girls with their mother spinning and
eating; and each one appeared fairer than her fellows, and at
times they sang and then they laughed and then they talked. The
Sultan said to the Wazir, "There is no help but we enter to these
damsels;" whereto the Minister replied "What have we to do with
going near them? Let them be as they are!" The Sultan, however,
rejoined, "Needs must we enter," and the Wazir retorted,
"Hearkening and obedience;" and he rapped at the door when one of
the sisterhood cried out, "Who knocketh in this gloom of the
night?" The Minister answered, "We are two Darwayshes, guests and
strangers;" and the girl rejoined, "We are maidens with our
mother and we have no men in our house who can admit you; so fare
ye to the marriage-feast of the Sultan and become ye his guests."
The Minister continued, "We are foreigners and we know not the
way to the Palace and we dread lest the Chief of Police happen
upon us and apprehend us at this time o' night. We desire that
you afford us lodging till daylight when we will go about our
business and you need not expect from us aught save respect and
honourable treatment." Now when the mother heard this, she pitied
them and bade one daughter open the door. So the damsel threw it
open and the Sultan and Wazir entered and salam'd and sat down to
converse together; but the King gazed upon the sisters and
marvelled at their beauty and their loveliness, and said in his
mind, "How cometh it that these maidens dwell by themselves
unmated and they in such case?" So quoth he to them, "How is it
ye lack husbands, you being so beautiful, and that ye have not a
man in the house?" Quoth the youngest, "O Darwaysh, hold thy
tongue[FN#132] nor ask us of aught, for our story is wondrous and
our adventures marvellous. But 'ware thy words and shorten thy
speech; verily hadst thou been the Sultan and thy companion the
Wazir an you heard our history haply ye had taken compassion upon
our case." Thereupon the King turned to the Minister and said,
"Up with us and wend we our ways; but first do thou make sure of
the place and affix thy mark upon the door." Then the twain rose
up and fared forth but the Wazir stood awhile and set a sign upon
the entrance and there left his imprint; after which the twain
returned to the Palace. Presently the youngest sister said to her
mother, "By Allah, I fear lest the Darwayshes have made their
mark upon our door to the end that they may recognise it by day;
for haply the twain may be the King and his Minister." "What
proof hast thou of this?" asked the mother, and the daughter
answered, "Their language and their questioning which were naught
save importunity!" And saying this she went to the door where she
found the sign and mark. Now besides the two houses to the right
and to the left were fifteen doors, so the girl marked them all
with the same mark set by the Wazir.[FN#133] But when Allah had
caused the day to dawn, the King said to the Minister, "Go thou
and look at the sign and make sure of it." The Wazir went as he
was commanded by the Sultan, but he found all the doors marked in
the same way, whereat he marvelled and knew not nor could he
distinguish the door he sought. Presently he returned and
reported the matter of the door-marks to the King who cried, "By
Allah, these girls must have a curious history! But when the
bride-feast is finished we will enquire into the case of the
three men who are weak-witlings and then we will consider that of
the damsels who are not." As soon as the thirtieth feast-day
passed by, he invested with robes of honour all the Lords of his
land and the high Officers of his estate and matters returned to
their customed course. Then he sent to summon the three men who
had professed themselves weak of wits and they were brought into
the presence, each saying of himself, "What can the King require
of us?" When they came before him he bade them be seated and they
sat; then he said to them, "My requirement is that ye relate to
me proofs of the weakness of your minds and the reason of your
maims." Now the first who was questioned was he of the broken
back, and when the enquiry was put to him he said, "Deign to
favour me with an answer O our Lord the Sultan, on a matter which
passed through my mind." He replied, "Speak out and fear not!" So
the other enquired, "How didst thou know us and who told thee of
us and of our weakly wits?" Quoth the King, "'Twas the Darwaysh
who went in to you on such a night;" and quoth the broken-backed
man, "Allah slay all the Darwayshes who be tattlers and
tale-carriers!" Thereupon the Sultan turned to the Wazir and
laughing said, "We will not reproach them for aught: rather let
us make fun of them," adding to the man, "Recite, O Shaykh." So
he fell to telling
The Story of the Broke-Back Schoolmaster.[FN#134]
I began life, O King of the Age, as a Schoolmaster and my case
was wondrous.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Sixty-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Shaykh
continued.--I began life, O my lord, as a Schoolmaster, and my
tale with the boys was wondrous. They numbered from sixty to
seventy, and I taught them to read and I inculcated due
discipline and ready respect esteeming these a part of liberal
education; nor did I regard, O King of the Age, the vicissitudes
of Time and Change; nay, I held them with so tight a rein that
whenever the boys heard me sneeze[FN#135] they were expected to
lay down their writing-tablets and stand up with their arms
crossed and exclaim, "Allah have ruth upon thee, O our lord!"
whereto I would make reply, "Allah deign pardon us and you!" And
if any of the lads failed or delayed to join in this prayer I was
wont to bash him with a severe bashing. One day of the days they
asked leave to visit the outskirts of the town for liberty and
pleasuring[FN#136] and when I granted it they clubbed their
pittances for a certain sum of money to buy them a noonday meal.
So we went forth to the suburbs and there found verdure and
water, and we enjoyed ourselves that day with perfect enjoyment
until mid-afternoon when we purposed to return homewards.
Accordingly, the boys collected their belongings and laded them
upon an ass and we walked about half-way when behold, the whole
party, big and little, stood still and said to me, "O our lord,
we are athirst and burning with drowthiness, nor can we stir from
this spot and if we leave it without drinking we shall all die."
Now there was in that place a draw-well, but it was deep and we
had nor pitcher nor bucket nor aught wherein to draw water and
the scholars still suffered from exceeding thirst. We had with
us, however, cooking-gear such as chauldrons and platters; so I
said to them, "O boys, whoso carrieth a cord or hath bound his
belongings with one let him bring it hither!" They did my bidding
and I tied these articles together and spliced them as strongly
as I could: then said I to the lads, "Bind me under the
arm-pits." Accordingly they made me fast by passing the rope
around me and I took with me a chauldron, whereupon they let me
down bucket-wise into the well till I reached the water. Then I
loosed the bandage from under my armpits and tied it to the
chauldron which I filled brim-full and shook the rope for a
signal to the boys above. They haled at the vessel till they
pulled it up and began drinking and giving drink; and on this
wise they drew a first chauldron and a second and a third and a
fourth till they were satisfied and could no more and cried out
to me, "We have had enough, quite enough." Hereupon I bound the
bandage under my armpits, as it was when I went down, and I shook
it as a signal and they haled me up till I had well-nigh reached
the kerbstone of the well when a fit of sneezing seized me and I
sneezed violently. At this all let go their hold and carrying
their arms over their breasts, cried aloud, "Allah have ruth upon
thee, O our lord!" but I, as soon as they loosed hold, fell into
the depths of the well and brake my back. I shrieked for excess
of agony and all the boys ran on all sides screaming for aid till
they were heard by some wayfaring folk; and these haled at me and
drew me out. They placed me upon the ass and bore me home: then
they brought a leach to medicine me and at last I became even as
thou seest me, O Sultan of the Age. Such, then, is my story
showing the weakness of my wits; for had I not enjoined and
enforced over-respect the boys would not have let go their hold
when I happened to sneeze nor would my back have been broken.
"Thou speakest sooth, O Shaykh," said the Sultan, "and indeed
thou hast made evident the weakness of thy wit." Then quoth he to
the man who was cloven of mouth. "And thou, the other, what was
it split thy gape?" "The weakness of my wit, O my lord the
Sultan," quoth he, and fell to telling the
Story of the Split-Mouthed Schoolmaster.[FN#137]
I also began life, O King of the Age, as a Schoolmaster and had
under my charge some eighty boys. Now I was strict with such
strictness that from morning to evening I sat amongst them and
would never dismiss them to their homes before sundown. But 'tis
known to thee, O our lord the King, that boys' wits be short
after the measure of their age, and that they love naught save
play and forgathering in the streets and quarter. Withal, I took
no heed of this and ever grew harder upon them till one day all
met and with the intervention of the eldest Monitor they agreed
and combined to play me a trick. He arranged with them that next
morning none should enter the school until he had taught them,
each and every, to say as they went in, "Thy safety, O our lord,
how yellow is thy face!" Now the first who showed himself was the
Monitor and he spoke as had been agreed; but I was rough with him
and sent him away; then a second came in and repeated what the
first had said; then a third and then a fourth, until ten boys
had used the same words. So quoth I to myself, "Ho, Such-an-one!
thou must be unwell without weeting it:" then I arose and went
into the Harem and lay down therein when the Monitor, having
collected from his school-fellows some hundred-and-eighty
Nusfs,[FN#138] came in to me and cried, "Take this, O our lord,
and expend the money upon thy health." Thereupon I said to
myself, "Ho, Such-an-one! every Thursday[FN#139] thou dost not
collect sixty Faddahs from the boys," and I cried to him, "Go,
let them forth for a holiday." So he went and dismissed them from
school to the playground. On the next day he collected as much as
on the first and came in to me and said, "Expend these moneys, O
our lord, upon thy health." He did the same on the third day and
the fourth, making the boys contribute much coin and presenting
it to me; and on such wise he continued till the tenth day, when
he brought the money as was his wont. At that time I happened to
hold in my hand a boiled egg which I purposed eating, but on
sighting him I said in myself, "An he see thee feeding he will
cut off the supplies." So I crammed the egg into my chops--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah, upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Schoolmaster said to himself, "If the Monitor see thee eating the
egg now in thy hand he will cut off the supplies and assert thee
to be sound." So (continued he) I crammed the egg into my chops
and clapped my jaws together. Hereupon the lad turned to me and
cried, "O my lord, thy cheek is much swollen;" and I, "'Tis only
an imposthume." But he drew a whittle[FN#140] forth his sleeve
and coming up to me seized my cheek and slit it, when the egg
fell out and he said, "O my lord, this it was did the harm and
now 'tis passed away from thee." Such was the cause of the
splitting of my mouth, O our lord the Sultan. Now had I cast away
greed of gain and eaten the egg in the Monitor's presence, what
could have been the ill result? But all this was of the weakness
of my wit; for also had I dismissed the boys every day about
mid-afternoon, I should have gained naught nor lost aught
thereby. However the Dealer of Destiny is self-existent, and this
is my case. Then the Sultan turned to the Wazir and laughed and
said, "The fact is that whoso schooleth boys is weak of wit;" and
said the other, "O King of the Age, all pedagogues lack
perceptives and reflectives; nor can they become legal witnesses
before the Kazi because verily they credit the words of little
children without evidence of the speech being or factual or
false. So their reward in the world to come must be
abounding!"[FN#141] Then the Sultan asked the limping man,
saying, "And thou, the other, what lamed thee?" So he began to
tell
The Story of the Limping Schoolmaster.[FN#142]
My tale, O my lord the Sultan, is marvellous and 'twas as
follows. My father was by profession a schoolmaster and, when he
fared to the ruth of Almighty Allah, I took his place in the
school and taught the boys to read after the fashion of my sire.
Now over the schoolroom was an upper lattice whereto planks had
been nailed and I was ever casting looks at it till one chance
day I said to myself, "By Allah, this lattice thus boarded up
needs must contain hoards or moneys or manuscripts which my
father stored there before his decease; and on such wise I am
deprived of them." So I arose and brought a ladder and lashed it
to another till the two together reached the lattice and I clomb
them holding a carpenter's adze[FN#143] wherewith I prized up the
planks until all were removed. And behold, I then saw a large
fowl, to wit, a kite,[FN#144] setting upon her nestlings. But
when she saw me she flew sharply in my face and I was frightened
by her and thrown back; so I tumbled from the ladder-top to the
ground and brake both knee-caps. Then they bore me home and
brought a leach to heal me; but he did me no good and I fell into
my present state. Now this, O our lord the Sultan, proveth the
weakness of my wit and the greatness of my greed; for there is a
saw amongst men that saith "Covetise aye wasteth and never
gathereth: so 'ware thee of covetise." Such, O lord of the Age
and the Time, is my tale. Hereupon the King bade gifts and
largesse be distributed to the three old schoolmasters, and when
his bidding was obeyed they went their ways. Then the Sultan
turned to the Minister and said, "O Wazir, now respecting the
matter of the three maidens and their mother, I would have thee
make enquiry and find out their home and bring them hither; or
let us go to them in disguise and hear their history, for indeed
it must he wonderful. Otherwise how could they have understood
that we served them that sleight by marking their door and they
on their part set marks of like kind upon all the doors of the
quarter that we might lose the track and touch of them. By Allah,
this be rare intelligence on the part of these damsels; but we, O
Wazir, will strive to come upon their traces." Then the Minister
fared forth, after changing his dress and demeanour, and walked
to the quarter in question, but found all the doors similarly
marked. So he was sore perplext concerning his case and fell to
questioning all the folk wont to pass by these doors but none
could give him any information; and he walked about sore
distraught until even-tide, when he returned to the Sultan
without aught of profit. As he went in to the presence, his liege
lord asked him saying, "What bringest thou of tidings?" and he
answered, "O King, I have not found the property,[FN#145] but
there passed through my mind a stratagem which, an we carry it
out, peradventure shall cause us to happen upon the maidens."
Quoth the Sultan, "What be that?" and quoth he, "Do thou write me
an autograph-writ and give it to the Crier that he may cry about
the city, 'Whoso lighteth wick after supper-tide shall have his
head set under his heels.'" The Sultan rejoined, "This thy rede
is right." Accordingly, on the next day the King wrote his letter
and gave it to the Crier bidding him fare through the city and
forbid the lighting of lamps after night-prayers; and the man
took the royal rescript and set it in a green bag. Then he went
forth and cried about the street saying, "According to the
commandment of our King, the Lord of prosperity and Master of the
necks of God's servants, if any light wick after night-prayers
his head shall be set under his heels, his good shall be spoiled
and his women shall be cast into jail." And the Crier stinted not
crying through the town during the first day and the second and
the third, until he had gone round the whole place; nor was there
a citizen but who knew the ordinance. Now the King waited
patiently till after the proclamation of the third day; but on
the fourth night he and his Minister went down from the palace in
disguise after supper-tide to pry about the wards and espy into
the lattices of the several quarters. They found no light till
they came to the ward where the three damsels lived, and the
Sultan, happening to glance in such a direction, saw the gleam of
a lamp in one of the tenements. So he said to the Wazir, "Ho!
there is a wick alight." Presently they drew near it and found
that it was within one of the marked houses; wherefore they came
to a stand and knocked at the door,--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she,
"And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on
the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
Sultan and the Wazir stood over against the door behind which was
the light and knocked at it, the youngest of the sisters cried
out, "Who is at the door?" and they replied, "Guests and
Darwayshes." She rejoined, "What can you want at this hour and
what can have belated you?" And they, "We be men living in a
Khan; but we have lost our way thither and we fear to happen upon
the Chief of Police. So of your bountiful kindness open ye to us
and house us for the remnant of the night; and such charity shall
gain you reward in Heaven." Hereto the mother added, "Go open to
them the door!" and the youngest of the maidens came forward and
opened to them and admitted them. Then the parent and her
children rose up and welcomed them respectfully and seated them
and did them honour and set before them somewhat of food which
they ate and were gladdened. Presently the King said, "O damsels,
ye cannot but know that the Sultan proclaimed forbiddal of
wick-burning; but ye have lighted your lamps and have not obeyed
him when all the citizens have accepted his commandment." Upon
this the youngest sister accosted him saying, "O Darwaysh, verily
the Sultan's order should not be obeyed save in commandments
which be reasonable; but this his proclamation forbidding lights
is sinful to accept; and indeed the right direction[FN#146]
wherein man should walk is according to Holy Law which saith, 'No
obedience to the creature in a matter of sin against the
Creator.' The Sultan (Allah make him prevail!) herein acteth
against the Law and imitateth the doings of Satan. For we be
three sisters with our mother, making four in the household, and
every night we sit together by lamp-light and weave a half-pound
weight of linen web[FN#147] which our mother taketh in the
morning for sale to the Bazar and buyeth us therewith half a
pound of raw flax and with the remainder what sufficeth us of
victual." The Sultan now turned to his Minister and said, "O
Wazir, this damsel astonisheth me by her questions and answers.
What case of casuistry can we propose to her and what disputation
can we set up? Do thou contrive us somewhat shall pose and
perplex her." "O my lord," replied the Wazir, "we are here in the
guise of Darwayshes and are become to these folk as guests: how
then can we disturb them with troublesome queries in their own
home?" Quoth the Sultan, "Needs must thou address them;" so the
Wazir said to the girl, "O noble one, obedience to the royal
orders is incumbent upon you as upon all lieges." Said she,
"True, he is our Sovran; but how can he know whether we be
starving or full-fed?" "Let us see," rejoined the Wazir, "when he
shall send for you and set you before the presence and question
you concerning your disobeying his orders, what thou wilt say?"
She retorted, "I would say to the Sultan, 'Thou hast contraried
Holy Law.'" At this the Minister resumed, "An he ask thee sundry
questions wilt thou answer them?" and she replied "Indeed I
will." Hereat the Minister turned to the King and said, "Let us
leave off question and answer with this maiden on points of
conscience and Holy Law and ask if she understand the fine arts."
Presently the Sultan put the question when she replied, "How
should I not understand them when I am their father and their
mother?" Quoth he, "Allah upon thee, O my lady, an thou wouldst
favour us, let us hear one of thine airs and its words." So she
rose and retired but presently returning with a lute sat down and
set it upon her lap and ordered the strings and smote it with a
masterly touch: then she fell to singing amongst other verses
these ordered couplets:--
"Do thou good to men and so rule their necks: * Long reigns who
by benefit rules mankind:
And lend aid to him who for aidance hopes: * For aye grateful is
man with a noble mind:
Who brings money the many to him will incline * And money for
tempting of man was designed:
Who hindereth favour and bounties, ne'er * Or brother or friend
in creation shall find:
With harsh looks frown not in the Sage's face; * Disgusteth the
freeman denial unkind:
Who frequenteth mankind all of good unknow'th: * Man is lief of
rebellion, of largesse loath."
When the Sultan heard these couplets, his mind was distraught and
he was perplext in thought; then turning to his Wazir, he said,
"By Allah, these lines were surely an examination of and an
allusion to our two selves; and doubtless she weeteth of us that
I am the Sultan and thou art the Wazir, for the whole tenor of
her talk proveth her knowledge of us." Then he turned to the
maiden and said, "Right good are thy verse and thy voice, and thy
words have delighted us with exceeding delight." Upon this she
sang the following two couplets:--
"Men seek for them sorrow, and toil * Thro' long years as they
brightly flow;
But Fate, in the well like the tank[FN#148] * Firm-fixt, ruleth
all below."
Now as soon as the Sultan heard these last two couplets he made
certain that the damsel was aware of his quality. She did not
leave off her lute-playing till near daylight, when she rose and
retired and presently brought in a breakfast befitting her degree
(for indeed she was pleased with them); and when she had served
it up they ate a small matter which sufficed them. After this she
said, "Inshallah, you will return to us this night before
supper-tide and become our guests;" and the twain went their ways
marvelling at the beauty of the sisters and their loveliness and
their fearlessness in the matter of the proclamation; and the
Sultan said to the Wazir, "By Allah, my soul inclineth unto that
maiden." And they stinted not walking until they had entered the
palace. But when that day had gone by and evening drew nigh, the
Monarch made ready to go, he and the Minister, to the dwelling of
the damsels--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive." Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the King
and the Councillor made ready to go to the dwelling of the
damsels taking with them somewhat of gold pieces, the time being
half an hour after set of sun; and presently they repaired to the
house of the sisters whither they had been invited on the past
night. So they rapped at the door when the youngest maiden came
to it and opened and let them in: then she salam'd to them and
greeted them and entreated them with increased respect saying,
"Welcome to our lords the Darwayshes." But she eyed them with the
eye of the physiognomist[FN#149] and said in herself, "Verily
these two men are on no wise what they seem and, unless my
caution and intelligence and power of knowledge have passed away
from me, this must be the Sultan and that his Wazir, for grandeur
and majesty are evident on them." Then she seated them and
accosted them even more pleasantly and set before them supper,
and when they had eaten enough, she brought basins and ewers for
handwashing and served up coffee causing them to enjoy themselves
and to give and take in talk till their pleasure was perfect. At
the time of night-orisons they arose and, after performing the
Wuzú-ablution, prayed, and when their devotions were ended the
Sultan hent in hand his purse and gave it to the youngest sister
saying, "Expend ye this upon your livelihood." She took the bag
which held two thousand dinars and kissed his right hand, feeling
yet the more convinced that he must be the Sultan: so she proved
her respect by the fewness of her words as she stood between his
hands to do him service. Also she privily winked at her sisters
and mother and said to them by signs, "Verily this be the Monarch
and that his Minister." The others then arose and followed suit
as the sister had done, when the Sultan turned to the Wazir and
said, "The case is changed: assuredly they have comprehended it
and ascertained it;" presently adding to the girl, "O damsel, we
be only Darwaysh folk and yet you all stand up in our service as
if we were sovrans. I beseech you do not on this wise." But the
youngest sister again came forwards and kissed the ground before
him and blessed him and recited this couplet:
"Fair fate befal thee to thy foe's despite: * White be thy days
and his be black as night.[FN#150]
By Allah, O King of the Age, thou art the Sultan and that is the
Minister." The Sovran asked, "What cause hast thou for supposing
this?" and she answered, "From your grand demeanour and your
majestic mien; for such be the qualities of Kings which cannot be
concealed." Quoth the Monarch, "Thou hast spoken sooth; but, tell
me, how happeneth it that you wone here without men protectors?"
and quoth she, "O my lord the King, our history is wondrous and
were it graven with graver-needles upon the eye-corners it were a
warning to whoso would be warned." He rejoined, "What is it?" and
she began the
Story of the Three Sisters and Their Mother.[FN#151]
I and my sisters and my mother are not natives of this city but
of a capital in the land Al-Irák where my father was Sovran
having troops and guards, Wazirs and Eunuch-chamberlains; and my
mother was the fairest woman of her time insomuch that her beauty
was a proverb throughout each and every region. Now it chanced
that when I and my sisters were but infants, our father would set
out to hunt and course and slay beasts of raven and take his
pleasure in the gardens without the city. So he sent for his
Wazir and appointed and constituted him Viceregent in his stead
with full authority to command and be gracious to his lieges:
then he got him ready and marched forth and the Viceroy entered
upon his office. But it happened that it was the hot season and
my mother betook herself to the terrace-roof of the palace in
order to smell the air and sniff up the breeze. At that very
hour, by the decree of the Decreer, the Wazir was sitting in the
Kiosk or roofed balcony hanging to his upper mansion and holding
in hand a mirror; and, as he looked therein, he saw the
reflection of my mother, a glance of eyes which bequeathed him a
thousand sighs. He was forthright distracted by her beauty and
loveliness and fell sick and took to his pillow. Presently a
confidential nurse came in and feeling his pulse, which showed no
malady, said to him, "No harm for thee! thou shalt soon be well
nor ever suffer from aught of sorrow." Quoth he, "O my nurse,
canst thou keep a secret?" and quoth she, "I can." Then he told
her all the love he had conceived for my mother and she replied,
"This be a light affair nor hath it aught of hindrance: I will
manage for thee such matter and I will soon unite thee with her."
Thereupon he packed up for her some of the most sumptuous dresses
in his treasury and said, "Hie thee to her and say, 'The Wazir
hath sent these to thee by way of love-token and his desire is
either that thou come to him and converse, he and thou, for a
couple of hours,[FN#152] or that he be allowed to visit thee.'"
The nurse replied with "Hearkening and obedience," and fared
forth and found my mother (and we little ones were before her)
all unknowing aught of that business. So the old woman saluted
her and brought forwards the dresses, and my mother arose and
opening the bundle beheld sumptuous raiment and, amongst other
valuables, a necklace of precious stones. So she said to the
nurse, "This is indeed ornamental gear, especially the collar;"
and said the nurse, "O my lady, these are from thy slave the
Wazir by way of love-token, for he doteth on thee with extreme
desire and his only wish is to forgather with thee and converse,
he and thou, for a couple of hours, either in his own place or in
thine whither he will come." Now when my mother heard these words
from the nurse she arose and drew a scymitar which lay hard by
and of her angry hastiness made the old woman's head fall from
her body and bade her slave-girls pick up the pieces and cast
them into the common privy of the palace. So they did her bidding
and wiped away the blood. Now the Wazir abode expecting his nurse
to return to him but she returned not; so next day he despatched
another handmaid who went to my mother and said to her, "O my
lady, our lord the Wazir sent thee a present of dress by his
nurse; but she hath not come back to him." Hereupon my mother
bade her Eunuchs take the slave and strangle her, then cast the
corpse into the same house of easement where they had thrown the
nurse. They did her bidding; but she said in her mind, "Haply the
Wazir will return from the road of unright:" and she kept his
conduct a secret. He however fell every day to sending
slave-girls with the same message and my mother to slaying each
and every, nor deigned show him any signs of yielding. But she, O
our lord the Sultan, still kept her secret and did not acquaint
our father therewith, always saying to herself, "Haply the Wazir
will return to the road of right." And behold my father presently
came back from hunting and sporting and pleasuring, when the
Lords of the land met him and salam'd to him, and amongst them
appeared the Minister whose case was changed. Now some years
after this, O King of the Age, our sire resolved upon a
Pilgrimage to the Holy House of Meccah--And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is
thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable." Quoth
she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you
on the coming night an the sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when
it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night." She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
youngest sister continued to the Sultan:--So our sire, O King of
the Age, resolved upon a Pilgrimage to the Holy House of Meccah
and stablished the same Wazir Viceregent in his stead to deal
commandment and break off and carry out. So he said in his heart,
"Now have I won my will of the Sultan's Harem." So the King gat
him ready and fared forth to Allah's Holy House after committing
us to the charge of his Minister. But when he had been gone ten
days, and the Wazir knew that he must be far from the city where
he had left behind him me and my sisters and my mother, behold,
an Eunuch of the Minister's came in to us and kissed ground
before the Queen and said to her "Allah upon thee, O my lady,
pity my lord the Wazir, for his heart is melted by thy love and
his wits wander and his right mind; and he is now become as one
annihilated. So do thou have ruth upon him and revive his heart
and restore his health." Now when my mother heard these words,
she bade her Eunuchs seize that Castrato and carry him from the
room to the middle of the Divan-court and there slay him; but she
did so without divulging her reasons. They obeyed her bidding;
and when the Lords of the land and others saw the body of a man
slain by the eunuchry of the palace, they informed the Wazir,
saying, "What hateful business is this which hath befallen after
the Sultan's departure?" He asked, "What is to do?" and they told
him that his Castrato had been slain by a party of the palace
eunuchry. Thereupon he said to them, "In your hand abideth
testimony of this whenas the Sultan shall return and ye shall
bear witness to it." But, O King, the Wazir's passion for our
mother waxed cool after the deaths of the nurse and the
slave-girls and the eunuch; and she also held her peace and spake
not a word there anent. On this wise time passed and he sat in
the stead of my sire till the Sultan's return drew near when the
Minister dreaded lest our father, learning his ill deeds, should
do him die. So he devised a device and wrote a letter to the King
saying, "After salutation be it known to thee that thy Harem hath
sent to me, not only once but five several times during thine
absence, soliciting of me a foul action, to which I refused
consent and replied, By Allah, however much she may wish to
betray my Sovran, I by the Almighty will not turn traitor; for
that I was left by thee guardian of the realm after thy
departure." He added words upon words; then he sealed the scroll
and gave it to a running courier with orders to hurry along the
road. The messenger took it and fared with it to the Sultan's
camp when distant eight days' journey from the capital; and,
finding him seated in his pavilion,[FN#153] delivered the writ.
He took it and opened it and read it and when he understood its
secret significance, his face changed, his eyes turned backwards
and he bade his tents be struck for departure. So they fared by
forced marches till between him and his capital remained only two
stations. He then summoned two Chamberlains with orders to forego
him to the city and take my mother and us three girls a day's
distance from it and there put us to death. Accordingly, they led
us four to the open country purposing to kill us, and my mother
knew not what intent was in their minds until they reached the
appointed spot. Now the Queen had in times past heaped alms-deeds
and largesse upon the two Chamberlains, so they held the case to
be a grievous and said each to other, "By Allah we cannot
slaughter them; no, never!" Then they told my mother of the
letter which the Wazir had written to our father saying
such-and-such, upon which she exclaimed, "He hath lied, by Allah,
the arch-traitor; and naught happened save so-and-so." Then she
related to them all she had done with the exactest truth. The men
said, "Sooth thou hast spoken;" then arising without stay or
delay they snared a gazelle and slaughtered it and filled with
its blood four flasks; after which they broiled some of the flesh
over the embers and gave it to my mother that we might satisfy
our hunger. Presently they farewelled us saying, "We give you in
charge of Him who never disappointed those committed to His
care;" and, lastly, they went their ways leaving us alone in the
wild and the word. So we fell to eating the desertgrasses and
drinking of the remnants of the rain, and we walked awhile and
rested awhile without finding any city or inhabited region; and
we waxed tired, O King of the Age, when suddenly we came upon a
spot on a hill-flank abounding in vari-coloured herbs and fair
fountains. Here we abode ten days and behold, a caravan drew near
us and encamped hard by us, but they did not sight us for that we
hid ourselves from their view until night fell. Then I went to
them and asked of sundry eunuchs and ascertained that there was a
city at the distance of two days' march from us; so I returned
and informed my mother who rejoiced at the good tidings. As soon
as it was morn the caravan marched off, so we four arose and
walked all that day through at a leisurely pace, and a second day
and so forth; until, on the afternoon of the fifth, a city rose
before our sight fulfilling all our desires[FN#154] and we
exclaimed, "Alhamdolillah, laud be to the Lord who hath empowered
us to reach it." We ceased not faring till sunset when we entered
it and we found it a potent capital. Such was our case and that
of our mother;[FN#155] but as regards our sire the Sultan, as he
drew near his home after the return-journey from the Hajj, the
Lords of the land and the Chiefs of the city flocked out to meet
him, and the town-folk followed one another like men riding on
pillions[FN#156] to salute him, and the poor and the mesquin
congratulated him on his safety and at last the Wazir made his
appearance. The Sultan desired to be private with the
Minister--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the King
desired to be private with the Minister and when they were left
alone he said, "O Wazir, how was it between thee and that Harim
of mine?" Said the other, "O King of the Age, she sent to me not
only once but five several times and I refrained from her and
whatsoever eunuch she despatched I slew, saying, Haply she may
cease so doing and abandon her evil intent. But she did not
repent, so I feared for thine honour and sent to acquaint thee
with the matter." The Sultan bowed his head groundwards for a
while, then raising it he bade summon the two Chamberlains whom
he had sent to slay his wife and three children. On their
appearing he asked them, "What have you done in fulfilling my
commandment?" They answered, "We did that which thou badest be
done," and showed him the four flasks they had filled with the
blood and said, "This be their blood, a flask-full from each."
The Sultan hent them in hand and mused over what had taken place
between him and his wife of love and affection and union; so he
wept with bitter weeping and fell down in a fainting fit. After
an hour or so he recovered and turning to the Wazir said, "Tell
me, hast thou spoken sooth?" and the other replied, "Yes, I
have." Then the Sultan addressed the two Chamberlains and asked
them, "Have ye put to death my daughters with their mother?" But
they remained silent nor made aught of answer or address. So he
exclaimed, "What is on your minds that ye speak not?" They
rejoined, "By Allah, O King of the Age, the honest man cannot
tell an untruth for that lying and leasing are the
characteristics of hypocrites and traitors." When the Wazir heard
the Chamberlains' speech his colour yellowed, his frame was
disordered and a trembling seized his limbs, and the King turned
to him and noted that these symptoms had been caused by the words
of the two officials. So he continued to them, "What mean ye, O
Chamberlains, by your saying that lies and leasing are the
characteristics of hypocrites and traitors? Can it be that ye
have not put them to death? And as ye claim to be true men either
ye have killed them and ye speak thus or you are liars. Now by
Him who hath set me upon the necks of His lieges, if ye declare
not to me the truth I will do you both die by the foulest of
deaths." They rejoined, "By Allah, O King of the Age, whenas thou
badest us take them and slay them, we obeyed thy bidding and they
knew not nor could they divine what was to be until we arrived
with them at the middlemost and broadest of the desert; and when
we informed them of what had been done by the Wazir, thy Harem
exclaimed, 'There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in
Allah, the Glorious, the Great. Verily we are Allah's and unto
Him are we returning. But an ye kill us you will kill us
wrongfully and ye wot not wherefor. By the Lord, this Wazir hath
foully lied and hath accused us falsely before the Almighty.' So
we said to her, O King of the Age, 'Inform us of what really took
place,' and said the mother of the Princesses, 'Thus and thus it
happened.' Then she fell to telling us the whole tale from first
to last of the nurse who was sent to her and the handmaids and
the Eunuch."[FN#157] Hereupon the Sultan cried, "And ye, have ye
slain them or not?" and the Chamberlains replied, "By Allah, O
King of the Age, whenas the loyalty of thy Harem was made
manifest to us we snared a gazelle and cut its throat and filled
these four flasks with its blood; after which we broiled some of
the flesh upon the embers and offered it to thy Harem and her
children saying to them, 'We give thee in charge to Him who never
disappointeth those committed to His care,' and we added, 'Your
truth shall save you.' Lastly we left them in the midmost of the
waste and we returned hither." When the Sultan heard these words
he turned to the Wazir and exclaimed, "Thou hast estranged from
me my wife and my children;" but the Minister uttered not a word
nor made any address and trembled in every limb like one
afflicted with an ague. And when the King saw the truth of the
Chamberlains and the treachery of the Minister he bade fuel be
collected and set on fire and they did his bidding. Then he
commanded them to truss up the Wazir, hand tied to foot, and bind
him perforce upon a catapult[FN#158] and cast him into the middle
of the fiery pyre which made his bones melt before his flesh.
Lastly he ordered his palace to be pillaged, his good to be
spoiled and the women of his Harem to be sold for slaves. After
this he said to the Chamberlains, "You must know the spot wherein
you left the Queen and Princesses;" and said they, "O King of the
Age, we know it well; but when we abandoned them and returned
home they were in the midst of the wolds and the wilds nor can we
say what befel them or whether they be now alive or dead." On
this wise fared it with them; but as regards us three maidens and
our mother, when we entered the city--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable?" Quoth she,
"And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on
the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
youngest sister continued her tale:--So when we three maidens and
our mother entered the city about sunset I the youngest said to
them, "We be three Princesses and a Queen-mother: so we cannot
show ourselves in this our condition and needs must we lodge us
in a Khan: also 'tis my rede that we should do best by donning
boys' dress." All agreeing hereto we did accordingly and,
entering a Caravanserai, hired us a retired chamber in one of the
wings. Now every day we three fared forth to service and at
eventide we forgathered and took what sufficed us of sustenance;
but our semblance had changed with the travails of travel and all
who looked at us would say, These be lads. In this plight we
passed the space of a year full-told till, one day of the days,
we three fared forth to our chares, as was our wont, and behold,
a young man met us upon the way and turning to me asked, "O lad,
wilt thou serve in my house?" Quoth I, "O my uncle,[FN#159] I
must ask advice," and quoth he, "O my lad, crave counsel of thy
mother and come and serve in our home." He then looked at my
sisters and enquired, "Be these thy comrades, O lad?" and I
replied "No, they are my brothers." So we three went to our
mother in the Khan and said to her, "This young man wisheth to
hire the youngest of us for service," and said she, "No harm in
that." Thereupon the youth arose and taking me by the hand guided
me to his home and led me in to his mother and his wife, and when
the ancient dame saw me, her heart was opened to me. Presently
quoth the young man to his parent, "I have brought the lad to
serve in our house and he hath two brothers and his mother
dwelling with them." Quoth she, "May it be fortunate to thee, O
my son."[FN#160] So I tarried there serving them till sunset and
when the evening-meal was eaten, they gave me a dish of meat and
three large bannocks of clean bread. These I took and carried to
my mother whom I found sitting with my sisters and I set before
them the meat and bread; but when my parent saw this she wept
with sore weeping and cried, "Time hath overlooked us; erst we
gave food to the folk and now the folk send us food." And cried
I, "Marvel not at the works of the Creator; for verily Allah hath
ordered for us this and for others that and the world endureth
not for any one;" and I ceased not soothing my mother's heart
till it waxed clear of trouble and we ate and praised Almighty
Allah. Now every day I went forth to serve at the young man's
house and at eventide bore to my mother and sisters their
sufficiency of food for supper,[FN#161] breakfast and dinner; and
when the youth brought eatables of any kind for me I would
distribute it to the family. And he looked well after our wants
and at times he would supply clothing for me and for the youths,
my sisters, and for my parent; so that all hearts in our lodgings
were full of affection for him. At last his mother said, "What
need is there for the lad to go forth from us every eventide and
pass the night with his people? Let him lie in our home and every
day about afternoon-time carry the evening meal to his mother and
brothers and then return to us and keep me company." I replied,
"O my lady, let me consult my mother, to whom I will fare
forthright and acquaint her herewith." But my parent objected
saying, "O my daughter, we fear lest thou be discovered, and they
find thee out to be a girl." I replied, "Our Lord will veil our
secret;" and she rejoined, "Then do thou obey them." So I lay
with the young man's mother nor did any divine that I was a maid,
albeit from the time when I entered into that youth's service my
strength and comeliness had increased. At last, one night of the
nights, I went after supper to sleep at my employer's and the
young man's mother chanced to glance in my direction when she saw
my loosed hair which gleamed and glistened many-coloured as a
peacock's robe. Next morning I arose and gathering up my locks
donned the Tákiyah[FN#162] and proceeded, as usual, to do service
about the house never suspecting that the mother had taken notice
of my hair. Presently she said to her son, "'Tis my wish that
thou buy me a few rose-blossoms which be fresh." He asked, "To
make conserve?" and she answered, "No." Then he enquired;
"Wherefore wantest thou roses?" and she replied, "By Allah, O my
son, I wish therewith to try this our servant whom I suspect to
be a girl and no boy; and under him in bed I would strew
rose-leaves, for an they be found wilted in the morning he is a
lad, and if they remain as they were he is a lass."[FN#163] So he
fared forth and presently returned to his mother with the
rose-blossoms; and, when the sleeping-hour came, she went and
placed them in my bed. I slept well and in the morning when I
arose she came to me and found that the petals had not changed
for the worse; nay, they had gained lustre. So she made sure that
I was a girl.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Seventieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the damsel
continued:--So the young man's mother made certain that her
servant lad was a virgin lass. But she concealed her secret from
her son and was kind to me and showed me respect and, of the
goodness of her heart, sent me back early to my mother and
sisters. Now one day of the days the youth came home about noon
as was his wont; and he found me with sleeves tucked up to the
elbows engaged in washing a bundle of shirts and turbands; and I
was careless of myself so he drew near me and noted my cheeks
that flushed rosy red and eyes which were as those of the thirsty
gazelle and my scorpion locks hanging adown my side face. This
took place in summertide; and when he saw me thus his wits were
distraught and his sound senses were as naught and his judgment
was in default: so he went in to his parent and said to her, "O
my mother, indeed this servant is no boy, but a maiden girl and
my wish is that thou discover for me her case and make manifest
to me her condition and marry me to her, for that my heart is
fulfilled of her love." Now by the decree of the Decreer I was
privily listening to all they said of me; so presently I arose,
after washing the clothes and what else they had given me; but my
state was changed by their talk and I knew and felt certified
that the youth and his mother had recognised me for a girl. I
continued on this wise till eventide when I took the food and
returned to my family and they all ate till they had eaten
enough, when I told them my adventure and my conviction. So my
mother said to me, "What remaineth for us now to do?" and said I,
"O my mother, let us arise, we three, before night shall set in
and go forth ere they lock the Khan upon us;[FN#164] and if the
door-keeper ask us aught let us answer, 'We are faring to spend
the night in the house of the youth where our son is serving.'"
My mother replied, "Right indeed is thy rede." Accordingly, all
four of us went forth at the same time and when the porter asked,
"This is night-tide and whither may ye be wending?" we answered,
"We have been invited by the young man whom our son serveth for
he maketh a Septena-festival[FN#165] and a bridal-feast: so we
purpose to night with him and return a-morn." Quoth he, "There is
no harm in that." So we issued out and turned aside and sought
the waste lands, the Veiler veiling us, and we ceased not walking
till the day brake and we were sore a-wearied. Then we sat for
rest till the rise of sun and when it shone we four sprang up and
strave with our wayfare throughout the first day and the second
and the third until the seventh. (Now all this was related to
Mohammed the Sultan of Cairo and his Wazir by the youngest
Princess and they abode wondering at her words.) On the seventh
day we reached this city and here we housed ourselves; but to
this hour we have no news of our sire after the Minister was
burnt nor do we know an he be whole or dead. Yet we yearn for
him: so do thou, of thine abundant favour, O King of the Age, and
thy perfect beneficence, send a messenger to seek tidings of him
and to acquaint him with our case, when he will send to fetch us.
Here she ceased speaking and the Monarch and Minister both
wondered at her words and exclaimed, "Exalted be He who decreeth
to His servants severance and reunion." Then the Sultan of Cairo
arose without stay or delay and wrote letters to the King of
Al-Irák, the father of the damsels, telling him that he had taken
them under his safeguard, them and their mother, and gave the
writ to the Shaykh of the Cossids[FN#166] and appointed for it a
running courier and sent him forth with it to the desert. After
this the King took the three maidens and their mother and carried
them to his Palace where he set apart for them an apartment and
he appointed for them what sufficed of appointments. Now, as for
the Cossid who fared forth with the letter, he stinted not
spanning the waste for the space of two months until he made the
city of the bereaved King of Al-Irák, and when he asked for the
royal whereabouts they pointed out to him a pleasure-garden. So
he repaired thither and went in to him, kissed ground before him,
offered his services, prayed for him and lastly handed to him the
letter. The King took it and brake the seal and opened the
scroll; but when he read it and comprehended its contents, he
rose up and shrieked a loud shriek and fell to the floor in a
fainting fit. So the high officials flocked around him and raised
him from the ground, and when he recovered after an hour or so
they questioned him concerning the cause of this. He then related
to them the adventures of his wife and children; how they were
still in the bonds of life whole and hearty; and forthright he
ordered a ship to be got ready for them and stored therein gifts
and presents for him who had been the guardian of his Queen and
her daughters. But he knew not what lurked for them in the
future. So the ship sailed away, all on board seeking the desired
city, and she reached it without delay, the winds blowing light
and fair. Then she fired the cannon of safe arrival[FN#167] and
the Sultan sent forth to enquire concerning her,--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her
permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Seventy-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
made enquiries concerning that ship, when behold! the
Rais[FN#168] came forth from her to the land and accosting the
King handed to him the letter and acquainted him with the arrival
of the gifts and presents. Whereupon he bade all on board her
come ashore and be received in the guest-house for a space of
three days until the traces of travel should disappear from them.
After that time the Sultan gat ready whatso became his high
degree of offerings evening those despatched to him by the father
of the damsels and stowed them in the vessel, where he also
embarked as much of victual and provaunt as might suffice for all
the voyagers. On the fourth day after sunset the damsels and
their mother were borne on board and likewise went the master
after they had taken leave of the King and had salam'd to him and
prayed for his preservation. Now in early morning the breeze blew
free and fair so they loosed sail and made for the back[FN#169]
of the sea and voyaged safely for the first day and the second.
But on the third about mid-afternoon a furious gale came out
against them; whereby the sails were torn to tatters and the
masts fell overboard; so the crew made certain of death, and the
ship ceased not to be tossed upwards and to settle down without
mast or sail till midnight, all the folk lamenting one to other,
as did the maidens and their mother, till the wreck was driven
upon an island and there went to pieces. Then he whose life-term
was short died forthright and he whose life-term was long
survived; and some bestrode planks and others butts and others
again bulks of timber whereby all were separated each from other.
Now the mother and two of the daughters clomb upon planks they
chanced find and sought their safety; but the youngest of the
maidens, who had mounted a keg,[FN#170] and who knew nothing of
her mother and sisters, was carried up and cast down by the waves
for the space of five days till she landed upon an extensive
sea-board where she found a sufficiency to eat and drink. She sat
down upon the shore for an hour of time until she had taken rest
and her heart was calmed and her fear had flown and she had
recovered her spirits: then she rose and paced the sands, all
unknowing whither she should wend, and whenever she came upon
aught of herbs she would eat of them. This lasted through the
first day and the second till the forenoon of the third, when lo
and behold! a Knight advanced towards her, falcon on fist and
followed by a greyhound. For three days he had been wandering
about the waste questing game either of birds or of beasts, but
he happened not upon either when he chanced to meet the maiden,
and seeing her said in his mind, "By Allah, yon damsel is my
quarry this very day." So he drew near her and salam'd to her and
she returned his salute; whereupon he asked her of her condition
and she informed him of what had betided her; and his heart was
softened towards her and taking her up on his horse's crupper he
turned him homewards. Now of this youngest sister (quoth
Shahrazad) there is much to say, and we will say it when the tale
shall require the telling. But as regards the second Princess,
she ceased not floating on the plank for the space of eight days,
until she was borne by the set of the sea close under the walls
of a city; but she was like one drunken with wine when she
crawled up the shore and her raiment was in rags and her colour
had wanned for excess of affright. However, she walked onwards at
a slow pace till she reached the city and came upon a house of
low stone walls. So she went in and there finding an ancient dame
sitting and spinning yarn, she gave her good evening and the
other returned it adding, "Who art thou, O my daughter, and
whence comest thou?" She answered, "O my aunt, I'm fallen from
the skies and have been met by the earth: thou needest not
question me of aught, for my heart is clean molten by the fire of
grief. An thou take me in for love and kindness 'tis well and if
not I will again fare forth on my wanderings." When the old woman
heard these words she compassioned the maiden and her heart felt
tender towards her, and she cried, "Welcome to thee, O my
daughter, sit thee down!" Accordingly she sat her down beside her
hostess and the two fell to spinning yarn whereby to gain their
daily bread: and the old dame rejoiced in her and said, "She
shall take the place of my daughter." Now of this second Princess
(quoth Shahrazad) there is much to say and we will say it when
the tale shall require the telling. But as regards the eldest
sister, she ceased not clinging to the plank and floating over
the sea till the sixth day passed, and on the seventh she was
cast upon a stead where lay gardens distant from the town six
miles. So she walked into them and seeing fruit close-clustering
she took of it and ate and donned the cast-off dress of a man she
found nearhand. Then she kept on faring till she entered the town
and here she fell to wandering about the Bazars till she came to
the shop of a Kunáfah[FN#171]-maker who was cooking his
vermicelli; and he, seeing a fair youth in man's habit, said to
her, "O younker, wilt thou be my servant!" "O my uncle," she
said, "I will well;" so he settled her wage each day a quarter
farthing,[FN#172] not including her diet. Now in that town were
some fifteen shops wherein Kunafah was made. She abode with the
confectioner the first day and the second and the third to the
full number of ten, when the traces of travel left her and fear
departed from her heart, and her favour and complexion were
changed for the better and she became even as the moon, nor could
any guess that the lad was a lass. Now it was the practice of
that man to buy every day half a quartern[FN#173] of flour and
use it for making his vermicelli; but when the so-seeming youth
came to him he would lay in each morning three quarterns; and the
townsfolk heard of this change and fell to saying, "We will never
dine without the Kunafah of the confectioner who hath in his
house the youth." This is what befel the eldest Princess of whom
(quoth Shahrazad) there is much to say and we will say it when
the tale shall require the telling. But as regards the
Queen-mother,--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Seventy-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that as regards
the mother of the maidens, when the ship broke up under them and
she bestrode the bulk of timber, she came upon the Rais in his
boat manned by three of the men; so he took her on board and they
ceased not paddling for a space of three days when they sighted a
lofty island which fulfilled their desire, and its summit towered
high in air. So they made for it till they drew near it and
landed on a low side-shore where they abandoned their boat; and
they ceased not walking through the rest of that day and those
that followed till one day of the days behold, a dust-cloud
suddenly appeared to them spireing up to the skies. They fared
for it and after a while it lifted, showing beneath it a host
with swords glancing and lance-heads' gleams lancing and war
steeds dancing and prancing, and these were ridden by men like
unto eagles and the host was under the hands of a Sultan around
whom ensigns and banners were flying. And when this King saw the
Rais and the sailors and the woman following, he wheeled his
charger themwards to learn what tidings they brought and rode up
to the strangers and questioned them; and the castaways informed
them that their ship had broken up under them. Now the cause of
this host's taking the field was that the King of Al-Irak, the
father of the three maidens, after he appointed the ship and saw
her set out, felt uneasy at heart, presaging evil, and feared
with sore fear the shifts of Time. So he went forth, he and his
high Officials and his host, and marched adown the longshore
till, by decree of the Decreer, he suddenly and all unexpectedly
came upon his Queen who was under charge of the ship's captain.
Presently, seeing the cavalcade and its ensigns the Rais went
forward and recognising the King hastened up to him and kissed
his stirrup and his feet. The Sultan turned towards him and knew
him; so he asked him of his state and the Rais answered by
relating all that had befallen him. Thereupon the King commanded
his power to alight in that place and they did so and set up
their tents and pavilions. Then the Sultan took seat in his
Shámiyánah[FN#174] and bade them bring his Queen and they brought
her, and when eye met eye the pair greeted each other fondly and
the father asked concerning her three children. She declared that
she had no tidings of them after the shipwreck and she knew not
whether they were dead or alive. Hereat the King wept with sore
weeping and exclaimed, "Verily we are Allah's and unto Him we are
returning!" after which he gave orders to march from that place
upon his capital. Accordingly they stinted not faring for a space
of four days till they reached the city and he entered his
citadel-palace. But every time and every hour he was engrossed in
pondering the affair of the three Princesses and kept saying,
"Would heaven I wot are they drowned or did they escape the sea;
and, if they were saved, Oh, that I knew whether they were
scattered or abode in company one with other and whatever else
may have betided them!" And he ceased not brooding over the issue
of things and kept addressing himself in speech; and neither meat
was pleasant to him nor drink. Such were his case and adventure;
but as regards the youngest sister whenas she was met by the
Knight and seated upon the crupper of his steed, he ceased not
riding with her till he reached his city and went into his
citadel-palace. Now the Knight was the son of a Sultan who had
lately deceased, but a usurper had seized the reins of rule in
his stead and Time had proved a tyrant to the youth, who had
therefore addicted himself to hunting and sporting. Now by the
decree of the Decreer he had ridden forth to the chase where he
met the Princess and took her up behind him, and at the end of
the ride, when he returned to his mother, he was becharmed by her
charms; so he gave her in charge to his parent and honoured her
with the highmost possible honour and felt for her a growing
fondness even as felt she for him. And when the girl had tarried
with them a month full-told she increased in beauty and
loveliness and symmetrical stature and perfect grace; then, the
heart of the youth was fulfilled with love of her and on like
wise was the soul of the damsel who, in her new affection, forgot
her mother and her sisters. But from the moment that maiden
entered his Palace the fortunes of the young Knight amended and
the world waxed propitious to him nor less did the hearts of the
lieges incline to him; so they held a meeting and said, "There
shall be over us no Sovran and no Sultan save the son of our late
King; and he who at this present ruleth us hath neither great
wealth nor just claim to the sovereignty." Now all this benefit
which accrued to the young King was by the auspicious coming of
the Princess. Presently the case was agreed upon by all the
citizens of the capital that on the morning of the next day they
would make him ruler and depose the usurper.--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her
permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Seventy-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
citizens in early morning held a meeting whereat were present the
Lords of the land and the high Officials, and they went in to the
usurping Sultan determined to remove and depose him. But he
refused and forswore consent, saying, "By Allah, such thing may
not be except after battle and slaughter." Accordingly they fared
forth and acquainted the young King who held the matter grievous
and was overridden by cark and care: however he said to them, "If
there must perforce be fighting and killing, I have treasures
sufficient to levy a host." So saying he went away and
disappeared; but presently he brought them the moneys which they
distributed to the troops. Then they repaired to the Maydan, the
field of fight outside the city, and on like guise the usurping
Sultan rode out with all his power. And when the two opposing
hosts were ranged in their forces, each right ready for the fray,
the usurper and his men charged home upon the young King and
either side engaged in fierce combat and sore slaughter befel.
But the usurper had the better of the battle and purposed to
seize the young King amidst his many when, lo and behold!
appeared a Knight backing a coal-black mare; and he was armed
cap-à-pie in a coat of mail, and he carried a spear and a mace.
With these he bore down upon the usurper and shore off his right
forearm so that he fell from his destrier, and the Knight seeing
this struck him a second stroke with the sword and parted head
from body. When his army saw the usurper fall, all sought safety
in flight and sauve qui peut; but the army of the young King came
up with them and caused the scymitar to fall upon them so that
were saved of them only those to whom length of life was
foreordained. Hereupon the victors lost no time in gathering the
spoils and the horses together; but the young King stood gazing
at the Knight and considering his prowess; yet he failed to
recognise him and after an hour or so the stranger disappeared
leaving the conqueror sorely chafed and vexed for that he knew
him not and had failed to forgather with him. After this the
young King returned from the battle-field with his band playing
behind him and he entered the seat of his power, and was raised
by the lieges to the station of his sire. Those who had escaped
the slaughter dispersed in all directions and sought safety in
flight and the partizans who had enthroned the young King
thronged around him and gave him joy as also did the general of
the city, whose rejoicings were increased thereby. Now the coming
of the aforesaid Knight was a wondrous matter. When the rightful
King made ready for battle the Princess feared for his life and,
being skilled in the practice of every weapon, she escaped the
notice of the Queen-dowager and after donning her war-garb and
battle-gear she went forth to the stable and saddled her a mare
and mounted her and pushed in between the two armies. And as soon
as she saw the usurper charge down upon the young King as one
determined to shed his life's blood, she forestalled him and
attacked him and tore out the life from between his ribs. Then
she returned to her apartment nor did any know of the deed she
had done. Presently, when it was eventide the young King entered
the Palace after securing his succession to royalty; but he was
still chafed and vexed for that he knew not the Knight. His
mother met him and gave him joy of his safety and his accession
to the Sultanate, whereto he made reply, "Ah! O my mother, my
length of days was from the hand of a horseman who suddenly
appearing joined us in our hardest stress and aided me in my
straitest need and saved me from Death." Quoth she, "O my son,
hast thou recognised him?" and quoth he, "'Twas my best desire to
discover him and to stablish him as my Wazir, but this I failed
to do." Now when the Princess heard these words she laughed and
rejoiced and still laughing said, "To whoso will make thee
acquainted with him what wilt thou give?" and said he, "Dost thou
know him?" So she replied, "I wot him not" and he rejoined, "Then
what is the meaning of these thy words?" when she answered him in
these prosaic rhymes:[FN#175]--
"O my lord, may I prove thy sacrifice * Nor exult at thy sorrows
thine enemies!
Could unease and disease by others be borne * The slave should
bear load on his lord that lies:
I'll carry whatever makes thee complain * And be my body the
first that dies."
When he heard these words he again asked, "Dost thou know him?"
and she answered, "He? Verily we wot him not;"[FN#176] and
repeated the saying to him a second time: withal he by no means
understood her. So quoth she, "How canst thou administer the
Sultanate and yet fail to comprehend my simple words? For indeed
I have made the case clear to thee." Hereupon he fathomed the
secret of the saying and flew to her in his joy and clasped her
to his bosom and kissed her upon the cheeks. But his mother
turned to him and said, "O my son, do not on this wise, for
everything hath its time and season;"--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is
thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate
to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Sultan's mother said, "O my son, everything hath its time and
season; and whoso hurrieth a matter before opportunity befit
shall be punished with the loss of it." But he replied, "By
Allah, O my mother, thy suspicion be misplaced: I acted thus only
on my gratitude to her, for assuredly she is the Knight who came
to my aidance and who saved me from death." And his mother
excused him. They passed that night in converse and next day at
noontide the King sought the Divan in order to issue his
commandments; but when the assembly filled the room and became as
a garden of bloom the Lords of the land said to him, "O King of
the Age, 'twere not suitable that thou become Sultan except thou
take to thee a wife; and Alhamdolillah--laud to the Lord who hath
set thee on the necks of His servants and who hath restored the
realm to thee as successor of thy sire. There is no help but that
thou marry." Quoth he, "To hear is to consent;" then he arose
without stay or delay and went in to his mother and related to
her what had happened. Quoth she, "O my son, do what becometh
thee and Allah prosper thy affairs!" He said to her, "O my
mother, retire thou with the maiden and persuade her to marriage
for I want none other and I love not aught save herself," and
said she, "With joy and gladness." So he went from her and she
arose and was private with the damsel when she addressed her, "O
my lady, the King desireth to wed thee and he wanteth none other
and he seeketh not aught save thee." But the Princess hearing
this exclaimed, "How shall I marry, I who have lost my kith and
kin and my dear ones and am driven from my country and my
birth-place? This were a proceeding opposed to propriety! But if
it need must be and I have the fortune to forgather with my
mother and sisters and father, then and then only it shall take
place." The mother replied, "Why this delay, O my daughter? The
Lords of the land have stood up against the King in the matter of
marriage, and in the absence of espousals we fear for his
deposition. Now maidens be many and their relations long to see
each damsel wedded to my son and become a Queen in virtue of her
husband's degree: but he wanteth none other and loveth naught
save thyself. Accordingly, an thou wouldst take compassion on him
and protect him by thy consent from the insistence of the
Grandees, deign accept him to mate." Nor did the Sultan's mother
cease to speak soothing words to the maiden and to gentle her
with soft language until her mind was made up and she gave
consent.[FN#177] Upon this they began to prepare for the ceremony
forthright, and summoned the Kazi and witnesses who duly knotted
the knot of wedlock and by eventide the glad tidings of the
espousals were bruited abroad. The King bade spread bride-feasts
and banqueting tables and invited his high Officials and the
Grandees of the kingdom and he went in to the maiden that very
night and the rejoicings grew in gladness and all sorrows ceased
to deal sadness. Then he proclaimed through the capital and all
the burghs that the lieges should decorate the streets with rare
tapestries and multiform in honour of the Sultanate. Accordingly,
they adorned the thoroughfares in the city and its suburbs for
forty days and the rejoicings increased when the King fed the
widows and the Fakirs and the mesquin and scattered gold and
robed and gifted and largessed till all the days of decoration
were gone by. On this wise the sky of his estate grew clear by
the loyalty of the lieges and he gave orders to deal justice
after the fashion of the older Sultans, to wit, the Chosroës and
the Cæsars; and this condition endured for three years, during
which Almighty Allah blessed him by the Princess with two
men-children as they were moons. Such was the case with the
youngest Princess; but as regards the cadette, the second
sister,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent
and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that as regards
the case of the cadette, the second damsel, when she was adopted
to daughter by the ancient dame she fell to spinning with her and
living by the work of their hands. Now there chanced to govern
that city a Báshá[FN#178] who had sickened with a sore sickness
till he was near unto death; and the wise men and leaches had
compounded for him of medicines a mighty matter which, however,
availed him naught. At last the tidings came to the ears of the
Princess who lived with the old woman and she said to her, "O my
mother, I desire to prepare a tasse of broth and do thou bear it
to the Basha and let him drink of it; haply will Almighty Allah
vouchsafe him a cure whereby we shall gain some good." Said the
other, "O my daughter, and how shall I obtain admittance and who
shall set the broth before him?" The maiden replied, "O my
mother, at the Gate of Allah Almighty!"[FN#179] and the dame
rejoined, "Do thou whatso thou willest." So the damsel arose and
cooked a tasse of broth and mingled with it sundry hot spices
such as pimento[FN#180] and she had certain leaflets taken from
the so-called Wind tree,[FN#181] whereof she inserted a small
portion deftly mingling the ingredients. Then the old woman took
it and set forth and walked till she reached the Basha's mansion
where the servants and eunuchs met her and asked her of what was
with her. She answered, "This is a tasse of broth which I have
brought for the Basha that he drink of it as much as he may
fancy; haply Almighty Allah shall vouchsafe healing to him." They
went in and reported that to the Basha who exclaimed, "Bring her
to me hither." Accordingly, they led her within and she offered
to him the tasse of broth, whereupon he rose and sat upright and
removed the cover from the cup which sent forth a pleasant
savour: so he took it and sipped of it a spoonful and a second
and a third, when his heart opened to her and he drank of it till
he could no more. Now this was in the forenoon and after
finishing the soup he gave the old woman a somewhat of dinars
which she took and returned therewith to the damsel rejoicing,
and handed to her the gold pieces. But the Basha immediately
after drinking the broth felt drowsy and he slept a restful sleep
till mid-afternoon and when he awoke health had returned to his
frame beginning from the time he drank. So he asked after the
ancient dame and sent her word to prepare for him another tasse
of broth like the first; but they told him that none knew her
dwelling-place. Now when the old woman returned home the maiden
asked her whether the broth had pleased the Basha or not; and she
said that it was very much to his liking; so the girl got ready a
second portion but without all the stronger ingredients[FN#182]
of the first. Then she gave it to the dame who took it and went
forth with it and whilst the Basha was asking for her behold, up
she came and the servants took her and led her in to the
Governor. On seeing her he rose and sat upright and called for
other food and when it was brought he ate his sufficiency, albeit
for a length of time he could neither rise nor walk. But from the
hour he drank all the broth he sniffed the scent of health and he
could move about as he moved when hale and hearty. So he asked
the old dame saying, "Didst thou cook this broth?" and she
answered, "O my lord, my daughter made it and sent me with it to
thee." He exclaimed, "By Allah this maiden cannot be thy
daughter, O old woman; and she can be naught save the daughter of
Kings. But bid her every day at morning-tide cook me a tasse of
the same broth." The other replied, "To hear is to obey," and
returned home with this message to the damsel who did as the
Basha bade the first day and the second to the seventh day. And
the Basha waxed stronger every day and when the week was ended he
took horse and rode to his pleasure-garden. He increased
continually in force and vigour till, one day of the days, he
sent for the dame and questioned her concerning the damsel who
lived with her; so she acquainted him with her case and what
there was in her of beauty and loveliness and perfect grace.
Thereupon the Basha fell in love with the girl by hearsay and
without eye-seeing[FN#183]:--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Three Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Basha
fell in love with the girl by hearsay and without eye-seeing: so
he changed his habit and donning a dress of Darwaysh-cut left his
mansion and threaded the streets passing from house to house
until he reached that of the old woman. He then knocked at the
entrance and she came behind it and asked "Who's at the door?" "A
Darwaysh and a stranger," answered he, "who knoweth no man in
this town and who is sore anhungered." Now the ancient dame was
by nature niggardly and she had lief put him off, but the damsel
said to her, "Turn him not away," and quoting "Honour to the
foreigner is a duty," said, "So do thou let him in." She admitted
him and seated him when the maiden brought him a somewhat of food
and stood before him in his service. He ate one time and ten
times he gazed at the girl until he had eaten his sufficiency
when he washed his hands and rising left the house and went his
ways. But his heart flamed with love of the Princess and he was
deeply enamoured of her and he ceased not walking until he
reached his mansion whence he sent for the old woman. And when
they brought her, he produced a mint of money and a sumptuous
dress in which he requested and prayed her to attire the damsel:
then the old woman took it and returned to her protegée, saying
to herself, "By Allah, if the girl accept the Basha and marry him
she will prove sensible as fortunate; but an she be not content
so to do I will turn her out of my door." When she went in she
gave her the dress and bade her don it, but the damsel refused
till the old woman coaxed her and persuaded her to try it on. Now
when the dame left the Basha, he privily assumed a woman's habit
and followed in her footsteps; and at last he entered the house
close behind her and beheld the Princess in the sumptuous dress.
Then the fire of his desire flamed higher in his heart and he
lacked patience to part from her, so he returned to his mansion
with mind preoccupied and vitals yearning. Thither he summoned
the old woman and asked her to demand the girl in marriage and
was instant with her and cried, "No help but this must be."
Accordingly she returned home and acquainted the girl with what
had taken place adding, "O my daughter, verily the Basha loveth
thee and his wish is to wed thee: he hath been a benefactor to
us, and thou wilt never meet his like; for that he is deeply
enamoured of thee and the byword saith, 'Reward of lover is
return of love.'" And the ancient dame ceased not gentling her
and plying her with friendly words till she was soothed and gave
consent. Then she returned to the Basha and informed him of her
success, so he joyed with exceeding joy, and without stay or
delay bade slaughter beeves and prepare bridal feasts and spread
banquets whereto he invited the notables of his government: after
which he summoned the Kazi who tied the knot and he went in to
her that night. And of the abundance of his love he fared not
forth from her till seven days had sped; and he ceased not to
cohabit with her for a span of five years during which Allah
vouchsafed to him a man-child by her and two daughters. Such was
the case with the cadette Princess; but as regards the eldest
sister, when she entered the city in youth's attire she was
accosted by the Kunáfah-baker and was hired for a daily wage of a
Mídí of silver besides her meat and drink in his house. Now 'twas
the practice of that man every day to buy half a quartern of
flour and thereof make his vermicelli; but when the so-seeming
youth came to him he would buy and work up three quarterns; and
all the folk who bought Kunafah of him would flock to his shop
with the view of gazing upon the beauty and loveliness of the
Youth and said, "Exalted be He who created and perfected what He
wrought in the creation of this young man!" Now by the decree of
the Decreer the baker's shop faced the lattice-windows of the
Sultan's Palace and one day of the days the King's daughter
chanced to look out at the window and she saw the Youth standing
with sleeves tucked up from arms which shone like ingots[FN#184]
of silver. Hereat the Princess fell in love with the Youth,--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased
saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How
sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
Sultan's daughter looked out at the window she fell in love with
the youth, and she knew not how to act that she might forgather
with him: so desire afflicted her and extreme fondness and
presently she took to her pillow all for her affection to that
young man. Thereupon her nurse went in to her and found her lying
upon the carpet-bed a-moaning and a-groaning "Ah!" So she
exclaimed, "Thy safety from all whereof thou hast to complain!"
Then she took her hand and felt her pulse but could find in it no
symptoms of sickness bodily, whereupon she said, "O my lady, thou
hast no unease save what eyesight hath brought thee." She
replied, "O my mother, do thou keep sacred my secret, and if thy
hand can reach so far as to bring me my desire, prithee do so;"
and the nurse rejoined, "O my lady, like me who can keep a
secret? therefore confide to me thy longing and Allah vouchsafe
thee thy dearest hope." Said the Princess, "O my mother, my heart
is lost to the young man who worketh in the vermicelli-baker's
shop and if I fail to be united with him I shall die of grief."
The nurse replied, "By Allah, O my lady, he is the fairest of his
age and indeed I lately passed by him as his sleeves were tucked
up above his forearms and he ravished my wits: I longed to accost
him but shame overcame me in presence of those who were round
him, some buying Kunafah and others gazing on his beauty and
loveliness, his symmetric stature and his perfect grace. But I, O
my lady, will do thee a service and cause thee forgather with him
ere long." Herewith the heart of the Princess was solaced and she
promised the nurse all good. Then the old woman left her and fell
to devising how she should act in order to bring about a meeting
between her and the youth or carry him into the Palace. So she
went to the baker's shop and bringing out an Ashrafi[FN#185] said
to him, "Take, O Master, this gold piece and make me a
platter[FN#186] of vermicelli meet for the best and send it for
me by this Youth who shall bring it to my home that be near hand:
I cannot carry it myself." Quoth the baker in his mind, "By
Allah, good pay is this gold piece and a Kunafah is worth ten
silverlings; so all the rest is pure profit." And he replied, "On
my head and eyes be it, O my lady;" and taking the Ashrafi made
her a plate of vermicelli and bade his servant bear it to her
house. So he took it up and accompanied the nurse till she
reached the Princess's palace when she went in and seated the
Youth in an out-of-the-way closet. Then she repaired to her
nursling and said, "Rise up, O my lady, for I have brought thee
thy desire." The Princess sprang to her feet in hurry and flurry
and fared till she came to the closet; then, going in she found
the Youth who had set down the Kunafah and who was standing in
expectation of the nurse's return that he and she might wend
homewards. And suddenly the Sultan's daughter came in and bade
the Youth be seated beside her, and when he took seat she clasped
him to her bosom of her longing for him and fell to kissing him
on the cheeks and mouth ever believing him to be a male
masculant, till her hot desire for him was quenched.[FN#187] Then
she gave to him two golden dinars and said to him, "O my lord and
coolth of my eyes, do thou come hither every day that we may take
our pleasure, I and thou." He said, "To hear is to obey," and
went forth from her hardly believing in his safety, for he had
learnt that she was the Sultan's daughter, and he walked till he
reached the shop of his employer to whom he gave the twenty
dinars. Now when the baker saw the gold, affright and terror
entered his heart and he asked his servant whence the money came;
and, when told of the adventure, his horror and dismay increased
and he said to himself, "An this case of ours continue, either
the Sultan will hear that this youth practiseth upon his
daughter, or she will prove in the family way and 'twill end in
our deaths and the ruin of our country. The lad must quit this
evil path." Thereupon quoth he to the Youth, "From this time
forwards do thou cease faring forth thereto," whereat quoth the
other, "I may not prevent myself from going and I dread death an
I go not." So the man cried, "Do whatso may seem good to thee."
Accordingly, the Princess in male attire fell to going every
morning and meeting the Sultan's daughter, till one day of the
days she went in and the twain sat down and laughed and enjoyed
themselves, when lo and behold! the King entered. And as soon as
he espied the youth and saw him seated beside his daughter, he
commanded him be arrested and they arrested him;--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to
say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet
is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate
to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
Sultan entered and saw the youth sitting beside his daughter he
commanded him to be arrested and they arrested him; they also
seized the Princess and bound her forearms to her sides with
straitest bonds. Then the King summoned the Linkman and bade him
smite off both their heads: so he took them and went down with
them to the place of execution. But when the tidings reached the
Kunáfáni he shut up shop without stay and delay and fled.
Presently the Sultan said in his mind, "Fain would I question the
Youth touching his object in entering hither, and ask him who
conducted him to my daughter and how he won access to her."
Accordingly he sent to bring back the twain and imprisoned them
till night-fall: then he went in to his Harem and caused his
daughter's person to be examined, and when they inspected her she
proved to be a pure maid. This made the King marvel, for he
supposed that the Youth must have undone her maidenhead;[FN#188]
so he sent for him to the presence, and when he came he
considered him and found him fairer even than his daughter; nay,
far exceeding her in beauty and loveliness. So he cried, "By
Allah this be a wondrous business! Verily my daughter hath excuse
for loving this Youth nor to my judgment doth she even him in
charms: not the less this affair is a shame to us, and the
foulest of stains and needs must the twain be done to death
to-morrow morning!" Herewith he commanded the jailer to take the
Youth and to keep him beside him and he shut up the girl with her
nurse. The jailer forthwith led his charge to the jail; but it so
happened that its portal was low; and, when the Youth was ordered
to pass through it, he bent his brow down-wards for easier
entrance, when his turband struck against the lintel and fell
from his head. The jailer turned to look at him, and behold, his
hair was braided and the plaits being loosed gleamed like an
ingot of gold. He felt assured that the youth was a maiden so he
returned to the King in all haste and hurry and cried, "Pardon, O
our lord the Sultan!" "Allah pardon us and thee;" replied the
King, and the man rejoined, "O King of the Age, yonder Youth is
no boy; nay, he be a virgin girl." Quoth the Sultan, "What sayest
thou?" and quoth the other, "By the truth of Him who made thee
ruler of the necks of His worshippers, O King of the Age, verily
this is a maiden." So he bade the prison-keeper bring her and set
her in his presence and he returned with her right soon, but now
she paced daintily as the gazelle and veiled her face, because
she saw that the jailer had discovered her sex. The King then
commanded them carry her to the Harem whither he followed her and
presently, having summoned his daughter, he questioned her
concerning the cause of her union with the so-seeming Youth.
Herewith she related all that had happened with perfect truth: he
also put questions to the Princess in man's habit, but she stood
abashed before him and was dumb, unable to utter a single word.
As soon as it was morning, the Sultan asked of the place where
the Youth had dwelt and they told him that he lodged with a
Kunáfah-baker, and the King bade fetch the man, when they
reported that he had fled. However, the Sultan was instant in
finding him, so they went forth and sought him for two days when
they secured him and set him between the royal hands. He enquired
into the Youth's case and the other replied, "By Allah, O King of
the Age, between me and him were no questionings and I wot not
whence may be his origin." The Monarch rejoined, "O man, thou
hast my plighted word for safety, so continue thy business as
before and now gang thy gait." Then he turned to the maiden and
repeated his enquiries, when she made answer saying, "O my lord,
my tale is wondrous and my adventures marvellous." "And what may
they be?" he asked her.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then
quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Princess said to the Sultan, "In very sooth my tale is passing
strange," and he besought her to recount it. So she began to
disclose the whole of her history and the adventures which had
befallen her and her sisters and their mother; especially of the
shipwreck in middle-most ocean and of her coming to land; after
which she told the affair of the Wazir burnt by her sire, that
traitor who had separated children from father and, brief, all
that had betided them from first to last. Hearing her soft speech
and her strange story the Sultan marvelled and his heart inclined
herwards; then he gave her in charge to the Palace women and
conferred upon her favours and benefits. But when he looked upon
her beauty and loveliness, her brilliancy and perfect grace he
fell deeply in love with her, and his daughter hearing the
accidents which had happened to the Princess's father cried, "By
Allah, the story of this damsel should be chronicled in a book,
that it become the talk of posterity and be quoted as an instance
of the omnipotence of Allah Almighty; for He it is who parteth
and scattereth and re-uniteth." So saying she took her and
carried her to her own apartment where she entreated her
honourably; and the maiden, after she had spent a month in the
Palace, showed charms grown two-fold and even more. At last one
day of the days, as she sat beside the King's daughter in her
chamber about eventide, when the sun was hot after a sultry
summer day and her cheeks had flushed rosy red, behold, the
Sultan entered passing through the room on his way to the Harem
and his glance undesignedly[FN#189] fell upon the Princess who
was in home gear, and he looked a look of eyes that cost him a
thousand sighs. So he was astounded and stood motionless knowing
not whether to go or to come; and when his daughter sighted him
in such plight she went up to him and said, "What hath betided
thee and brought thee to this condition?" Quoth he, "By Allah,
this girl hath stolen my senses from my soul: I am fondly
enamoured of her and if thou aid me not by asking her in marriage
and I fail to wed her 'twill make my wits go clean bewildered."
Thereupon the King's daughter returned to the damsel and drawing
near her said, "O my lady and light of my eyes, indeed my father
hath seen thee in thy deshabille and he hath hung[FN#190] all his
hopes upon thee, so do not thou contrary my words nor the counsel
I am about to offer thee." "And what may that be, O my lady?"
asked she, and the other answered, "My wish is to marry thee to
my sire and thou be to him wife and he be to thee man." But when
the maiden heard these words she wept with bitter weeping till
she sobbed aloud and cried, "Time hath mastered us and decreed
separation: I know nothing of my mother and sisters and father,
an they be dead or on life, and whether they were drowned or came
to ground; then how should I enjoy a bridal fête when they may be
in mortal sadness and sorrow?" But the other ceased not to soothe
her and array fair words against her and show her fondly
friendship till her soul consented to wedlock. Presently the
other brought out to her what habit befitted the occasion still
comforting her heart with pleasant converse,[FN#191] after which
she carried the tidings to her sire. So he sent forthright to
summon his Lords of the reign and Grandees of the realm and the
knot was tied between them twain; and, going in unto her that
night, he found her a hoard wherefrom the spell had freshly been
dispelled; and of his longing for her and his desire to her he
abode with her two se'nnights never going forth from her or by
night or by day. Hereat the dignitaries of his empire were sore
vexed for that their Sultan ceased to appear at the Divan and
deal commandment between man and man, and his daughter went in
and acquainted him therewith. He asked her how long he had
absented himself and she answered saying, "Knowest thou how long
thou hast tarried in the Palace?" whereto he replied, "Nay."
"Fourteen whole days," cried she, whereupon he exclaimed, "By
Allah, O my daughter, I thought to myself that I had spent with
her two days and no more." And his daughter wondered to hear his
words. Such was the case of the cadette Princess; but as regards
the King, the father of the damsel, when he forgathered with the
mother of his three daughters and she told him of the shipwreck
and the loss of her children he determined to travel in search of
the three damsels, he and the Wazir habited as Darwayshes.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eightieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
resolved to travel in search of his children (the three damsels)
he and his Wazir habited as Darwayshes. So leaving the government
in charge of his wife he went forth and the twain in their search
first visited the cities on the seaboard beginning with the
nearest; but they knew not what was concealed from them in the
world of the future. They stinted not travelling for the space of
a month till they came to a city whose Sultan had a place hight
Al-Dijlah[FN#192] whereupon he had built a Palace. The Darwayshes
made for it and found the King sitting in his Kiosque[FN#193]
accompanied by two little lads, the elder eight years old and the
second six. They drew near to him and saluting him offered their
services and blessed him, wishing him length of life as is the
fashion when addressing royalties; and he returned their
greetings and made them draw near and showed them kindness; also,
when it was eventide he bade his men serve them with somewhat of
food. On the next day the King fared forth to Tigris-bank and sat
in his Kiosque together with the two boys. Now the Darwayshes had
hired them a cell in the Khan whence it was their daily wont to
issue forth and wander about the city asking for what they
sought; and this day they again came to the place wherein sat the
Sultan and they marvelled at the fair ordinance of the Palace.
They continued to visit it every day till one day of the days the
two went out, according to their custom, and when entering the
Palace one of the King's children, which was the younger, came up
to them and fell to considering them as if he had forgotten his
own existence. This continued till the Darwayshes retired to
their cell in the caravanserai whither the boy followed them to
carry out the Secret Purpose existing in the All-knowledge of
Allah. And when the two sat down the Sultan's son went in to them
and fell to gazing upon them and solacing himself with the sight,
when the elder Darwaysh clasped him to his bosom and fell to
kissing his cheeks, marvelling at his semblance and at his
beauty; and the boy in his turn forgot his father and his mother
and took to the old man. Now whenas night fell the Sultan retired
homewards fancying that his boy had foregone him to his mother
while the Sultánah fancied that her child was with his father,
and this endured till such time as the King had entered the
Harem. But only the elder child was found there so the Sultan
asked, "Where is the second boy?" and the Queen answered, "Day by
day thou takest them with thee to Tigris-bank and thou bringest
them back; but to-day only the elder hath returned." Thereupon
they sought him but found him not and the mother buffeted her
face in grief for her child and the father lost his right senses.
Then the high Officials fared forth to search for their King's
son and sought him from early night to the dawn of day, but not
finding him they deemed that he had been drowned in Tigris-water.
So they summoned all the fishermen and divers and caused them to
drag the river for a space of four days. All this time and the
boy abode with the Darwayshes, who kept saying to him, "Go to thy
father and thy mother;" but he would not obey them and he would
sit with the Fakirs upon whom all his thoughts were fixed while
theirs were fixed upon him. This lasted till the fifth day when
the door-keeper unsummoned entered the cell and found the
Sultan's son sitting with the old men; so he went out hurriedly
and repairing to the King cried, "O my Sovran, thy boy is with
those Darwayshes who were wont daily to visit thee." Now when the
Sultan heard the porter's words, he called aloud to his Eunuchs
and Chamberlains and gave them his orders; when they ran a race,
as it were, till they entered upon the holy men and carried them
from their cell together with the boy and set all four[FN#194]
before the Sultan. The King exclaimed, "Verily these Darwayshes
must be spies and their object was to carry off my boy;" so he
took up his child and clasped him to his bosom and kissed him
again and again of his yearning fondness to him, and presently he
sent him to his mother who was well-nigh frantic. Then he
committed the two Fakirs (with commands to decapitate them) to
the Linkman who took them and bound their hands and bared their
heads and fell to crying, "This be his reward and the least of
awards who turneth traitor and kidnappeth the sons of the Kings;"
and as he cried all the citizens great and small flocked to the
spectacle. But when the boy heard the proclamation, he went forth
in haste till he stood before the elder Darwaysh who was still
kneeling upon the rug of blood and threw himself upon him at full
length till the Grandees of his father forcibly removed him. Then
the executioner stepped forward purposing to strike the necks of
the two old men and he raised his sword hand till the dark hue of
his arm-pit showed[FN#195] and he would have dealt the blow when
the boy again made for the elder Fakir and threw himself upon him
not only once but twice and thrice, preventing the Sworder's
stroke and abode clinging to the old man. The Sultan cried, "This
Darwaysh is a Sorcerer:" but when the tidings reached the
Sultanah, the boy's mother, she exclaimed, "O King, needs must
this Darwaysh have a strange tale to tell, for the boy is wholly
absorbed in him. So it is not possible to slay him on this wise
till thou summon him to the presence and question him: I also
will listen to him behind the curtain and thus none shall hear
him save our two selves." The King did her bidding and commanded
the old man to be brought: so they took him from under the sword
and set him before the King--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she,
"And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on
the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that at the
King's bidding they took up the Fakir who was still kneeling
under the glaive and set him before the King who bade him be
seated. And when he sat him down the Sultan commanded all who
were in the presence of Eunuchs and Chamberlains to withdraw, and
they withdrew leaving the Sovran with the old religious. But the
second Darwaysh still knelt in his bonds under the sword of the
Sworder who, standing over against his head, kept looking for the
royal signal to strike. Then cried the King, "O Mendicant, what
drove thee to take my son, the core of my heart?" He replied, "By
Allah, O King, I took him not for mine own pleasure; but he would
not go from me and I threatened him, withal he showed no fear
till this destiny descended upon us." Now when the Sultan heard
these words his heart softened to the old man and he pitied him
while the Sultanah who sat behind the curtain fell to weeping
aloud. Presently the King said, "O Darwaysh, relate to us thy
history, for needs must it be a singular;" but the old man began
to shed tears and said, "O King of the Age, I have a marvellous
adventure which were it graven with needle-gravers upon the
eye-corners were a warning to whoso would be warned." The Sultan
was surprised and replied, "What then may be thy history, O
Mendicant?" and the other rejoined, "O King of the Age, I will
recount it to thee."[FN#196] Accordingly he told him of his
kingship and the Wazir tempting his wife and of her slaying the
nurse, the slave-girls, and the Eunuch; but when he came to this
point the Sultanah ran out in haste and hurry from behind the
curtain and rushing up to the Darwaysh threw herself upon his
bosom. The King seeing this marvelled and in a fury of jealousy
clapped hand to hilt crying to the Fakir, "This be most unseemly
behaviour!" But the Queen replied, "Hold thy hand, by Allah, he
is my father and I am his loving daughter;" and she wept and
laughed alternately[FN#197] all of the excess of her joy. Hereat
the King wondered and bade release the second religious and
exclaimed, "Sooth he spake who said:--
Allah joineth the parted when think the twain * With firmest
thought ne'er to meet again."
Then the Sultanah began recounting to him the history of her sire
and specially what befel him from his Wazir; and he, when he
heard her words, felt assured of their truth. Presently he bade
them change the habits of her father and of his Wazir and dress
them with the dress of Kings; and he set apart for them an
apartment and allotted to them rations of meat and drink; so
extolled be He who disuniteth and reuniteth! Now the Sultanah in
question was the youngest daughter of the old King who had been
met by the Knight when out hunting, the same that owed all his
fair fortunes to her auspicious coming. Accordingly the father
was assured of having found the lost one and was delighted to
note her high degree; but after tarrying with her for a time he
asked permission of his son-in-law to set out in quest of her two
sisters and he supplicated Almighty Allah to reunite him with the
other twain as with this first one. Thereupon quoth the Sultan,
"It may not be save that I accompany thee, for otherwise haply
some mishap of the world may happen to thee." Then the three sat
down in council debating what they should do and in fine they
agreed to travel, taking with them some of the Lords of the land
and Chamberlains and Nabobs. They made ready and after three days
they marched out of the city,--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the old
King marched forth the city accompanied by his son-in-law and his
Wazir after the Sultan had supplied his own place by a
Vice-regent who would carry out his commandments. Then they
turned to travelling in quest of the two lost daughters and
stinted not their wayfare for a space of twenty days, when they
drew near a city lofty of base, and, finding a spacious camping
plain, thereon pitched their tents. The time was set of sun, so
the cooks applied themselves to getting ready the evening meal
and when supper was served up all ate what sufficed them, and it
was but little because of the travails of travel, and they
nighted in that site until morn was high. Now the ruler of that
city was a Sultan mighty of might, potent of power and exceeding
in energy; and he was surprised to hear a Chamberlain report to
him saying, "O King of the Age, after an eventless night early
this morning we found outside thy capital tents and pavilions
with standards and banners planted overagainst them and all this
after the fashion of the Kings." The Sovran replied, "There is no
help but that to these creations of Allah some requirement is
here: however, we will learn their tidings." So he took horse
with his Grandees and made for the ensigns and colours, and
drawing near he noted gravity and majesty in the array and
eunuchs and followers and serving-men standing ready to do duty.
Then he dismounted and walked till he approached the bystanders
whom he greeted with the salam. They salam'd in return and
received him with most honourable reception and highmost respect
till they had introduced him into the royal Shahmiyánah; when the
two Kings rose to him and welcomed him and he wished them long
life in such language as is spoken by Royalties; and all sat down
to converse one with other. Now the Lord of the city had warned
his people before he fared forth that dinner must be prepared; so
when it was mid-forenoon the Farrásh-folk[FN#198] spread the
tables with trays of food and the guests came forward, one and
all, and enjoyed their meal and were gladdened. Then the dishes
were carried away for the servants and talk went round till
sun-set, at which time the King again ordered food to be brought
and all supped till they had their sufficiency. But the Sultan
kept wondering in his mind and saying, "Would Heaven I wot the
cause of these two Kings coming to us!" and when night fell the
strangers prayed him to return home and to revisit them next
morning. So he farewelled them and fared forth. This lasted three
days, during which time he honoured them with all honour, and on
the fourth he got ready for them a banquet and invited them to
his Palace. They mounted and repaired thither when he set before
them food; and as soon as they had fed, the trays were removed
and coffee and confections and sherbets were served up and they
sat talking and enjoying themselves till supper-tide when they
sought permission to hie campwards. But the Sultan of the city
sware them to pass the night with him; so they returned to their
session till the father of the damsels said, "Let each of us tell
a tale that our waking hours may be the more pleasant." "Yes,"
they replied and all agreed in wishing that the Sultan of the
city would begin. Now by the decree of the Decreer the
lattice-window of the Queen opened upon the place of session and
she could see them and hear every word they said. He began, "By
Allah I have to relate an adventure which befel me and 'tis one
of the wonders of our time." Quoth they, "And what may it
be?"--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
of the city said:--In such a year I had a malady which none
availed to medicine until at last an old woman came to me bearing
a tasse of broth which when I drank caused health return to me.
So I bade her bring me a cupful every day and I drank it till,
after a time, I chanced to ask her who made that broth and she
answered that it was her daughter. And one day I assumed a
disguise and went to the ancient dame's house and there saw the
girl who was a model of beauty and loveliness, brilliancy,
symmetric stature and perfect grace, and seeing her I lost my
heart to her, and asked her to wife. She answered, "How can I
wed; I separated from my sisters and parents and all unknowing
what hath become of them?" Now when the father of the damsels
heard these words, tears rolled down his cheeks in rills and he
remembered his two lost girls and wept and moaned and complained,
the Sultan looking on in astonishment the while; and when he went
to his Queen he found her lying in a fainting fit. Hereupon he
cried out her name and seated her and she on coming to exclaimed,
"By Allah, he who wept before you is my very father: by Him who
created me I have no doubt thereof!" So the Sultan went down to
his father-in-law and led him up to the Harem and the daughter
rose and met him and they threw their arms round each other's
necks, and fondly greeted each other. After this the old King
passed the night relating to her what had befallen him while she
recounted to him whatso hath betided her, from first to last,
whereupon their rejoicings increased and the father thanked
Almighty Allah for having found two of his three children. The
old King and his sons-in-law and his Wazir ceased not to enjoy
themselves in the city, eating and drinking[FN#199] and making
merry for a space of two days when the father asked aidance of
his daughters' husbands to seek his third child that the general
joy might be perfected. This request they granted and resolved to
journey with him; so they made their preparations for travel and
issued forth the city together with sundry Lords of the land and
high Dignitaries, all taking with them what was required of
rations. Then travelling together in a body they faced the march.
This was their case; but as regards the third daughter (she who
in man's attire had served the Kunáfah-baker), after being
married to the Sultan his love for her and desire to her only
increased and she cohabited with him for a length of time. But
one day of the days she called to mind her parents and her kith
and kin and her native country, so she wept with sorest weeping
till she swooned away and when she recovered she rose without
stay or delay and taking two suits of Mameluke's habits patiently
awaited the fall of night. Presently she donned one of the
dresses and went down to the stables where, finding all the
grooms asleep, she saddled her a stallion of the noblest strain
and clinging to the near side mounted him. Then, having
supplicated the veiling of the Veiler, she fared under cover of
the glooms for her own land, all unweeting the way, and when
night gave place to day she saw herself amidst mountains and
sands; nor did she know what she should do. However she found on
a hill-flank some remnants of the late rain which she drank;
then, loosing the girths of her horse she gave him also to drink
and she was about to take her rest in that place when, lo and
behold! a lion big of bulk and mighty of might drew near her and
he was lashing his tail[FN#200] and roaring thunderously.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-fourth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
lion advanced to spring upon the Princess who was habited as a
Mameluke, and rushed to rend her in pieces, she, seeing her
imminent peril, sprang up in haste and bared her blade and met
him brand in hand saying, "Or he will slay me or I slay him." But
as she was hearty of heart she advanced till the two met and fell
to fight and struck each at other, but the lion waxed furious and
gnashed his tusks, now retreating and now circuiting around her
and then returning to front his foe purposing to claw her, when
she heartened her heart and without giving ground she swayed her
sabre with all the force of her forearm and struck the beast
between the eyes and the blade came out gleaming between his
thighs and he sank on earth life-forlore and weltering in his
gore. Presently she wiped her scymitar and returned it to its
sheath; then, drawing a whittle she came up to the carcass
intending to skin it for her own use, when behold, there towered
from afar two dust-clouds, one from the right and the other from
the left, whereat she withdrew from flaying the lion's fell and
applied herself to looking out. Now by the decree of the Decreer
the first dust-cloud approaching her was that raised by the host
of her father and his sons-in-law who, when they drew near all
stood to gaze upon her and consider her, saying in wonderment one
to other, "How can this white slave (and he a mere lad) have
slain this lion single-handed? Walláhi, had that beast charged
down upon us he had scattered us far and wide, and haply he had
torn one of us to pieces. By Allah, this matter is marvellous!"
But the Mameluke looked mainly at the old King whom he knew to be
his sire for his heart went forth to him. Meanwhile the second
dust-cloud approached until those beneath it met the others who
had foregone them, and behold, under it was the husband of the
disguised Princess and his many. Now the cause of this King
marching forth and coming thither was this. When he entered the
Palace intending for the Harem, he found not his Queen, and he
fared forth to seek her and presently by the decree of the
Decreer the two hosts met at the place where the lion had been
killed. The Sultan gazed upon the Mameluke and marveiled at his
slaying the monster and said to himself, "Now were this white
slave mine I would share with him my good and stablish him in my
kingdom." Herewith the Mameluke came forward and flayed the lion
of his fell and gutted him; then, lighting a fire he roasted
somewhat of his flesh until it was sufficiently cooked all gazing
upon him the while and marvelling at the heartiness of his heart.
And when the meat was ready, he carved it and setting it upon a
Sufrah[FN#201] of leather said to all present, "Bismillah, eat,
in the name of Allah, what Fate hath given to you!" Thereupon all
came forward and fell to eating of the lion's flesh except the
Princess's husband who was not pleased to join them and said, "By
Allah, I will not eat of this food until I learn the case of this
youth."[FN#202] Now the Princess had recognised her spouse from
the moment of his coming, but she was concealed from him by her
Mameluke's clothing; and he disappeared time after time then
returned to gaze upon the white slave, eyeing now his eyes now
his sides and now the turn of his neck and saying privily in his
mind, "Laud to the Lord who created and fashioned him! By Allah
this Mameluke is the counterpart of my wife in eyes and nose, and
all his form and features are made likest-like unto hers. So
extolled be He who hath none similar and no equal!" He was
drowned in this thought but all the rest ate till they had eaten
enough; then they sat down to pass the rest of their day and
their night in that stead. When it was dawn each and every craved
leave to depart upon his own business; but the Princess's husband
asked permission to wander in quest of her while the old King,
the father of the damsels, determined to go forth with his two
sons-in-law and find the third and last of his lost daughters.
Then the Mameluke said to them, "O my lords, sit we down, I and
you, for the rest of the day in this place and to-morrow I will
travel with you." Now the Princess for the length of her
wanderings (which began too when she was a little one) had
forgotten the semblance of her sire; but when she looked upon the
old King her heart yearned unto him and she fell to talking with
him, while he on his part whenever he gazed at her felt a like
longing and sought speech of her. So the first who consented to
the Mameluke's proposal was the sire whose desire was naught save
to sit beside her; then the rest also agreed to pass the day
reposing in that place, for that it was a pleasant mead and a
spacious, garnished with green grass and bright with bourgeon and
blossom. So they took seat there till sundown when each brought
out what victual he had and all ate their full and then fell to
conversing; and presently said the Princess, "O my lords, let
each of you tell us a tale which he deemeth strange." Her father
broke in saying, "Verily this rede be right and the first to
recount will be I, for indeed mine is a rare adventure." Then he
began his history telling them that he was born a King and that
such-and-such things had befallen him and so forth until the end
of his tale; and the Princess hearing his words was certified
that he was her sire. So presently she said, "And I too have a
strange history."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth
her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Princess in Mameluke's habit said, "And I too have a strange
history." Then she fell to relating all that had betided her from
the very beginning to that which hath before been described; and
when her father heard it he felt assured that she was his
daughter. So he arose and threw himself upon her and embraced her
and after he veiled her face with a kerchief was with him, and
her husband exclaimed, "Would to Heaven that I also could
forgather with my wife." Quoth she, "Inshallah, and that soon,"
and she inclined to him after kindly fashion and said to herself,
"Indeed this be my true husband." Herewith all resolved to march
from that stead and they departed, the Princess's spouse still
unknowing that she was his wife; and they stinted not faring till
they entered the Sultan's city and all made for the Palace. Then
the Princess slipped privily into the Harem without the knowledge
of her mate and changed her semblance, when her father said to
her husband, "Hie thee to the women's apartment: haply Allah may
show to thee thy wife." So he went in and found her sitting in
her own apartment and he marvelled as he espied her and drew near
her and threw his arms round her neck of his fond love to her and
asked her concerning her absence. Thereupon she told him the
truth saying, "I went forth seeking my sire and habited in a
Mameluke's habit and 'twas I slew the lion and roasted his flesh
over the fire, but thou wouldest not eat thereof." At these words
the Sultan rejoiced and his rejoicings increased and all were in
the highmost of joy and jolliment; he and her father with the two
other sons-in-law, and this endured for a long while. But at last
all deemed it suitable to revisit their countries and capitals
and each farewelled his friends and the whole party returned safe
and sound to their own homes.[FN#203] Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,
Shahrazad began to relate
THE STORY OF THE KAZI WHO BARE A BABE.[FN#204]
It hath been related that in Tarabulus-town[FN#205] of Syria was
a Kazi appointed under orders of the Caliph Hárún al-Rashíd to
adjudge law-suits and dissolve contracts and cross-examine
witnesses; and after taking seat in his Mahkamah[FN#206] his
rigour and severity became well known to all men. Now this judge
kept a black hand-maiden likest unto a buffalo-bull and she
cohabited with him for a lengthened while; for his nature was
ever niggardly nor could anyone wrest from him half a Faddah or
any alms-gift or aught else; and his diet was of biscuit[FN#207]
and onions. Moreover, he was ostentatious as he was miserly: he
had an eating-cloth bordered with a fine bell fringe,[FN#208] and
when any person entered about dinner-time or supper-tide he would
cry out, "O handmaid, fetch the fringed table-cloth;" and all who
heard his words would say to themselves, "By Allah, this must
needs be a costly thing." Presently one day of the days his
assessors and officers said to him, "O our lord the Kazi, take to
thyself a wife, for yon negress becometh not a dignitary of thy
degree." Said he, "An this need be, let any who hath a daughter
give her to me in wedlock and I will espouse her." Herewith quoth
one present, "I have a fair daughter and a marriageable," whereto
quoth the Kazi, "An thou wouldst do me a favour this is the
time." So the bride was fitted out and the espousals took place
forthright and that same night the Kazi's father-in-law came to
him and led him in to his bride saying in his heart, "I am now
connected with the Kazi." And he took pleasure in the thought for
he knew naught of the judge's stinginess and he could not suppose
but that his daughter would be comfortable with her mate and
well-to-do in the matter of diet and dress and furniture. Such
were the fancies which occurred to him; but as for the Kazi, he
lay with the maid and abated her maidenhead; and she in the
morning awaited somewhat where-with to break her fast and waited
in vain. Presently the Kazi left her and repaired to his court-
house whither the city folk came and gave him joy of his marriage
and wished him good morning, saying in themselves, "Needs must he
make a mighty fine bride feast." But they sat there to no purpose
until past noon when each went his own way privily damning the
judge's penuriousness. As soon as they were gone he returned to
his Harem and cried out to his black wench, "O handmaiden, fetch
the fringed table-cloth;" and his bride hearing this rejoiced,
saying to herself, "By Allah, his calling for this cloth
requireth a banquet which befitteth it, food suitable for the
Kings." The negress arose and faring forth for a short time
returned with the cloth richly fringed and set upon it a Kursi-
stool,[FN#209] and a tray of brass whereon were served three
biscuits and three onions. When the bride saw this, she prayed in
her heart saying, "Now may my Lord wreak my revenge upon my
father!" but her husband cried to her, "Come hither, my girl,"
and the three sat down to the tray wherefrom each took a biscuit
and an onion. The Kazi and the negress ate all their portions,
but the bride could not swallow even a third of the hard bread
apportioned to her; so she rose up, heartily cursing her father's
ambition in her heart. At supper-tide it was the same till the
state of things became longsome to her and this endured
continuously for three days, when she was ready to sink with
hunger. So she sent for her sire and cried aloud in his face. The
Kazi hearing the outcries of his bride asked, "What is to do?"
whereupon they informed him that the young woman was not in love
with this style of living.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the bride
was not in love with the Kazi's mode of living; so he took her
and cut off her nose and divorced her, falsely declaring that she
had behaved frowardly. On the next day he proposed for another
wife and married her and entreated her in like fashion as the
first; and when she demanded a divorce, he shredded off her
nostrils and put her away; and whatever woman he espoused he
starved by his stinginess and tortured with hunger, and when any
demanded a divorce he would chop off her nose on false presences
and put her away without paying aught either of her marriage
settlement or of the contingent dowry. At last the report of that
Kazi's avarice came to the ears of a damsel of Mosul-city, a
model of beauty and loveliness who had insight into things hidden
and just judgment and skilful contrivance. Thereupon, resolved
to avenge her sex, she left her native place and journeyed till
she made Tarabulus; and by the decree of the Decreer at that very
time the judge, after a day spent in his garden, purposed to
return home so he mounted his mule and met her half-way between
the pleasance and the town. He chanced to glance at her and saw
that she was wondrous beautiful and lovely, symmetrical and
graceful and the spittle ran from his mouth wetting his
mustachios; and he advanced and accosting her said, "O thou noble
one, whence comest thou hither?" "From behind me!" "Connu. I knew
that; but from what city?" "From Mosul." "Art thou single and
secluded or femme couverte with a husband alive?" "Single I am
still!" "Can it be that thou wilt take me and thou become to me
mate and I become to thee man?" "If such be our fate 'twill take
place and I will give thee an answer to-morrow;" and so saying
the damsel went on to Tarabulus. Now the Kazi after hearing her
speech felt his love for her increase; so next morning he sent to
ask after her, and when they told him that she had alighted at a
Khan, he despatched to her the negress his concubine with a party
of friends to ask her in marriage, notifying that he was Kazi of
the city. Thereupon she demanded a dower of fifty dinars and
naming a deputy caused the knot be knotted and she came to him
about evening time and he went in to her. But when it was the
supper hour he called as was his wont to his black handmaiden
saying "Fetch the fringed table-cloth," and she fared forth and
fetched it bringing also three biscuits and three onions, and as
soon as the meal was served up all three sat down to it, the
Kazi, the slave-girl, and the new bride. Each took a biscuit and
an onion and ate them up and the bride exclaimed "Allah requite
thee with wealth. By Allah, this be a wholesome supper." When the
judge heard this he was delighted with her and cried out,
"Extolled be the Almighty for that at last He hath vouchsafed to
me a wife who thanketh the Lord for muchel or for little!" But he
knew not what the Almighty had decreed to him through the wile
and guile, the malice and mischief of women. Next morning the
Kazi repaired to the Mahkamah and the bride arose and solaced
herself with looking at the apartments, of which some lay open
whilst others were closed. Presently she came to one which was
made fast by a door with a wooden bolt and a padlock of iron: she
considered it and found it strong but at the threshold was a
fissure about the breadth of a finger; so she peeped through and
espied gold and silver coins heaped up in trays of brass which
stood upon Kursi-stools and the nearest about ten cubits from the
door. She then arose and fetched a long wand, the mid-rib of a
date-palm,[FN#210] and arming the end with a lump of leaven she
pushed it through the chink under the door and turned it round
and round upon the money-trays as if sewing or writing. At last
two dinars stuck to the dough and she drew them through the
fissure and returned to her own chamber; then, calling the
negress, she gave her the ducats saying, "Go thou to the Bazar
and buy us some mutton and rice and clarified butter; and do thou
also bring us some fresh bread and spices and return with them
without delay." The negress took the gold and went to the market,
where she bought all that her lady bade her buy and speedily came
back, when the Kazi's wife arose and cooked a notable meal, after
which she and the black chattel ate whatso they wanted. Presently
the slave brought basin and ewer to her lady and washed her hands
and then fell to kissing her feet, saying, "Allah feed thee, O my
lady, even as thou hast fed me, for ever since I belonged to this
Kazi I have lacked the necessaries of life." Replied the other,
"Rejoice, O handmaiden, for henceforth thou shalt have every day
naught but the bestest food of manifold kinds;" and the negress
prayed Allah to preserve her and thanked her. At noon the Kazi
entered and cried, "O handmaid fetch the fringed cloth," and when
she brought it he sat down and his wife arose and served up
somewhat of the food she had cooked and he ate and rejoiced and
was filled and at last he asked, "Whence this provision?" She
answered, "I have in this city many kinsfolk who hearing of my
coming sent me these meats and quoth I to myself, When my lord
the Kazi shall return home he shall make his dinner thereof." On
the next day she did as before and drawing out three ducats
called the slave-girl and gave her two of them bidding her go to
the Bazar and buy a lamb ready skinned and a quantity of rice and
clarified butter and greens and spices and whatso was required
for dressing the dishes. So the handmaid went forth rejoicing,
and bought all her lady had ordered and forthwith returned when
her mistress fell to cooking meats of various kinds and lastly
sent to invite all her neighbours, women and maidens. When they
came she had got ready the trays garnished with dainty
food[FN#211] and served up to them all that was suitable and they
ate and enjoyed themselves and made merry. Now this was about
mid-forenoon, but as mid-day drew near they went home carrying
with them dishes full of dainties which they cleared and washed
and sent back till everything was returned to its place.--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased
saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How
sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the guests
of the Kazi's wife fared from her before turn of sun; and, when
it was noon, behold, the Kazi entered his Harem and said, "O
hand-maiden, fetch the fringed tablecloth," when the wife arose
and set before him viands of various sorts. He asked whence they
came and she answered saying, "This is from my maternal aunt who
sent it as a present to me." The judge ate and was delighted and
abode in the Harem till set of sun. But his wife ceased not daily
to draw money from his hoard and to expend it upon entertaining
her friends and gossips, and this endured for a whole year. Now
beside her mansion dwelt a poor woman in a mean dwelling and
every day the wife would feed her and her husband and babes;
moreover she would give them all that sufficed them. The woman
was far gone with child and the other charged her saying, "As
soon as 'tis thy time to be delivered, do thou come to me for I
have a mind to play a prank upon this Kazi who feareth not Allah
and who, whenever he taketh to himself a wife, first depriveth
her of food till she is well nigh famished, then shreddeth off
her nose under false pretences and putteth her away taking all
her belongings and giving naught of dower either the precedent or
the contingent." And the poor woman replied, "To hear is to
obey." Then the wife persisted in her lavish expenditure till her
neighbour came to her already overtaken by birth-pains, and these
lasted but a little while when she was brought to bed of a boy.
Hereupon the Kazi's wife arose and prepared a savoury dish called
a Baysárah,[FN#212] the base of which is composed of beans and
gravied mallows[FN#213] seasoned with onions and garlic. It was
noon when her husband came in and she served up the dish; and he
being anhungered ate of it and ate greedily and at supper time he
did likewise. But he was not accustomed to a Baysarah, so as soon
as night came on his paunch began to swell; the wind bellowed in
his bowels; his stress was such that he could not be more
distressed and he roared out in his agony. Herewith his wife ran
in and cried to him, "No harm shall befal thee, O my lord!" and
so saying she passed her hand over his stomach and presently
exclaimed "Extolled be He, O my lord; verily thou art pregnant
and a babe is in thy belly."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Kazi's
wife came up to him and passing her palm over his paunch
presently cried, "Extolled be He, O my lord: verily thou art
pregnant and a babe is in thy belly." Quoth the Kazi, "How shall
a man bear a child?" and quoth she, "Allah createth whatso He
willeth." And as they two sat at talk the flatulence and belly-
ache increased and violent colic[FN#214] set in and the torments
waxed still more torturing. Then the wife rose up and disappeared
but presently she returned with her pauper neighbour's newly-born
babe in her sleeve, its mother accompanying it: she also brought
a large basin of copper and she found her husband rolling from
right to left and crying aloud in his agony. At last the
qualms[FN#215] in his stomach were ready to burst forth and the
rich food to issue from his body, and when this delivery was near
hand the wife privily set the basin under him like a close stool
and fell to calling upon the Holy Names and to shampooing and
rubbing down his skin while she ejaculated, "The name of Allah be
upon thee!"[FN#216] But all this was of her malice. At last the
prima via opened and the Kazi let fly, whereat his wife came
quickly behind and setting the babe upon its back gently pinched
it so that it began to wail, and said, "O man, Alhamdolillah,--
laud to the Lord, who hath so utterly relieved thee of thy
burthen," and she fell to muttering Names over the newborn. Then
quoth he, "Have a care of the little one and keep it from cold
draughts ;" for the trick had taken completely with the Kazi and
he said in his mind, "Allah createth whatso He willeth: even men
if so predestined can bring forth." And presently he added, "O
woman, look out for a wet nurse to suckle him;" and she replied,
"O my lord, the nurse is with me in the women's apartments." Then
having sent away the babe and its mother she came up to the Kazi
and washed him and removed the basin from under him and made him
lie at full length. Presently after taking thought he said, "O
woman, be careful to keep this matter private for fear of the
folk who otherwise might say, 'Our Kazi hath borne a babe.' " She
replied, "O my lord, as the affair is known to other than our two
selves how can we manage to conceal it?" and after she resumed,
"O my husband, this business can on no wise be hidden from the
people for more than a week or at most till next month." Herewith
he cried out, "O my calamity; if it reach the ears of folk and
they say, 'Our Kazi hath borne a babe,' then what shall we do?"
He pondered the matter until morning when he rose before daylight
and, taking some provaunt secretly, made ready to depart the
city, saying, "O Allah, suffer none to see me!" Then, after
giving his wife charge of the house and bidding her take care of
his effects and farewelling her, he went forth secretly from her
and journeyed that day and a second and a third until the
seventh, when he entered Damascus of Syria where none knew him.
But he had no spending money for he could not persuade himself to
take even a single dinar from his hoard and he had provided
himself with naught save the meagrest provision. So his condition
was straitened and he was compelled to sell somewhat of his
clothes and lay out the price upon his urgent needs; and when the
coin was finished he was forced to part with other portions of
his dress till little or nothing of it remained to him. Then, in
his sorest strait, he went to the Shaykh of the Masons and said
to him, "O master, my wish is to serve in this
industry;''[FN#217] and said he, "Welcome to thee." So the Kazi
worked through every day for a wage of five Faddahs. Such was his
case; but as regards his wife,--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is
thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth
she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you
on this coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now
when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninetieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
Kazi went forth from his wife she threw a sherd[FN#218] behind
him and muttered, "Allah never bring thee back from thy journey."
Then she arose and threw open the rooms and noted all that was in
them of moneys and moveables and vaiselle and rarities, and she
fell to feeding the hungry and clothing the naked and doling alms
to Fakirs saying, "This be the reward of him who mortifieth the
daughters of folk and devoureth their substance and shreddeth off
their nostrils." She also sent to the women he had married and
divorced, and gave them of his good the equivalent of their
dowers and a solatium for losing their noses. And every day she
assembled the goodwives of the quarter and cooked for them
manifold kinds of food because her spouse the Kazi was possessed
of property approaching two Khaznahs[FN#219] of money, he being
ever loath to expend what his hand could hend and unprepared to
part with aught on any wise, for the excess of his niggardness
and his greed of gain. Nor did she cease from so doing for a
length of time until suddenly she overheard folk saying, "Our
Kazi hath borne a babe." And such bruit spread abroad and was
reported in sundry cities, nor ceased the rumour ere it reached
the ears of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid in Baghdad city. Now
hearing it he marvelled and cried, "Extolled be Allah! this hap,
by the Lord, never can have happened save at the hand of some
woman, a wise and a clever at contrivance; nor would she have
wrought after such fashion save to make public somewhat erst
proceeding from the Kazi, either his covetous intent or his high-
handedness in commandment. But needs must this good wife be
summoned before me and recount the cunning practice she hath
practiced;--Allah grant her success in the prank she hath played
upon the Judge." Such was her case; but as concerns the Kazi, he
abode working at builders' craft till his bodily force was
enfeebled and his frame became frail; so presently quoth he to
himself, "Do thou return to thy native land, for a long time hath
now passed and this affair is clean forgotten." Thereupon he
returned to Tarabulus, but as he drew near thereto he was met
outside the city by a bevy of small boys who were playing at
forfeits, and lo and behold! cried one to his comrades, "O lads,
do ye remember such and such a year when our Kazi was brought to
bed?"[FN#220] But the Judge hearing these words returned
forthright to Damascus by the way he came, saying to himself,
"Hie thee not save to Baghdad city for 'tis further away than
Damascus!" and set out at once for the House of Peace. However he
entered it privily, because he was still in the employ of the
Prince of True Believers, Harun al-Rashid; and, changing
semblance and superficials, he donned the dress of a Persian
Darwaysh and fell to walking about the streets of the capital.
Here met he sundry men of high degree who showed him favour, but
he could not venture himself before the Caliph albe sundry of the
subjects said to him, "O Darwaysh, why dost thou not appear in
the presence of the Commander of the Faithful? Assuredly he would
bestow upon thee many a boon, for he is a true Sultan; and,
specially, an thou panegyrise him in poetry, he will largely add
to his largesse." Now by the decree of Destiny the viceregent of
Allah upon His Earth had commended the Kazi's wife be brought
from Tarabulus: so they led her into the presence and when she
had kissed ground before him and salam'd to him and prayed for
the perpetuity of his glory and his existence, he asked her anent
her husband and how he had borne a child and what was the prank
she had played him and in what manner she had gotten the better
of him. She hung her head groundwards awhile for shame nor could
she return aught of reply for a time, when the Commander of the
Faithful said to her, "Thou hast my promise of safety and again
safety, the safety of one who betrayeth not his word." So she
raised her head and cried, "By Allah, O King of the Age, the
story of this Kazi is a strange"--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the
coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that quoth the
Kazi's wife, "By Allah, O King of the Age, the story of this Kazi
is a strange and of the wonders of the world and 'tis as follows.
My spouse is so niggardly of nature and greedy of gain that
whatso wife he weddeth he starveth her with hunger and, whenas
she loseth patience, he shreddeth her nostrils and putteth her
away, taking all her good and what not. Now this case continued
for a while of time. Also he had a black slave-wench and a fine
eating-cloth and when dinner-time came he would cry, O handmaid,
fetch the fringed table-cloth! whereupon she would bring it and
garnish it with three biscuits and three onions, one to each
mouth. Presently accounts of this conduct came to me at Mosul,
whereupon I removed me to Tarábulus, and there played him many a
prank amongst which was the dish of Baysar by me seasoned with an
over quantity of onions and garlic and such spices as gather wind
in the maw and distend it like a tom-tom and breed
borborygms.[FN#221] This I gave him to eat and then befel that
which befel. So I said to him, Thou art in the family way and
tricked him, privily bringing into the house a new-born babe.
When his belly began to drain off I set under him a large metal
basin and after pinching the little one I placed it in the
utensil and recited Names over it. Presently quoth he, Guard my
little stranger from the draught and bring hither a wet-nurse;
and I did accordingly. But he waxed ashamed of the birth and in
the morning he fared forth the city nor knew we what Allah had
done with him. But as he went I bespake him with the words which
the poet sang when the Ass of Umm Amr[FN#222] went off:--
Ass and Umm Amr bewent their way; * Nor Ass nor Umm Amr returned
for aye,
and then I cited the saying of another:--
When I forced him to fare I bade him hie, * Where Umm
Kash'am[FN#223] caused her selle to fly."
Now as the Caliph Harun al-Rashid heard these words he laughed so
hearty a laugh that he fell backwards and bade the goodwife
repeat her history till he waxed distraught for excess of
merriment, when lo and behold! a Darwaysh suddenly entered the
presence. The wife looked at her husband and recognised him; but
the Caliph knew not his Kazi, so much had time and trouble
changed the Judge's cheer. However, she signalled to the
Commander of the Faithful that the beggar was her mate and he
taking the hint cried out, "Welcome to thee, O Darwaysh, and
where be the babe thou bearest at Tarabulus?" The unfortunate
replied, "O King of the Age, do men go with child?" and the
Prince of True Believers rejoined, "We heard that the Kazi bare a
babe and thou art that same Kazi now habited in Fakir's habit.
But who may be this woman thou seest?" He made answer "I wot
not;" but the dame exclaimed, "Why this denial, O thou who
fearest Allah so little? I conjure thee by the life of the King
to recount in his presence all that betided thee." He could deny
it no longer so he told his tale before the Caliph, who laughed
at him aloud; and at each adventure the King cried out, "Allah
spare thee and thy child, O Kazi!" Thereupon the Judge explained
saying, "Pardon, O King of the Age, I merit even more than what
hath betided me."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth
her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that quoth the
Kazi to the King, "I deserve even more than what hath betided me
for my deeds were unrighteous, O Ruler of the Time. But now the
twain of us be present between thy hands; so do thou, of thy
generous grace and the perfection of thy beneficence, deign
reconcile me unto my wife and from this moment forwards I repent
before the face of Allah nor will I ever return to the condition
I was in of niggardise and greed of gain. But 'tis for her to
decide and on whatever wise she direct me to act, therein will I
not gainsay her; and do thou vouchsafe to me the further favour
of restoring me to the office I whilome held." When the Prince of
True Believers, Harun al-Rashid, heard the Kazi's words he turned
to the Judge's wife and said, "Thou also hast heard what thy mate
hath averred: so do thou become to him what thou wast before and
thou hast command over all which thy husband requireth." She
replied, "O King of the Age, even as thou hast the advantage of
knowing, verily the Heavens and the son of Adam change not; for
that man's nature is never altered except with his existence nor
doth it depart from him save when his life departeth. However, an
he speak the truth let him bind himself by a deed documented
under thy personal inspection and thine own seal; so that if he
break his covenant the case may be committed to thee." The Caliph
rejoined," Sooth thou sayest that the nature of Adam's son is
allied to his existence;" but the Kazi exclaimed, "O our lord the
Sultan, bid write for me the writ even as thou hast heard from
her mouth and do thou deign witness it between us twain."
Thereupon the King reconciled their differences and allotted to
them a livelihood which would suffice and sent them both back to
Tarabulus-town. This is all that hath come down to us concerning
the Kazi who bare a babe: yet 'tis as naught compared with the
tale of the Bhang-eaters, for their story is wondrous and their
adventures delectable and marvellous. "What may it be?" asked
Shahryar; so Shahrazad began to recount
THE TALE OF THE KAZI AND THE
BHANG-EATER.[FN#224]
There was a certain eater of Bhang--And Shahrazad was surprised
by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her
permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy
story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth
she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you
on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when
it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that there was
a certain eater of Bhang whose wont it was every day to buy three
Faddahs' worth of hemp and he would eat one third thereof in the
morning and a second at noon and the rest about sundown. He was
by calling a fisherman; and regularly as dawn appeared he would
take hook and line and go down to the river a-fishing; then he
would sell of his catch a portion, expending half a Faddah on
bread and eat this with the remaining part of the fish broiled.
He would also provide himself day by day with a waxen taper and
light it in his cell and sit before it, taking his pleasure and
talking to himself after his large dose of Bhang. In such
condition he abode a while of time until one fine spring-night,
about the middle of the month when the moon was shining
sheeniest, he sat down to bespeak himself and said, "Ho,
Such-an-one! hie thee forth and solace thy soul with looking at
the world, for this be a time when none will espy thee and the
winds are still." Herewith he went forth intending for the river;
but as soon as he issued from his cell-door and trod upon the
square, he beheld the moonbeams bestrown upon the surface and,
for the excess of his Bhang, his Fancy said to him, "By Allah,
soothly the stream floweth strong and therein needs must be much
store of fish. Return, Such-an-one, to thy cell, bring hook and
line and cast them into these waters; haply Allah our Lord shall
vouchsafe thee somewhat of fish, for men say that by night the
fisherwight on mighty fine work shall alight." He presently
brought out his gear and, having baited the hook, made a cast
into the moonlit square, taking station in the shadow of the
walls where he believed the river bank to be. Then he
bobbed[FN#225] with his hook and line and kept gazing at the
waters, when behold! a big dog sniffed the bait and coming up to
it swallowed the hook till it stuck in his gullet.[FN#226] The
beast feeling it prick his throttle yelped with pain and made
more noise every minute, rushing about to the right and the left:
so the line was shaken in the man's hand and he drew it in, but
by so doing the hook pierced deeper and the brute howled all the
louder; and it was pull Bhang-eater and pull cur. But the man
dared not draw near the moonlight, holding it to be the river, so
he tucked up his gown to his hip-bones, and as the dog pulled
more lustily he said in his mind, "By Allah this must be a mighty
big fish and I believe it to be a ravenous."[FN#227] Then he
gripped the line firmly and haled it in but the dog had the
better of him and dragged him to the very marge of the moonlight;
so the fisherman waxed afraid and began to cry, "Alack! Alack!
Alack![FN#228] To my rescue ye braves![FN#229] Help me for a
monster of the deep would drown me! Yallah, hurry ye, my fine
fellows, hasten to my aid!" Now at that hour people were enjoying
the sweets of sleep and when they heard these unseasonable
outcries they flocked about him from every side and accosting him
asked, "What is it? What maketh thee cry aloud at such an hour?
What hath befallen thee?" He answered, "Save me, otherwise a
river-monster will cause me fall into the stream and be drowned."
Then, finding him tucked up to the hips, the folk approached him
and enquired, "Where is the stream of which thou speakest?" and
he replied, "Yonder's the river; be ye all blind?" Thereat they
understood that he spoke of the moonbeams, whose sheen was
dispread upon earth, deeming it a river-surface, and they told
him this; but he would not credit them and cried, "So ye also
desire to drown me; be off from me! our Lord will send me other
than you to lend me good aid at this hour of need." They replied,
"O well-born one, this be moonshine;" but he rejoined, "Away from
me, ye low fellows,[FN#230] ye dogs!" Then derided him and the
angrier he grew the more they laughed, till at last they said one
to other, "Let us leave him and wend our ways," and they quitted
him in such condition--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of
day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then
quoth her Sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the folk
who flocked to the assistance of the Bhang-eater left him in such
condition, he crying aloud in affright, the dog being now before
him in a phrenzy of pain for the hook sticking in his gullet and
being unable to rid himself of it, while the man dreaded to draw
near the moonshine, still deeming (albeit he stood upon terra
firma) that he was about to step into the stream. So he hugged
the wall shadow which to him represented the river-bank. In this
case he continued until day brake and light shone and the to-ing
and fro-ing of the folk increased; withal he remained as he was,
crying out for affright lest he be drowned. Suddenly a Kazi rode
by him and seeing him with gown kilted up and the hound hanging
on to the hook, asked, "What may be the matter with thee, O man?"
He answered saying, "O my lord, I dread lest I be drowned in this
stream, whither a monster of the deep is a-dragging me." The
judge looked at him and knew him for a Bhang-eater, so he
dismounted from his monture and cried to one of his attendants,
"Catch hold of yon dog and unhook him!" Now this Kazi was also
one who was wont to use Hashish; so quoth he to himself, "By
Allah, take this fellow with thee and feed him in thy house and
make a mocking-stock of him; and, as each night cometh on do thou
and he eat together a portion of the drug and enjoy each other's
company." Accordingly he took him and carrying him to his
quarters seated him in a private stead until nightfall when the
twain met and supped together; then they swallowed a large dose
of Bhang and they lit candles and sat in their light to enjoy
themselves.[FN#231] Presently from excess of the drug they became
as men Jinn-mad, uttering words which befit not to intend or to
indite,[FN#232] amongst which were a saying of the Bhang-eater to
the Kazi, "By Allah, at this season I'm as great as the King;"
and the Judge's reply, "And I also at such time am as great as
the Basha, the Governor." Thereupon quoth to him the Bhang-eater,
"I'm high above thee and if the King would cut off the Governor's
head what would happen to hinder him?" And quoth the Kazi, "Yea,
verily; naught would hinder him; but 'tis the customs of Kings to
appoint unto Governors a place wherein they may deal
commandment." Then they fell to debating the affairs of the
Government and the Sultanate, when by decree of the Decreer the
Sultan of the city went forth his palace that very night,
accompanied by the Wazir (and the twain in disguise); and they
ceased not traversing the town till they reached the house
wherein sat the Bhang-eater and the Kazi. So they stood at the
door and hear their talk from first to last, when the King turned
to the Minister and asked, "What shall we do with these two
fellows?" "Be patient, O King of the Age," answered the Wazir,
"until they make an end of their talk, after which whatso thou
wilt do with them that will they deserve." "True indeed,"[FN#233]
quoth the ruler, "nevertheless, instead of standing here let us
go in to them." Now that night the boon-companions had left the
door open forgetting to padlock it; so the visitors entered and
salam'd to them and they returned the greeting and rose to them
and bade them be seated. Accordingly they sat down and the Sultan
said to the Bhang-eater, "O man, fearest thou not aught from the
Sovran, thou and thy friend; and are ye sitting up until this
hour?" He replied, "The Sultan himself often fareth forth at such
untimely time, and as he is a King even so am I, and yonder man
is my Basha: moreover, if the ruler think to make japery of us,
we are his equals and more." Thereupon the Sultan turned to his
Wazir and said by signals, "I purpose to strike off the heads of
these fellows;" and said the Minister in the same way, "O King,
needs must they have a story, for no man with his wits in his
head would have uttered such utterance. But patience were our
bestest plan." Then cried the Bhang-eater to the Sultan, "O man,
whenever we say a syllable, thou signallest to thine associate.
What is it thou wouldst notify to him and we not understanding
it? By Allah, unless thou sit respectfully in our presence we
will bid our Basha strike off thy pate!"--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is
thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate
to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deed fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
Sultan heard the Bhang-eater's words he waxed the more furious
and would have arisen and struck off his head; but the Wazir
winked at him and whispered, "O King of the Age, I and thou are
in disguise and these men imagine that we are of the commons: so
be thou pitiful even as Almighty Allah is pitiful and willeth not
the punishment of the sinner. Furthermore, I conceive that the
twain are eaters of Hashish, which drug when swallowed by man,
garreth him prattle of whatso he pleaseth and chooseth, making
him now a Sultan then a Wazir and then a merchant, the while it
seemeth to him that the world is in the hollow of his hand."
Quoth the Sultan, "And what may be thy description of Hashísh?"
and quoth the Wazir, "'Tis composed of hemp leaflets, whereto
they add aromatic roots and somewhat of sugar: then they cook it
and prepare a kind of confection which they eat;[FN#234] but
whoso eateth it (especially an he eat more than enough), talketh
of matters which reason may on no wise represent. If thou wouldst
know its secret properties, on the coming night (Inshallah!) we
will bring some with us and administer it to these two men; and
when they eat it the dose will be in addition to their ordinary."
After this the Sultan left them and went forth, when the
Bhang-eater said to the Kazi, "By Allah, this night we have
enjoyed ourselves and next night (if Allah please!) we will enjoy
ourselves yet more." The other replied, "Yes, but I fear from the
Sultan, lest he learn our practice and cut off our heads." "Who
shall bring the Sovran to us?" asked the other: "he is in his
palace and we are in our own place; and, granting he come, I will
divert him by recounting an adventure which befel me." The Kazi
answered, "Have no dread of the Sultan; for he may not fare forth
a-nights single-handed; nay, what while he issueth forth he must
be escorted by his high officials." Now when the next night fell,
the Kazi brought the Hashish which he divided into two halves,
eating one himself and giving the other to his companion; and
both swallowed their portions after supper and then lit the waxen
tapers and sat down to take their pleasure.[FN#235] Suddenly the
Sultan and his Wazir came in upon them during the height of their
enjoyment, and the visitors were habited in dress other than
before, and they brought with them a quantity of Bhang-confection
and also some conserve of roses: so they handed a portion of the
first to the revellers, which these accepted and ate, while they
themselves swallowed the conserve, the others supposing it to be
Hashish like what they had eaten. Now when they had taken an
overdose, they got into a hurly-burly of words and fell to saying
things which can neither be intended nor indited, and amongst
these they exclaimed, "By Allah, the Sultan is desposed and we
will rule in his stead and deal commandment to his reign." The
other enquired, "And if the Sultan summon us what wilt thou say
to him?" "By Allah, I will tell him a tale which befel myself and
crave of him ten Faddahs wherewithal to buy Bhang!" "And hast
thou any skill in tale-telling?" "In good sooth I have!" "But how
wilt thou despose the Sultan and reign in his stead?" "I will say
to him 'Be off!' and he will go." "He will strike thy neck."
"Nay, the Sultan is pitiful and will not punish me for my words."
So saying the Bhang-eater arose and loosed the inkle of his
bag-trowsers, then approaching the Sultan he drew forth his
prickle and proceeded to bepiss him:[FN#236] but the King took
flight as the other faced him, and fled before him, he
pursuing.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister
mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Bhang-eater holding up his bag-trowsers ran after the Sultan
purposing to bepiss him and caught up the fugitive at the doorway
when he fell over the threshold and began a-piddling upon his own
clothes. In like manner the Kazi attempted to bepiss the Wazir
and ran after him to the entrance, where he also fell upon the
Bhang-eater and took to making water over him. So the Bhang-eater
and the Kazi lay each bewraying other, and the Sultan and the
Wazir stood laughing at then and saying, "By Allah, too much
Hashish injureth man's wits;" and presently they left and went
their ways returning to their palaces. But the two drunkards
ceased not lying in their own water till day broke; and when the
fumes of the drug had left heir brains, they arose and found
themselves dripping and befouled with their own filth. Thereupon
each said to other, "What be this cross hath betided us?"
Presently they arose and washed themselves and their clothes;
then sitting down together they said, "None did this deed by us
save and except the two fellows who were with us; and who knoweth
what they were, or citizens of this city or strangers; for 'twas
they brought the intoxicant which we ate and it bred a madness in
our brains. Verily 'twas they did the mischief; but, an they come
to us a third time, needs must we be instant with them and learn
from them and they be foreigners or folk of this city: we will
force them to confess, but if they hide them from us we will turn
them out." On the next night they met again and the two sat down
and ate a quantity of Hashish after they had supped: and they lit
the waxen tapers and each of them drank a cup of coffee.[FN#237]
Presently their heads whirled round under the drug and they sat
down to talk and enjoy themselves when their drunkenness said to
them, "Up with you and dance." Accordingly they arose and danced,
when behold, the Sultan and his Wazir suddenly came in upon them
and salam'd to them: so they returned the salutation but
continued the salutation. The new comers considered them in this
condition and forthwith the King turned to the Minister and said,
"What shall we do with them?" Said the other, "Patience until
their case come to end in somewhat whereof we can lay hold." Then
they chose seats for themselves and solaced them with the
spectacle, and the dancers kept on dancing until they were tired
and were compelled to sit down and take their rest. Presently the
Bhang-eater looked at the Sultan and exclaimed, "You, whence are
you?" and he replied, "We be foreigner folk and never visited
this city before that night when we met you; and as we heard you
making merry we entered to partake of your merriment." On this
wise the device recoiled upon the Bhang-eater and presently the
King asked them, saying, "Fear ye not lest the Sultan hear of
you, and ye in this condition which would cause your disgrace at
his hands?" The Bhang-eater answered, "The Sultan! What tidings
of us can he have? He is in the royal Palaze and we in our place
of Bhang-eating." The Sovran rejoined, "Why not go to him! Belike
he will gift you and largesse you;" but the Bhang-eater retorted,
"We fear his people lest they drive us away." Whereto quoth the
King, "They will not do on such wise and if thou require it we
will write thee a not to his address, for we know him of old
inasmuch as both of us learned to read in the same school."
"Write thy writ," quoth the other to the Sultan who after
inditing it and sealing it placed it in their hands and presently
the two visitors departed. Then the Bhang-eater and the Kazi sat
together through the night until daylight did appear when the
fumes of the Hashish had fled their brains and the weather waxed
fine and clear. So they said, each to other, "Let us go to the
Sultan," and the twin set out together and walked till they
reached the square facing the Palace. Here, finding a crowd of
folk, they went up to the door and the Bhang-eater drew forth his
letter and handed it to one of the Sultan's suite, who on reading
it fell to the ground and presently rising placed it upon his
head.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
officer who took the letter caused the Bhang-eater and his
comrade enter the presence, and the Sultan catching sight of them
commanded them to be seated in a private stead where none other
man was. His bidding was obeyed; and at noon-tide he sent them a
tray of food for dinner and also coffee; and the same was done at
sundown. But as soon as supper-tide came the Sultan prayed and
recited sections of Holy Writ, as was his wont, until two hours
had passed when he ordered the twain be summoned; and when they
stood in the presence and salam'd to him and blessed him the King
returned their salute and directed them to be seated. Accordingly
they sat down and quoth the Sultan to the Bhang-eater, "Where be
the man who gave you the writ?" Quoth the other, "O King of the
Age, there were two men who came to use and said, 'Why go ye not
to the King? Belike he will gift you and largesse you.' Our reply
was, 'We know him not and we fear lest his folk drive us away.'
So one of them said to us, 'I will write thee a note to his
address for we know him of old, inasmuch as both of us learned to
read in the same school.' Accordingly he indited it and sealed it
and gave it to us; and coming hither we found his words true and
now we are between his hands." The Sultan enquired, "Was there
any lack of civility to the strangers on your part?" and they
replied, "None, save our questioning them and saying, 'Whence
come ye?' whereto they rejoined, 'We be strangers.' Beyond this
there was nothing unpleasant; nothing at all." "Whither went
they?" asked the King and the other answered, "I wot not." The
Sultan continued, "Needs must thou bring them to me for 'tis long
since I saw them;" and the other remarked, "O King of the Age, if
again they come to our place we will seize them and carry them
before thee even perforce, but in case they come not, we have no
means to hand." Quoth the King, "An thou know them well, when
thou catchest sight of them they cannot escape thee," and quoth
the other, "Yea, verily." Then the Sultan pursued, "What did ye
with the twain who came before them and ye wanted to bepiss
them?" Now when the Bhang-eater heard these words his colour
paled and his case changed, his limbs trembled and he suspected
that the person which he had insulted was the Sultan; whereupon
the King turned towards him and seeing in him signs of
discomfiture asked, "What is in thy mind, O Bhang-eater? What
hath befallen thee?" The other arose forthright and kissing
ground cried, "Pardon, O King of the Age, before whom I have
sinned." The Sovran asked, "How didst thou know this?" and he
answered, "Because none other was with us and news of us goeth
not out of doors; so needs must thou have been one of the twain
and he who wrote the writ was thyself; for well we know that the
kings read not in schools. Thou and thy friend did come in
disguise to make merry at our expense; therefore pardon us, O
King of the Age, for mercy is a quality of the noble, and
Almighty Allah said, 'Whoso pardoneth and benefitteth his reward
is with Allah,' and eke He said, 'And the stiflers of wrath and
the pardoners of mankind and Allah loveth the doers of
good'."[FN#238] Herewith the Sultan smiled and said, "No harm
shall befal thee, O Bhang-eater! Thine excuse is accepted and thy
default pardoned, but, O thou clever fellow, hast thou no tale to
tell us?" He replied, "O King of the Age, I have a story touching
myself and my wife which, were it graven with needle-gravers upon
the eye-corners were a warning to whoso would be warned. But I
strave against her on my own behalf, withal she overcame me and
tyrannised over me by her contrivance." "What is it?" asked the
King; so the man began to relate the
History of the Bhang-Eater and his Wife.
In the beginning of my career I owned only a single bull and
poverty confused my wits.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she,
"And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on
the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good-will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Bhang-eater said to the Sultan:--I had no property save a single
bull and poverty confused my wits. So I resolved to sell
Roger[FN#239] and going to the Bazar stood therein expecting
someone to buy it, but none came to me until the last of the day.
At that time I drove it forth and dragged it off till we reached
half-way to my home, where I came upon a tree and sat down to
rest in the cool shade. Now I had somewhat of Bhang with me, also
a trifle of bread which I brought out and ate, and after I drank
a draught of water from the spring. Presently the Bhang began to
wobble in my brains and behold a bird in the tree-top which men
call a Magpie[FN#240] fell a-cawing, so I said to her, "Thou, O
Mother of Solomon, hast thou a mind to buy the bull?" and she
cawed again. I continued, "Whatso price ever thou settest upon
the bull, at that will I cede it to thee." Again a croak and I,
"Haply thou hast brought no money?" Another croak and cried I,
"Say the word and I will leave the bull with thee till next
Friday when thou wilt come and pay me its price." But she still
cawed and I, whenever she opened beak, O King of the Age, fancied
that she bespake me and wanted the bull. But all this was of the
excess of my Bhang which kept working in my brains and I mistook
the croaking for her conversing. Accordingly I left with her the
bull bound to the tree and turned towards my village; and, when I
went in to my wife, she asked me anent the bull and I told her of
my selling it to the Mother of Solomon. "Who may she be?" asked
my rib, and I replied, "She dwelleth in yonder tree;" whereat my
spouse rejoined "Allah compensate thee with welfare." So I
awaited patiently the appointed term; then, after swallowing
somewhat of Bhang, I repaired to the tree and sat beneath it
when, lo and behold! the pie cawed and I cried to her, "Hast thou
brought the coin?" A second caw! Then said I, "Come hither and
bring me the money." A third caw! Hereat I waxed wroth and arose
and taking up a bittock of brick I threw it at her as she sat
perched upon the tree, whereupon she flew off and alit upon an
'old man'[FN#241] of clay hard by. So it occurred to my mind, "By
Allah, the Mother of Solomon biddeth me follow her and recover
the value of the bull from yonder 'old man.'" Presently I went up
to it and digging therein suddenly came upon a crock[FN#242] full
of gold wherefrom I took ten ashrafis, the value of the bull, and
returned it to its place, saying, "Allah ensure thy weal, O
Mother of Solomon." Then I walked back to my village and went in
to my wife and said, "By Allah, verily the Mother of Solomon is
of the righteous! Lookye, she gave me these ten golden ducats to
the price of our Roger." Said my wife, "And who may be the Mother
of Solomon?" and I told her all that had befallen me especially
in the matter of the crock of gold buried in the 'old man.' But
after she heard my words she tarried until sundown; then, going
to the land-mark she dug into it and carrying off the crock
brought it home privily. But I suspected her of so doing and said
to her, "O woman, hast thou taken the good of the Mother of
Solomon (and she of the righteous) after we have received from
her the price of our Roger out of her own moneys? And hast thou
gone and appropriated her property? By Allah, an thou restore it
not to its stead even as it was, I will report to the Wali that
my wife hath happened upon treasure-trove." And so saying I went
forth from her. Then she arose and got ready somewhat of dough
for cooking with flesh-meat and, sending for a fisherman, bade
him bring her a few fishes fresh-caught and all alive, and taking
these inside the house she drew sweet water and sprinkled them
therewith, and lastly she placed the dough and meat outside the
house ready for nightfall. Presently I returned and we supped, I
and she; but 'twas my firm resolve to report my wife's find to
the Chief of Police. We slept together till midnight when she
awoke me saying, "O man, I have dreamed a dream, and this it is,
that the sky hath rained down drink and meat and that the fishes
have entered our house." I replied to her of my folly and the
overmuch Bhang which disported in my head, "Let us get up and
look." So we searched the inside of the house and we found the
fishes, and the outside where we came upon the doughboy and
flesh-meat; so we fell to picking it up, I and she, and broiling
it and eating thereof till morning. Then said I, "Do thou go and
return the moneys of Solomon's Mother to their own place." But
she would not and flatly refused.--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the
coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Bhang-eater continued:--I said to my wife, "Do thou go and return
the moneys of Solomon's Mother to their own place;" but she would
not and flatly refused. Then I repeated[FN#243] my words but
without avail, so I flew into a fury and leaving her ceased not
trudging till I found the Wali and said to him, "O my lord, my
wife Such-an-one hath hit upon a hoard and 'tis now with
her."[FN#244] The Chief of Police asked, "O man, hast thou seen
it?" and I answered, "Yes." SO he sent a body of his followers to
bring her before him and when she came said to her, "O wo-man,
where is the treasure trove?" Said she, "O my lord, this report
is a baseless;" whereupon the Chief of Police bade her be led to
jail. They did his bidding and she abode in the prison a whole
day, after which the Wali summoned her and repeated his words to
her adding, "An thou bring not the hoard I will slay thee and
cast thy corpse into the bogshop[FN#245] of the Hammam." The
woman (my wife) rejoined, "O my lord, I never found aught;" and
when he persisted threatening her with death she cried, "O my
lord, wherefore oppress me on this wise and charge such load of
sin upon thine own neck? I never came upon treasure at all, at
all!" The Chief of Police retorted, "My first word and my last
are these:--Except thou bring the treasure trove I will slay thee
and cast thee into the jakes." Herewith quoth she, "O my lord,
ask my husband where it was I hit upon the hoard and at what
time, by day or by night," and the Wali's men cried, "By Allah,
these her words are just and right, nor is therein aught of
harm." So he sent to summon me and asked me, "O man, when did thy
wife hit upon the hoard?" I answered, "O my lord, she found it on
the night when the skies rained drink and food and fishes." Now
when the Wali heard my words he said to me, "O man, the skies are
not wont to shed aught save rainwater; and a man in his right
wits speaketh not such speech as this." Said I, "By the life of
thy head, O my lord, they did rain all three of them;" but the
officers cried, "O my lord, verily this man be Jinn-mad and his
wife who telleth plain truth is wronged by him: the fellow
deserveth confining in the Máristán."[FN#246] Accordingly the
Chief of Police bade the men set the woman free and let her wend
her ways and seize me and throw me into the madhouse. They did
his bidding and I remained there the first day and the second
till the third when my wife said to herself, "There is no Majesty
and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! By
the Lord, needs must I go and relieve my husband from Bedlam and
charge him never again to speak of that treasure trove." So she
came to the Maristan and entering said to me, "Ho, Such-an-one,
if any ask of thee saying, 'What do the skies rain?'[FN#247] do
thou make answer, 'They rain water!' Furthermore if they inquire
of thee, 'Do they ever rain drink and food and fishes?' reply
thou, 'This is clean impossible, nor can such thing ever take
place!' Then haply they will say to thee, 'How many days are in
the week?' and do thou say, 'Seven days and this day be such a
day!' Lastly have a guard on thyself when speaking." I rejoined,
"'Tis well, and now hie thee forth and buy me half a faddah's
worth of Bhang, for during these days I have not eaten aught
thereof." So she went and bought me somewhat and of Hashish.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable
and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that
I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundredth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Bhang-eater's wife fared forth and brought back somewhat of food
and of Hashish: then returning to the Maristan (he continued) she
gave both to me and I ate of them, after which I said to her,
"Let us up and be off!" whereto she, "And when we go to the Wali
what wilt thou say?" Then the Bhang wrought in the brains and I
cried, "O bawd,[FN#248] O my nice young lady, well thou wottest
that the skies did rain flesh and drink and fishes! Why then
didst thou not tell the truth before the Chief of Police?"
Thereupon the Manager of the Madhouse cried to me, "O fellow,
this is the babble of madmen!" and I, "By Allah, I ate of them
boiled; and doubtless the same kind of rain fell in your house."
The other exclaimed, "There be nor doubt nor hesitation anent the
insanity of one who sayeth such say!" Now all this was related by
the Bhang-eater to the Sultan who marvelled and asked him, "What
could have made thee go to the Manager and recount to him such
absurdities?" But the Bhang-eater resumed, saying, "I dwelt in
the Maristan twenty days until at last having no Bhang to eat I
came to my senses and confessed that the skies shed only
rain-water, that the week containeth seven days and that this day
be such-and-such; in fact I discoursed like a man in his right
mind. So they discharged me and I went my ways." But when the
Kazi heard this tale he cried out to the Sultan, "O King of the
Age, my story is still more wondrous than this, which is only a
prank played by a wife. My name was originally Abú Kásim
al-Tambúri[FN#249] and I was appointed Kazi after a neat thing I
did, and if thou, O our lord the Sultan, desire to be told of the
adventures which befel me and of the clever trick wherefor they
made me a judge, deign give thy commandment and I will commence
it." Quoth the Sultan, "Recount to us why and where they entitled
thee Kazi," and the judge began to relate
How Drummer Abu Kasim Became a Kazi.
There was once, O King of the Age, a merchant and a man of
Bassorah who went about trading with eunuchs and slave-boys and
who bore his goods in bales[FN#250] from Bassorah to Ajam-land
there to sell them and to buy him other merchandise for vending
in Syria. On this wise he tarried a long while until one year of
the years he packed up his property, as was his wont, and fared
forth with it to Persia. But at that time there fortuned to be a
famine and when he arrived at one of the cities of the Ajam-land,
where formerly the traders bought his goods, on this occasion
none of them would come near him. In such case he continued a
long while till at last a Khwájah appeared before him, a man who
owned abundant riches in Persia, but his home was distant three
days from the place. The visitor asked saying, "O Bassorite, wilt
thou sell me thy stock-in-trade?" whereto the other answered,
"And how? Of course I'll sell it!" So the buyer opened the gate
of bidding and offered such-and-such; but the Bassorah man cried,
"Allah openeth." Then the purchaser added somewhat and the seller
rejoined, "Give me yet more?" At last the buyer exclaimed, "I
will give nothing more than 'Anaught';"[FN#251] and the seller
accepted the offer saying, "May Allah grant us gain!" Thereupon
the Persian Khwajah took over all the goods from the vendor and
next day the twain met to settle money-matters. Now I, O King of
the Age, happened to be abiding in that city. The seller received
from the buyer payment in full nor did anything remain; but
after, the Bassorah man said to his customer, "Thou still owest
me the 'Anaught,' which thou must hand over to me." The other
replied jeeringly, "And the 'Anaught' is a naught; to wit, no
thing;" but the Bassorite rejoined, "Here with that 'Anaught'!"
Upon this a violent ruffle befel between them, the cause was
carried before the King and payment was required in the Divan,
for the Bassorite still demanded from the purchaser his
"Anaught." The Sultan asked, "And what be this 'Anaught'?" and
the Bassorah man answered, "I wot not, O King of the Age;" and
the Bassorah man answered, "I wot not, O King of the Age;"
whereat the Sultan marvelled.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night, and the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Four Hundred and First Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
marvelled at the action of this Bassorite and his saying, "Give
me my 'Anaught!'" Presently the tidings of that cause reached me,
O King; so I went to the Divan which was thronged with folk and
all present kept saying, "How would it be if this 'Anaught' were
a fraud or a resiliation of the contract?" Thereupon the Sultan
exclaimed, "Whoso shall settle this case, to him verily will I be
bountiful." So I came forward, O King of the Age, thinking of a
conceit and kissed ground and said to him, "I will conclude this
cause," and he rejoined, "An thou determine it and dispose of it
I will give thee largesse; but if not, I will strike off thy
head." I rejoined, "To hear is to obey." Then I bade them bring a
large basin which could hold a skinful of water and ordered them
fill it; after which I called out to the Bassorite, "Draw near,"
and he drew near. Then I cried to the claimant, "Close thy fist!"
and he did accordingly, and again I commanded him to close it and
to keep it tight closed. He obeyed my bidding and I continued
"Dip thy neave into the basin," and he dipped it. Presently I
asked, "Is thy hand in the water and thy fist closed?" and he
replied, "It is." Then said I, "Withdraw it," and he withdrew it,
and I cried, "Open thy neave," and he opened it. Then I asked,
"What thing hast thou found therein?" and he answered, "Anaught;"
whereupon I cried to him, "Take thine 'Anaught' and wend thy
ways." Hereupon the Sultan said to the Bassorite, "Hast thou
taken thine 'Anaught,' O man?" and said he "Yes." Accordingly the
King bade him gang his gait. Then the Sultan gifted me with
costly gifts and named me Kazi; and hence, O King of the Age, is
the cause of the title in the case of one who erst was Abu Kasim
the Drummer. Hereat quoth the Sultan, "Relate to us what rare
accident befel thee in thy proper person." SO the judge began to
recount
The Story of the Kazi and his Slipper.
Once upon a time, O King of the Age, I had a slipper which hardly
belonged to its kind nor ever was there seen a bigger. Now one
day of the days I waxed aweary of it and sware to myself that I
would never wear it any more; so in mine anger I flung it away
and it fortuned to fall upon the flat roof of a Khwájah's house
where the stucco was weakest. Thence it dropped through, striking
a shelf that held a number of phials full of the purest
rose-water and the boarding yielded breaking all the bottles and
spilling their contents. The house-folk heard the breakage
ringing and rattling; so they crowded one after other to discover
what had done the damage and at last they found my papoosh
sprawling amiddlemost the room. Then they made sure that the
shelf had not been broken except by the violence of that slipper,
and they examined it when, behold, the house-master cried,
saying, "This be the papoosh of Abu Kasim the Drummer." Hereupon
he took it and carried it to the Governor who summoned me and set
me before him; then he made me responsible for the phials and
whatso was therein and for the repairing of the terrace-roof and
upraising it again. And lastly he handed to me the slipper which
was exceedingly long and broad and heavy and, being cruel old it
showed upwards of an hundred and thirty patches nor was it
unknown to any of the villagers. So I took it and fared forth
and, being anangered with the article, I resolved to throw it
into some dark hole or out-of-the-way place; --And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Abu Kasim
the Drummer continued to the Sultan; I resolved to throw it into
some dark hole or out-of-the-way place; and presently I came to
the watercloset of the Hammam and cast it into the conduit
saying, "Now shall none ever see it again; nor shall I be
troubled with its foul aspect for the rest of my life." Then I
returned home and abode there the first day and the second, but
about noon on the third a party of the Governor's men came and
seized me and bore me before him; and no sooner did he see me
than he cried out, "Throw him!" Accordingly they laid me out at
fullest length and gave me an hundred cuts with a scourge[FN#252]
which I bore stoutly and presently said, "O my Sultan,[FN#253]
what be the cause of this fustigation and wherefor do they
oppress me?" Said he, "O man, the conduit[FN#254] of the jakes
attached to the Mosque was choked by thy slipper and the flow,
unable to pass off, brimmed over, whereby sundry houses belonging
to the folk were wrecked."[FN#255] I replied, "O my lord, can a
slipper estop the flowing of a water that feedeth a Hammam?"
Thereupon the Governor said to me, "Take it away and if any find
it in his place and again bring me a complaint thereanent, I will
cut off thy head." So they haled me away after tossing my slipper
to me, and I repaired to the Efendi[FN#256] of the town and said
to him, "O our lord, I have a complaint against this Papoosh
which is not my property nor am I its owner: prithee do thou
write me a deed to such purport between me and the Slipper and
all who pass down this road." The Efendi replied, "O man, how
shall I write thee a deed between thee and thy Papoosh, which is
a senseless thing? Nay, take it thyself and cut it up and cast it
into some place avoided of the folk." Accordingly I seized it and
hacked it with a hatchet into four pieces which I threw down in
the four corners of the city, saying to myself the while, "By
Allah, I shall nevermore in my life hear any further of its
adventures;" and walked away barefoot. But I had thrown one bit
under a bridge that crossed a certain of the small canals; and
the season was the dries, wherefore it collected a heap of sand
which rose thereupon, and raised the pile higher until the
archway was blocked up by a mound. Now when the Níl[FN#257]
flooded and reached that archway the water was dammed up and
ceased running so the townsfolk said, "What may be the matter?
The Nile-inundation hath reached the bridge but cannot pass under
it. Come let us inspect the archway." They did so and presently
discovered the obstacle; to wit, the mound before the arch which
obstructed the waterway; whereupon a party kilted their clothes
and waded into the channel that they might clear it. But when
they came to the mound-base they found my quarter-slipper, and
they exclaimed with one cry, "This be the Papoosh of Abu Kasim
the Drummer!" But as soon as the tidings reached me, I fared
away, flying from that town, and while so doing was met by a
comrade, yonder Bhang-eater; so we agreed that we would travel
together and he companied me till we came to this city, e'en as
thou seest us, O our lord the Sultan. Thereupon the King said to
them, "Do ye twain abide with me amongst my servants; but I have
a condition with you which is that ye be righteous in your
service and that ye be ready to join my séance every night after
supper-tide." Then he cautioned them against disobedience and
quoth he, "Be ye not deluded by becoming my companions nor say to
yourselves, We be the assessors of the King; for that the byword
declareth: Whenas the King sitteth beware of his severity, and be
not refractory whenever he shall say to thee 'Do.'" They agreed
to this condition and each whispered his mate, "Do thou have a
care to act righteously!" Then they left the King nor did they
see him again till one day of the days when behold, a Khwajah
appeared before the Sultan.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Four Hundred and Third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that one day of
the days, behold a Khwajah appeared before the Sultan and said,
"'Tis not lawful in Allah's sight, O King of the Age, that a
Bhang-eater should propose to dishonour me in the person of my
daughter and load me with infamy amongst His worshippers saying
the while, "I am of the King's suite.'" Now the cause of the
merchant's complaint was as follows. One day of the days the
Bhang-eater was passing by under the latticed window of the
Khwajah's home when by decree of the Decreer, the daughter of the
house was looking out at the casement and was solacing herself by
observing all who walked the street. Perchance the Bhang-eater's
glance fell upon the maiden and that sight of eyes entailed a
thousand sighs, so he said to himself, "By Allah, if I meet not
this maiden, although it be only once, I shall die of a broken
heart nor shall any one know of my death." He then took to
passing under the window every day and to gazing upwards and to
tarrying there from morning-tide to set of sun; but the more he
looked the less he saw of her because Fortune which was fair to
him the first time had now turned foul. So he continued in this
condition for a while, coming every day to look at the lattice
and seeing naught. Presently his case became strait and ill
health entered his frame for love to the merchant's daughter; and
by reason of its excess he betook himself to his pillow turning
and tossing right and left and crying, "O her eyes! O her
loveliness! O her stature! O her symmetrical grace!" But as he
was repeating these words behold, an old woman came in to him
and, seeing his concern and chagrin, accosted him and said, "No
harm to thee!" Quoth he, "Ah, my reverend mother, unless thou
come to my aid I perish," and quoth she, "What is upon thy mind?
So he disclosed to her all he felt of fondness and affection for
the Khwajah's daughter and she rejoined. "Thou wilt never win to
thy wish in this matter except through me." Then she left him and
repaired to her own place, pondering the wiles of women, till she
entered her house and there she donned a woolen robe and hung
three rosaries around her neck, after which she hent a palm-staff
in hand and set out for the merchant's quarters. She ceased not
walking till she reached the place and entered in her garb of a
religious mendicant[FN#258] crying out, "Allah, there is no god
but the God! extolled be Allah! Allah be with you all!" When the
girl, whose name was Sitt al-Husn--the Lady of Beauty--heard
these words she met her, hoping for a blessing, and saying, "O my
mother, pray for me!" and the old woman responded, "The name of
Allah be upon thee! Allah be thy safeguard!"[FN#259] Then she sat
down and the damsel came and took seat beside her; so likewise
did the girl's mother and both sought a blessing from her and
conversed together till about noon when she arose and made the
Wuzú-ablution and span out her prayers, whilst those present
exclaimed, "By Allah this be a pious woman!" When her orisons
were ended they served up dinner to her; but she said, "I'm
fasting;" whereat they increased in love and belief herwards and
insisted upon her abiding with them until sunset that she might
break her fast within their walls. ON such wise she acted but it
was all a fraud. Then they persisted in keeping her for the
night; so she nighted with them, and when it was morn she arose
and prayed and mumbled words, some intelligible and others not to
be understanded of any, while the household gazed upon her and,
whenever she would move from place to place, supported her with
their hands under her armpits. At last, when it was mid-forenoon
she fared forth from them albeit their intent was not to let her
depart. But early on the next day she came in to them and all met
her with greetings and friendly reception, kissing her hands and
bussing her feet; so she did as she had done on the first day and
in like guise on the third while they showed her increased honour
and worship. On the fourth day she came to them, as was her wont,
and they prayed her be seated; however she refused and said, "I
have a daughter whom I am about to marry and the bridal
festivities will be in my house; but I come to you at this hour
to let you know my desire that Sitt al-Husn may accompany me and
be present at my girl's wedding-feast and thus she will gain a
blessing." Her mother replied, "We dread lest somewhat befal
her," but the ancient woman rejoined, "Fear not for her as the
Hallows[FN#260] are with her!" Thereupon cried the girl, "There
is no help but that I accompany her and be present at her
daughter's wedding ceremony and enjoy the spectacle and take my
pleasure." The mother said, "'Tis well;" and the old trot added,
"I will go and return within this moment." So saying, she went
off as one aweary to the house of the Bhang-eater and told him
what she had done; then she returned to the maiden whom she found
drest and decorated and looking her best. So she took the girl
and fared forth with her.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she,
"And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on
the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Fourth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
ancient woman took the girl and fared forth with her and led her
to the Bhang-eater's house and brought her in to him who, seeing
her in all her beauty and loveliness, arose forthright and his
wits fled him and he drew near to her of his excessive love
herwards. Therewith the "Lady of Beauty" understood that the old
woman was an accursed procuress who had beguiled her in order to
bring her and the man together. So of her cleverness and clear
intelligence she said to her lover, "O my brave, whoso expecteth
a visit of his beloved getteth ready somewhat of meat and
somewhat of fruit and somewhat of wine, that their pleasure may
be perfected; and, if thou purpose love-liesse we will pass the
night in this place." Quoth the Bhang-eater, "By Allah, O my
lady, thou speakest sooth but what shall we do at such hour as
this?" and quoth she, "Hie thee to the market-street and bring
all whereof I spoke." Said he, "Hearkening and obedience," and
said she, "I will sit down, I and this my mother in this place,
the while thou goest and comest." He rejoined, "A sensible
saying!" and forthright he was right gladsome nor knew what was
prepared for him in the hidden future. Now as soon as he went the
damsel arose and without making aught of noise locked the door
closely upon herself and the old trot: then she wandered about
the rooms and presently came upon a butcher's chopper[FN#261]
which she seized. Hereupon tucking up her sleeves above her
elbows, in the firmness of her heart she drew near the old crone
until she was hard by her right and so clove her skull asunder
that she fell weltering in her blood and her ghost fled her
flesh. After this the damsel again went about the house and all
worth the taking she took, leaving whatso was unworthy, till she
had collected a number of fine robes which the man had brought
together after he had become a cup-companion of the Sultan; and,
lastly, she packed the whole in a sheet[FN#262] and went forth
therewith. Now the season was morning but The Veiler veiled her
and none met her on the way until she reached her home and
saying, "By Allah, to-day my girl hath tarried long at the bridal
festivities of the Ascetic's daughter." And behold Sitt al-Husn
came in to her carrying a large sheet stuffed with raiment, and
as her mother saw her agitated and in disorder she questioned her
of her case and of what was packed in the bundle. But the girl,
who returned no reply and could not speak one syllable for the
emotion caused by the slaughter of the ancient woman, fell to the
ground in a fit. Her swoon endured from noon until eventide, her
mother sitting at her head the while and sorrowing for her
condition. But about set of sun behold, in came her father who
found his daughter aswoon; so he questioned his wife who began by
recounting to him what they had noted in the old woman of prayer
and display of devotion and how she had told them, "I have a
daughter whom I am about to marry and the bridal festivities will
be in my house." "And," pursued the mother, "she invited us to
visit her; so at undurntide I sent with her the girl; who at
noontide came back bringing somewhat wrapped up and bundled,
which be this. But when she entered the house she fell to the
floor in a fainting fit and she is even as thou seest; nor do I
know what befel her." Then the father rose up and besprinkled
somewhat of water upon her face which revived her and she said,
"Where am I?" whereto said he, "Thou art with us." And when she
had recovered and returned to her senses, and her condition was
as before the swoon, she told them of the old woman and her ill
designs and of her death and lastly how the clothes had been
brought by herself from the house of the Bhang-eater. As soon as
her sire had heard her words, he set out from his home and sought
the Sultan.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that whilst the
Sultan was sitting behold, the Khwajah came in and complained to
him of the Bhang-eater, whereupon he ordered a company to go
fetch the accursed and they went off and found him not. So they
returned and reported accordingly. Such was the cause of the
Khwajah coming to the King and such was the case with them; but
as regards the Bhang-eater, when he went off rejoicing to the
Bazar in order to buy whatso the merchant's daughter had asked
him, he brought many a thing wherewith he returned to his
lodging. However as he returned he beheld the old woman
slaughtered and weltering in her blood and he found nothing at
all of the choice articles wherewith his house was fulfilled; so
he fell to quoting this couplet:[FN#263]--
"'Twas as a hive of bees that greatly thrived; * But, when the
bee-swarm fled, 'twas clean unhived."
And when he beheld that condition of things he turned from his
home in haste and without stay or delay left it about the hour of
mid-afternoon and fared forth from the city. There he found a
caravan bound to some bourne or other, so he proceeded therewith
hardly believing in his own safety and he ceased not accompanying
the Cafilah[FN#264] for the space of five days till it made the
city the travellers sought, albeit he was fatigued and footsore
from the stress of hardships and weariness he had endured. So he
entered the place and wandered about until he found a Khan
wherein he hired him a cell by way of nighting-stead and every
day he would go forth to seek service for wages whereby he might
make a livelihood. Now one day of the days a woman met him face
to face on the highway and said to him, "Dost thou do service?"
and said he, "Indeed I do, O my lady." She continued, "There is a
wall about my place which I desire to level and build another in
lieu thereof for that 'tis old and very old." He replied to her,
"'Tis well," and she took him and repaired with him to her house
and showing him the wall in question handed to him a pickaxe and
said, "Break it down as much as thou art able be it for two or
three days, and heap up the stones in one place and the dried mud
in another." He replied, "Hearkening and obedience;" after which
she brought to him somewhat of food and of water and he ate and
drank and praised Almighty Allah. After this he rose and began
breaking down the wall and he ceased not working and piling up
the stones and the dried mud until it was sunset time when the
woman paid him to his wage ten faddahs and added a something of
food which he took and turned towards his own cell. As soon as it
was the second day he repaired to the house of the woman who
again gave him somewhat to break his fast and he fell to felling
the wall even as he had done on the first day and he worked till
noon; but when it was midday and all the household was asleep, lo
and behold! he found in the middle of the foundation a
crock[FN#265] full of gold. So he opened it and considered its
contents whereat he was rejoiced and he went forth without
leisure or loss of time seeking his own cell and when he reached
it he locked himself within for fear lest any look upon him. Then
he opened the crock and counted therein one hundred dinars which
he pouched in his purse and stowed away in his breast-pocket.
Presently he returned, as he was, to break down the rest of the
wall and whilst he was trudging along the highway suddenly he
sighted a box surrounded by a crowd of whom none knew what might
be its contents and its owner was crying out, "For an hundred
gold pieces!" Thereupon the Bhang-eater went forwards saying to
himself, "Buy thee yonder box for the hundred dinars and thy luck
be thy lot, for it there be inside of it aught of wonderful 'tis
well, and if otherwise thou shalt stand by thy bad bargain." So
he drew near the broker[FN#266] and said to him, "This box for
how much?"[FN#267] and the other answered, "For an hundred gold
dinars!" But when he questioned him as to its contents the man
replied, "I know not; whoso taketh it his luck be his lot."
Thereupon he brought out to him the hundred ducats and the broker
made over to him the box which he charged upon his shoulders and
carried off to his cell. There arrived he bolted himself in and
opened the coffer wherein he found a white slave-girl which was a
model of beauty and loveliness and stature and perfect grace: but
she was like one drunken with wine. So he shook her but she was
not aroused when he said to himself, "What may be the story of
this handmaiden?" and he was never tired of looking upon her
while she was in that condition and he kept saying to himself,
"Would Heaven I wot and she be on life or in death; withal I see
her breath coming and going." Now when it was about midnight, the
handmaiden revived and looking around and about her, cried,
"Where am I?" and said the Bhang-eater, "Thou, O my lady, art in
my home;" whereby she understood what had befallen her.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable
and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that
I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer
me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Sixth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deed fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
handmaiden understood what had befallen her at the hands of her
enemies. Now the cause thereof was that the Sultan of that city
had bought him for concubine one Kút al-Kulúb,[FN#268] or
Heart's-food hight, and she became to him the liefest of all the
women he before had, amongst whom his wife, the daughter of his
uncle, had bee preferred; but all fell into the rank of the
common and from the time he bought the new handmaid he was wholly
occupied with her love and he never went near the other inmates
of his Harem, not even his cousin. So they were filled with
exceeding jealousy against Heart's-food the new comer. Now one
day of the days the Sultan went forth to hunt and bird and enjoy
the occasion and solace himself in the gardens together with the
Lords of his land, and they rode on till they found themselves
amiddlemost of the waste pursuing their quarry. But when two days
had passed, his wife together with the women which were
concubines arose and invited all the neighbourhood whereamong was
Kut al-Kulub, and she spread for them a sumptuous banquet and
lavished upon the new comers all manner of attentions and the
wife began to play with her rival and to disport with her until
it was thought that she loved none in the assembly save
Heart's-food; and on such wise she continued to cheer her and
solace her and gambol with her and make her laugh until the trays
were laid and the meats were dispread and all the guests came
forward and fell to eating and drinking. Thereupon the King's
cousin-wife brought a plate seasoned with Bhang and set it before
the concubine who had no sooner eaten it and it had settled in
her stomach than she trembled as with sudden palsy and fell to
the ground without power of motion. Then the Queen bade place her
in a box and having locked her therein sent for one who was
Skaykh of the Brokers and committed to him the coffer saying, "Do
thou sell it for an hundred gold pieces whilst it is locked and
fast locked and suffer not any open it, otherwise we will work
for the cutting off of thy hands." He replied, "To hear is to
obey;" and took up the box and went with it to the market-street
where he said to the brokers, "Cry for sale this coffer at an
hundred dinars and if any attempt to open it, open it not to any
by any manner of means." So they took their station and made
auction of it for an hundred gold pieces, when by the decree of
Destiny the Bhang-eater passed down the street exulting in his
hundred dinars which he had found in the crock while levelling
the wall belonging to the woman. Thereupon he came up and having
paid the price required carried off his coffer saying in his
mind, "My luck is my livelihood." After this he went to his own
cell and opened it and found there the handmaid in condition as
though drunken with wine. Such is the history of that concubine
Kut al-Kulub and she fell not into the hand of the Bhang-eater
save by the wile and guile of the Sultan's cousin-wife. But when
she recovered from her fainting fit and gazed around and
understood what had befallen her she concealed her secret and
said to the man, "Verily this thy cell becometh us not;" and, as
she had somewhat of gold pieces with her and a collar of jewels
around her neck worth a thousand dinars, she brought out for him
some money and sent him forth to hire for them a house in the
middle of the quarter beffiting great folk and when this was done
she had herself transported thither. Then she would give him
every day spending-money to buy whatso she ever required and she
would cook the delicatest dishes fit for the eating of the Kings
wherewith she fed herself and her owner. This continued for
twenty days when suddenly the Sultan returned from his hunting
party and as soon as he entered his palace he asked for Kut
al-Kulub.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night, an the
Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and
that was
The Four Hundred and Seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that as soon as
the Sultan returned from the chase he asked after Kut al-Kuluh
from his exceeding desire to her, and the daughter of his uncle
told him the tidings saying, "By Allah, O King of the Age, three
days after thou faredst forth there came upon her malaise and
malady wherein she abode six days and then she deceased to the
mercy of Almighty Allah." He exclaimed, "There is no Majesty and
there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Verily
we are the Almighty's and unto Him shall we return." Then befel
him the extreme of grief and straitness of breast and he passed
that night in exceeding cark and care for Kut al-Kulub. And when
it was morning he sent after the Wazir and summoned him between
his hands and bade him go forth to the Tigris-bank and there
approve some place whereon he might build a palace which should
command all roads. The Minister replied, "Hearkening and
obeying;" and hied to do his lord's bidding taking with him
architects[FN#269] and others, and having found a piece of level
ground he ordered them to measure an hundred ells of length for
the building by a breadth of seventy cubits. Presently he sent
for surveyors and master-masons whom he commanded to make ready
every requisite for the work, of ashlar and lime and lead; also
to dig trenches for the base of the walls. Then they fell to
laying the foundations, and the builders and handicraftsmen began
to pile the stones and prepare the loads while the Wazir stood by
them bidding and forbidding. Now when it was the third day, the
Sultan went forth the Palace to look at the masons and artizans
who were working at the foundations of his new edifice. And as
soon as he had inspected it, it pleased him, so he said to the
Wazir, "Walláhi! none would befit this palace save and except Kut
al-Kulub, when 'twould have been full of significance;" and so
saying he wept with sore weeping at the remembrance of her. Quoth
the Wazir to him, "O King of the Age, have patience when calamity
afflicteth thee, even as said one of them with much meaning,
anent long-suffering:--
'Be patient under weight of wrath and blow of sore calamities: *
The Nights compressed by Time's embrace gravid miras gerunt
res.'"[FN#270]
Then quoth the Sultan, "'Tis well, O Wazir, I know that patience
is praiseworthy and fretfulness is blameworthy, for indeed quoth
the poet:--
When Time shall turn on thee, have patience for 'tis best of
plight: * Ease shall pursue unease and naught but suffrance
make it light;'
and by Allah, O Wazir, human nature is never free from sad
thought and remembrance. Verily that damsel pleased me and I
delighted in her; nor can I ever think to find one like her in
beauty and loveliness." Thereupon the Wazir fell to guiding the
Sultan with fair words until his breast was broadened and the two
began to solace themselves by inspecting the masons. After this
the Sultan would go forth every morning for solace to Tigris-bank
and tidings reached the ears of Kut al-Kulub that her lord was
engaged on building a riverine palace, whereupon she said to the
Bhang-eater, "Day by day we expend money upon our condition, and
our outgoing is without incoming, so 'twere but right that each
morning thou fare and work with the workmen who are edifying a
mansion for the Sultan, inasmuch as the folk declare that he is
of temper mild and merciful and haply thou shalt gain from him
profit and provision." "O my lady," he replied, "by Allah, I have
no patience to part with thee or to be far from thee;" and he
said so because he loved her and she loved him, for that since
the time he had found her locked in the box and had looked upon
her he had never required of her her person and this was indeed
from his remembrance, for he bore in mind but too well what had
befallen him from the Khwajah's daughter. And she on her side
used to say, "'Tis a wondrous thing that yon Bhang-eater never
asketh me aught nor draweth nigh me seeing that I be a captive of
his right hand." So she said to him, "Assuredly thou dost love
me?" and said he, "How can it be otherwise when thou art the
blood of my life and the light of mine eyes?" "O light of mine
eyes," she replied, "take this necklace and set it in thy
breast-pocket and go work at the Sultan's palace, and as often as
thou shalt think of me, do thou take it out and consider it and
smell it and it shall be as if thou wert to see me." Hearing this
he obeyed her and went forth till he reached the palace where he
found the builders at work and the Sultan and the Wazir sitting
in a Kiosk hard by overseeing the masons and the workmen; --And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable
and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that
I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deed fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
Bhang-eater joined the masons he saw the Sultan and Wazir
overseeing them; and, as soon as the King sighted him, he opened
his breast to him and said, "O man, wilt thou also do work?" and
said the other, "Yes." So he bade him labour with the builders
and he continued toiling till hard upon noon-tide, at which time
he remembered his slave-girl and forthright he bowed his head
upon his bosom-pocket and he sniffed thereat. The Wazir saw him
so doing and asked him, "What is the meaning of thy sniffing at
what is in thy poke?" and he answered him, "No matter." However
the Minister espied him a second time occupied in like guise and
quoth he to the Sultan, "Look, O King of the Age, at yon labourer
who is hiding something in his pocket and smelling thereat."
"Haply," responded the Sovran, "there is in his pouch something
he would look at." However when the Sultan's glance happened to
fall that way he beheld the Bhang-eater sniffing and smelling at
his poke, so he said to the Wazir, "Walláhi! Verily this
workman's case is a strange." Hereupon both fixed their eyes upon
him and they saw him again hiding somewhat in his pouch and
smelling at it. The Wazir cried, "Verily this fellow is
a-fizzling and he boweth his head toward his breast in order that
he may savour his own farts."[FN#271] The Sultan laughed and
said, "By Allah, if he do on this wise 'tis a somewhat curious
matter, or perhaps, O Wazir, he have some cause to account for
it; at any rate do thou call out to him and ask him." So the
Wazir arose and drawing near to him asked him saying, "Ho, this
one![FN#272] every time thou fizzlest thou smellest and sniffest
at thy fizzlings;" whereto answered the workman, "Wag not thy
tongue with these words seeing thou art in the presence of a King
glorious of degree." Quoth the Minister, "What is the matter with
thee in this case that thou art sniffing at thy pocket?" and
quoth the labourer, "Verily my beloved is in my pouch." The Wazir
wondered hereat and reported the same to the Sultan who cried,
"Return to him and say, 'Is it possible that thou display to us
thy beloved who is in thy breast-pocket?'" So he returned to him
and said, "Show us what there is in thy pouch." Now the origin of
this necklace was that the King had bought it for Kut al-Kulub at
the price of a thousand dinars and the damsel had given it to the
Bhang-eater with the sole object that the Sultan might look upon
it and thereby be directed unto her and might learn the reason of
her disappearance and her severance from him. Hereupon the man
brought out to them the necklace from his breastpocket and the
Sultan on seeing it at once recognised it and wondered how it had
fallen into the hands of that workman; accordingly he asked who
was its owner and the other answered, "It belongeth to the
handmaid whom I bought with an hundred dinars." Quoth the Sultan
to him, "Is it possible[FN#273] thou invite us to thy quarters
that we may look upon this damsel;" and quoth the other, "Would
you look upon my slave-girl and not be ashamed of yourselves?
However I will consult her, and if she be satisfied therewith we
will invite you." They said to him, "This be a rede that is right
and an affair which no blame can excite." When the day had
reached its term the masons and workmen were dismissed after they
had taken their wage; but as for the Bhang-eater the Sultan gave
him two gold pieces and set him free about sunset tide; so he
fared to his handmaid and informed her of what had befallen him
from the King, adding, "He hath indeed looked upon the necklace
and hath asked me to invite him hither as well as the Wazir."
Quoth she, "No harm in that; but to-morrow (Inshallah!) do thou
bring all we require for a state occasion of meats and drinks,
and let me have them here by noon-tide, so they may eat the early
meal. But when he shall ask to buy me of thee compose thy mind
and say thou, 'No,' when he will reply to thee, 'Give me this
damsel in free gift.' Hereat do thou say, 'She is a present from
me to thee'; because indeed I am his slave and bought with his
money for one thousand and five hundred dinars; and thou hadst
never become my lord save through my foes who devised a device
against me and who sold me when thou boughtest me. However the
hour of thy prosperity hath now come." And when morning morrowed
she gave him five gold pieces and said to him, "Bring for me
things that be such and such," and said he, "Hearing and
obedience." So he went to the market-street where he purchased
all the supplies wherewith she had charged him and returned to
her forthright. Hereupon she arose and tucking up her sleeves
prepared meats that befitted the King and likewise she got ready
comfits and the daintiest of dainties and sherbets and she
tempered the pastilles and she besprinkled the room with
rosewater and looked to the furniture of the place. About midday
she sent to the Sultan and the Wazir with notice that she was
ready; so the Bhang-eater repaired to the Palace and having gone
in to the presence said, "Have the kindness!"[FN#274] The twain
arose without more ado and hied with him privily till they
reached his house and entered therein.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is
thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I should relate
to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
and the Wazir entered the place wherein were the Bhang-eater and
the damsel, and took their seats. Now the meats were ready and
they served up to them the trays and the dishes, when they fell
to and were cheered by the sumptuous viands until they had eaten
after the measure of their sufficiency. And when their hands were
washed, the confections and sherbet and coffee were set before
them, so they ate and were satisfied and gladdened and made
merry. After this quoth the Sultan to the Bhang-eater, "Where is
the damsel?" and quoth the man, "She is here," whereat he was
commanded to bring her. Accordingly he went off and led her in
and as soon as the King sighted her he recognised her and ordered
her owner to make her over to him and said when he did so, "O
man, wilt thou sell to me this damsel?" But the other kissed
ground before him and replied, "O King of the Age, she is from me
a free gift to thee;" and quoth the Sultan, "She is accepted from
thee, O Shaykh, and do thou come and bring her thyself to the
Palace about sundown-time." He replied, "To hear is to obey." And
at the hour named he took the damsel and ceased not faring with
her till he brought her to the Serai,[FN#275] where the Eunuchry
met her and took her and carried her in to the Sultan. But as
soon as she entered she nestled in his bosom and he threw his
arms round her neck and kissed her of his excessive desire to
her. Then he asked her saying, "This man who purchased thee, hath
he any time approached thee?" whereto she answered, "By Allah, O
King, from the time he bought me in the box which he opened and
found me alive therein until this present never hath he looked
upon my face, and as often as I addressed him he would bow his
brow earthwards." Quoth the Sultan, "By Allah, this wight
deserveth an aidance for that he paid down for thee an hundred
dinars and he hath presented thee in free gift to me." Now when
morrowed the morning the King sent after the Bhang-eater and
summoned him between his hands and bestowed upon him one thousand
five hundred dinars with a suit of royal raiment, after which he
presented to him, by way of honourable robe,[FN#276] a white
slave-girl. He also set apart for him an apartment and made him
one of his boon companions. So look thou, O hearer,[FN#277] how
it happened to this Bhang-eater from the Khwajah's daughter and
his love herwards; how he failed to win her and how he gained of
blows whatso he gained; and after what prosperity befel him from
the part of Kut al-Kulub. And ever afterwards when the Sultan
would ride out for disport or for the hunt and chase he would
take the man with him. Presently of the perfection of his
prosperity this Bhang-eater fully mastered the affairs of the
kingdom, both its income and its outgo, and his knowledge
embraced all the regions and cities which were under the rule of
his lord. Furthermore, whenever he would counsel the King, his
advice was found to be in place and he was consulted upon all
State affairs, and whenever he heard of any business he
understood its inner as well as its outer meaning until the
Sultan and the Wazir both sought rede of him, and he would point
out to them the right and unright, and that which entaileth
trouble and no trouble, when they could fend it off and overthrow
it or by word or by deed of hand. Now one day of the many days
the King was in a certain of his gardens a-solacing himself with
the sights when his heart and stomach became full of pain and he
fell ill and his illness grew upon him, nor did he last four days
ere he departed to the mercy of Allah Almighty. As he had no
issue, either son or daughter, the country remained without a
King for three days, when the Lords of the land for-gathered and
agreed upon a decision, all and some, that they would have no
King or Sultan save the Wazir and that the man the Bhang-eater
should be made Chief Councillor. So they agreed upon this matter
and their words went forth to the Minister who at once took
office. After this he gave general satisfaction and lavished alms
on the mean and miserable, also on satisfaction and lavished alms
on the mean and miserable, also on the widows and orphans, when
his fame was bruited abroad and it dispread far and wide till men
entitled him the "Just Wazir" and in such case he governed for a
while of time.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth
her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Tenth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Wazir
governed for a while of time with all justice of rule so that the
caravans spread abroad the name and fame of him throughout every
city and all the countries. Presently there befel him an affair
between two women which were sister-wives to one man.[FN#278] Now
these had conceived by him in the same month and when the time of
their pregnancy had passed, the twain were delivered in the same
place at the same hour and the midwife was one and the same. One
brought forth a babe but it was a daughter which incontinently
died and the other a man-child who lived. The women quarrelled
and fought about the boy-babe and both of them said, "This is my
child;" and there befel between them exceeding contention and
excessive hostility. So they carried their cause before the
divines and the Olema and the head men of the place, yet did none
of them know how to decide between the twain and not a few of the
folk said, "Let each woman take the child to her for a month,"
whilst others declared that they might keep it between them at
all times, whilst of the women one said, "'Tis well: this be my
boy!" and the other declared, "'Tis well, this be my son!" nor
could any point out to which of the women the boy belonged. So
the town's people were gathered together and said, "None can
determine this dispute except the Just Wazir;" and they agreed
upon this, so that the husband of the two women and sundry of his
associates arose and took the twain of them and travelled with
them to hear the Minister's judgment. Also the Olema and the
great men of the place declared "By Allah, we also needs must
travel with the party and produce the two women and be present at
the Just Wazir's judgment." So they all assembled and followed
after the two adversaries, nor did they cease travelling until
they entered the city where the Minister abode. There they
delayed for rest during one day and on the second they all joined
one another and went in to the Wazir and recounted to him the
case of the two women. Hearing this he bowed his brow groundwards
and presently raising it he cried, "Bring me two eggs and void
them of their contents and see that the shells be clean empty."
Then he commanded that each of the women drain somewhat of milk
from her nipple into the egg-shell till she had filled it. They
did accordingly and set before him the egg-shells brimful when he
said, "Bring me a pair of scales."[FN#279] After this he placed
both eggs in the balance-pan and raising it aloft from its
rounded stead perceived that one was weighty and the other was
light. Quoth he, "The milk of the woman in this egg is the
heavier and she is the mother of the boy-babe whereas the other
bare the girl-child and we know not an it be alive or dead."
Hereat the true mother of the boy held her peace but the other
wailed aloud and said, "'Tis well: still this be my babe!"
Thereupon quoth the Wazir, "I am about to take the boy and hew
him in halves whereof I will give one to each of you twain." But
the true mother arose and cried out, "No! O my lord, do not on
this wise: I will forfeit my claim for Allah's sake;" while the
other one exclaimed, "All this is right good!" Now all the folk
of the city who were then standing by heard these words and
looked on; but when this order was pronounced and the woman was
satisfied and declared, "I will take half the boy," the Wazir
gave orders forthright that they seize her and hang her; so they
hanged her and he gave the babe to the right mother. Then said
they to him, "O our lord, how was it proved to thee that the boy
was the child of this one?" and he said, "It became evident to me
from two sides; in the first place because her milk was the
heavier, so that I knew that the boy was her boy, and secondly
when I commanded, 'Let us cut the boy in half,' the real mother
consented not to this and the matter was hard upon her because
the child was a slice of her liver, and she said to herself, 'His
life is better than his death, even though my sister-wife take
him, at any rate I shall be able to look upon him.' But the
second woman designed only to gratify her spite whether the boy
died or not and to harm her sister-wife; so when I saw that she
was contented to have the babe killed, I knew that it was right
to do her die." Then all who were present of the Lords of the
land and the Olema and divines and notables wondered at the
judgment and exclaimed, "By Allah, well done,[FN#280] O Wazir of
the realm." Now this history of the Minister's perspicacity and
penetration was spread abroad and all folk went from his presence
and everyone who had wives that had borne girls took somewhat of
milk from the women and went to each and every of those who had
borne boys and took from them milk in the same quantity as the
Wazir had taken, and weighted it in the scales, when they found
that the mothers of males produced milk that was not equal to,
nay it weighed two-fold that of those who bare girls. Hereupon
they said, "It is not right that we call this Minister only the
Just Wazir;" and all were agreed that he should be titled "The
Wazir-wise-in-Allah-Almighty;"[FN#281] and the reason whereof was
the judgment which he passed in the cause between the two women.
Now after this it befel him to deliver a decision more wondrous
than the former.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth
her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the
Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and
that was
The four hundred and eleventh night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that to the
Wazir-wise-in-Almighty-Allah there befel between his hands a
strange matter which was as follows. As he was sitting one day of
the days there came in to him unexpectedly two men, of whom one
led a cow and a little colt whilst the second had with him a mare
and a little calf. Now the first who came forward was the owner
of the mare and quoth he, "O my lord, I have a claim upon this
man." Quoth the Minister, "What be thy claim?" And the plaintiff
continued, "I was going a-morn to the meadow for pasture and with
me was my mare followed by her young one, her little colt, when
yonder man met me upon the road and the colt began to play and to
throw up gravel with its hoofs as is the wont of horse-flesh and
draw near to the cow. Hereupon this man came up and seized it and
said, 'This colt is the offspring of my cow,' and so saying he
took it away and he gave me his calf, crying, 'Take this which be
the issue of thy mare.'" So the Wazir turning to the master of
the cow asked, "O man, what sayest thou concerning what thy
comrade hath spoken?" and the other answered, "O my lord, in very
deed this colt is the produce of my cow and I brought it up by
hand." Quoth the Wazir, "Is it right that black cattle should
bring forth horses and that horses should bear cows? indeed the
intelligence of an intelligent man may not compass this;" and
quoth the other, "O my lord, Allah createth whatso He willeth and
maketh kine to produce horses and horses to produce kine."
Hereupon the Minister said to him, "O Shaykh, when thou seest a
thing before thee and lookest thereon canst thou speak of it in
the way of truth?" And the other assented. Then the Wazir
continued addressing the two men, "Wend your ways at this time
and on the morrow be present here at early morn and let it be at
a vacant hour." Accordingly they forthright went forth, and the
next day early the two men came to the divan of the Wazir who set
before them a she-mouse he had provided and called for a sack
which he filled with earth. And as the men stood between his
hands he said, "Wait ye patiently without speaking a word;" so
they held their peace and presently he bade them set the sack and
the mouse before him and he ordered the men to load the sack upon
the mouse. Both cried, "O our lord, 'tis impossible that a mouse
can carry a sack full of earth," when he answered, "How then can
a cow bear a colt? and when a mouse shall be able to bear a sack
then shall a cow bear a colt." All this and the Sultan was
looking out at the latticed window listening and gazing. Hereupon
the Wazir gave an order that the master of the mare take her colt
and the master of the cow carry off her calf; after which he bade
them go about their business.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she,
"And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on
the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was
The four hundred and twelfth night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Sultan, whose Minister was the Wazir-wise-in-Allah-Almighty, on a
certain day summoned his Chief Councillor and when he came said
to him, "Verily my breast is straitened and I am beset by unease,
so I desire to hear something which may broaden my bosom;" and
said the other, "O King of the age, by Allah, I have a friend who
is named Mahmud the 'Ajami and that man is a choice spirit and he
hath all kind of rare tales and strange anecdotes and wondrous
histories and marvellous adventures." Said the Sultan, "There is
no help but that thou summon him to us hither and let us hear
from him somewhat." So the Wazir sent after the Persian and when
the man stood in the presence said to him, "Verily the Sultan
hath summoned thee." He replied, "Hearing and obeying," when he
was taken and set before the Sovran and as he entered he saluted
him with the salams of the Caliphs and blessed him and prayed for
him.[FN#282] The King returned his greeting and after seating him
said to him, "O Mahamud, at this moment my breast is indeed
straitened and I have heard of thee that thou hast a store of
rare stories which I would that thou cause me hear[FN#283] and
let it be somewhat sweet of speech which shall banish my cark and
my care and the straitness of my breast." Hereto the other
replied, "Hearing and obeying;" and began to relate the
Tale of Mahmud the Persian and the Kurd Sharper.[FN#284]
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*
The Sultan was delighted with the 'Ajami's relation and largessed
him two thousand pieces of gold; after which he returned to his
palace and took seat upon his Divan when suddenly a poor man
appeared before him carrying a load of fruit and greens and
greeted him and prayed for him and expressed a blessing which the
Sultan returned and bade him fair welcome. After which he asked,
"What hast thou with thee, O Shaykh?" and the other answered, "O
King of the Age, I have an offering to thee of fresh greens and
firstfruits;" and the King rejoined, "It is accepted." Thereupon
the man placed them between his royal hands and stood up, and the
King having removed the cover[FN#285] found under it a portion of
ordinary cucumbers and sundry curling cucumbers and bundles of
rose-mallows[FN#286] which had been placed before him. So he took
thereof some little matter and ate it and was much pleased and
bade the Eunuchry bear the rest into the Harem. They carried out
his commands and the women also were delighted and having eaten
somewhat they distributed the remainder to the slave-girls. Then
said they, "By Allah, this man, the fruitowner, deserveth
Bakhshísh;"[FN#287] so they sent to him by the Eunuch one hundred
gold pieces whereto the Sultan added twain, so the whole of his
gain was three hundred dinars. But the Sultan was much pleased
with the man and a part of the care which he felt was lightened
to him, whereupon asked he, "O Shaykh, knowest thou aught of
boon-companionship with the Kings?" to which the other answered,
"Yes;" for he was trim of tongue and ready of reply and sweet of
speech. Presently the Sultan continued, "O Shaykh, for this
present go back to thy village and give to thy wife and family
that which Allah hath made thy lot." Accordingly the man went
forth and did as the King bade him; after which he returned in a
short time and went into the presence about set of sun when he
found his liege lord at supper. The King bade him sit to the
trays which he did and he ate after the measure of his
sufficiency, and again when the Sultan looked upon him he was
pleased with him. And when the hour of nightprayers came all
prayed together;[FN#288] then the King invited him to sit down as
a cup-companion and commanded him to relate one of his
tales.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the
Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and
that was
The Four Hundred and Seventeenth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the man
took seat as a boon-companion of the King, and began to relate
The Tale of the Sultan and His Sons and the Enchanting Bird.[FN#289]
It is told anent a man, one of the Kings of Orient-land, that he
had three sons, of whom the eldest one day of the days heard the
folk saying, "In such a place there is a bird hight the shrilling
Philomelet,[FN#290] which transmews everyone who comes to it into
a form of stone. Now when the heir apparent heard this report he
went to his father and said, "'Tis my desire to fare forth and to
get that marvellous bird;" and said the father, "O my son, thou
wouldst work only to waste thy life-blood and to deprive us of
thee; for that same bird hath ruined Kings and Sultans, not to
speak of Bashas and Sanjáks,[FN#291] men in whose claws[FN#292]
thou wouldst be as nothing." But the son replied, "Needs must I
go and if thou forbid my going I will kill myself." So quoth his
father, "There is no Majesty and no Might save in Allah, the
Glorious, the Great;" and saith the son, "Affects are affected
and steps are sped towards a world that is vile and distributed
daily bread."[FN#293] Then he said to him, "O my child, set out
upon thy journey and mayest thou win to thy wish." Hereupon they
prepared for him somewhat of victual and he went forth on his
wayfare. But before departing he took off his seal-ring from his
finger and gave it to his second brother saying, "O my brother,
an this signet press hard upon thy little finger do thou know and
make certain that mishap hath happened to me." So the second
Prince took it and put it upon his minim finger, after which the
eldest youth farewelled his father and his mother and his
brothers and the Lords of the land and departed seeking the city
wherein the Bird woned. He ceased not travelling by nights and
days, the whole of them, until he reached the place wherein was
the bird Philomelet whose habit it was to take station upon his
cage between mid-afternoon and sunset, when he would enter it to
pass the night. And if any approached him with intent of
capturing him, he would sit afar from the same and at set of sun
he would take station upon the cage and would cry aloud speaking
in a plaintive voice, "Ho thou who sayest to the mean and
mesquin, 'Lodge!'[FN#294] Ho thou who sayest to the sad and
severed, 'Lodge!' Ho thou who sayest to the woeful and doleful,
'Lodge!'" Then if these words were grievous to the man standing
before him and he make reply "Lodge!" ere the words could leave
his lips the Bird would take a pinch of dust from beside the cage
and hovering over the wight's head would scatter it upon him and
turn him into stone. At length arrived the youth who had resolved
to seize the Bird and sat afar from him till set of sun: then
Philomelet came and stood upon his cage and cried, "Ho thou who
sayest to the mean and mesquin, 'Lodge!' Ho thou who sayest to
the sad and severed, 'Lodge!' Ho thou who sayest to the woeful
and the doleful, 'Lodge!'" Now the cry was hard upon the young
Prince and his heart was softened and he said, "Lodge!" This was
at the time when the sun was disappearing, and as soon as he
spake the word the Bird took a somewhat of dust and scattered it
upon the head of the youth, who forthright became a stone. At
that time his brother was sitting at home in thought concerning
the wanderer, when behold, the signet squeezed his finger and he
cried, "Verily my brother hath been despoiled of life and done to
death!"--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Eighteenth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the second
Prince, when the signet squeezed his little finger, cried out
saying, "My brother, by Allah, is ruined and lost; but needs must
I also set forth and look for him and find what hath befallen
him." Accordingly he said to his sire, "O my father, 'tis my
desire to seek my brother;" and the old King answered, "Why, O my
son, shouldst thou become like thy brother, both bereaving us of
your company?" But the other rejoined, "There is no help for that
nor will I sit at rest till I go after my lost one and espy what
hath betided him." Thereupon his sire gave orders for his journey
and got ready what would suffice him of victual, and he departed,
but before he went he said to his youngest brother, "Take thou
this ring and set it upon thy little finger, and if it press hard
thereupon do thou understand and be certified that my life's
blood is shed and that I have perished." After this he farewelled
them and travelled to the place of the Enchanting Bird, and he
ceased not wayfaring for whole days and nights and nights and
days until he arrived at that stead. Then he found the bird
Philomelet and sat afar from him till about sundown when he took
station upon his cage and began to cry, "Ho thou who sayest to
the mean and mesguin, 'Lodge!' Ho thou who sayest to the sad and
severed, 'Lodge!' Ho thou who sayest to the woeful and doleful,
'Lodge!'" Now this cry of the Bird was hard upon the young Prince
and he had no sooner pronounced the word "Lodge!" than the
Philomelet took up somewhat of dust beside his cage and scattered
it upon him, when forthright he became a stone lying beside his
brother. Now the youngest of the three Princes was sitting at
meat with his sire when suddenly the signet shrank till it was
like to cut off his finger; so he rose forthright to his feet and
said, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah,
the Glorious, the Great." Quoth his father, "What is to do with
thee, O my son?" and quoth he, "By Allah, my brother is ruined
and wasted, so needs must I also fare forth and look after the
twain of them." Exclaimed his sire, "Why, O my son, should you
three be cut off?" but the other answered, "Needs must I do this,
nor can I remain after them without going to see what hath
betided them, and either we three shall return in safety and
security or I also shall become one of them." So the father bade
them prepare for his journey and after they had got ready for him
a sufficiency of provision he farewelled him and the youth set
out. But when he departed from his sire the old man and his wife
filleted their brows with the fillets of sorrow[FN#295] and they
fell to weeping by night and by day. Meanwhile the youth left not
wayfaring till he reached the stead of the Bird and the hour was
mid-afternoon, when he found his brothers ensorcelled to stones,
and about sunset he sat down at the distance from Philomelet who
took station upon his cage and began to cry, "Ho thou who sayest
to the mean and mesquin, 'Lodge!' Ho thou who sayest to the sad
and severed, 'Lodge!'" together with many words and instances of
the same kind. But the Prince hardened his heart nor would speak
the word, and albeit the Bird continued his cry none was found to
answer him. Now when the sun evanished and he had kept up his
appeal in vain he went into the cage, whereupon the youngest of
the Princes arose and running up shut the door upon him. Quoth
the Bird, "Thou hast done the deed, O son of the Sultan," and the
youth replied, "Relate to me whatso thou hast wrought in magic to
these creations of God." Replied Philomelet, "Beside thee lie two
heaps of clay whereof one is white and the other blue: this is
used in sorcery and that to loose the spells."--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is
thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I should relate
to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Twentieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Bird
said to the youngest son of the Sultan, "By the side of my cage
are two heaps of clay, this blue and that white; and the first is
the material for sorcery whilst the second looseth the spell."
Hereupon the youth approached them and finding the mounds took
somewhat of the white and scattered it upon the stones and cried,
"Be ye returned unto your olden shapes;" and, as he did so, each
and every of the stones became men as they had been. Now amongst
them were sundry sons of the Sultans, also the children of Kings
and Wazirs and Bashas and Lords of the land, and of the number
two were the elder brothers of the young Prince: so they salamed
to him and all congratulated one another to their safety. After
this one came forward to the youth and said to him, "Verily this
place is a city, all and some of whose folk are ensorcelled." So
he took a somewhat of clay from the white and entered the
streets, where, finding the case as described to him, he fell to
sifting the clay upon them and they were transmewed from statutes
of stone into the shapes of Adam's sons. Then, at last, the sons
of that city rose one and all and began offering to the Prince
gifts and rarities until he had of them a mighty matter. But when
his brothers saw that he had become master of the bird Philomelet
and his cage, and all these presents and choice treasures, they
were filled with envy of him[FN#296] and said each to other, "How
shall our brother win him all this and we abide with him in
servile condition, especially when we hie us homewards and return
to our own land? And will not folk say that the salvation of the
two elder brothers was by the hand of the youngest? But we cannot
endure such disgrace as this!" So envy entered them and in their
jealousy they planned and plotted the death of their cadet, who
knew not that was in their minds or whatso was hidden from him in
the Limbo of Secrets. And when they had wrought their work the
youngest Prince arose and bade his pages and eunuchs lade the
loads upon the camels and mules and, when they had done his
bidding, they all set forth on the homewards march. They
travelled for whole days and nights till they drew near their
destination and the youngest Prince bade his attendants seeks an
open place where in they might take repose, and they said,
"Hearkening and obedience." But when they came upon it they found
a well builded of stone, and the brothers said to the cadet,
"This be a place befitting the rest by reason of this well benign
here; for the water thereof is sweet and good for our drink and
therefifth we can supply our folk and our beasts." Replied the
youth, "This is what we desire." So they set up their tents hard
by that well, and when the camp was pitched they let prepare the
evening meal, and as soon as it was sunset-tide they spread the
trays and supped their sufficiency until presently night came
down upon them. Now the youngest Prince had a bezel'd signet-ring
which he had taken from the bird Philomelet, and he was so
careful thereof that he never slept without it. But his brothers
awaited until he was drowned in sleep, when coming softly upon
him they pinioned him and carried him off and cast him into the
well without anyone knowing aught thereof. Then as soon as
morning morrowed the two eldest Princes arose and commanded the
attendants to load, but these said to them, "Where be our lord?"
and said the others, "He is sleeping in the Takhtrawán." So the
camel men arose and loaded the loads and the litter and the two
Princes sent forwards to the King their sire a messenger of glad
tidings who when he found him informed him of the fair news.
Accordingly he and all his Lords took horse and rode forth to
meet his sons upon the road that he might salam to them and give
them joy of their safe return. Now he chanced in their train to
catch sight of the caged bird which is called "the shrilling
Philomelet," and he rejoiced thereat and asked them, "How did ye
become masters of him?" Then he enquired anent their
brother.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Twenty-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night." She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan
enquired of the two elder sons concerning their younger brother
and they said, "We made ourselves masters of the Bird and we have
brought him hither and we know nothing about our cadet." However,
the King who loved his youngest with exceeding love put the
question, "Have ye not looked after him and have ye not been in
his company?" whereto they answered saying, "A certain wayfarer
declared to have seen him on some path or other." When the father
heard this from them he cried, "There is no Majesty and there is
no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great;" and he fell to
striking palm upon palm.[FN#297] On this wise it befel these, but
as regards the case of their brother, when they cast him into the
well he awoke from his sleep and he felt himself falling into the
depths, so he cried, "I take refuge with the All-sufficient Words
of Allah[FN#298] from the mischief He hath created." And by the
blessing of these Holy Names he reached the sole of the well
without aught of harm or hurt. Here finding himself pinioned, he
strained upon his bonds and loosed them; but the well was deep of
bottom and he came upon an arched recess, so he sat in it and
exclaimed, "Verily we are Allah's and to Him we are returning and
I who wrought for them such work[FN#299] am rewarded with the
contrary thereof; withal the power is unto Allah." And suddenly
he heard the sound of speaking at some little distance beside
him, and the voice was saying, "O Black of Head, who hath come
amongst us?" and his comrade responded, "By Allah, this youth is
the son of the Sultan and his best beloved, and the same hath
released his brothers from sorcery and was carrying them to their
homes when they played him false and cast him into this well.
However, he hath a signet-ring with a bezel which if he rub
'twill bespeak him with whatso he desireth, and will do what he
may wish." So the Prince said in his mind, "I bid the Servant of
this Ring to take me out;" after which he rubbed it and the Jinni
appeared and cried, "Yea verily, O son of the Sultan, what is it
thou requirest of me?"--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then
quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Twenty-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Ring-bezel said to him, "What dost thou require of me?" and said
the Prince, "I demand that thou hoist me out of the well: and
this done that thou summon for me an host with Pages and Eunuchs
and tents and pavilions and ensigns and banners." Whereto the
other replied, "Present."[FN#300] Then he brought him forth the
well and the youth found hard by it all he needed, so he bade
them load their belongings upon the beasts and when this was done
he set out seeking the city of his sire. And as he drew so near
it that it was within shot of eye, he alighted there upon a broad
plain and ordered them to pitch the camp. Accordingly they set up
the tents and the sitting pavilions while the Farrashes fell to
sprinkling water upon the ground afront the abodes and to setting
up the ensigns and colours whilst the band of kettledrums went
dub-a-dub and the trumpets blared tantaras. The cooks also began
at once to prepare the evening meal. Now when the cityfolk saw
this pomp and circumstance, they held in their minds that the new
comer was some Sultan approaching to take their town; so they
gathered together and went in to their own King and informed him
thereof. But he, having heard their words, felt his heart melt
and his vitals throb and a certain joy penetrate into his heart,
so he said, "Praise to the Lord, there hath entered into my heart
a certain manner of pleasure, albeit I know not what may be the
case and Allah hath said in his Holy Book, 'We have heard good
news.'"[FN#301] Hereupon he and the Lords of his land took horse
and rode till they reached the front of the pavilions where the
King dismounted from his steed. Now the Prince his younger son
was dressed in a habit that might have belonged to a hidden
Hoard, and when he saw his father he recognised him, so he rose
and met him and kissed his hands, but his sire knew him not by
reason of the case the youth was in, so he supposed him to be a
strange Sultan. Presently, the Prince asked him, "Where be thy
youngest son?" and the King hearing this fell down a-fainting,
but, soon recovering from his swoon, he said, "Verily my son hath
wasted the blood of his life and hath become food for wild
beasts." Hereupon the youth laughed aloud and cried, "By Allah,
thy son hath not suffered aught from the shifts and changes of
the World, and he is still in the bonds of life, safe and sound;
nor hath there befallen him anything of harm whatever." "Where is
he?" quoth the father: "He standeth between thy hands," quoth the
son. So the Sultan looked at him and straightly considering him
found that it was his very son who was bespeaking him, and of his
delight he threw his arms around his neck and fell with him
aswoon to the ground. This lasted for a full-told hour; but when
he recovered from his fainting he asked his son what had betided
him, so he told all that had befallen, to wit how he had become
master of the Enchanting Bird Philomelet, and also of the magical
clay wherewith he had besprinkled his brethren and others of the
city-folk who had been turned to stone, all and some, and how
they had returned to the shapes whilome they wore. Moreover he
recounted to him the presents and offerings which had been made
to him and also how, when they arrived at a certain place, his
brothers had pinioned him and cast him into the well. And ere he
finished speaking, lo and behold! the two other Princes came in
and when they looked upon his condition and noted the state of
prosperity he was in, surrounded as he was by all manner of weal,
they felt only increase of envy and malice. But as soon as their
sire espied them he cried, "Ye have betrayed me in my son and
have lied to me and, by Allah, there is no retribution for you on
my part save death;" and hereupon the Sultan bade do them die.
Then the youngest Prince made intercession for his brethren and
said, "O my sire, whoso doeth a deed shall meet its deserts," and
thus he obtained their pardon. So they passed that night one and
all in camp and when morning morrowed they loaded and returned to
the city and all were in the most pleasurable condition. Now when
the King heard this tale from the owner of the fruit it pleased
him and he rejoiced therein and said, "By Allah, O Shaykh, indeed
that hath gone from us which we had of cark and care; and in good
sooth this history deserveth that it be written with water of
gold upon the pages of men's hearts." Replied the other, "By
Allah, O King of the Age, this adventure is marvellous, but I
have another more wondrous and pleasurable and delectable than
any thou hast yet heard." Quoth the Sultan, "Needs must thou
repeat it to us," and quoth the fruit-seller, "Inshallah-God
willing-I will recite it to thee on the coming night." Hereupon
the Sultan called for a hand-maiden who was a model of beauty and
loveliness and stature and perfect grace and from the time of his
buying her he never had connection with her nor had he once slept
with her, and he gave her in honourable gift to the reciter. Then
he set apart for them both an apartment with its furniture and
appurtenances and the slave-girl rejoined greatly thereat. Now
when she went in to her new lord she donned her best of dresses
so he lay down beside her and sought carnal copulation, but his
prickle would not stand erect, as was its wont, although he knew
not the cause thereof.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn
of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then
quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The four hundred and twenty-fifth night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
prickle of the Fruiterer would not stand to the handmaid as was
the wont thereof, so he cried, "Verily this is a wondrous
business." Then the girl fell to rubbing it up and to toying
therewith, her object being to stablish an erection. But the
article in question grew not and remained limp, whereupon she
said, "O my lord, Allah increase the progress of thy pego!"
Thereupon she arose and opened a bag wherefrom she drew out
kerchiefs and dried aromatic herbs[FN#302] such as are scattered
upon corpses; and she also brought a gugglet of water. Presently
she fell to washing the prickle as it were a dead body, and after
bathing it she shrouded it with a kerchief: then she cried upon
her women and they all bewept the untimely fate of his yard which
was still clothed in the kerchief.[FN#303] And when morning
morrowed the Sultan sent after the man and summoned him and said
to him, "How passed thy night?" So he told him all that had
betided him, and concealed from him naught; and when the Sultan
heard this account from him he laughed at him on such wise that
from excess of merriment he well nigh fell upon his back and
cried, "By Allah, if there be such cleverness in that girl, she
becometh not any save myself." Accordingly he sent to fetch her
as she stood and left the furniture of the place wholly and
entirely to the owner of the fruit. And when this was done the
Sultan made of him a boon-companion for that day from morning to
evening and whenever he thought of the handmaid's doings he
ordered the man to repeat the tale and he laughed at him and
admired the action of the slave-girl with the Limpo. When
darkness came on they prayed the night-prayer and they supped and
sat down to converse and to tell anecdotes.[FN#304] Thereupon the
King said to him Fruiterer, "Relate us somewhat of that thou hast
heard anent the Kings of old;" and said the other, "Hearing and
obeying," and forthwith began the
Story of the King of Al-Yaman and his Three Sons.
It is related that there was a Sultan in the land of Al-Yaman who
had three male children, two of them by one mother and a third by
another. Now that King used to dislike this second wife and her
son, so he sent her from him and made her, together with her
child, consort with the handmaids of the kitchen, never asking
after them for a while of time. One day the two brothers-german
went in to their sire and said to him, "'Tis the desire of us to
go forth a-hunting and a-chasing," whereto their father replied,
"And have ye force enough for such sport?" They said, "Yea,
verily, we have!" when he gave to each of them a horse with its
furniture of saddle and bridle, and the twain rode off together.
But as soon as the third son (who together with his mother had
been banished to the kitchen) heard that the other two had gone
forth to hunt, he went to his mother and cried, "I also would
fain mount and away to the chase like my brethren." His mother
responded, saying, "O my son, indeed I am unable to buy thee a
horse or aught of the kind;" so he wept before her and she
brought him a silvern article, which he took and fared forth with
it to the bazar, and there, having sold it for a gold piece, he
repaired to a neighbouring mill and bought him a lame garron.
After this he took a bittock of bread; and, backing the beast
without saddle or bridle, he followed upon the footsteps of his
brothers through the first day and the second, but on the third
he took the opposite route. Presently he reached a Wady, when
behold, he came across a string[FN#305] of pearls and emeralds
which glittered in the sunlight, so he picked it up and set it
upon his head and he fared onwards singing for very joy. But when
he drew near the town he was met by his two brothers who seized
him and beat him and, having taken away his necklace, drove him
afar from them. Now he was much stronger and more beautiful than
they were, but as he and his mother had been cast off by the
King, he durst not offer aught of resistance.[FN#306] Now the two
brothers having taken the necklace from him went away joyful, and
repairing to their father, showed him the ornament and he
rejoiced in them and hending it in his hand marvelled thereat.
But the youngest son went to his mother with his heart well nigh
broken. Then the Sultan said to his two sons, "Ye have shown no
cleverness herein until ye bring me the wearer of this necklace."
They answered, "Hearkening and obedience, and we will set out to
find her."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the sons
of the Sultan made them ready for the march whereby they might
bring back the bird to whom the necklace belonged. So they took
them a sufficiency of provision and, farewelling their father,
set out for the city wherein they judged the bird might be. Such
was their case; but as regards their unhappy brother, when he
heard the news of their going he took with him a bittock of bread
and having bidden adieu to his mother mounted his lame garron and
followed upon the traces of his brethren for three days.
Presently he found himself in the midst of the wild and the wold,
and he ceased not faring therethrough till he came to a city
whose folk were all weeping and wailing and crying and keening.
So he accosted an aged man and said to him, "The Peace be upon
thee!" and when the other returned his salam and welcomed him he
asked saying, "O my uncle, tell me what causeth these groans and
this grief?" The other replied, "O my son, verily our city is
domineered over by a monstrous Lion who every year cometh about
this time and he hath already done on such wise for forty and
three years. Now he expecteth every twelvemonth as he appeareth
to be provided with a damsel arrayed and adorned in all her
finery, and if he chance to come as is his wont and find her not
he would assault the city and destroy it. So before the season of
his visit they cast lots upon the maidens of the place and whomso
these befal, her they decorate and lead forth to a place without
the walls that the monster may take her. And this year the sort
hath fallen upon the King's daughter."[FN#307] When the youth
heard these words he held his peace and, having taken seat by the
old man for an hour or so, he arose and went forth to the place
where the Lion was wont to appear and he took his station there,
when behold, the daughter of the King came to him and right heavy
was she of heart. But as she found the youth sitting there, she
salam'd to him and made friendship with him and asked, "What
brought thee to this stead?" Answered he, "That which brought
thee brought me also." Whereto quoth she, "Verily at this hour
the Lion shall come to seize me, but as soon as he shall see me
he will devour thee before me, and thus both of us shall lose our
lives; so rise up and depart and save thyself, otherwise thou
wilt become mere wasted matter in the belly of the beast." "By
Allah, O my lady," quoth he, "I am thy sacrifice at such a moment
as this!" And as they were speaking, suddenly the world was
turned topsy-turvy,[FN#308] and dust-clouds and
sand-devils[FN#309] flew around and whirlwinds began to play
about them, and lo and behold! the monster made his appearance;
and as he approached he was lashing his flanks with his tail like
the sound of a kettle-drum. Now when the Princess espied him, the
tears poured down her cheeks, whereat the youth sprang to his
feet in haste, and unsheathing his sword, went forth to meet the
foe, who at the sight of him gnashed his tusks at him. But the
King's son met him bravely, springing nimbly from right to left,
whereat the Lion raged furiously, and with the design to tear him
limb from limb, made a rush at the youth, who smote him with all
the force of his forearm and planted between his eyes a sway of
scymitar so sore that the blade came out flashing between his
thighs, and he fell to the ground slain and bleeding amain. When
the Princess saw this derring-do of her defender, she rejoiced
greatly and fell to wiping with her kerchief the sweat from his
brow; and the youth said to her, "Arise and do thou fare to thy
family." "O my lord, and O light of mine eyes!" said she, "we
twain together will wend together as though we were one flesh;"
but he rejoined, "This is on no wise possible." Then he arose
from beside her and ceased not faring until he had entered the
city, where he rested himself beside a shop. She also sprang up,
and faring homewards, went in to her father and mother, showing
signs of sore sorrow. When they saw her, their hearts fluttered
with fear lest the monster should attack the town and destroy it,
whereupon she said to them, "By Allah, the Lion hath been slain
and lieth there dead." They asked her saying, "What was it killed
him?" and she answered, "A handsome youth fair of favour," but
they hardly believed her words and both went to visit the place,
where they found the monster stone-dead. The folk of the city,
one and all, presently heard this fair news, and their joy grew
great, when the Sultan said to his daughter, "Thou! knowest thou
the man who slew him?" to which she answered, "I know him." But
as all tidings of the youth were cut off, the King let proclaim
about the city.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth
her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Four Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night." She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the King
let proclaim through the city how none should oppose him or delay
to obey his bidding; nay, that each and every, great and small,
should come forth and pass before the windows of his daughter's
palace. Accordingly the Crier went abroad and cried about the
city to that purport, bidding all the lieges muster and defile in
front of the Princess's windows; and they continued so doing for
three full-told days, while she sat continually expecting to
sight the youth who had slain the lion, but to no purpose. At
last never a soul remained who had not passed in the review, so
the Sultan asked, "Is there anyone who hath absented himself?"
and they answered, "There is none save a stranger youth who
dwelleth in such and such a place." "Bring him hither!" cried the
King, "and command him to pass muster," when the others hastened
to fetch him; and as soon as he drew near the window, behold, a
kerchief was thrown upon him.[FN#310] Then the Sultan summoned
him, and he, when standing in the presence, saluted and made
obeisance and blessed the Sovran with the blessings fit for the
Caliphs. The Sultan was pleased thereat and said, "Art thou he
who slew the Lion?" and said the other, "I did." Hereupon quoth
the King, "Ask a favour of me, that I grant it to thee;" and
quoth the Youth, "I pray of Allah and then of our lord the Sultan
that he marry me to his daughter." But the King continued, "Ask
of me somewhat of wealth," and all the Lords of the land
exclaimed, "By Allah, he deserveth the Princess who saved her
from the Lion and slew the beast." Accordingly the King bade the
marriage-knot be tied, and let the bridegroom be led in
procession to the bride, who rejoiced in him with extreme joy,
and he abated her maidenhead and the two lay that night together.
But the Prince arose about the latter hours without awaking his
bride, and withdrawing her seal-ring from her finger, passed his
own thereupon and wrote in the palm of her hand, "I am
Aláeddín,[FN#311] son of King Such-and-such, who ruleth in the
capital of Al-Hind, and, given thou love me truly, do thou come
to me, otherwise stay in thy father's house." Then he went forth
without awaking her and fared through wilds and wolds for a term
of ten days, travelling by light and by night, till he drew near
a certain city which was domineered over by an Elephant. Now this
beast would come every year and take from the town a damsel; and
on this occasion it was the turn of the Princess, daughter to the
King who governed that country. But as the youth entered the
streets he was met by groans and moans an crying and keening; so
he asked thereanent and was answered that the Elephant was
presently approaching to seize the maiden and devour her.[FN#312]
He asked, "To what stead cometh he?" and they pointed out to him
a place without the city whereto he repaired and took his seat.
Suddenly the Princess presented herself before him a-weeping and
with tears down her cheeks a-creeping, when he said to her, "O my
lady, there is no harm for thee." Said she, "O youth, by Allah!
thou wastest thy life to no purpose and seekest thy death without
cause, so rise up and save thyself, for the Elephant will be here
this very hour." And behold, the beast came up to the heart of
the waste and he was raising a dust-cloud and trumpeting with
rage[FN#313] and lashing flanks with tail. But when he arrived at
the wonted place he was confronted by the youth who, with heart
stronger than granite, hastened to fall upon him[FN#314] and
fatigued him and dealt blows without cease; and, when the
Elephant charged down upon him, he met the monster with a stroke
between the eyes dealt with all the force of his forearm, and the
blade came flashing out from between his thighs, when the beast
fell to the ground slain and weltering in his blood amain.
Thereupon, in the stress of her joy, the Princess arose hurriedly
and walked towards the youth--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming
night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was,
The Four Hundred and Thirtieth Night.
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Princess walked hurriedly towards the youth and in the stress of
her joy she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him between
the eyes and cried, "O my lord, may thy hands never palsied grow
nor exult over thee any foe!" Said he to her, "Return to thy
people!" and said she, "There is no help but that I and thou fare
together." But he replied, "This matter is not the right rede,"
and he went from her at a double quick pace, saying, "O Allah,
may none see me!" until he entered the city and presently seating
him beside a tailor's shop fell to conversing with its owner.
Presently the man said, "There is no Majesty and there is no
Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great: by this time the
daughter of the King will have been seized by the Elephant and
torn to pieces and devoured, and she the mainstay of her mother
and her father." And behold loud lullilooing[FN#315] flew about
the city and one began exclaiming, "Verily the Elephant which is
wont to come hither year by year hath been slaughtered by a man
quite young in years, and the Sultan hath sent a Crier to cry
amongst the crowds, 'Let the slayer of the beast come into the
presence and crave a boon and marry the maiden.'" So quoth the
Youth to the tailor, "What is to do?" and the other informed him
of the truth of the report, whereupon he asked, "If I go to the
King will he give her to me?" Answered the tailor, "Who art thou
that thou shouldest intermarry with the daughter of the King?"
and the Prince rejoined, "We will go and bespeak him and lie to
him saying, I am he who slew the monster." But the other
retorted, "O Youth, thou art willingly and wilfully going to thy
death, for an thou lie to him he will assuredly cut off thy
head." Presently the Prince, who was listening to the Crier, said
to his companion, "Up with thee and come with us that thou mayest
look upon my execution;" and cried the other, "Why so, O thou
true-born son?"[FN#316] whereto the Youth replied, "Needs must I
do this!" Hereupon he and the man arose and went till they came
to the palace of the Sultan, where they craved leave to enter,
but were forbidden by the Chamberlain, when lo and behold! the
Princess looked out from the lattice and saw the Prince together
with the tailor. So she threw the kerchief upon his head and
cried aloud, "By Allah, here he be, and 'tis none but he who slew
the Elephant and who saved me from him." Hereat the tailor fell
to wondering at the youth, but when the King saw that his
daughter had thrown the kerchief upon him, he presently sent to
summon him between his hands and asked him how it happened, and
heard from him the truth of the tale. Then said he, "By Allah,
verily my daughter was lost, so that this youth well deserveth
her." Thereupon he tied the marriage tie between the twain and
the youth after wedding her went to her in procession and did
away her pucelage, and lay the night with her. And presently when
day was nigh, the young Prince arose and seeing her slumbering
wrote in the palm of her hand, "I am Such-and-such, the son of
such a King in Such-and-such a capital; and if thou love me
truly, come to find me, or otherwise stay in thy father's house."
Then without awaking her he fared forth to the city of the
Enchanting Bird and ceased not cutting athwart the wilds and the
wolds throughout the nights and the days till he arrived at the
place wherein dwelt the Bird Philomelet whereto the necklace
belonged. And she was the property of the Princess the daughter
of the Sovran whose seat was in that capital, and it was the
greatest of cities and its King was the grandest of the Kings.
When he entered the highways he leant against the shop of an
Oilman to whom he said, "The Peace be upon you," and the other
returned his salutation and seated him beside himself, and the
two fell to conversing. Presently the Prince asked him, "O my
lord, what canst thou tell me concerning a certain Bird and her
owner?" and the other made answer, "I know nothing but of oil and
of honey and of clarified butter, whereof whatever thou requirest
I will give to thee." Quoth the youth, "This is no reply to my
question," and quoth the oilman, "I know not nor regard aught
save what is by me in my shop." So the Prince rising from beside
him left him and went forth to continue his search; but whenever
he asked concerning the Bird and its owner, the folk changed the
subject and returned him no reply save, "We know not." This
lasted until he accosted a man well stricken in years, whose age
was nigh to an hundred; and he was sitting alone at one side of
the city; so the Youth walked up to him and salam'd; and, and
after the other returned his greeting and kindly welcomed him and
seated him near him, the two fell a-talking together, and the
Prince asked him, "O my uncle, what canst thou tell me concerning
the Bird whose necklet is of precious stones, and what concerning
the owner thereof?" The aged man held his peace for awhile and
presently exclaimed, "O my son, why ask me of this? O my
child,[FN#317] verily the Kings and sons of the Kings have sought
her in marriage but could not avail; indeed and the lives of
folks manifold have been wasted upon her. How, then, canst thou
hope to win her? Nevertheless, O my son, go and buy thee seven
lambs and slaughter them and skin them, after which do thou roast
them and cut them in halves; for she hath seven doors at each
whereof standeth as warder a rending Lion; and at the eighth
which guardeth the maiden and the Bird are posted forty slaves
who at all times are there lying. And now I leave thee to thy
luck, O my son." But when the Prince heard these words he asked
his abidance of the Shaykh and went forth from him--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased
saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How
sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable
and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that
I would relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was,
The Four Hundred and Thirty-second Night.
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Prince
craved for the prayers of the Shaykh, who blessed him. Then he
went forth from him and bought of the lambs what he had been
charged to buy, and these he slaughtered and skinned and roasted
and he cut each and every into two halves. He waited until night
descended with its darkness and ceased the to-ing and fro-ing of
folk, when he arose and walked to the place pointed out and there
he found the Lion whose shape and size equaled the stature of a
full-grown bull. He threw to him half a lamb and the beast
allowed him to pass through that door, and it was the same with
the other entrances, all seven of them, until he reached the
eighth. Here he found the forty slaves who were bestrewn on the
ground bedrowned in sleep; so he went in with soft tread and
presently he came upon the Bird Philomelet in a cage encrusted
with pearls and precious stones and he saw the Princess who owned
him lying asleep upon a couch. Hereat he wrote upon the palm of
her hand, "I am Such-and-such, son to the King Such-and-such, of
such a city; and I have come in upon thee and beheld thee bared
whilst thou wast sleeping, and I have also taken away the Bird.
However, an thou love me and long for me, do thou come to me in
mine own city." Then he seized the Bird to his prize and fared
forth and what he did with the Lions coming that he did when
going out. The Veiler[FN#318] veiled him, and he went forth the
city and met not a single soul, and he ceased not faring the
livelong night till next morning did appear, when he hid in a
place seeking repose and ate somewhat of victual. But as soon as
the daylight shone bright, he arose and continued his journey,
praying Allah for protection on his wayfare, till it was
mid-afternoon: then he found, like an oasis in the middle of the
waste, certain pastures of the wild Arabs and as he drew near the
owner met him and salam'd to him and greeted him and blessed him.
So he lay that night with them till dawn when the Shaykh of the
encampment who had heard of the stranger came to him and welcomed
him and found him a youth fair of form and favour and saw by his
side the Enchanting Bird in its cage. He recognised it and
wondered at the young man's derring-do and cried, "Subhana 'lah-
-praise be to God-who hath committed his secret unto the
weakliest of His creation![FN#319] Verily this Bird hath caused
on its account to be slain many of the Wazirs and the Kings and
the Sultans, yet hath yonder lad mastered it and carried it away.
This however is by virtue of his good fortune." Then the old man
had compassion on him and gave him a horse that he had by him
together with somewhat of provaunt. The Prince took them from him
and returning to his march traversed the wilds and the wolds for
days and nights, all of them; and he continued in that case when
he drew near his father's capital which rose within eye-shot. And
as he walked on without heed, behold, his brethren met him and
confronted him and fell upon him and, having taken away the
Enchanting Bird, reviled him and beat him and shook him off and
drove him away. Then they entered the city and sought their sire
who received them with fair reception and greeted them and
rejoiced in them; after which they presented him with the Bird
Philomelet, and said, "Here we bring him to thee and there befell
us through his account much toil and trouble." But their brother
who had really won the prize went to his mother in sadness of
heart--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was,
The Four Hundred and Thirty-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the young
Prince who had brought the Bird and whom his brothers had beaten
and robbed of his prize, went to his mother in sadness of heart
and shedding tears. Quoth she, "What is thy case and what hath
befallen thee?" So he told her what had betided him and she said,
"Sorrow not, O my son; the course of the right shall be made
manifest." Then she quieted him and soothed his heart. This is
what happened to these persons; but as regards the Princess, the
owner of the Bird, when she awoke at dawn of day and opened her
eyes, she found her favourite gone and as her glance fell upon
the things about her, suddenly she saw something written in the
palm of her hand. But as soon as she had read it and comprehended
its purport, she cried aloud with a mighty grievous cry which
caused the palace-women to flock around,[FN#320] and her father
to ask what was to do but none could explain it because no one
knew. So the Sultan arose forthright and, going in to his
daughter, found her buffeting her face for the sake of her Bird
and asked her, "What is to do with thee?" So she informed him of
what had befallen her, adding, "Verily he who came into my bower
and discovered me bare and looked upon me and wrote upon the palm
of my hand, him I am determined to have and none other save that
one." Quoth her father, "O my daughter, many sons of the Wazirs
and the Kings have sought the bird and have failed; and now do
thou suppose that he hath died;" but quoth the Princess, "I
desire none save the man who found me in sleep and looked upon
me, and he is the son of King So-and-so, reigning in such a
capital." Said her father, "Then how standeth the case?" and said
she, "Needs must I thank him and seek his city and marry him, for
assuredly amongst the sons of the Kings, all of them, none can be
fairer or more delightsome than he who hath craftily devised this
entrance to me in so guarded a stead as this. How then can anyone
be his peer?"[FN#321] Hereupon her father bade muster the forces
without the city and he brought out for his daughter rarities and
presents and mule-litters, and they pitched the tents and after
three days they loaded the loads for travel. Then they fared for
whole days and nights until they drew near the city wherein the
youth had slain the Elephant and had saved the daughter of the
King. So the Sultan set up his encampment with its tents and
pavilions hard by the walls, to the end that all might take their
rest, but when the King of the City saw this he rode forth to
visit the stranger, and after greeting asked him the cause of his
coming with such a host. The Sultan apprised him of what had
happened to his daughter, how she had lost the Enchanting Bird,
also how the youth had come into her bower and had written a writ
upon the palm of her hand. But when the King heard from him this
account he knew and was certified that it was the same Prince who
had also slain the Elephant and who had on such wise saved his
daughter's life; so he said to the Sultan, "Verily he who took
the Bird belonging to thy Princess hath also married my daughter,
for he hath done such-and-such deeds." After which he related to
him the slaughter of the Elephant and all that had happened from
beginning to end. Now as soon an heard these words he cried, "By
Allah, my daughter is excusable and she hath shown her insight
and her contrivance;" and presently he arose and going in to her
related what he had heard from the King of the City, and she
wondered at the tale of the youth's adventures and the killing of
the Elephant. They nighted in that stead and the tidings soon
reached the ears of the youth's wife, the Princess who had been
saved from the Elephant, and she said to her sire, "I also needs
must go to him and forgather with him." Hereupon the King her
father bade muster his troops together with the Lords of the land
without the city beside the host of the chief Sultan, and on the
second day both Sovrans bade the loads be loaded for the march.
When their bidding was obeyed the twain set out together and
travelled for days and nights until they drew near to the capital
of the King where the youth had slain the Lion, and they pitched
their tents in its neighbourhood. Presently the Sovran of that
capital came out and greeted them and asked them the cause of
their coming; so they informed him of their adventures from
commencement to conclusion; and he, when certified of the truth
of this tale, returned to inform his daughter thereof.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was,
The Four Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night.
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the third
King informed his daughter of the certainty of the tidings, and
she also exclaimed, "Needs must I as well as they set out to seek
him and forgather with him." So her father returned to the Sultan
and the King and told them of the adventures of the youth, and
how he was the cause of his daughter's salvation from the Lion
which he had slain; and when the twain heard his words they
marveled and cried, "By Allah, verily this youth is fortunate in
all his doings: would Heaven we knew how be his condition with
his father and whether he is loved or he is loathed." Then the
three fell to talking of the Prince's qualities, and presently
the third King arose and gave orders for gathering together the
Lords of his land and his army, and he brought out for his
daughter mule-litters, and gat ready all she might require of
rarities and offerings. Then the three Kings gave orders to load
the beasts and fared together, taking with them their three
daughters who, whenever they conversed together used to praise
the high gifts of the Prince and she who was the mistress of the
Bird would say, "Ye twain have forgathered with him;" and the
others would answer, "We passed with him no more than a single
night;" after which they would relate to her the slaughter of the
Lion and the Elephant. So she wondered and cried, "By Allah!
verily he is auspicious of fortune. And they ceased not to be in
such case for whole days and nights, and nights and days,
throughout the length of the journey till they drew near the
far-famed[FN#322] city which was the bourne of their wayfare and
the object of their wishes. Now this happened about sunset-tide,
so the three Kings who had alighted together bade their tents and
pavilions be set up, and when their behest was obeyed, each and
every of the three commanded that the firemen and the linkmen
light up their torches and cressets, and they did so, one and
all, until that Wady was illumined as by the sheen of day. But
when the city folk saw what was done by the three Kings, their
hearts quaked and their flesh quivered, and they cried, "Verily
for the mighty hosts of these Kings there needs must be a cause
of coming." However the strangers knighted in sight until morn
grew light, when the three Sovrans forgathered, and sent a
messenger with an invite to the Lord of the city, who on
receiving him, exclaimed, "Hearkening and obedience!" Then
mounting without stay or delay he rode forth till he reached the
strangers' camp, where he alighted and went in and greeted them;
and they, on similar guise, arose to him and wished him long
life, and seated him and fell to conversing with him for a
full-told hour. But he was whelmed in the ocean of thought, and
he kept saying to himself, "Would Heaven I knew what be the cause
of the Kings coming to this my country." However, the four
Sovrans continued to converse until the noon-tide hour, when the
trays were dispread for them, and the tables were laid with
sumptuous meats in platters and chargers of precious metal, the
very basins and ewers being of virgin gold. But when the King of
that city beheld this he marveled, and said in his mind, "By
Allah, there is not with me aught of rarities like these." As
soon as they had ended eating what sufficed them, water was
brought to them and they washed their hands, after which they
were served with confections and coffee and sherbets. Anon the
three Kings said to their guest, "Thou, hast thou any children?"
and said he, "Yes, I have two sons." Quoth they, "Summon them
before us that we may look upon them;" so he sent and bade them
make act of presence. The Princes donned their finest dresses and
perfumed themselves; then they took horse and rode until they had
reached their father's palace. But the three Princesses stood to
look at them, and she who was the owner of the Bird Philomelet
asked of the two others, saying, "Is he amongst these twain?" and
they answered, "Nay, he is not." She exclaimed, "By Allah, both
of them be fine men," and the others cried, "Indeed, our husband
is far fairer and finer than they." But when the Kings saw the
two brothers they said to their sire, "Verily our need is not
with them."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was,
The Four Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the two
Kings said to the lord of the city, "Verily our need is not in
this pair of youths," and the third King added, "By Allah, indeed
these two young men be fair of favour," for that he had not seen
the Prince who had taken his daughter's Bird Philomelet.
Presently the two asked the father saying, "Thou, is there by
thee no issue other than these two?" and said he, "Yes, I have a
son, but I have cast him out and I have placed his mother amongst
the handmaids of the kitchen." "Send to fetch him," quoth they;
so he dispatched a messenger to bring him into the presence. And
he came, withal he was without any finery of dress; but as soon
as the two damsels saw him they communed concerning him and he
inclined to them and went into their pavilion, when they rose to
him and threw their arms round his neck and kissed him between
his eyes. Hereupon the mistress of the Bird said to the two
others, "Be this he?" and said they, "Yes;" so she also arose and
kissed his hand. But when he had finished greeting them he at
once went forth to the assembled Kings, who stood up in honour to
him and welcomed him and greeted him; and when his father saw
that case he wondered with great wonderment. Then the youth took
seat afar from his brothers and addressed them, saying, "Which of
the twain was first to take the necklace?" And they held their
peace. He resumed speech and said to them, "Which of you killed
the Lion and which of you slew the Elephant and which of you
embraved his heart and going into the bower of the august damsel,
daughter to this Sultan, carried off her Bird Philomelet?" But
they answered him never a syllable and were far from offering a
reply. So he resumed, "Wherefore did you fall upon me and beat me
and take away the Enchanting Bird, when I was able to slay you
both? Yet to everything is its own time and this my father had
banished me and banished my mother nor did he give her aught of
what became her." Saying these words the youth fell upon his two
brethren with his sword and striking a single stroke he slew the
twain, after which he would have assaulted his sire, and put him
to death. However the three Kings forbade him and presently he
whose daughter owned the Bird put an end to this by insisting
upon the marriage-tie with him being tied. So he went in unto her
that very night and the three damsels became his acknowledged
spouses. After this his father gave command that his mother be
admitted into the Palace and he honoured her and banished the
parents of his two elder sons for he was assured that their cadet
had done such derring-do by slaying the Lion and the Elephant and
by bringing into the presence Philomelet the Enchanting Bird and
he was certified that the deed had been done by none other. So he
set apart a palace for the young Prince and his three Princesses
and he gave him a commandment and their joys ever increased. And
lastly the three Kings ceased not abiding in that place for forty
days after which they devised their departure.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to
survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was,
The Four Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the three
Kings desired, one and all of them, to depart and return to their
countries and their capitals; and their son-in-law presented them
with gifts and rarities, whereupon they blessed him and went
their ways. After this the young Prince, who had become Sovran
and Sultan, took seat upon the throne of his realm and by the
reign he was obeyed and the servants of Allah for him prayed.
Presently on a day of the days he inclined to the hunt and the
chase, so he went off with his suite till they found themselves
in the middle of the wildest of wolds where the ruler came upon
an underground cavern. He proposed to enter therein, when his
followers prevented him and behold, a man came to him from the
desert showing the signs of wayfare and carrying a somewhat of
water and victual and his garments were all threadbare. The King
enquired of him saying, "Whence hast thou come and wither art
thou going?" and the other replied, "We be three in this antre
who have fled our country; and whenever we require aught of meat
and drink, one of us fareth forth to fetch what will suffice us
of provision for ten days." "And what is the cause of your flying
your native land?" asked the King, and the other answered,
"Verily our tale is wondrous and our adventures are joyous and
marvellous." Hereupon quoth the King, "Wallahi, we will not quit
this spot till such time as we shall have heard your histories;
and let each one of you three recount to us what befell him, so
that we hear it from his own mouth." Hereupon the King commanded
sundry of his suite to set forth home and the rest to abide
beside him; and he sent a Chamberlain of the Chamberlains that he
might go bring from the city somewhat of victual and water and
wax candles and all the case required, saying the while to
himself, "Verily the hearing of histories is better than hunting
and birding, for haply they may solace and gladden the hearts of
men."[FN#323] So the Chamberlain went forth and, after an absence
of an hour or so he returned bringing all the King had commanded;
upon which he and the suite brought in the Larrikin[FN#324]
together with his two companions until they led them to the
presence and seated the three together. All this while none of
the vagabonds knew that the personage before them was King of the
city. So they fell to conversing until the next night came on
when the Sovran bade them tell their tales of themselves and what
had befallen each and every of them. They replied, "Hearkening
and obedience;" and the foremost of them began to recite the
History of the First Larrikin.
Verily, O King, my tale is a rare and it is e'en as follows:--I
had a mother of whose flocks the World had left her but a single
kid, and we owned ne'er another. Presently we determined to sell
it; and, having so done, we bought it with its price a young
calf, which we brought up for a whole year till it grew fat and
full-sized. Then my mother said to me, "Take yon calf and go sell
it;" so I went forth with it to the Bazar, and I saw that not one
was like it, when behold, a body of vagabonds,[FN#325] who
numbered some forty, looked at the beast, and it pleased them; so
they said one to other, "Let us carry this away and cut its
throat and flay it." Then one of them, as all were standing afar
off, came near me and said, "O youth, wilt thou sell this kid?"
and quoth I, "O my uncle, verily this is a calf and not a kid;"
and the other rejoined, "Art thou blind? This is a kid." Cried I,
"A calf!" So he asked, "Wilt thou take from me a dollar?"[FN#326]
and I answered, "Nay, O my uncle!" Thereupon he went away from
me, and another came after him and said, "O youth, wilt thou sell
this kid?" and said I, "This is a calf," and quoth he "This is a
kid," and reviled me the while I held my peace. Again quoth he,
"Wilt thou take for this a dollar?" but I was not satisfied
therewith, and they ceased not to wrangle with me, one after
other, each coming up and saying, "O youth, wilt thou sell this
kid?" At last their Shaykh[FN#327] accosted me and cried, "Wilt
thou sell it?" and I rejoined, "There is no Majesty save in
Allah! I will sell it on one condition, to wit, that I take from
thee its tail." Replied to me[FN#328] the Shaykh of the
Vagabonds, "Thou shalt take the tail when we have slaughtered
it;" then, paying me a dollar, he led off the beast, and returned
to his own folk. Presently they killed it and flayed it, when I
took the tail and hastened back to my mother. She said to me,
"Hast thou sold the calf?" and said I, "Yes, I have sold it, and
have taken a dollar and the calf's tail." "And what wilt thou do
for the tail?" asked she; and I answered, "I will do him
brown[FN#329] who took it from me saying, This is a kid, and I
will serve him a sleight which shall get out of him to its price
ten times one hundred."[FN#330] With these words I arose and,
taking the tail, I flayed it and studded it with nails and bits
of glass, and I asked of my mother a maiden's dress, which she
brought me; and presently I covered my face with a
Burka'-veil[FN#331] and I adorned me and perfumed myself and I
girded my loins underneath my clothes with the tail of that calf.
Then went I forth like a virgin girl till I reached the barrack
of those blackguards, when I found that they had cooked the whole
calf and naught of it remained undressed, and they had prepared
to spread the table and were about sitting downt o supper. Then I
went[FN#332] in to them and said, "The Peace be upon you," and
they rose to me in a body of their joy, and returned my greetings
and said, "By Allah, our night is a white one." So I entered to
them and supped with them, and they all inclined to me, and their
mustachios wagged in token that they would disport with me. But
when darkness came on they said, "This night is for our Shaykh,
but after this each one of us shall take her for his own
night."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day, and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Forty-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
vagabonds said, "Each one of us shall take her to him for a night
after the Shaykh, "and so saying they left me and went their
ways. Then the Chief fell to chatting with me and he was in high
spirits, when suddenly my glance fell upon a rope hanging from
the ceiling of that barrack and I cried, "O Shaykh!" whereto he
replied, "Yes, O my lady and light of mine eyes." Said I to him,
"What may be this cord thus suspended?" and said he, "This is
called 'hanging-gear'; and, when any of ours requireth
chastisement from my associates, we hoist him up by this rope and
we bash him." Quoth I, "Hang me up and let me see how 'tis done,"
but quoth he, "Heaven forfend, O my lady! I will hang myself in
thy stead and thou shalt look upon me." Hereat he arose and tied
himself tight and cried, "Haul up this rope and make it fast in
such a place!" I did his bidding and bound it right firmly and
left him hanging in the air. Presently he cried, "Let go the
cord," and replied I, "O Shaykh, first let me enoy the
spectacle." Then I stripped him of all his clothing and drawing
forth the calf's tail which was studded with nails and glass
splinters, I said to him, "O Shaykh, is this the tail of a kid or
of a calf?" "What woman art thou?" asked he, and I answered, "I
am the owner of the calf;" and then, tucking up my two sleeves to
the elbows, I beat him till I stripped him of his skin and he
lost his senses and he had no breath wherewith to speak.
Thereupon I arose and fell to searching the hall, where I found
sundry valuables amongst which was a box, so I opened it and came
upon three hundred gold pieces and a store of reals[FN#333] and
silverlings and jadids.[FN#334] I laid hands on the whole of it
and bore off somewhat of the most sumptuous dresses; and, having
wrapped them all up in a sheet, I carried them away; and about
dawn I went in to my mother and cried, "Take thee to the price of
the calf, which I have received from the purchaser." But when the
day was high and the sun waxed hot the whole troop of the Shaykh
collected and said, "Verily our Elder hath slept till the undurn
hour;" and one of them declared, "'Tis from enjoying so much
pleasure and luxury, he and the girl; and doubtless their night
hath been a white[FN#335] night." So they ceased not talking
together and each of them had his word until the noon was high,
when certain of them said, "Come with us and let us rouse him
from sleep:" and, saying thus, all went to the door of the hall
and opened it. Hereupon they found their Shaykh hanging up and
his body bleeding profusely;[FN#336] so they asked him, "What
hath befallen thee?" and he answered in a weak voice, "Verily
that girl is no girl at all, but she is the youth who owned the
calf." They replied, "By Allah, there is no help but that we
seize him and slay him;" whereto the Edler said, "Loose me and
lead me to the Hammam that I may wash clean my skin of all this
blood." Then they let him down and after mounting him upon a
donkey they bore him to the baths. Hereat I went to the
slaughterhouse and and covered my body with bullocks' blood and
stuck to it pledgets of cotton so that I became like one sorely
diseased and I repaired to the same Hammam propped upon a staff
and required admittance. They refused me saying, "The Shaykh of
the Vagabonds is now in the baths nor may anyone go in to him."
Quoth I to them, "I am a man with a malady," whereto quoth one of
them, "This is a poor wight, so let him come within." Accordingly
I entered and found the Chief alone, whereupon I drew forth the
tail and asked him, "O Shaykh, is this the tail of a calf or a
kid?" "Who art thou?" said he, and I said, "I am the owner of the
calf;" after which I fell to beating him with the tail until his
breath was clean gone. Then I left him and went forth from the
Hamam by another door so as to avoid his followers.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Forty-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth,
the owner of the calf, after beating the Shaykh of the Vagabonds
with a sore bashing within the Bath went forth by the back door.
Whereupon (continued the Larrikin) the followers of the Chief
went in and they found him at his last breath and moaning from
the excess of blows. Quoth they, "What is the matter with thee?"
and quoth he, "That man with a malady who came into the Hammam is
none other but the owner of the calf and he hath killed me." So
they took him up and carried him from the place and he said to
them, "Do ye bear me outside the city and set up for me a tent
and lay me therein, after which do ye gather round about me and
never leave me at all." Hereat they mounted him upon an ass and
bore him to the place he described and, pitching a tent, set him
therein and all sat around him. Presently the tidings reached me,
whereupon I changed my clothes for a disguise and drew near the
tent whereabouts I found a Badawi-man feeding his sheep. So I
said to him, "O Badawi, take this ducat and draw near yonder tent
and call aloud, saying, 'I am the owner of the calf;' after which
make off with thy life for an they catch thee they will slay
thee." "By Allah," quoth the Arab, "even if they rode their best
mares none of them could come up with me!" So I took charge of
the sheep while the Badawi approaching the tent cried in his
loudest voice, "By Allah, I am the owner of the calf." Hearing
this the vagabonds sprang to their feet as one body and drew
their weapons and rushed after the Badawi; but, when he had run
some distance from the tent with all the men behind him, I went
in and drawing from below my clothes the tail of the calf said,
"O Shaykh, is this the tail of a calf or a kid?" The Elder asked,
"Art thou not he who cried out, I am the owner of the calf?" and
I answered, "No, I am not," and came down upon him with the tail
and beat him until he could no longer breathe. Then I took the
properties belonging to his party and wrapping them in a sheet
carried them off and quitting the place I went in to my mother
and said to her, "Take them to the worth of the calf." Now those
who had run after the Badawi ceased not pursuing him, yet could
none of them come up with him and when they were tired they
returned from the chase and stinted not walking until they
entered the tent. There they found the Shaykh breathless nor
could he move save to make signs; so they sprinkled a little
water upon his face; and the life returned to him and he said to
them, "Verily the owner of the calf came to me and beat me till
he killed me and the wight who cried, 'I am the owner of the
calf' is an accomplice of his." Thereupon all waxed furious and
the Elder said to them, "Bear me home and give out that your
Shakyh is deceased; after which do you bathe my body and carry me
to the cemetery and bury me by night and next morning disinter me
so that the owner of this calf may hear that I am dead and leave
me in peace. Indeed as long as I continue in this condition he
will devise for me device after device and some day will come in
to me and kill me downright." They did what their Shaykh bade
them and began crying and keening and saying, "Verily our Chief
is deceased," so that the report was bruited abroad that the
Shaykh of the Vagabonds had died. But I, the owner of the calf,
said to myself, "By Allah, an he be dead, they will assuredly
make for him some mourning ceremony." Now when they had washed
him and shrouded him and carried him out upon the bier, and were
proceeding to the graveyard that they might bury him, and had
reached half way to it, lo and behold! I joined the funeral train
and suddenly walking under the coffin with a sharp
packing-needle[FN#337] in hand,--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable." Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the
coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Forty-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that I walked
under the bier packing-needle in hand, and thrust it into the
Shaykh of the Vagabonds, whereat he cried out and sprang up and
sat upright upon his shell.[FN#338] Now when the King heard this
tale he laughed and was cheered and the Larrikin resumed:--By
Allah, when I thrust the needle into him and he sat upright in
his coffin all the folk fell to wondering and cried, "Verily the
dead hath come to life." Hereupon, O my lord, my fear waxed great
and I said to myself, "All adventures are not like one another:
haply the crown[FN#339] will recognise me and slay me." So I went
forth the city and came hither. Cried the King, "Of a truth, this
tale is marvellous;" when the second Larrikin exclaimed, "By
Allah, O my lord, my tale is rarer and stranger than this, for
indeed therein I did deeds worthy of the Jinn-mad and amongst the
many tricks that came from my hand I died and was buried and I
devised a device whereby they drew me from my tomb." Quoth the
King, "Walláhi, if thy tale be more wondrous than that which
forewent it I needs must reward thee with somewhat. But now tell
us of what betided thee." So the man began to relate the
History of the Second Larrikin.
I was living, O my lord, under the same roof with my father's
wife and I had with me some bundles of sesame cobs, but no great
quantity, which I stored in a little basket hanging up in the
great ceiling-vault of our house. Now one day of the days a party
of merchants, numbering five or so, together with their head man,
came to our village and began asking for sesame; and they
happened to meet me on the road hard by our place, so they put me
the same question. I asked them, "Do you want much of it?" and
they answered, "We require[FN#340] about an hundred
ardabbs."[FN#341] Quoth I, "By me is a large quantity thereof;"
and quoth they, "Have the kindness to show us the
muster;"[FN#342] whereto I rejoined, "Upon the head and the eye!"
Hereat I led them into the room wherein the basket was suspended
with a few cobs of sesame (there being none other) and I went up
by an outside staircase to the top of the vault, which I pierced,
and putting forth my hand, took up a palm-full and therewith
returned to them and showed the specimen. They saw that the
sesame was clean grain, and said one to other, "This house is
naught but full to the vault,[FN#343] for had there been a small
quantity there he would have opened the door and shown us the
heaps." Hereupon I conversed with them and settled the price and
they paid me as earnest money for an hundred ardabbs of sesame
six hundred reals. I took the coin and gave it to the wife of my
father, saying to her, "Cook for us a supper that shall be
toothsome." Then I slaughtered for her five chickens and charged
her that, after she should have cooked the supper, she must
prepare for us a pot of Baysárah[FN#344] which must be slab and
thick. She did as I bade her and I returned to the merchants and
invited them to sup with us and night in our house. Now when
sunset time came I brought them in for the evening meal and they
supped and were cheered, and as soon as the hour for night-prayer
had passed I spread for them sleeping-gear and said to them, "O
our guests, be careful of yourselves lest the wind come forth
from your bellies, for with me dwelleth the wife of my father,
who disgusteth fizzles and who dieth if she hear a fart." After
this they slept soundly from the stress of their fatigue and were
overwhelmed with slumber; but when it was midnight, I took the
pot of Baysarah and approached them as they still slumbered and I
besmeared[FN#345] their backsides with the Baysarah and returned
and slept until dawn of day in my own stead hard beside them. At
this time all five were awake, and as each one arose before his
companions he sensed a somewhat soft below him and putting forth
his hand felt his bum bewrayed[FN#346] with the stuff, and said
to his neighbour, "Ho, such an one, I have skited!" and the other
said, "We have skited." But when I heard this, O my lord, I arose
forthwith and cried out saying, "Haste ye to my help, O ye folk,
for these guests have killed my father's wife."--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased
saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How
sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable
and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that
I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale, that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that quoth the
second Larrikin to the King:--O my lord, I cried out saying, "The
guests have slain the wife of my father." But when they heard me
the merchants arose and ran away, each following other, so I
rushed after them, shouting aloud, "Ye have killed my father's
wife," till such time as they had disappeared from sight. Then
said I to myself, "Inshallah! they will never more come back."
But after they had disappeared for a whole year they returned and
demanded their coin, to wit, six hundred reals; and I, when the
tidings reached me, feigned myself dead and ordered my father's
wife to bury me in the cemetery and I took to my grave a portion
of charcoal and a branding-iron. Now when the five merchants came
and asked after me the folk said, "He hath deceased and they have
graved him in his grave;" whereupon the creditors cried, "By
Allah, there is no help but that we go and piss upon his fosse."
Now I had made a crevice in the tomb[FN#347] and I had lighted
the charcoal and I had placed the branding-iron ready till it
became red hot and, when they came to piddle upon my grave, I
took the iron and branded their hinder cheeks with sore branding,
and this I did to one and all till the five had suffered in the
flesh. Presently they departed to their own country, when my
father's wife came and opened the tomb and drew me forth and we
returned together to our home. After a time, however, the news
reached these merchants in their towns that I was living and
hearty, so they came once more to our village and demanded of the
Governor that I be given up to them. So the rulers sent for and
summoned me, but when the creditors made a claim upon me for six
hundred reals, I said to the Governor, "O my lord, verily these
five fellows were slaves to my sire in bygone-times." Quoth the
ruler, "Were ye then in sooth chattels to his sire?" and said
they to me, "Thou liest!" Upon this I rejoined, "Bare their
bodies; and, if thou find a mark thereupon, they be my father's
serviles, and if thou find no sign then are my words false." So
they examined them and they found upon the rumps of the five,
marks of the branding-iron, and the Governor said, "By Allah, in
good sooth he hath told the truth and you five are the chattels
of his father." Hereupon began dispute and debate between us, nor
could they contrive aught to escape from me until they paid me
three hundred reals in addition to what I had before of them.
When the Sultan heard these words from the Larrikin he fell to
wondering and laughing at what the wight had done and he said,
"By Allah, verily thy deed is the deed of a vagabond who is a
past-master in fraud." Then the third Larrikin spoke and said,
"By Allah, in good sooth my story is more marvellous and wondrous
than the tales of this twain, for that none (methinketh) save I
could have done aught of the kind." The King asked him, "And what
may be thy story?" so he began to relate
The Tale of the Third Larrikin.
O my lord, I was once an owner of herds whereof naught remained
to me but a single bull well advanced in years and unhealthy of
flesh and of hide; and when I sought to sell him to the butchers
none was willing to buy him of me, nor even to accept him as a
gift. So I was disgusted with the beast and with the idea of
eating him; and, as he could not be used either to grind[FN#348]
or to plough, I led him into a great courtyard, where I
slaughtered him and stripped off his hide. Then I cut the flesh
into bittocks--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Forty-seveneth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
whilome owner of the bull said to the King:--O my lord, I cut his
flesh into bittocks and went forth and cried a loud upon the dogs
of the quarter, when they all gathered together nor did one
remain behind. Then I caused them to enter the court and having
bolted the door gave to each dog a bit of the meat weighing half
a pound.[FN#349] So all ate and were filled, after which I shut
them up in the house which was large, for a space of three days
when, behold, the folk came seeking their tykes and crying,
"Whither can the curs have gone?" So I related how I had locked
them up within the house and hereupon each man who had a hound
came and took it away. Then quoth I, "Thy dog hath eaten a full
pound of flesh," and I took from each owner six faddahs and let
him have his beast until I had recovered for the meat of that
bull a sum of two thousand faddahs.[FN#350] At last of these dogs
there remained to me but one unclaimed and he had only a single
eye and no owner. So I took up a staff and beat him and he ran
away and I ran after him to catch him until he came upon a house
with the door open and rushed within. Now by the decree of the
Decreer it so happened that the mistress of the house had a man
living with her who was one-eyed and I ran in and said to her,
"Bring out the one-eyed that is with thee," meaning the dog. But
when the house mistress heard me say, "Bring out the one-eyed,"
she fancied that I spoke of her mate, so knowing naught about the
matter of the tyke she came up to me and cried, "Allah upon thee,
O my lord, do thou veil what Allah hath veiled and rend not our
reputation and deal not disgrace to us;"[FN#351] presently
adding, "Take this bangle from me and betray us not." So I took
it and left her and went my ways, after which she returned to the
house and her heart was heaving and she found that her man had
been in like case ever since he heard me say, "Bring out the
one-eyed." So I went away carrying off the bracelet and fared
homeward. But when she looked about the room, lo and behold! she
espied the one-eyed dog lying in a corner and, as soon as she
caught sight of him, she was certified that I had alluded to the
beast. So she buffeted her face and regretted the loss of her
bangle and following me she came up and said to me, "O my lord, I
have found the one-eyed dog, so do thou return with me and take
him; "whereat I had pity upon the woman and restored to her the
ornament. However, when this had befallen me, fear possessed my
heart lest she denounce me, and I went away from my village and
came to this place where the three of us forgathered and have
lived ever since. When the King had given ear to this story he
was cheered and said, "By Allah, verily the adventures of you
three are wondrous, but my desire of you is to know if any of you
have heard aught of the histories of bygone Sultans; and, if so,
let him relate them to me. First, however, I must take you into
the city that you may enjoy your rest." "O my lord," quoth they,
"who art thou of the citizens?" and quoth he, "I am the King of
this country, and the cause of my coming hither was my design to
hunt and chase and the finding you here hath diverted me
therefrom." But when they heard his words, they forthwith rose to
their feet and did him obeisance saying, "Hearing and obeying,"
after which the three repaired with him to the city. Here the
King commanded that they set apart for them an apartment and
appointed to them rations of meat and drink and invested them
with robes of honour; and they remained in company one with other
till a certain night of the nights when the Sultan summoned them
and they made act of presence between his hands and the season
was after the King had prayed the Isha[FN#352] prayers. So he
said to them, "I require that each and every of you who knoweth
an history of the Kings of yore shall relate it to me," whereat
said one of the four, "I have by me such a tale." Quoth the King,
"Then tell it to us;" when the first Larrikin began to relate the
Story of a Sultan of Al-Hind and his Son Mohammed.[FN#353]
There was in days of yore a King in the land of Al-Hind, who
reigned over wide dominions (and praise be to Him who ruleth the
worlds material and spiritual!), but this Sultan had nor daughter
nor son. So once upon a time he took thought and said, "Glory to
Thee! no god is there save Thyself, O Lord; withal Thou hast not
vouchsafed to me a child either boy or girl." On the next day he
arose a-morn wholly clad in clothes of crimson hue,[FN#354]--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the King
of Al-Hind arose a-morn wholly clad in clothes of crimson hue,
and the Wazir, coming into the Divan, found him in such case. So
he salam'd to him and blessed him with the blessing due to
Caliphs, and said to him, "O King of the Age, doth aught irk thee
that thou art robed in red?" whereto he replied, "O Wazir, I have
risen with my heart grips hard." Said the other, "Go into thy
treasury of moneys and jewels and turn over thy precious ores,
that thy sorrow be dispersed." But said the Sultan, "O Wazir,
verily all this world is a transitory, and naught remaineth to
any save to seek the face of Allah the Beneficent: withal the
like of me may never more escape from cark and care, seeing that
I have lived for this length of time and that I have not been
blessed with or son or daughter, for verily children are the
ornament of the world." Hereupon a wight dark of hue, which was a
Takruri[FN#355] by birth, suddenly appeared before the Sultan and
standing between his hands said to him, "O King of the Age, I
have by me certain medicinal roots the bequeathal of my forbears
and I have heard that thou hast no issue; so an thou eat somewhat
thereof haply shall they gladden thy heart." "Where be these
simples?" cried the King, whereat the Takruri man drew forth a
bag and brought out from it somewhat that resembled a confection
and gave it to him with due injunctions. So when it was
night-time the Sultan ate somewhat of it and then slept with his
wife who, by the Omnipotence of Allah Almighty, conceived of him
that very time. Finding her pregnant the King was rejoiced
thereat and fell to distributing alms to the Fakirs and the
mesquin and the widows and the orphans, and this continued till
the days of his Queen's pregnancy were completed. Then she bare a
man-child fair of face and form, which event caused the King
perfect joy and complete; and on that day when the boy was named
Mohammed, Son of the Sultan,[FN#356] he scattered full half his
treasury amongst the lieges. Then he bade bring for the babe
wet-nurses who suckled him until milktime ended, when they weaned
him, after which he grew every day in strength and stature till
his age reached his sixth year. Hereupon his father appointed for
him a Divine to teach him reading and writing and the Koran and
all the sciences, which he mastered when his years numbered
twelve. And after this he took to mounting horses and learning to
shoot with shafts and to hit the mark, up to the time when he
became a knight who surpassed all other knights. Now one day of
the days Prince Mohammed rode off a-hunting, as was his wont,
when lo and behold! he beheld a fowl with green plumage wheeling
around him in circles and rocketing in the air and seeing this he
was desirous to bring it down with an arrow. But he found this
impossible so he ceased not following the quarry with intent to
catch it but again he failed and it flew away from his ken;
whereat he was sore vexed and he said to himself, "Needs must I
seize this bird," and he kept swerving to the right and the left
in order to catch sight of it but he saw it not. This endured
until the end of day when he returned to the city and sought his
father and his mother, and when they looked upon him they found
his case changed and they asked him concerning his condition, so
he related to them all about the bird and they said to him, "O
our son, O Mohammed, verily the creations of Allah be curious and
how many fowls are like unto this, nay even more wondrous." Cried
he, "Unless I catch her[FN#357] I will wholly give up eating."
Now when morning dawned he mounted according to his custom and
again went forth to the chase; and presently he pushed into the
middle of the desert when suddenly he saw the bird flying in air
and he pushed his horse to speed beneath her and shot at her a
shaft with the intent to make her his prey, but again was unable
to kill the bird. He persisted in the chase from sunrise until
sundown when he was tired and his horse was aweary, so he turned
him round purposing a return city-wards, when behold, he was met
in the middle of the road by an elderly man who said to him, "O
son of the Sultan, in very sooth thou art fatigued and on like
wise is thy steed." The Prince replied, "Yes," and the Elder
asked him, "What is the cause thereof?" Accordingly he told him
all anent the bird and the Shaykh replied to him, "O my son, an
thou absent thyself and ride for a whole year in pursuit of
yonder fowl thou wilt never be able to take her; and, O my child,
where is this bird![FN#358] I will now inform thee that in a City
of the Islands hight of Camphor there is a garden wide of sides
wherein are many of such fowls and far fairer than this, and of
them some can sing and others can speak with human speech; but, O
my son, thou art unable to reach that city. However, if thou
leave this bird and seek another of the same kind, haply I can
show thee one and thou wilt not weary thyself any more." When
Mohammed, Son of the Sultan, heard these words from the Elder he
cried, "By Allah, 'tis not possible but that I travel to that
city." Hereupon he left the Shaykh and returned to his own home,
but his heart was engrossed with the Capital of the Camphor
Islands, and when he went in to his sire, his case was troubled.
The father asked him thereof and he related to him what the
oldster had said. "O my son," quoth the sire, "cast out this
accident from thy heart and weary not thy soul, inasmuch as whoso
would seek an object he cannot obtain, shall destroy his own life
for the sake thereof and furthermore he shall fail of his gain.
Better therefore thou set thy heart at rest[FN#359] and weary
thyself no more." Quoth the Son, "Walláahi, O my sire, verily my
heart is hung to yonder fowl and specially to the words of the
Elder; nor is it possible to me to sit at home until I shall have
reached the city of the Camphor Islands and I shall have gazed
upon the gardens wherein such fowls do wone." Quoth his father,
"But why, O my child, wouldst thou deprive us of looking upon
thee?" And quoth the son, "There is no help but that I
travel."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Fifty-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Mohammed
the Son of the Sultan cried, "Needs must I travel, otherwise I
will slay myself." "There is no Majesty and there is no Might,"
quoth the father, "save in Allah the Glorious, the Great; and
saith the old saw, 'The chick is unsatisfied till the crow see it
and carry it off.'"[FN#360] Thereupon the King gave orders to get
ready provisions and other matters required for the Prince's
wayfare, and he sent with him an escort of friends and servants,
after which the youth took leave of his father and mother and he
with his many set forth seeking the Capital of the Camphor
Islands. He ceased not travelling for the space of an entire
month till he arrived at a place wherein three highways forked,
and he saw at the junction a huge rock whereon were written three
lines. Now the first read, "This is the road of safe chance," and
the second, "This is the way of repentance;" and the third, "This
is the path whereon whoso paceth shall return nevermore." When
the Prince perused these inscriptions he said to himself, "I will
tread the path whereon whoso paceth shall nevermore return." Then
he put his trust in Allah, and he travelled over that way for a
space of days a score, when suddenly he came upon a city deserted
and desolate, nor was there a single created thing therein and it
was utterly in ruins. So he alighted beside it and, as a flock of
sheep accompanied his suite, he bade slaughter five lambs and
commanded the cooks to prepare of them delicate dishes and to
roast one of them whole and entire. They did his bidding, and
when the meats were cooked he ordered the trays be spread in that
site and, as soon as all was done to his satisfaction, he
purposed sitting down to food, he and his host, when suddenly an
'Aun[FN#361] appeared coming from the ruined city. But when
Prince Mohammed beheld him he rose to him in honour saying,
"Welcome and fair welcome to him who of 'Auns is the head, and to
the brethren friend true-bred,[FN#362] and the Haunter of this
stead;" and he satisfied him with the eloquence of his tongue and
the elegance of his speech. Now this 'Aun had hair that overhung
either eye and fell upon his shoulders, so the Prince brought out
his scissors[FN#363] and trimmed his locks clearing them away
from his face, and he pared his nails which were like talons, and
finally let bathe his body with warm water. Then he served up to
him the barbecue of lamb which he caused to be roasted whole for
the use of the Jinni and bade place it upon the tray, so the
Haunter ate with the travellers and was cheered by the Prince's
kindness and said to him, "By Allah, O my lord Mohammed, O thou
Son of the Sultan, I was predestined to meet thee in this place
but now let me know what may be thy need." Accordingly the youth
informed him of the city of the Camphor Islands and of the garden
containing the fowls which he fared to seek, and of his design in
wayfaring thither to bring some of them away with him. But when
the 'Aun heard from him these words, he said to him, "O thou Son
of the Sultan, that site is a far cry for thee, nor canst thou
ever arrive thereat unless assisted, seeing that its distance
from this place be a march of two hundred years for a diligent
traveller. How then canst thou reach it and return from it?
However, the old saw saith, O my son, 'Good for good and the
beginner is worthier, and ill for ill and the beginner is
unworthier.'[FN#364] Now thou hast done to me a kindly deed and I
(Inshallah!) will requite thee with its match and will reward
thee with its mate; but let whatso is with thee of companions and
slaves and beasts and provisions abide in this site and we will
go together, I and thou, and I will win for thee thy wish even as
thou hast wrought by me a kindly work." Hereupon the Prince left
all that was with him in that place and the 'Aun said to him, "O
son of the Sultan, come mount upon my shoulders." The youth did
accordingly, after he had filled his ears with cotton, and the
'Aun rose from earth and towered in air and after the space of an
hour he descended again and the rider found himself in the
grounds about the capital of the Camphor Islands. So he
dismounted from the Jinni's shoulders and looked about that wady
where he espied pleasant spots and he descried trees and blooms
and rills and birds that trilled and shrilled with various notes.
Then quoth the 'Aun to him, "Go forth to yonder garden and thence
bring thy need;" so he walked thither and, finding the gates wide
open, he passed in and fell to solacing himself with looking to
the right and the left. Presently he saw bird-cages suspended and
in them were fowls of every kind, to each two, so he walked up to
them and whenever he noted a bird that pleased him he took it and
caged it till he had there six fowls and of all sorts twain. Then
he designed to leave the garden when suddenly a keeper met him
face to face at the door crying aloud, "A thief! a thief!" Hereat
all the other gardeners rushed up and seized him, together with
the cage, and carried him before the King, the owner of that
garden and lord of that city. They set him in the presence
saying, "Verily we found this young man stealing a cage wherein
be fowls and in good sooth he must be a thief." Quoth the Sultan,
"Who misled thee, O Youth, to enter my grounds and trespass
thereon and take of my birds?" Whereto the Prince returned no
reply. So the Sultan resumed, "By Allah, thou hast wilfully
wasted thy life, but, O Youngster, an it be thy desire to take my
birds and carry them away, do thou go and bring me from the
capital of the Isles of the Súdán[FN#365] bunches of grapes which
are clusters of diamonds and emeralds, when I will give thee over
and above these six fowls six other beside." So the Prince left
him and going to the 'Aun informed him of what had befallen him,
and the other cried, "'Tis easy, O Mohammed;" and mounting him
upon his shoulders flew with him for the space of two hours and
presently alighted. The youth saw himself in the lands
surrounding the capital of the Sudan Islands which he found more
beautiful than the fair region he had left; and he designed
forthright to approach the garden containing great clusters of
diamonds and emeralds, when he was confronted by a Lion in the
middle way. Now it was the wont of this beast yearly to visit
that city and to pounce upon everything he met of women as well
as of men; so seeing the Prince he charged down upon him,
designing to rend him limb from limb--And Shahrazad was surprised
by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her
permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to
survive?" Now when it was the next night, and that was
The Four Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale, that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Lion
charged down upon Mohammed, Son of the Sultan, designing to rend
him in pieces, but he confronted him and unsheathing his scymitar
made it glitter in the sunshine[FN#366] and pressed him close and
bashed him with brand between his eyes so that the blade came
forth gleaming from between his thighs. Now by doom of Destiny
the daughter of the Sultan was sitting at the latticed window of
her belvedere and was looking at her glass and solacing herself,
when her glance fell upon the King's son as he was smiting the
Lion. So she said to herself, "May thy hand never palsied grow
nor exult over thee any foe!" But the Prince after slaying the
Lion left the body and walked into the garden whose door had been
left open and therein he found that all the trees were of
precious metal bearing clusters like grapes of diamonds and
emeralds. So he went forwards and plucked from those trees six
bunches which he placed within a cage, when suddenly he was met
by the keeper who cried out, "A thief! a thief!" and when joined
by the other gardeners seized him and bore him before the Sultan
saying, "O my lord, I have come upon this youth who was
red-handed in robbing yonder clusters." The King would have slain
him forth-right, but suddenly there came to him a gathering of
the folk who cried, "O King of the Age, a gift of good
news!"[FN#367] Quoth he, "Wherefore?" and quoth they, "Verily the
Lion which was wont hither to come every year and to pounce upon
all that met him of men and of women and of maidens and of
children, we have found him in such a place clean slain and split
into twain." Now the Sultan's daughter was standing by the
lattice of the belvedere which was hard by the Divan of her sire
and was looking at the youth who stood before the King and was
awaiting to see how it would fare with him. But when the folk
came in and reported the death of the Lion, the Sultan threw
aside the affair of the youth of his joy and delight and fell to
asking, "Who was it slew the beast?" and to saying, "Walláhi! By
the rights of my forbears in this kingdom,[FN#368] let him who
killed the monster come before me and ask of me a boon which it
shall be given to him; nay, even if he demand of me a division of
all my good he shall receive that same." But when he had heard of
all present that the tidings were true then the city-folk
followed one another in a line and went in to the Sultan and one
of them said, "I have slain the Lion." Said the King, "And how
hast thou slain him; and in what manner hast thou been able to
prevail over and master him?" Then he spake with him
softly[FN#369] and proved him and at last so frightened him that
the man fell to the ground in his consternation; when they
carried him off and the King declared, "This wight lieth!" All
this and Mohammed, the Son of the Sultan, was still standing and
looking on and when he heard the man's claim he smiled. Suddenly
the King happening to glance at him saw the smile and was
astounded and said in his mind, "By Allah, this Youth is a
wondrous for he smileth he being in such case as this." But
behold, the King's daughter sent an eunuch to her father and he
delivered the message, when the King arose and went into his
Harem and asked her, "What is in thy mind and what is it thou
seekest?" She answered, "Is it thy desire to know who slew the
Lion that thou mayest largesse him?" and he rejoined, saying, "By
virtue of Him who created His servants and computeth their
numbers,[FN#370] when I know him and am certified of his truth my
first gift to him shall be to wed thee with him and he shall
become to me son-in-law were he in the farthest of lands."
Retorted she, "By Allah, O my father, none slew the Lion save the
young man who entered the garden and carried off the clusters of
gems, the youth whom thou art minded to slay." When he heard
these words from his daughter, the King returned to the Divan and
bade summon Mohammed the Son of the Sultan, and when they set him
between his hands he said to him, "O Youth, thou hast indemnity
from me and say me, art thou he who slew the Lion?" The other
answered, "O King, I am indeed young in years; how then shall I
prevail over a Lion and slaughter him, when, by Allah, in all my
born days I never met even with a hyena much less than a lion?
However, O King of the Age, an thou largesse me with these
clusters of gems and give them to me in free gift, I will wend my
ways, and if not my luck will be with Allah!" Rejoined the King,
"O Youth, speak thou sooth and fear not!" Here he fell to
soothing him with words and solacing him and gentling him, after
which he threatened him with his hand, but Mohammed the Son of
the Sultan raised his neave swiftlier than the lightning and
smote the King and caused him swoon. Now there was none present
in the Divan save Mohammed and the Monarch, who after an hour
came to himself and said, "By Allah, thou art he who slew the
Lion!" Hereupon he robed him with a robe of honour and, summoning
the Kazi, bade tie the marriage-tie with his daughter; but quoth
the young man, "O King of the Age, I have a counsel to consult,
after which I will return to thee." Quoth the King, "Right rede
is this same and a matter not to blame." Accordingly the Prince
repaired to the 'Aun in the place where he had left him and
related to him all that had betided himself, and of his intended
marriage with the King's daughter, whereupon said the Jinni,
"Condition with him that if thou take her to wife thou shalt
carry her along with thee to thine own country." The youth did
his bidding and returned to the King who said, "There is no harm
in that," and the marriage-knot was duly knotted. Then the
bridegroom was led in procession to his bride with whom he
remained a full month of thirty days, after which he craved leave
to fare for his own motherland.--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the
coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Mohammed
Son of the Sultan craved leave to return to his own motherland,
when his father-in-law gave him an hundred clusters of the
diamantine and smaragdine grapes, after which he farewelled the
King and taking his bride fared without the city. Here he found
expecting him the 'Aun, who, after causing them to fill their
ears with cotton, shouldered him, together with his wife, and
then flew with them through the firmament for two hours or so and
alighted with them near the capital of the Camphor Islands.
Presently Mohammed the Son of the Sultan took four clusters of
the emeralds and diamonds, and going in to the King laid them
before him and drew him back. The Sultan gazed upon them and
marvelled and cried, "Walláhi! doubtless this youth be a Magician
for that he hath covered a space of three hundred years in
three[FN#371] of coming and going, and this is amongst the
greatest of marvels." Presently he resumed, saying, "O Youth,
hast thou reached the city of the Sudan?" and the other replied,
"I have." The King continued, "What is its description and its
foundation and how are its gardens and its rills?" So he informed
him of all things required of him and the Sultan cried, "By
Allah, O Youth, thou deservest all thou askest of me." "I ask for
nothing," said the Prince, "save the birds," and the King, "O
Youth, there is with us in our town a Vulture which cometh every
year from behind Mount Káf and pounceth upon the sons of this
city and beareth them away and eateth them on the heads of the
hills. Now an thou canst master this monster-fowl and slay that
same I have a daughter whom I will marry to thee." Quoth the
Prince, "I have need of taking counsel;" and returned to the 'Aun
to inform him thereof when behold, the Vulture made its
appearance. But as soon as the Jinni espied it, he flew and made
for it, and caught it up; then, smiting it with a single stroke
of his hand, he cut it in two and presently he returned and
settled down upon the ground. Then, after a while, he went back
to Mohammed, the Son of the Sultan, and said to him, "Hie thee to
the King and report to him the slaughter of the Vulture." So he
went and entering the presence reported what had taken place,
where-upon the Sultan with his lords of the land mounted[FN#372]
their horses, and, going to the place, found the monster killed,
and cut into two halves. Anon the King returned, and leading
Prince Mohammed with him bade knit the marriage-knot with his
daughter and caused him to pay her the first visit. He tarried
beside her for a full-told month after which he asked leave to
travel and to seek the city of his first spouse, carrying with
him the second. Hereupon the King his father-in-law presented to
him ten cages, each containing four birds of vari-coloured coats
and farewelled him. After which he fared forth and left the city,
and outside it he found the 'Aun awaiting him and the Jinni
salam'd to the Prince and congratulated him in what he had won of
gifts and prizes. Then he arose high in air, bearing Mohammed and
his two brides and all that was with them, and he winged his way
for an hour or so until he alighted once more at the ruined city.
Here he found the Prince's suite of learned men, together with
the bat-beasts and their loads[FN#373] and everything other even
as he had left it. So they sat down to take their rest when the
'Aun said, "O Mohammed, O Son of the Sultan, I have been
predestined to thee in this site whither thou wast fated to come;
but I have another and a further covenant to keep wherewith I
would charge thee." "What is that?" quoth he, and quoth the 'Aun,
"Verily thou shalt not depart this place until thou shalt have
laved me and shrouded me and graved[FN#374] me in the ground;"
and so saying he shrieked a loud shriek and his soul fled his
flesh. This was grievous to the son of the King and he and his
men arose and washed him and shrouded him and having prayed over
him buried him in the earth. After this the Prince turned him to
travel, so they laded the loads and he and his set forth
intending for their families and native land. They journeyed
during the space of thirty days till they reached the fork of the
highway whereat stood the great rock, and here they found tents
and pavilions and a host nor did they know what this mighty many
might mean. Now the father, when his son left him, suffered from
straitness of breast and was sore perplexed as to his affair and
he wot not what to do; so he bade make ready his army and
commanded the lords of the land to prepare for the march and all
set out seeking his son and determined to find tidings of him.
Nor did they cease faring till they reached the place where the
road forked into three and on the first rock they saw written the
three lines--"This is the road of safe chance;" and "This is the
way of repentance;" and "This is the path whereon whoso paceth
shall return nevermore." But when the father read it he was posed
and perplext as to the matter and he cried, "Would Heaven I knew
by which road of these three my son Mohammed may have travelled;"
and as he was brooding over this difficulty--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to
survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that as the
Sultan was brooding over this difficulty lo and behold! his son
Mohammed appeared before him by the path which showed written,
"This is the path whereon whoso passeth shall nevermore return."
But when the King saw him, and face confronted face, he arose and
met him and salam'd to him giving him joy of his safety; and the
Prince told him all that had befallen him from beginning to
end--how he had not reached those places save by the All-might of
Allah, and how he had succeeded in winning his wish by meeting
with the 'Aun. So they nighted in that site and when it was
morning they resumed their march, all in gladness and happiness
for that the Sultan had recovered his son Mohammed. They ceased
not faring a while until they drew near their native city when
the bearers of good tidings ran forward announcing the arrival of
the Sultan and his son and, hereupon the houses were decorated in
honour of the Prince's safe return and crowds came out to meet
them till such time as all had entered the city-walls, after
which their joys increased and their annoy fell from them. And
this is the whole of the tale told by the first Larrikin. Now
when the Sultan heard it he marvelled at what had befallen the
chief adventurer therein, when the second Larrikin spoke saying
"I have by me a tale, a marvel of marvels, and which is a delight
to the hearer and a diversion to the reader and to the reciter."
Quoth the Sovran, "What may that be, O Shaykh?" and the man fell
to relating the
Tale of the Fisherman and his Son
They tell that whilome there was a Fisherman, a poor man with a
wife and family, who every day was wont to take his net and go
down to the river a-fishing for his daily bread which is
distributed. Then he would sell a portion of his catch and buy
victual and the rest he would carry to his wife and children that
they might eat. One day of the many days he said to his son who
was growing up to a biggish lad, "O my child, come forth with me
this morning, haply All-Mighty Allah may send us somewhat of
livelihood by thy footsteps;" and the other answered, "'Tis well,
O my father." Hereupon the Fisherman took his son and his net and
they twain went off together till they arrived at the river-bank,
when quoth the father, "O my boy I will throw the net upon the
luck of thee." Then he went forward to the water and standing
thereby took his net and unfokled it so that it spread when
entering the stream, and after waiting an hour or so he drew it
in and found it heavy of weight; so he cried, "O my son, bear a
hand" and the youth came up and lent him aidance in drawing it
in. And when they had haled it to shore they opened it and found
a fish of large size and glittering with all manner of colours.
Quoth the father, "O my son, by Allah, this fish befitteth not
any but the Caliph; do thou therefore abide with it till I go and
fetch a charger wherein to carry it as an offering for the Prince
of True Believers." The youth took his seat by the fish and when
his father was afar off he went up to her and said, "Doubtless
thou hast children and the byword saith, Do good and cast it upon
the waters." Then he took up the fish and setting her near the
river besprinkled[FN#375] her and said, "Go thou to thy children,
this is even better than being eaten by the Caliph." But having
thrown the fish into the stream, his fear of his father grew
strong upon him, so he arose and without stay or delay fled his
village; and he ceased not flying till he reached the Land of
Al-Irák whose capital was under a King of wide dominions (and
praise be to the King of all kingdoms!). So he entered the
streets and presently he met a baker-man who said to him, "O my
son, wilt thou serve?" whereto he replied, "I will serve, O
uncle." The man settled with him for a wage of two silver nusfs a
day together with his meat and his drink, and he remained working
with him for a while of time. Now one day of the days behold, he
saw a lad of the sons of that city carrying about a cock with the
intention of vending it, when he was met by a Jew who said to
him, "O my child, wilt thou sell this fowl?" and the other said,
"I will." Quoth the Jew, "For ten faddahs?" and quoth the youth,
"Allah openeth!" Said the other, "For twenty faddahs?" and the
lad, "Allah veileth!"[FN#376] Then the Jew fell to increasing his
offer for the cock until he reached a full dinar.--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to
say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet
is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I should relate
to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now
when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Sixty-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Jew
raised his bid for the cock till he reached a gold piece when the
lad said, "Here with it." So the man gave him the dinar and took
from him the fowl and slaughtered it forthright. Then he turned
to a boy, one of his servants, and said to him, "Take this cock
and carry it home and say to thy mistress, 'Pluck it, but open it
not until such time as I shall return.'" And the servant did his
bidding. But when the Fisherman's son who was standing hard by
heard these words and saw the bargain, he waited for a while and
as soon as the servant had carried off the fowl, he arose and
buying two cocks at four faddahs he slaughtered them and repaired
with them to the house of the Jew. Then he rapped at the door and
when the mistress came out to him he bespoke her saying, "The
house master saith to thee, 'Take these two silvers and send me
the bird which was brought to thee by the servant boy.'"[FN#377]
Quoth she, "'Tis well," so he gave her the two fowls and took
from her the cock which her husband had slaughtered. Then he
returned to the bakery, and when he was private he opened the
belly of the cock and found therein a signet-ring with a
bezel-gem which in the sun showed one colour and in the shade
another. So he took it up and hid it in his bosom, after which he
gutted the bird and cooked it in the furnace and ate it.
Presently the Jew having finished his business, returned home and
said to his wife, "Bring me the cock." She brought him the two
fowls and he seeing them asked her, "But where be the first
cock?" And she answered him, "Thou thyself sentest the boy with
these two birds and then orderedst him to bring thee the first
cock." The Jew held his peace but was sore distressed at heart,
so sore indeed that he came nigh to die and said to himself,
"Indeed it hath slipped from my grasp!" Now the Fisherman's son
after he had mastered the ring waited until the evening evened
when he said, "By Allah, needs must this bezel have some
mystery;" so he withdrew into the privacy of the furnace and
brought it out from his bosom and fell a-rubbing it. Thereupon
the Slave of the Ring appeared and cried, "Here I
stand[FN#378]-between thy hands." Then the Fisherman's son said
to himself, "This indeed is the perfection of good fortune," and
returned the gem to his breast-pocket as it was. Now when morning
morrowed the owner of the bakery came in and the youth said to
him, "O my master, I am longing for my people and my native land
and 'tis my desire to fare and look upon them and presently I
will return to thee." So the man paid him his wage, after which
he left him and walked from the bakery till he came to the Palace
of the Sultan where he found near the gate well nigh an hundred
heads which had been cut off and there suspended; so he leaned
for rest against the booth of a sherbet-seller and asked its
owner, "O master, what is the cause of all these heads being hung
up?" and the other answered, "O my son, inquire not, anent what
hath been done." However when he repeated the question the man
replied, "O my son, verily the Sultan hath a daughter, a model of
beauty and loveliness, of symmetric stature and perfect grace, in
fact likest a branch of the Rattan-palm;[FN#379] and whoso cometh
ever to seek her in marriage her father conditioneth with him a
condition." Cried the Fisherman's son, "What may be that
condition?" and the other replied, "There is a great mound of
ashes under the latticed windows of the Sultan's palace, and
whoso wisheth to take his daughter to wife he maketh a covenant
with him that he shall carry off that heap. So the other accepted
the agreement with only the proviso that he should have forty
days' grace and he consented that, an he fail within that time,
his head be cut off." "And the heap is high?" quoth the
Fisherman's son. "Like a hill," quoth the other. Now when the
youth had thoroughly comprehended what the sherbet-seller had
told him, he farewelled him and left him; then, going to a Khan,
he hired him a cell and taking seat therein for a time he
pondered how he should proceed, for he was indeed fearful yet was
his heart hanging to the love of the Sultan's daughter. Presently
he brought out his ring, and rubbed it, when the voice of the
Slave cried to him, "Here I stand between thy hands and what
mayst thou require of me?" Said the other, "I want a suit of
kingly clothes;" whereat without delay a bundle was set before
him and when he opened it he found therein princely gear. So he
took it and rising without loss of time he went into the Hammam
and caused himself to be soaped and gloved and thoroughly washed,
after which he donned the dress and his case was changed into
other case.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister
mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night
and that was
The Four Hundred and Sixty-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will." It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
son of the Fisherman came forth the Bath-house and donned his
fine dress, his was changed into other case and he appeared
before the folk in semblance of the sons of Kings. Presently he
went to the Sultan's palace and entering therein made his salam
and, blushing for modesty, did his obeisance and blessed the
Sultan with the blessing due to Caliphs. His greetings were
returned and the King welcomed him and after that looked at him,
and finding him after princely fashion, asked him, "What is thy
need, O Youth, and what requirest thou?" Answered the other, "I
seek connection with thy house, and I come desirous of betrothal
with the lady concealed and the pearl unrevealed, which is thy
daughter." "Art thou able to perform the condition, O Youth?"
asked the King; "For I want neither means nor moneys nor precious
stones nor other possession; brief, none other thing save that
thou remove yon mound of ashes from beneath the windows of my
palace." Upon this he bade the youth draw near him and when he
obeyed threw open the lattice; and, showing him the hillock that
stood underneath it, said, "O Youth, I will betroth to thee my
daughter an thou be pleased to remove this heap; but if thou
prove thee unable so to do I will strike off thy head." Quoth the
Fisherman's son, "I am satisfied therewith," presently adding, "A
delay![FN#380] grant me the term of forty days." "I have allowed
thy request to thee," said the King and wrote a document bearing
the testimony of those present, when cried the youth, "O King,
bid nail up thy windows and let them not be unfastened until the
fortieth day shall have gone by." "These words be fair," quoth
the Sultan, and accordingly he gave the order. Hereat the youth
went forth from him whereupon all present in the palace cried, "O
the pity of it, that this youngster should be done to die; indeed
there were many stronger than he, yet none of them availed to
remove the heap." In this way each and every said his say, but
when the Fisherman's son returned to his cell (and he was
thoughtful concerning his life and perplext as to his affair) he
cried, "Would Heaven I knew whether the Ring hath power to carry
it off." Then shutting himself up in his cell he brought out the
signet from his breast-pocket and rubbed it, and a Voice was
heard to cry, "Here I stand (and fair befall thy command) between
thy hands. What requirest thou of me, O my lord?" The other
replied, "I want thee to remove the ash-heap which standeth under
the windows of the royal palace, and I demand that thou lay out
in lieu thereof a garden wide of sides in whose middlemost must
be a mansion tall and choice-builded of base, for the special
domicile of the Sultan's daughter; furthermore, let all this be
done within the space of forty days." "Aye ready," quoth the
Jinni, "to do all thou desirest." Hereupon the youth felt his
affright assuaged and his heart rightly directed; and after this
he would go every day to inspect the heap and would find one
quarter of it had disappeared, nor did aught of it remain after
the fourth morning for that the ring was graved with the
cabalistic signs of the Cohens[FN#381] and they had set upon the
work an hundred Marids of the Jann that they might carry out the
wishes of any who required aught of them. And when the mound was
removed they dispread in its site a garden wide of sides in whose
midst they edified a palace choice-builded of base, and all this
was done within the space of fifteen days, whilst the Fisherman's
son ever repaired thither and inspected the work. But when he had
perfected his intent he entered to the Sultan and kissing ground
between his hands and having prayed for his glory and permanence,
said, "O King of the Age, deign open the lattices of thy Palace!"
So he went to them and threw them open when lo and behold, he
found in lieu of the mound a mighty fine garden wherein were
trees and rills and blooms and birds hymning the praises of their
Creator; moreover he saw in that garden a palace, an edifice
choice-builded of base which is not to be found with any King or
Kaysar. Seeing this he wondered at the circumstance and his wits
were wildered and he was perplext as to his affair; after which
he sent for the Minister and summoned him and said, "Counsel me,
O Wazir, as to what I shall do in the case of this youth and in
what way shall I fend him from me." Replied the Councillor, "How
shall I advise thee, seeing that thou madest condition with him
that should he fail in his undertaking thou wouldst strike off
his head? Now there is no contrivance in this matter and there is
naught to do save marrying him with the girl." By these words the
King was persuaded and caused the knot to be knotted and bade
them lead the bridegroom in procession to the bride, after which
the youth set her in the garden-palace and cohabited with her in
all joy and enjoyment and pleasure and disport. On this wise
fared it with them; but as regards the case of the Jew, when he
lost the cock he went forth in sore disappointment like unto one
Jinn-mad; and neither was his sleep sound and good nor were meat
and drink pleasant food, and he ceased not wandering about till
the Fates threw him into that garden. Now he had noted in past
time that a huge heap of ashes stood under the palace-windows and
when he looked he cried, "Verily, the youth hath been here and
all this work is the work of the signet-ring, for that none other
than the Márids of the Jánn could remove such a hillock." So
saying, the Jew returned to his place, where he brought out a
parcel of fine pearls and some few emeralds and specimens of
coral and other precious minerals, and set them for sale in a
tray. Then he approached the palace which was builded in the
garden and cried out saying, "The pearls! and the emeralds! and
the corals! and various kinds of fine jewels!" and he kept up
this cry.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Four Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Jew
fell to hawking about his minerals and crying them for sale
beside the garden-palace and the Sultan's daughter hearing him
exclaimed, "O Handmaid, bring me that which is for sale with this
Jew." So the girl went down and said to the man, "What hast thou
by thee?" and said the other, "Precious stones." Quoth she, "Wilt
thou sell them for gold?" and quoth he, "No, O my lady, I will
sell them for nothing save for rings which must be old."[FN#382]
Accordingly she returned and herewith acquainted her lady who
said, "By Allah, my Lord hath in his pencase[FN#383] an old
worn-out ring, so do thou go and bring it to me while he
sleepeth." But she knew not what was hidden for her in the Secret
Purpose, nor that which was fated to be her Fate. So presently
she brought out of the pencase the bezel-ring afore-mentioned and
gave it to the handmaid who took it and faring outside the house
handed it to the Jew, and he received it with extreme joy and in
turn presented to her the tray with all thereon. Then he went
forth the city and set out on a voyage to the Seven Islands which
are not far from the earth-surrounding Ocean;[FN#384] and when he
arrived thither he landed upon a sea-holm and travelled to the
middle-most thereof. Anon he took seat, and presently brought out
the signet-ring and rubbed it, when the slave appeared and cried,
"Here I stand and between thy hands, what is it thou needest of
me?" "I require of thee," quoth the Jew, "to transport hither the
bower of the Sultan's daughter and to restore the ash-heap to the
stead it was in whilome under the lattice of the King's Palace."
Now ere night had passed away both Princess and Palace were
transported to the middlemost of the island; and when the Jew
beheld her his heart flamed high for the excess of her beauty and
loveliness. So he entered her bower and fell to conversing with
her, but she would return to him no reply and, when he would have
approached her, she started away in disgust. Hereupon, seeing no
signs of conquest, the Jew said in his mind, "Let her wax
accustomed to me and she will be satisfied," and on this wise he
continued to solace her heart. Now as regards the son of the
Fisherman his sleep had extended deep into the forenoon and when
the sun burnt upon his back he arose and found himself lying on
the ash-heap below the Palace, so he said to himself, "Up and
away, otherwise the Sultan will look out of the window and will
behold this mound returned to its place as it was before, and he
will order thy neck to be smitten." So he hurried him forth
hardly believing in his escape, and he ceased not hastening his
pace until he came to a coffee-house, which he entered; and there
he took him a lodging and used to lie the night, and to rise
amorn. Now one day of the days behold, he met a man who was
leading about a dog and a cat and a mouse[FN#385] and crying them
for sale at the price of ten faddahs; so the youth said in his
mind, "Let me buy these at their cheap price;" and he called
aloud to the man and having given him the ten silverlings took
away his purchase. After this he would fare every day to the
slaughter-house and would buy for them a bit of tripe or liver
and feed them therewith, but ever and anon he would sit down and
ponder the loss of the Ring and bespeak himself and say, "Would
Heaven I wot that which Allah Almighty hath done with my Ring and
my Palace and my bride the Sultan's daughter!" Now the dog and
the cat and the mouse heard him, and one day of the days as,
according to his custom, he took them with him and led them to
the slaughter-house and bought a meal of entrails and gave
somewhat to each that it might eat thereof, he sat down in sad
thought and groaned aloud and sorrow prevailed upon him till he
was overcome by sleep. The season was the mid-forenoon[FN#386]
and the while he slumbered and was drowned in drowsiness, the Dog
said to the Cat and the Mouse, "O brethren mine, in very deed
this youth, who hath bought us for ten faddahs, leadeth us every
day to this stead and giveth us our rations of food. But he hath
lost his Ring and the Palace wherein was his bride, the daughter
of the Sultan; so let us up and fare forth and seek therefore and
do ye twain mount upon my back so that we can overwander the seas
and the island-skirts." They did as he bade them and he walked
down with them to the waters and swam with them until they found
themselves amiddlemost the main; nor did he cease swimming with
them for about a day and a night until the morning morrowed and
they saw from afar a somewhat that glittered. So they made for it
till they drew near, when they saw that it was the Palace in
question, whereat the Dog continued swimming till such time as he
came ashore and dismounted the Cat and the Mouse. Then he said to
them, "Let us abide here."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth
she, "And where is this compared with that I should relate to you
on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when
it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Dog
said to the Cat and the Mouse, "I will abide and await you here,
and do ye twain fare into the Palace, where the Cat shall take
her station upon the crenelles over the lattice window and the
Mouse shall enter the mansion and roam about and search through
the rooms until she come upon the Ring required." So they did the
Dog's bidding and sought the places he had appointed to them and
the Mouse crept about but found naught until she approached the
bedstead and beheld the Jew asleep and the Princess lying afar
off. He had been longsome in requiring of her her person and had
even threatened her with slaughter, yet he had no power to
approach her nor indeed had he even looked upon the form of her
face. Withal the Mouse ceased not faring about until she
approached the Jew, whom she discovered sleeping upon his back
and drowned in slumber for the excess of his drink that weighed
him down. So she drew near and considered him and saw the Ring in
his mouth below his tongue whereat she was perplext how to
recover it; but presently she went forth to a vessel of oil and
dipping her tail therein approached the sleeper and drew it over
his nostrils, whereat he sneezed with a sneeze so violent that
the Ring sprang from between his jaws and fell upon the side of
the bedstead. Then she seized it in huge joy and returning to the
Cat said to her, "Verily the prosperity of our lord hath returned
to him." After this the twain went back to the Dog whom they
found expecting them, so they marched down to the sea and mounted
upon his back and he swam with them both, all three being in the
highest spirits. But when they reached the middle of the main,
quoth the Cat to the Mouse, "Pass the Ring to me that I may carry
it awhile;" and the other did so, when she placed it in her chops
for an hour of time. Then quoth the Dog to them, "Ye twain have
taken to yourselves charge of the Ring, each of you for a little
time, and I also would do likewise." They both said to him, "O
our brother, haply 'twill fall from thy mouth;" but said he to
them, "By Allah, an ye give it not to me for a while I will drown
you both in this very place." Accordingly the two did in their
fear as the Dog desired and when he had set it in his chops it
dropped therefrom into the abyss of the ocean; seeing which all
repented thereat and they said, "Wasted is our work we have
wrought." But when they came to land they found their lord
sleeping from the excess of his cark and his care, and so the
trio stood on the shore and were sorrowing with sore sorrow, when
behold, there appeared to them a Fish strange of semblance who
said to them, "Take ye this Signet-ring and commit it to your
lord, the son of the Fisherman, and when giving it to him say,
'Since thou diddest a good deed and threwest the Fish into the
sea thy kindness shall not be for naught; and, if it fail with
the Creature, it shall not fail with Allah the Creator.' Then do
ye inform him that the Fish which his father the Fisher would
have presented to the King and whereupon he had mercy and
returned her to the waters, that Fish am I, and the old saw
saith, 'This for that, and tit for tat is its reward!'" Hereupon
the Dog took the Signet-ring and the other two went up with him
to their lord and awaking him from sleep returned to him his
Ring. But when he saw it he became like one Jinn-mad from the
excess of his joy and the three related to him the affair of the
Signet; how they had brought it away from the Jew and how it had
dropped from the Dog's mouth into the abyss of the sea and lastly
how the Fish who had found it brought it back to them declaring
that it was she whom his sire had netted and whom the son had
returned to the depths. Cried he, "Alham-dolillah"--Glory be to
the Lord--who caused us work this weal and requited us for our
kindness;" after which he took the Signet and waited until night
had nighted. Then he repaired to the mount which was under the
Sultan's Palace and brought out the Ring and rubbed it, when the
Slave appeared and cried to him, "Here I stand (and fair befal
thy command!) between thy hands: what is it needest thou and
requirest thou of me?" The other replied, "I demand that thou
carry off for me this mound."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming
night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Four Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sun of
the Fisherman bade the Slave of the Ring remove the mound and
return the garden as whilome it was and restore the Palace
containing the Jew and the Sultan's daughter. Nor did that hour
pass before everything was replaced in its proper stead. Then the
Youth went up to the saloon where he found the Jew recovered from
his drunkenness and he was threatening the Princess and saying,
"Thou! for thee there is no escape from me." But cried she, "O
dog, O accurst, joy from my lord is well nigh to me." Hearing
these words the Youth fell upon the Jew and dragging him along by
his neck, went down with him and bade them light a furious fire,
and so they did till it flamed and flared; after which he
pinioned his enemy and caused him to be cast therein when his
bones were melted upon his flesh. Then returning to the Palace he
fell to blaming the Sultan's daughter for the matter of the Ring,
and asking her, "Why didst thou on this wise?" She answered,
"From Fate there is no flight, and Alhamdolillah--praise to the
Lord--who after all that befell us from the Jew hath brought us
together once more." Now all that happened from the Jew and the
return of the Sultan's daughter and the restoring of the Palace
and the death of his deceiver remained unknown to the Sultan, and
here is an end to my history. And when the second Larrikin held
his peace quoth the King, "Allah quicken thee for this story; by
the Almighty 'tis wondrous, and it delighteth the hearer and
rejoiceth the teller." Then cried the third Larrikin, "I also
have by me an history more marvelous than these two; and, were it
written in water of gold upon the pages of men's hearts, it were
worthy thereof." Quoth the King, "O Larrikin, if it prove
stranger and rarer than these I will surely largesse thee."
Whereupon quoth he, "O King of the Age, listen to what I shall
relate," and he fell to telling the
Tale of the Third Larrikin Concerning Himself.
In my early years I had a cousin, the daughter of my paternal
uncle, who loved me and I loved her whilst her father loathed me.
So one day she sent to me saying, "Do thou fare forth and demand
me in marriage from my sire;" and, as I was poor and her father
was a wealthy merchant, she sent me to her dowry fifty gold
pieces which I took; and, accompanied by four of my comrades, I
went to the house of my father's brother and there arrived I went
within. But when he looked upon me his face showed wrath and my
friends said to him, "Verily, thy nephew seeketh in marriage the
daughter of his uncle;" and as soon as he heard these words he
cried aloud at them and reviled me and crave me from his doors.
So I went from him well nigh broken-hearted and I wept till I
returned to my mother who cried, "What is to do with thee, O my
son!" I related to her all that had befallen me from my uncle and
she said to me, "O my child, to a man who loveth thee not thou
goest, forsooth, to ask his daughter in marriage!" Whereto I
replied, "O mother mine, she sent a message bidding me so do and
verily she loveth me." Quoth my mother, Take patience, O my son!"
I heartened my heart, and my parent promised me all welfare and
favour from my cousin; more over she was thinking of me at all
times and presently she again sent to me and promised me that she
never would love any other. Then behold, a party of folk repaired
to her father and asked her to wife of him and prepared to take
her away. But when the tidings reached her that her parent
purposed marrying her to one of those people, she sent to me
saying, "Get thee ready for this mid-night and I will come to
thee." When night was at its noon she appeared, carrying a pair
of saddle-bags wherein was a somewhat of money and raiment, and
she was leading a she mule belonging to her father whereupon her
saddle-bags were packed. "Up with us," she cried, so I arose with
her in that outer darkness and we went forth the town forthright
and the Veiler veiled us, nor did we stint faring till morning
when we hid ourselves in fear lest we be overtaken. And when the
next night fell we made ready and set out again, but we knew not
whither we were wending, for the Predestinator existeth and what
is decided for us is like Destiny. At last we came to a wide and
open place where the heat smote us, and we sat down under a tree
to smell the air. Presently sleep came upon me and I was drowned
in slumber from the excess of my toil and travail, when suddenly
a dog-faced baboon came up to the daughter of my uncle--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable !" Quoth she, "And where is this
compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an
the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night
and that was
The Four Hundred and Seventy-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Larrikin continued his tale saying to the King:--And as I was
drowned in slumber a dog-faced baboon came up to the daughter of
my uncle and assaulted her and knew her carnally; then, having
taken her pucelage he ran away,[FN#387] but I knew nothing
thereof from being fast asleep. Now when I awoke I found my
cousin was changed of case and her colour had waxed pale and she
was in saddest condition; so I asked her and she told me all that
had betided her and said to me, "O son of my uncle, from Fate
there is no flight, even as saith one of those who knoweth:--
'And when death shall claw with his firm-fixt nail * I saw that
spells[FN#388] were of scant avail.'
And one of them also said:--
'When God would execute His will in anything On one endowed with
sight, hearing and reasoning,
He stops his ears and blinds his eyes and draws his will From
him, as one draws out the hairs to paste that cling;
Till, His decrees fulfilled, He gives him back his wit, That
therewithal he may receive admonishing.'"[FN#389]
Then she spake concerning the predestination of the Creator till
she could say no more thereof. Presently we departed that stead
and we travelled till we came to a town of the towns frequented
by merchants, where we hired us a lodging and furnished it with
mats and necessaries. Here I asked for a Kazi and they pointed
out to me one of them amongst the judges of the place whom I
summoned with two of his witnesses; then I made one of them
deputy[FN#390] for my cousin and was married to her and went in
unto her and I said to myself, "All things depend upon Fate and
Lot." After that I tarried with her for a full told year in that
same town, a disease befel her and she drew nigh unto death.
Hereat quoth she to me, "Allah upon thee, O son of my uncle, when
I shall be dead and gone and the Destiny of Allah shall come upon
thee and drive thee to marry again, take not to wife any but a
virgin-girl or haply do thou wed one who hath known man but
once;[FN#391] for by Allah, O my cousin, I will say thee nothing
but sooth when I tell thee that the delight of that dog-faced
baboon who deflowered me hath remained with me ever
since."[FN#392] So saying she expired[FN#393] and her soul fled
forth her flesh. I brought to her a woman who washeth the dead
and shrouded her and buried her; and after her decease I went
forth from the town until Time bore me along and I became a
wanderer and my condition was changed and I fell into this case.
And no one knew me or aught of my affairs till I came and made
friends with yonder two men. Now the King hearing these words
marvelled at his adventure and what had betided him from the
Shifts of Time and his heart was softened to him and he largessed
him and his comrades and sent them about their business. Then
quoth one of the bystanders to the King, "O Sultan, I know a tale
still rarer than this;" and quoth the King, "Out with it;"
whereat the man began to relate
THE HISTORY OF ABU NIYYAH AND ABU
NIYYATAYN[FN#394]
It is recounted that in Mosel was a king and he was Lord of
moneys and means and troops and guards. Now in the beginning of
his career his adventures were strange for that he was not of
royal rank or race, nor was he of the sons of Kings but
prosperity met him because of the honesty of his manners and
morals. His name was Abu Niyyah, the single-minded--and he was
so poor that he had naught of worldly weal, so quoth he to
himself, "Remove thee from this town and haply Allah will widen
thy means of livelihood inasmuch as the byword said, Travel, for
indeed much of the joys of life are in travelling.'" So he fixed
his mind upon removal from the town; and, having very few
articles of his own, he sold them for a single dinar which he
took and fared forth from his place of birth seeking another
stead. Now when journeying he sighted following him a man who
was also on the move and he made acquaintance with him and the
two fell to communing together upon the road. Each of the twain
wished to know the name of his comrade and Abu Niyyah asked his
fellow, saying, "O my brother, what may be thy name?" whereto the
other answered, "I am called Abu Niyyatayn--the two-minded."
"And I am Abu Niyyah!" cried the other, and his fellow-traveller
questioned him, saying, "Hast thou with thee aught of money?"
Whereto he replied, "I have with me a single Ashrafi and no
more." Quoth the other, "But I have ten gold pieces, so do thou
have a care of them and the same will be eleven." Abu Niyyan
accepted the charge and they went upon the road together and as
often as they entered a town they nighted therein for a single
night or two and in the morning they departed therefrom. This
continued for a while of time until they made a city which had
two gates and Abu Niyyah forewent his fellow through one of the
entrances and suddenly heard an asker which was a slave begging
and saying, "O ye beneficent, O doers of good deeds, an alms
shall bring ten-fold." And, as the chattel drew near[FN#395] and
Abu Niyyah noted his words, his heart was softened and he gave
him his single Ashrafi; whereupon his comrade looked upon him and
asked, "What hast thou doled to him?" Answered he, "An Ashrafi;"
and quoth the other, "Thou hast but a single gold piece while I
have ten;" so he took the joint stock from him and left him and
went his way.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this
compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an
the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night
and that was
The Four Hundred and Seventy-third Night
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish thy tale that we may cut short the
watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and
good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director,
the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of
deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the man Abu
Niyyatayn took from Abu Niyyah the ten Ashrafis[FN#396] and said
to him, "The gold piece belonging to thee thou hast given to the
asker;" then, carrying away the other ten he left him and went
about his business. Now Abu Niyyah had with him not a single
copper neither aught of provaunt so he wandered about the town to
find a Cathedral-mosque and seeing one he went into it and made
the Wuzu-ablution and prayed that which was incumbent on him of
obligatory prayers. Then he seated himself to rest until the
hour of the sunset devotions and he said to himself "Ho, Such-an-
one! this be a time when no one knoweth thee; so go forth and
fare round about the doors and have a heed, haply Allah Almighty
our Lord shall give thee somewhat of daily bread thou shalt eat
blessing the creator." Hereupon he went forth the Mosque and
wandered through the nearest quarter, when behold, he came upon a
lofty gate and a well adorned; so he stood before it and saw a
slave lad coming out therefrom and bearing on his head a platter
wherein was a pile of broken bread and some bones, and the boy
stood there and shook the contents of the platter upon the
ground. Abu Niyyah seeing this came forward and fell to picking
up the orts of bread and ate them and gnawed the flesh from
sundry of the bones until he was satisfied and the slave diverted
himself by looking on. After that he cried, "Alhamdolillah--
Glory be to God!"[FN#397] and the chattel went upstairs to his
master and said, "O my lord, I have seen a marvel!" Quoth the
other, "And what may that be?" and quoth the servile, "I found a
man standing at our door and he was silent and poke not a word;
but when he saw me throwing away the remnants[FN#398] of our
eating-cloth he came up to them and fell to devouring bittocks of
the bread and to breaking the bones and sucking them, after which
he cried, Alhamdolillah.'" Said the master, "O my good slave,
do thou take these ten Ashrafis and give them to the man;" so the
lad went down the stair and was half-way when he filched one of
the gold-pieces and then having descended he gave the nine.
Hereupon Abu Niyyah counted them and finding only nine, said,
"There wanted one Ashrafi, for the asker declared, An almsdeed
bringeth tenfold, and I gave him a single gold piece." The
house-master heard him saying, "There wanteth an Ashrafi," and he
bade the slave call aloud to him and Abu Niyyah went upstairs to
the sitting room, where he found the owner, a merchant of repute,
and salam'd to him. The other returned his greeting and said,
"Ho fellow!" and the other said "Yes" when the first resumed,
"The slave, what did he give thee?" "He gave me," said Abu
Niyyah, "nine Ashrafis;" and the house-master rejoined,
"Wherefore didst thou declare, There faileth me one gold piece?
Hast thou a legal claim of debt upon us for an Ashrafi, O thou
scanty of shame?" He answered, "No, by Allah, O my lord; my
intent was not that but there befel me with a man which was a
beggar such-and-such matter." Hereupon the merchant understood
his meaning and said to him, "Do thou sit thee down here and pass
the night with us." So Abu Niyyah seated himself by his side and
nighted with the merchant until the morning. Now this was the
season for the payment of the poor-rates,[FN#399] and that
merchant was wont to take the sum from his property by weight of
scales, so he summoned the official weigher who by means of his
balance computed the account and took out the poor-rate and gave
the whole proceeds to Abu Niyyah. Quoth he, "O my lord, what
shall I do with all this good, especially as thou hast favoured
me with thy regard?" "No matter for that," quoth the other; so
Abu Niyyah went forth from the presence of his patron and hiring
himself a shop fell to buying what suited him of all kinds of
merchandise such as a portion of coffee-beans and of pepper and
of tin;[FN#400] and stuff of Al-Hind, together with other
matters, saying to himself, "Verily this shop is the property of
thy hand." So he sat there selling and buying and he was in the
easiest of life and in all comfort rife for a while of time when
behold, his quondam companion, Abu Niyyatayn was seen passing
along the market-street. His eyes were deep[FN#401] sunken and
he was propped upon a staff as he begged and cried, "O good folk,
O ye beneficent, give me an alms for the love of Allah!" But
when his sometime associate, Abu Niyyah looked upon him, he knew
him and said to the slave whom he had bought for his service, "Go
thou and bring me yonder man." Hereat the chattel went and
brought him and Abu Niyyah seated him upon the shop-board and
sent his servile to buy somewhat of food and he set it before Abu
Niyyatayn who ate until he was filled. After this the wanderer
asked leave to depart but the other said to him, "Sit thou here,
O Shaykh; for thou art my guest during the coming night."
Accordingly he seated himself in the shop till the hour of
sundown, when Abu Niyyah took him and led him to his lodging
where the slave served up the supper-tray and they ate till they
had eaten their sufficiency. Then they washed their hands and
abode talking together till at last quoth Abu Niyyah, "O my
brother, hast thou not recognised me?" to which the other
responded, "No, by Allah, O my brother." Hereupon said the
house-master, "I am thy whilome comrade Abu Niyyah, and we came
together, I and thou, from such-and-such a place to this city.
But I, O my brother, have never changed mine intent[FN#402] and
all thou seest with me of good, the half thereof belongeth to
thee." When it was morning tide he presented him with the moiety
of all he possessed of money and means and opened for him a shop
in the Bazar by the side of his own, and Abu Niyyatayn fell to
selling and buying, and he and his friend Abu Niyyah led the most
joyous of lives. This endured for a while of time until one day
of the days when quoth Abu Niyyatayn to Abu Niyyah, "O my
brother, we have exhausted our sitting in this city, so do thou
travel with us unto another." Quoth Abu Niyyah, "Why, O my
brother, should we cease abiding here in comfort when we have
gained abundance of wealth and moveables and valuables and we
seek naught save a restful life?" However Abu Niyyatayn ceased
not to repeat his words to him and persist in his purpose and
reiterate his demand, till Abu Niyyah was pleased with the idea
of travelling--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming
night and the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Abu Niyyah
was pleased with the idea of travelling companied with Abu
Niyyatayn: so they got themselves ready and loaded a caravan of
camels and mules and went off from that city and travelled for a
space of twenty days. At last they came to a camping ground
about sunset-hour and they alighted therein seeking rest and a
nighting stead, and next morning when they arose they sought
where they could fodder and water their cattle. Now the only
place they could find was a well and one said to other, "Who will
descend therein and draw for us drink?" Cried Abu Niyyah, "I
will go down" (but he knew not what was fated to him in the
Eternal Purpose), and so saying he let himself down by the rope
into the well and filled for them the water-buckets till the
caravan had its sufficiency. Now Abu Niyyatayn for the excess of
his envy and hatred was scheming in his heart and his secret soul
to slay Abu Niyyah, and when all had drunk he cut the cord and
loaded his beasts and fared away leaving his companion in the
well, for the first day and the second until the coming of night.
Suddenly two 'Ifrits forgathered in that well and sat down to
converse with each other, when quoth the first, "What is to do
with thee and how is thy case and what mayest thou be?" Quoth
his fellow, "By Allah, O my brother, I am satisfied with extreme
satisfaction and I never leave the Sultan's daughter at all at
all." The second Ifrit asked, "And what would forbid thee from
her?" and he answered, "I should be driven away by somewhat of
wormwood-powder scattered beneath the soles of her feet during
the congregational prayers of Friday." Then quoth the other, "I
also, by Allah, am joyful and exulting in the possession of a
Hoard of jewels buried without the town near the Azure Column
which serveth as benchmark."[FN#403] "And what," asked the other
to his friend, "would expel thee therefrom and expose the jewels
to the gaze of man?" whereto he answered, "A white cock in his
tenth month[FN#404] slaughtered upon the Azure Column would drive
me away from the Hoard and would break the Talisman when the gems
would be visible to all." Now as soon as Abu Niyyah had heard
the words of the two Ifrits, they arose and departed from the
well; and it was the morning hour when, behold, a caravan was
passing by that place, so the travellers halted seeking a drink
of water. Presently they let down a bucket which was seized by
Abu Niyyah and as he was being drawn up they cried out and asked,
"What art thou, of Jinn-kind or of man-kind?" and he answered, "I
am of the Sons of Adam." Hereupon they drew him up from the pit
and questioned him of his case and he said, "I have fallen into
it and I am sore ahungered." Accordingly they gave him somewhat
to eat and he ate and travelled with them till they entered a
certain city and it was on First day.[FN#405] So they passed
through the market streets which were crowded and found the
people in turmoil and trouble;[FN#406] and as one enquired the
cause thereof he was answered, "Verily the Sultan hath a
beautiful daughter who is possessed and overridden by an 'Ifrit,
and whoso of the physicians would lay[FN#407] the Spirit and is
unable or ignorant so to do, the King taketh him and cutteth off
his head and hangeth it up before his palace. Indeed of late
days a student came hither, a youth who knew nothing of expelling
the Evil One, and he accepted the task and the Sultan designeth
to smith his neck at this very hour; so the people are flocking
with design to divert themselves at the decapitation." Now when
Abu Niyyah heard these words he rose without stay or delay and
walked in haste till he came into the presence of the Sultan whom
he found seated upon his throne and the Linkman standing with his
scymitar brandished over the head of the young student and
expecting only the royal order to strike his neck. So Abu Niyyah
salam'd to him and said, "O King of the Age, release yonder youth
from under the sword and send him to thy prison, for if I avail
to laying the Spirit and driving him from thy daughter thou shalt
have mercy upon yonder wight, and if I fail thou wilt shorten by
the head me as well as him." Hereupon the King let unbind the
youth and sent him to jail; then he said to Abu Niyyah, "Wouldst
thou go at once to my daughter and unspell her from the Jinni?"
But the other replied, "No, O King, not until Meeting-day[FN#408]
at what time the folk are engaged in congregational prayers."
Now when Abu Niyyah had appointed the Friday, the King set apart
for his guest an apartment and rationed him with liberal
rations.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this
compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an
the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night
and that was
The Four Hundredth and Seventy-seventh Night
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Abu Niyyah
having appointed the Sultan for Meeting-day, when he would
ensorcel the Princess, waited till the morning dawned. Then he
went forth to the Bazar and brought him a somewhat of
wormwood[FN#409] for a silvern Nusf and brought it back, and, as
soon as the time of congregational prayers came, the Sultan went
forth to his devotions and gave orders that Abu Niyyah be
admitted to his daughter whilst the folk were busy at their
devotions. Abu Niyyah repaired to his patient, and scattered the
Absinthium beneath the soles of her feet, when, lo, and behold!
she was made whole, and she groaned and cried aloud, "Where am
I?" Hereat the mother rejoiced and whoso were in the Palace;
and, as the Sultan returned from the Mosque, he found his
daughter sitting sane and sound, after they had dressed her and
perfumed her and adorned her, and she met him with glee and
gladness. So the two embraced and their joy increased, and the
father fell to giving alms and scattering moneys amongst the
Fakirs and the miserable and the widows and orphans, in gratitude
for his daughter's recovery. Moreover he also released the
student youth and largessed him, and bade him gang his gait.
After this the King summoned Abu Niyyah into the presence and
said to him, "O young man, ask a boon first of Allah and then of
me and let it be everything thou wishest and wantest." Quoth the
other, "I require of thee to wife the damsel from whom I drove
away the Spirit," and the King turning to his Minster said,
"Counsel me, O Wazir." Quoth the other, "Put him off until the
morrow;" and quoth the Sultan, "O youth, come back to me hither
on the morning of the next day." Hereupon Abu Niyyah was
dismissed the presence, and betimes on the day appointed he came
to the Sultan and found the Wazir beside him hending in hand a
gem whose like was not to be found amongst the Kings. Then he
set it before the Sultan and said to him, "Show it to the Youth
and say to him, The dowry of the Princess, my daughter, is a
jewel like unto this.'" But whilst Abu Niyyah was standing
between his hands the King showed him the gem and repeated to him
the words of the Wazir, thinking to himself that it was a pretext
for refusing the youth, and saying in his mind, "He will never be
able to produce aught like that which the Wazir has brought."
Hereupon Abu Niyyah asked, "An so be I bring thee ten equal to
this, wilt thou give me the damsel?" and the King answered, "I
will." The youth went from him when this was agreed upon and
fared to the Market Street, where he bought him a white cock in
its tenth month, such as had been described by the 'Ifrit, whose
plume had not a trace of black or red feathers but was of the
purest white. Then he fared without the town and in the
direction of the setting sun until he came to the Azure Column,
which he found exactly as he had heard it from the Jinni, and
going to it, he cut the throat of the cock thereupon, when all of
a sudden the earth gaped and therein appeared a chamber full of
jewels sized as ostrich eggs. That being the Hoard, he went
forth and brought with him ten camels, each bearing two large
sacks, and returning to the treasure-room, he filled all of these
bags with gems and loaded them upon the beasts. Presently he
entered to the Sultan with his string of ten camels and, causing
them to kneel in the court-yard of the Divan, cried to him, "Come
down, O King of the Age, and take the dowry of thy daughter." So
the Sultan turned towards him and, looking at the ten camels,
exclaimed, "By Allah, this youth is Jinn-mad; yet will I go down
to see him." Accordingly he descended the staircase to the place
where the camels had been made to kneel, and when the sacks had
been unloaded and as the King came amongst them, the bags were
opened and were found full of jewels greater and more glorious
than the one was with him. Hereupon the Sultan was perplext and
his wits were bewildered, and he cried to the Wazir, "Walla-hi!
I think that all the Kings of the Earth in its length and its
breadth have not one single gem the like of these: but say me how
shall I act, O Wazir?" The Minister replied, "Give him the
girl."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming
night, an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Wazir
said to the King, "Give him the girl." Hereupon the marriage-tie
was tied and the bridegroom was led in to the bride, and either
rejoiced mightily in his mate,[FN#410] and was increased their
joy and destroyed was all annoy. Now Abu Niyyah was a favourite
of Fortune, so the Sultan appointed him the government during
three days of every week, and he continued ruling after that
fashion for a while of time. But one day of the days, as he was
sitting in his pleasaunce, suddenly the man Abu Niyyatayn passed
before him leaning on a palm-stick, and crying, "O ye beneficent,
O ye folk of good!" When Abu Niyyah beheld him he said to his
Chamberlain, "Hither with yonder man;" and as soon as he was
brought he bade them lead him to the Hammam and dress him in a
new habit. They did his bidding and set the beggar before his
whilome comrade who said to him, "Dost thou know me?" "No, O my
lord," said the other; and he, "I am thy companion of old whom
thou wouldst have left to die in the well; but I, by Allah, never
changed my intent, and all that I own in this world I will give
unto thee half thereof." And they sat in converse for a while of
time, until at last the Double-minded one, "Whence camest thou by
all this?" and quoth he, "From the well wherein thou threwest
me." Hereupon from the excess of his envy and malice Abu
Niyyatayn said to Abu Niyyah, "I also will go down that well and
what to thee was given the same shall be given to me." Then he
left him and went forth from him, and he ceased not faring until
he made the place. Presently he descended, and having reached
the bottom, there sat until the hour of nightfall, when behold!
the two 'Ifrits came and, taking seat by the well-mouth, salam'd
each to other. But they had no force nor contrivance and both
were as weaklings; so said one of them, "What is thy case, O my
brother, and how is thy health?" and said the other, "Ah me, O my
brother, since the hour that that I was with thee in this place
on such a night, I have been cast out of the Sultan's daughter,
and until this tide I have been unable to approach her or indeed
at any other time." Said his comrade, "I also am like thee, for
the Hoard hath forth from me, and I have waxed feeble."[FN#411]
then cried the twain, "By Allah, the origin of our losses is from
this well, so let us block it up with stones." Hereupon the
twain arose and brought with them crumbling earth and
pebbles,[FN#412] and threw it down the well when it fell upon Abu
Niyyatayn, and his bones were crushed upon his flesh.[FN#413] now
his comrade, Abu Niyyah, sat expecting him to return, but he came
not, so he cried, "Wallahi! needs must I go and look for him in
yonder well and see what he is doing." So he took horse and
fared thither and found the pit filled up; so he knew and was
certified that his comrade's intent had been evil, and had cast
him into the hands of death.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming
night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Eightieth Night
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Abu Niyyah
knew and was certified of his comrade Abu Niyyatayn being dead,
so he cried aloud, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might
save in Allah the Glorious, the Great. O Allah mine, do thou
deliver me from envy, for that it destroyeth the envier and haply
jealousy may lead to frowardness against the Lord (glorified be
His Glory!);" and so saying he returned to the seat of his
kingdom. Now the Sultan's daughter his spouse had two sisters,
both married,[FN#414] and she after the delay of a year or so
proved with child, but when her tale of days was told and her
delivery was nearhand her father fell sick and his malady grew
upon him. So he summoned the Lords of his court and his kingdom
one and all, and he said, "In very deed this my son-in-law shall
after my decease become my successor;" and he wrote a writ to
that purport and devised to him the realm and the reign before
his demise; nor was there long delay ere the old King departed to
the ruth of Allah and they buried him. Hereupon trouble arose
between his two other sons-in-law who had married the Princesses
and said they, "We were connected with him ere this man was and
we are before him in our claim to the kingdom." Thereupon said
the Wazir, "This rede is other than right, for that the old King
before his decease devised his country to this one and also write
it in his will and testament: here therefor ye are opposing him,
and the result will be trouble and repentance." And when the
Minister spoke on such wise they kept to their houses. Presently
the wife of Abu Niyyah bare him a babe, her two sisters being
present at her accouchement; and they gave to the midwife an
hundred gold pieces and agreed upon what was to be done. So when
the babe was born they put in his place a pup and taking the
infant away sent it by a slave-girl who exposed it at the gate of
the royal garden. Then they said and spread abroad, "Verily, the
Sultan's wife hath been delivered of a doglet," and when the
tidings came to Abu Niyyah's ears he exclaimed, "Verily this also
is a creation of Allah Almighty's:" so they clothed the pup and
tended it with all care. Anon the wife became pregnant a second
time and when her days were fulfilled she bare a second babe
which was the fairest of its time and the sisters did with it as
they had done with the first and taking the infant they exposed
him at the door of the garden. Then they brought to the mother
another dog-pup in lieu of her babe, saying, "Verily the Queen
hath been delivered a second time of a doglet." Now in this wise
it fared with them: but as regards the two infants which were
cast away at the garden gate the first was taken up by the
Gardener whose wife, by decree of the Decreer, had become a
mother on that very same night; so the man carried away the
infant he found exposed and brought the foundling home and the
woman fell to suckling it. After the third year the Gardener
went forth one day of the days and happening upon the second
infant in similar case he bore it also back to his wife who began
to suckle it and wash it and tend it and nurse it, till the twain
grew up and entered into their third and fourth years. The
Sultan had in the meantime been keeping the two pups which he
deemed to have been brought forth by his wife until the Queen
became in the family-way for the third time. Hereupon the Sultan
said, "By Allah, 'tis not possible but that I be present at and
witness her accouchement;" and the while she was bringing forth
he sat beside her. So she was delivered of a girl-child, in whom
the father rejoiced with great joy and bade bring for her wet-
nurses who suckled her for two years until the milk time was
past.[FN#415] This girl grew up till she reached the age of four
years and she could distinguish between her mother and her father
who, whenever he went to the royal garden would take her with
him. But when she beheld the Gardener's two boys she became
familiar with them and would play with them; and, as each day
ended, her father would carry her away from the children and lead
her home, and this parting was grievous to her and she wept right
sore. Hereat the Sultan would take also the boys with her until
sleep prevailed over her, after which he would send the twain
back to their sire the Gardener. But Abu Niyyah the Sultan would
ever wonder at the boys and would exclaim, "Praise be to Allah,
how beautiful are these dark-skinned children!" This endured
until one day of the days when the King entered into the garden
and there found that the two beautiful boys[FN#416] had taken
some clay and were working it into the figures of horses and
saddles and weapons of war and were opening the ground and making
a water-leat;[FN#417] so the Sultan wondered thereat time after
time for that he ever found them in similar case. And he
marvelled the more because whenever he looked upon them his heart
was opened to both and he yearned to the twain and he would give
them some gold pieces although he knew not the cause of his
affection. Now one day he entered the garden, and he came upon
the two boys of whom one was saying, "I am the Sultan!" and the
other declaring, "I am the Wazir!" He wondered at their words
and forthwith summoned the Gardener and asked him concerning the
lads, and lastly quoth he to him, "Say me sooth and fear naught
from me." Quoth the other, "By Allah, O King of the Age, albe
falsehood be saving, yet is soothfastness more saving and most
saving; and indeed as regards these children the elder was found
by me exposed at the gateway of the royal garden on such a night
of such a year, and I came upon the second in the very same
place; so I carried them to my wife who suckled them and tended
them and they say to her, O mother,' and they say to me, O
father.'" Hereupon Abu Niyyah the King returned home and
summoning the midwife asked her, saying, "By the virtue of my
predecessors in this kingdom, do thou tell me the truth
concerning my spouse, whether or no she was delivered of two dog-
pups," and she answered, "No, by Allah, O King of the Age, verily
the Queen bare thee two babes like full moons and the cause of
their exposure before the garden gate was thy wife's two sisters
who envied her and did with her these deeds whereof she was not
aware."[FN#418] hereupon cried Abu Niyyah, "Alhamdolillah--Glory
be to God who hat brought about this good to me and hath united
me with my children, and soothfast is the say, Whoso doeth an
action shall be requited of his Lord and the envious wight hath
no delight and of his envy he shall win naught save
despight.'"[FN#419] Then the King of Mosul, being a man of good
intent, did not put to death his wife's sisters and their
husbands, but banished them his realm, and he lived happily with
his Queen and children until such time as the Destroyer of
delights and the Severer of societies came to him and he deceased
to the mercy of Almighty Allah.
END OF VOLUME XIV.
Appendix A.
INEPTIÆ BODLEIANÆ.
The reader will not understand this allusion (Foreword, p. ix.)
without some connaissance de cause. I would apologise for
deforming the beautiful serenity and restfulness of The Nights by
personal matter of a tone so jarring and so discordant a sound,
the chatter and squabble of European correspondence and
contention; but the only course assigned to me perforce is that
of perfect publicity. The first part of the following papers
appeared by the editor's kindness in "The Academy" of November
13, 1886. How strange the contrast of "doings" with "sayings," if
we compare the speech reported to have been delivered by Mr.
Librarian Nicholson at the opening of the Birmingham Free Public
Central Lending and Reference Libraries, on June 1, 1882:--
"As for the Bodleian, I claim your sympathies, not merely because
we are trying to do as much for our readers as you are for yours,
but because, if the building which you have opened to-day is the
newest free public library in the world, the building which I
left earlier in the morning is the oldest free public library in
the world. (No!) I call it a free public library because any
Birmingham artizan who came to us with a trustworthy
recommendation might ask to have the rarest gem in our collection
placed before him, and need have no fear of asking in vain; and
because, if a trusty Birmingham worker wanted the loan of a MS.
for three months, it would be lent to the Central Free Library
for his use." See Twentieth and Twenty-first Annual Reports of
the Free Libraries Committee (Borough of Birmingham), 1883.
And now to my story. The play opens with the following letter:--
No. I.
23, DORSET STREET, PORTMAN SQUARE,
Sept. 13, 1886.
"Sir,
"I have the honour to solicit your assistance in the following
matter:--
"Our friend Dr. Steingass has kindly consented to collaborate
with me in re-translating from the Wortley Montague MS. of the
Bodleian Library, Oxford, the tales originally translated in vol.
vi. of Dr. Jonathan Scott's 'Arabian Nights.' Dr. Steingass
cannot leave town, and I should find it very inconvenient to live
at Oxford during the work, both of us having engagements in
London. It would be a boon to us if the Curators of the Bodleian
would allow the MS. to be transferred, volume by volume, to the
India Office, and remain under the custody of the Chief
Librarian--yourself. The whole consists of seven volumes, as we
would begin with vols. iii. and iv. I may note that the
translated tales (as may be seen by Scott's version) contain
nothing indelicate or immoral; in fact the whole MS. is
exceptionally pure. Moreover, the MS., as far as I can learn, is
never used at Oxford. I am the more anxious about this matter as
the November fogs will presently drive me from England, and I
want to end the extracts ere winter sets in, which can be done
only by the co-operation of Dr. Steingass.
I have the honour to be, sir,
Yours obediently,
(Signed) RICHARD F. BURTON."
"DR. R. ROST,
Chief Librarian, India Office."
As nearly a month had elapsed without my receiving any reply, I
directed the following to the Vice-Chancellor of the University,
Rev. Dr. Bellamy:--
No. II.
ATHENAEUM CLUB, PALL MALL,
Oct. 13, 1886.
"Sir,
"I have the honour to submit to you the following details:--
"On September 13, 1886, I wrote to Dr. Rost, Chief Librarian,
India Office, an official letter requesting him to apply to the
Curators of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, for the temporary
transfer of an Arabic Manuscript, No. 522 (the Wortley Montague
text of the Arabian Nights) to the library of the India Office,
there to be kept under special charge of the Chief Librarian.
There being seven volumes, I wanted only one or two at a time. I
undertook not to keep them long, and, further, I pledged myself
not to translate tales that might be deemed offensive to
propriety.
"Thus, I did not apply for a personal loan of the MS. which,
indeed, I should refuse on account of the responsibility which it
would involve. I applied for the safe and temporary transfer of a
work, volume by volume, from one public library to another.
"My official letter was forwarded at once by Dr. Rost, but this
was the only expeditious step. On Saturday, September 25, the
Curators could form no quorum; the same thing took place on
Saturday, October 9; and there is a prospect that the same will
take place on Saturday, October 23.
"I am acquainted with many of the public libraries of Europe, but
I know of none that would throw such obstacles in the way of
students.
"The best authorities inform me that until June, 1886, the
signatures of two Curators enabled a student to borrow a book or
a manuscript; but that since June a meeting of three Curators has
been required; and that a lesser number does not form a quorum.
"May I be permitted to suggest that the statute upon the subject
of borrowing books and manuscripts urgently calls for revision?
I have the honour to be, sir,
Yours obediently,
(Signed) RICHARD F. BURTON.
"THE VICE-CHANCELLOR, OXFORD."
The Curators presently met and the following was the highly
unsatisfactory result which speaks little for "Bodleian" kindness
or courtesy:--
No. III.
Monday, Nov. 1, 1886.
"DEAR SIR RICHARD BURTON,
"The Curators considered your application on Saturday, Oct. 30,
afternoon, and the majority of them were unwilling to lend the
MS[FN#420]
Yours very truly,
(Signed) EDWARD B. NICHOLSON."
Learning through a private source that my case had been made an
unpleasant exception to a long-standing rule of precedent, and
furthermore that it had been rendered peculiarly invidious by an
act of special favour,[FN#421] I again addressed the
Vice-Chancellor, as follows:--
No. IV.
23, DORSET STREET, PORTMAN SQUARE,
November 3rd, 1886.
"Sir,
"I have the honour to remind you that, on October 13, I
communicated with you officially requesting a temporary transfer
of the Wortley Montague manuscript (Arabian Nights) from the
Bodleian Library to the personal care of the Librarian, India
Office.
"To this letter I received no reply. But on November 1, I was
informed by Mr. Librarian Nicholson that the Curators had
considered my application on Saturday, October 30, and that the
majority of them were unwilling to lend the manuscript.
"The same Curators at the same meeting allowed sundry manuscripts
for the use of an Indian subject to be sent to the India Office.
"I cannot but protest against this invidious proceeding, and I
would willingly learn what cause underlies it.
"1. It cannot be the importance of the manuscript, which is one
of the meanest known to me--written in a schoolmaster character,
a most erroneous, uncorrected text, and valuable only for a few
new tales.
"2. It cannot be any consideration of public morals, for I
undertook (if the loan were granted) not to translate tales which
might be considered offensive to strict propriety.
"3. It cannot be its requirement for local use. The manuscript
stands on an upper shelf in the manuscript room, and not one man
in the whole so-called 'University' can read it.
I have the honour to be, sir,
Yours obediently,
RICHARD F. BURTON."
"THE VlCE-CHANCELLOR, OXFORD."
In due time came the reply:--
No. V.
ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, OXFORD,
November 6th, 1886.
"Dear Sir,
"I will remove from your mind the belief that I treated your
former letter with discourtesy.
"I may say, that it did not appear to me to contain any question
or request which I could answer. You informed me that you had
made formal application in September for a loan of MSS., and your
letter was to complain of the delay in considering this request.
You told me that you had learned from the Librarian the cause of
the delay (the want of a quorum), and that he had intimated that
there would probably be no meeting formed before October 30th.
"You complained of this, and suggested that the statute
regulating the lending of the Bodleian books should be speedily
revised.
"As I had no power to make a quorum, nor to engage that your
suggestion should be adopted; and as your letter made no demand
for any further information, I thought it best to reserve it for
the meeting of the 30th, when I communicated it to the Curators.
"I will lay the letter (dated November 3rd), with which you have
favoured me, before the next meeting of the Curators.
I beg to remain,
Yours faithfully,
(Signed) J. BELLAMY."
"SIR R. F. BURTON."
To resume this part of the subject.
The following dates show that I was kept waiting six weeks before
being finally favoured with the curtest of refusals:
Application made on September 13th, and sent on.
On Saturday, September 25th, Curators could not form quorum, and
deferred next meeting till Saturday, October 9th.
Saturday, October 9th. Again no quorum; and yet it might easily
have been formed, as three Curators were on or close to the spot.
Saturday, October 23rd. Six Curators met and did nothing.
Saturday, October 30th. Curators met and refused me the loan of
MS.
My letter addressed to the Vice-Chancellor was read, and notice
was given for Saturday (December 3rd, 1886) of a motion, "That
the MS. required by Sir R. F. Burton be lent to him"--and I was
not to be informed of the matter unless the move were successful.
Of course it failed. One of the Curators (who are the delegates
and servants of Convocation) was mortally offended by my letter
to "The Academy," and showed the normal smallness of the official
mind by opposing me simply because I told the truth concerning
the laches of his "learned body."
Meanwhile I had addressed the following note to the Most
Honourable the Chancellor of the University.[FN#422]
23, DORSET STREET, PORTMAN SQUARE,
November 30th, 1886.
"MY LORD,
"I deeply regret that the peculiar proceedings of the Bodleian
Library, Oxford, necessitate a reference to a higher authority
with the view of eliciting some explanation.
"The correspondence which has passed between the Curators of the
Bodleian Library and myself will be found in the accompanying
printed paper.
"Here it may be noticed that the Committee of the Orientalist
Congress, Vienna, is preparing to memorialise H.M.'s Secretary of
State, praying that Parliament will empower the British Museum to
lend out Oriental MSS. under proper guarantees. The same measure
had been proposed at the Leyden Congress of 1883; and thus an
extension, rather than a contraction of the loan-system has found
favour with European savants.[FN#423]
"I believe, my Lord, that a new statute upon the subject of the
Bodleian loans of books and MSS. is confessedly required, and
that it awaits only the initiative of the Chancellor of the
University, without whose approval it cannot be passed.
I have, &c.,
(Signed) RICHARD F. BURTON."
"THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE CHANCELLOR."
My object being only publicity I was not disappointed by the
following reply:--
HATFIELD HOUSE, HATFIELD, HERTS,
December 1st, 1886.
"DEAR SIR RICHARD,
"I beg to acknowledge your letter of the 30th of November with
enclosure.
"I have, however, no power over the Bodleian Library, and,
therefore, I am unable to assist you.
Yours, very truly,
(Signed) SALISBURY."
"SIR RICHARD F. BURTON, K.C.M.G."
On January 29, 1887, there was another "Bodleian Meeting," all
the Curators save one being present and showing evident symptoms
of business. The last application on the list of loans entered on
the Agenda paper ran thus:--
V MS. Bodl. Vols. 550-556 to the British Museum (the 7 vols.
successively) for the use of Mr. F. F. Arbuthnot's Agent.
[The MS. lately refused to Sir R. Burton. Mr. Arbuthnot wishes to
have it copied.]
It was at once removed by the Regius Professor of Divinity (Dr.
Ince) and carried nem. con. that, until the whole question of
lending Bodleian books and MSS. then before Council, be
definitely settled, no applications be entertained; and thus
Professor Van Helton, Bernard Kolbach and Mr. Arbuthnot were
doomed, like myself, to be disappointed.
On January 31, 1887, a hebdomadal Council was called to
deliberate about a new lending statute for submission to
Convocation; and an amendment was printed in the "Oxford
University Gazette." It proposed that the Curators by a vote of
two-thirds of their body, and at least six forming a quorum,
might lend books or MSS. to students, whether graduates or not;
subject, when the loans were of special value, to the consent of
Convocation. Presently the matter was discussed in "The Times"
(January 25th; April 28th; and May 31st), which simply re-echoed
the contention of Mr. Chandler's vigorous pamphlets.[FN#424]
Despite the letters of its correspondent "F. M. M." (May 6th,
1887), a "host in himself," who ought to have added the authority
of his name to the sensible measures which he propounded, the
leading journal took a sentimental view of "Bodley's incomparable
library" and strongly advocated its being relegated to
comparative inutility.
On May 31, 1887, an amendment practically forbidding all loans
came before the House. In vain Professor Freeman declared that a
book is not an idol but a tool which must wear out sooner or
later. To no purpose Bodley's Librarian proved that of 460,000
printed volumes in the collection only 460 had been lent out, and
of these only one had been lost. THE AMENDMENT FORBIDDING THE
PRACTICE OF LENDING WAS CARRIED BY 106 VOTES TO 60.
Personally I am not dissatisfied with this proceeding. It is
retrograde legislation befitting the days when books were chained
to the desks. It suffers from a fatal symptom--the weakness of
extreme measures. And the inevitable result in the near future
will be a strong reaction: Convocation will presently be
compelled to adopt some palliation for the evil created by its
own folly.
The next move added meanness to inertness. I do not blame Mr. E.
B. Nicholson, Bodley's Librarian, because he probably had orders
to write the following choice specimen:
30/3/1887.
"DEAR SIR RICHARD BURTON,
"I have received two vols. of four (read six) 'Supplemental
Nights' with a subscription form. If a Bodleian MS. is to be
copied for any volume, I must stipulate that that volume be
supplied to us gratis. Either my leave or that of the Curators is
required for the purpose of copying for publication, and I have
no doubt that they would make the same stipulation. I feel sure
you would in any case not propose to charge us for such a volume,
but until I hear from you I am in a difficulty as to how to reply
to the subscription form I have received.
Yours faithfully,
(Signed) E. B. NICHOLSON,
Librarian."
The able and energetic papers, two printed and one published by
Mr. H. W. Chandler, of Pembroke College, Oxford, clearly prove
the following facts:--
1. That on June 20, 1610, a Bodleian Statute peremptorily forbade
any books or manuscripts being taken out of the Library.
2. That, despite the peremptory and categorical forbiddance by
Bodley, Selden, and others, of lending Bodleian books and MSS.,
loans of both have for upwards of two centuries formed a
precedent.
3. That Bodley's Statute (June 20th, An. 1610) was formally and
officially abrogated by Convocation on May 22nd, 1856;
Convocation retaining the right to lend.
4. That a "privileged list" of (113) borrowers presently arose
and is spoken of as a normal practice:--sicut mos fuit, says the
Statute (Tit. xx. iii. § 11) of 1873; and, lastly,
5. That loans of MSS. and printed books have for years been
authorised to approved public libraries.
After these premises I proceed to notice other points bearing
upon the subject which, curious to say, are utterly neglected or
rather ignored by Mr. Chandler and "The Times." Sir Thomas Bodley
never would have condemned students to study in the Bodleian had
he known the peines fortes et dures to which in these days they
are thereby doomed. "So picturesque and so peculiar is its
construction," says a writer, "that it ensures the maximum of
inefficiency and discomfort." The whole building is a model of
what a library ought not to be. It is at once over solid and
ricketty: room for the storage of books is wanted, and its wooden
staircases, like touchwood or tinder, give one the shudders to
think of fire. True, matches and naked lights are forbidden in
the building; but all know how these prohibitions are regarded by
the public, and it is dreadful to think of what might result from
a lucifer dropped at dark upon the time-rotten planks. The
reading public in the XIXth century must content itself with
boxes or stalls, like those of an old-fashioned tavern or
coffee-house of the humbler sort wherein two readers can hardly
find room for sitting back to back. The atmosphere is unpleasant
and these mean little cribs, often unduly crowded, are so dark
that after the 1st October the reading-room must be closed at 3
p.m. What a contrast are the treasures in the Bodleian with their
mean and miserable surroundings and the way in which the public
is allowed to enjoy them. The whole establishment calls urgently
for reform. Accommodation for the books is wanted; floor and
walls will hardly bear the weight which grows every year at an
alarming ratio--witness the Novel-room. The model Bodleian would
be a building detached and isolated, the better to guard its
priceless contents, and containing at least double the area of
the present old and obsolete Bibliotheca. An establishment of the
kind was proposed in 1857; but unfortunately, the united wisdom
of the University preferred new "Examination Schools" for which
the old half-ruinous pile would have been sufficiently well
fitted. The "Schools," however, were for the benefit of the
examiners; ergo the scandalous sum of £100,000 (some double the
amount) was wasted upon the well-nigh useless Gothic humbug in
High Street, and thus no money was left for the prime want of the
city. After some experience of public libraries and reading-rooms
on the Continent of Europe I feel justified in asserting that the
Bodleian in its present condition is a disgrace to Oxford; indeed
a dishonour to letters in England.
The Bodleian has a succursale, the Radcliffe, which represents
simply a step from bad to worse. The building was intended for an
especial purpose, the storage of books, not for a salle de
lecture. Hence the so-called "Camera" is a most odious
institution, a Purgatory to readers. It is damp in the wet season
from October to May; stuffy during the summer heats and a cave of
Eolus in windy weather: few students except the youngest and
strongest, can support its changeable and nerve-depressing
atmosphere. Consequently the Camera is frequented mainly by the
townsfolk, a motley crew who there study their novels and
almanacs and shamefully misuse the books.[FN#425] In this
building lights, forbidden by the Bodleian, are allowed; it opens
at 10 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m.. and the sooner it reverts to
its original office of a book-depôt the better.
But the Bodleian-Radcliffe concern is typical of the town and, if
that call for reform, so emphatically does
"Oxford, that scarce deserves the name of land."
From my childhood I had heard endless tirades and much of what is
now called "blowing" about this ancient city, and my youth
(1840-42) suffered not a little disappointment. The old place,
still mostly resembling an overgrown monastery-village, lies in
the valley of the Upper Thames, a meadowland drained by two
ditches; the bigger or Ise, classically called the Isis, and the
lesser the Charwell. This bottom is surrounded by high and
healthy uplands, not as the guide-books say "low scarce-swelling
hills that softly gird the old town;" and these keep off the
winds and make the riverine valley, with its swamped meads and
water-meadows, more fenny and feverish even than Cambridge. The
heights and woods bring on a mild deluge between October 1st and
May 1st; the climate is rainy as that of Shap in Westmoreland
(our old home) and, as at Fernando Po and Singapore, the rain it
raineth more or less every day during one half of the year. The
place was chosen by the ancient Britons for facility of water
transport, but men no longer travel by the Thames and they have
naturally neglected the older road. Throughout England, indeed a
great national work remains to be done. Not a river, not a
rivulet, but what requires cleaning out and systematic excavation
by élevateurs and other appliances of the Suez Canal. The
channels filled up by alluvium and choked by the American weed,
are now raised so high that the beds can no longer act as drains:
at Oxford for instance the beautiful meadows of Christ Church are
little better than swamps and marshes, the fittest homes for
Tergiana, Ouartana and all the fell sisterhood: a blue fog broods
over the pleasant site almost every evening, and a thrust with
the umbrella opens up water. This is the more inexcusable as the
remedy would be easy and by no means costly: the river-mud, if
the ignorant peasants only knew the fact, forms the best of
manures; and this, instead of being deposited in spoil-heaps on
the banks for the rain to wash back at the first opportunity,
should be carried by tram-rails temporarily laid down and be
spread over the distant fields, thus almost paying for the dredge
works. Of course difficulties will arise: the management of the
Thames is under various local "Boards," and each wooden head is
able and aye ready to show its independence and ill temper at the
sacrifice of public interests to private fads.
Hence the climate of Oxford is detestable. Strong undergraduates
cannot withstand its nervous depression and the sleeplessness
arising from damp air charged with marsh gases and bacteria. All
students take time to become acclimatized here, and some are
never acclimatized at all. And no wonder, when the place is
drained by a fetid sewer of greenish yellow hue containing per
10,000, 245 parts of sewage. The only tolerable portion of the
year is the Long Vacation, when the youths in mortar-boards all
vanish from the view, while many of the oldsters congregate in
the reformed convents called Colleges.
Climate and the resolute neglect of sanitation are probably the
chief causes why Oxford never yet produced a world-famous and
epoch-making man, while Cambridge can boast of Newton and Darwin.
The harlequin city of domes and spires, cribs and slums shows
that curious concurrence of opposites so common in England. The
boasted High Street is emblematical of the place, where moral as
well as material extremes meet and are fain to dwell side by
side. It is a fine thoroughfare branching off into mere lanes,
neither these nor that apparently ever cleaned. The huge
buildings of scaling, mouldering stone are venerable-looking
piles which contrast sadly with the gabled cottages of crepi,
hurlin, or wattle and dab; and the brand-new store with its
plate-glass windows hustles the old-fashioned lollipop-shop. As
regards minor matters there are new market passages but no Public
Baths; and on Sundays, the stands are destitute of cabs, although
with that queer concession to democracy which essentially belongs
to the meaner spirited sort of Conservatism, "'busses" are
allowed to ply after 2 p.m., when the thunder of bells somewhat
abates.
Old "Alma Mater," who to me has ever been a "durissima noverca,"
dubs herself "University;" and not a few of her hopefuls entre
faiblesse et folie, still entitle themselves "University men."
The title once belonged to Oxford but now appertains to it no
more. Compare with it the model universities of Berlin, Paris and
Vienna, where the lists of lecturers bear the weightiest names in
the land. Oxford is but a congeries of twenty-one colleges and
five halls or hostels, each educating its pupils (more or less)
with an especial eye to tutors' fees and other benefices, the
vested rights of the "Dons." Thus all do their best to prevent
the scholars availing themselves of University, as opposed to
Collegiate, lectures; and thus they can stultify a list of some
sixty-six professors. This boarding-school system is simply a
dishonest obstacle to students learning anything which may be of
use to them in after-life, such as modern and Oriental languages,
chemistry, anthropology and the other -ologies. Here in fact men
rarely progress beyond the Trivium and the Quadrivium of the Dark
Ages, and tuition is a fine study of the Res scibilis as
understood by the Admirable Crichton and other worthies, circa
A.D. 1500. The students of Queen Elizabeth's day would here--and
here only--find themselves in congenial company. Worse still,
Oxford is no longer a "Seat of learning" or a "House of the
Muses," nor can learned men be produced under the present system.
The place has become a collection of finishing schools, in fact
little better than a huge board for the examination of big boys
and girls.
Oxford and her education are thoroughly disappointing; but the
sorest point therein is that this sham University satisfies the
hapless Public, which knows nothing about its fainéance. It is a
mere stumbling-block in the way of Progress especially barring
the road to one of the main wants of English Education, a great
London University which should not be ashamed to stand by Berlin,
Paris and Vienna.
Had the good knight and "Pious Founder," Sir Thomas Bodley, who
established his library upon the ruins of the University
Bibliotheca wrecked by the "Reformation," been able to foresee
the condition of Oxford and her libraries--Bodleian and
Radcliffean--in this latter section of the XIXth century, he
would hardly, I should hope, have condemned English students and
Continental scholars to compulsory residence and labour in places
so akin to the purgatorial.
Appendix B.
THE THREE UNTRANSLATED TALES IN MR. E. J. W. GIBB'S "FORTY
VEZIRS."
THE THIRTY-EIGHTH VEZIR'S STORY.
(Page 353 of Mr. Gibb's translation.)
There was in the city of Cairo a merchant, and one day he bought
a slave-girl, and took her to his house. There was in his house
an ape; this the merchant fetched and dragged up to the
slave-girl. He said, "Yield thyself over to this, and I will set
thee free." The slave-girl did so of necessity, and she conceived
by him. When her time was come she bare a son all of whose
members were shaped like those of a man, save that he had a tail
like an ape. The merchant and the slave-girl occupied themselves
bringing up this son. One day, when the son was five or six
months old, the merchant filled a large cauldron with milk, and
lighted a great fire under it. When it was boiling, he seized the
son and cast him into the cauldron; and the girl began to lament.
The merchant said, "Be silent, make no lamentation; go and be
free;" and he gave her some sequins. Then he turned, and the
cauldron had boiled so that not even any bones were left. The
merchant took down the cauldron, and placed seven strainers, one
above the other; and he took the scum that had gathered on the
liquid in the cauldron and filtered it through the seven
strainers, and he took that which was in the last and put it into
a bottle. And the slave-girl bare in her heart bitter hatred
against the merchant, and she said in herself, "Even as thou hast
burned my liver will I burn thee;" and she began to watch her
opportunity. (One day) the merchant said to her, "Make ready some
food," and went out. So the girl cooked the food, and she mixed
some of that poison in the dish. When the merchant returned she
brought the tray and laid it down, and then withdrew into a
corner. The merchant took a spoonful of that food, and as soon as
he put it into his mouth, he knew it to be the poison, and he
cast the spoon that was in his hand at the girl. A piece, of the
bigness of a pea, of that poisoned food fell from the spoon on
the girl's hand, and it made the place where it fell black. As
for the merchant, he turned all black, and swelled till he became
like a blown-out skin, and he died. But the slave-girl medicined
herself and became well; and she kept what remained of the poison
and sold it to those who asked for it.
THE FORTIETH VEZIR'S STORY.
(Page 366 in Mr. Gibb's translation.)
There was of old time a tailor, and he had a fair wife. One day
this woman sent her slave-girl to the carder's to get some cotton
teased. The slave-girl went to the carder's shop and gave him
cotton for a gown to get teased. The carder while teasing the
cotton displayed his yard to the slave-girl. She blushed and
passed to his other side. As she thus turned round the carder
displayed his yard on that side also. Thus the slave-girl saw it
on that side too. And she went and said to her mistress, "Yon
carder, to whom I went, has two yards." The lady said to her, "Go
and say to yon carder, 'My mistress wishes thee; come at night.'"
So the slave-girl went and said this to the carder. As soon as it
was night the carder went to that place and waited. The woman
went out and met the carder and said, "Come and have to do with
me while I am lying by my husband." When it was midnight the
carder came and waked the woman. The woman lay conveniently and
the carder fell to work. She felt that the yard which entered her
was but one, and said, "Ah my soul, carder, at it with both of
them." While she was softly speaking her husband awaked and
asked, "What means thy saying, 'At it with both of them?'" He
stretched out his hand to his wife's kaze and the carder's yard
came into it. The carder drew himself back and his yard slipped
out of the fellow's hand, and he made shift to get away. The
fellow said, "Out on thee, wife, what meant that saying of thine,
'At it with both of them?'" The woman said, "O husband, I saw in
my dream that thou wast fallen into the sea and wast swimming
with one hand and crying out, 'Help! I am drowning!' I shouted to
thee from the shore, 'At it with both of them,' and thou
begannest to swim with both thy hands." Then the husband said,
"Wife, I too know that I was in the sea, from this that a wet
fish came into my hand and then slipped out and escaped; thou
speakest truly." And he loved his wife more than before.
THE LADY'S THIRTY-FOURTH STORY.
(From the India Office MS.)
(Page 399 in Mr. Gibb's translation.)
They tell that there was a Khoja and he had an exceeding fair
son, who was so beautiful that he who looked upon him was
confounded. This Khoja watched over his son right carefully; he
let him not come forth from a certain private chamber, and he
left not the ribbon of his trousers unsealed. When the call to
prayer was chanted from the minaret, the boy would ask his father
saying, "Why do they cry out thus?" and the Khoja would answer,
"Someone has been undone and has died, and they are calling out
to bury him." And the boy believed these words. The beauty of
this boy was spoken of in Persia; and a Khoja came from Persia to
Baghdad with his goods and chattels for the love of this boy. And
he struck up a friendship with the boy's father, and ever gave to
him his merchandise at an easy price, and he sought to find out
where his son abode. When the Khoja had discovered that the boy
was kept safe in that private chamber, he one day said to his
father, "I am about to go to a certain place; and I have a chest
whereinto I have put whatsoever I possess of valuables; this I
shall send to thee, and do thou take it and shut it up in that
chamber where thy son is." And the father answered, "Right
gladly." So the Khoja let build a chest so large that he himself
might lie in it, and he put therein wine and all things needful
for a carouse. Then he said to his servant, "Go, fetch a porter
and take this chest to the house of Khoja Such-an-one, and say,
'My master has sent this to remain in your charge,' and leave it
and come away. And again on the morrow go and fetch it, saying,
'My master wishes the chest.'" So the servant went for a porter,
and the Khoja hid himself in the chest. Then the boy laded the
porter with the chest and took it to the other Khoja's house,
where he left it and went away. When it was night the Khoja came
forth from the chest, and he saw a moon-face sleeping in the
bed-clothes, and a candle was burning in a candlestick at his
head; and when the Khoja beheld this he was confounded and
exclaimed, "And blessed be God, the fairest of Creators!"[FN#426]
Then the Khoja laid out the wine and so forth; and he went up
softly and waked the boy. And the boy arose from his place and
addressed himself to speak, saying, "Wherefore hast thou come
here?" Straight-way the Khoja filled a cup and gave it to him,
saying, "Drink this, and then I shall tell thee what manner of
man I am." And he besought the boy and spread out sequins before
him. So the boy took the cup and drank what was in it. When the
Khoja had given him to drink three or four cups the face of the
boy grew tulip-hued, and he became heated with the wine and began
to sport with the Khoja. So all that night till morning did the
Khoja make merry with the boy; and whatsoever his desire was, he
attained thereto. When it was morning, the Khoja again went into
the chest; and the servant came and laded the porter with the
same and took it back to his house. And on the morrow, when the
boy and his father were sitting together, the mu'ezzin chanted
the call to prayer, whereupon the boy exclaimed, "Out on thee,
father; and the boy who is undone dies, and so this fellow goes
up there and bawls out; last night they undid me; how is it that
I am not dead?" Then the father smote the boy on the mouth and
said, "Speak not such words; they are a shame." And then he knew
why the chest had come.
Arabian Nights, Volume 14
Footnotes
[FN#1] From the Wortley Montague MS. vol. iii. pp. 80-96. J.
Scott: vol. vi. pp. 1-7. Histoire du Sulthan d'Yemen et de ses
trots fils; Gauttier vol. vi. pp. 158-165.
[FN#2] The worst disease in human life, now recognised as "Annus
Domini."
[FN#3] Arab. "Mál wa Ghawál": in Badawi parlance "Mál"
would=flocks and herds (pecunia, pecus); and amongst the
burghers=ready money, coin. Another favourite jingle of similar
import is "Mál wa Nawál."
There is an older form of the Sultan of Al Yaman and his three
sons, to be found in M. Zotenberg's "Chronique de Tabari," vol.
ii. pp. 357-61.
[FN#4] In the W. M. MS. the sisters are called "Shahrzádeh"
(=City born) and "Dinárzádeh" (=ducat born) and the royal
brothers Shahrbáz (=City player or City falcon) and Kahramán
(vol. i. p. 1) alias Samarbán (ibid.). I shall retain the old
spelling.
[FN#5] I have hitherto translated "wa adraka (masc.) Shahrázáda
al-Sabáh," as=And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day; but it is
more correct as well as more picturesque to render the phrase
"was surprised (or overtaken) by the dawn."
[FN#6] Arab. "'Adrán,"=much and heavy rain.
[FN#7] For "Halwá" see vol. ii. pp. 47-212. Scott (vol. vi. 413)
explains "Hámiz" as "a species of small grain," probably
confounding it with Hummus (or Himmis)=vetches. It is the pop.
term for pickles, "sour meat" as opposed to "sweetmeats." The
Arabs divide the camel's pasture into "Khullah" which means sweet
food called bread and into "Hámiz" termed fruit: the latter is
composed mainly of salsolaceae, and as camels feed upon it during
the hot season it makes them drink. Hence in Al Hariri (Preface)
"I change the pasture," i.e., I pass from grave to gay, from
light to dignified style. (Chenery, p. 274).
[FN#8] This is the modern version of the tale which the author
of "Zadig" has made familiar to Europe. The hero is brought
before the King and Queen of Babylon for stealing a horse and a
dog; and, when held by the chief "Destour" (priest) to be a
thief, justifies himself. I have given in full the older history
from Tabari, the historian (vixit A.D. 839-923). For the tracker
("Paggí") and the art of tracking see Sind Revisited, i. 180-183.
I must again express my wonder that the rural police of Europe
still disdain the services of trained dogs when these are about
to be introduced into the army.
[FN#9] Arab. "Bitá'i"=my own. I have already noticed that this
is the Egypt. form and the Nilotes often turn the 'Ayn into an H,
e.g. Bitáht for Bitá'at, e.g. Ash Shabakah bitáht as-Sayd, thy
net for fishing. (Spitta Bey, Contes Arabes Modernes, p. 43.)
[FN#10] Arab. "Mukabbab;" prop. vaulted, arched, domed in Kubbah
(or cupola)-shape.
[FN#11] Arab. "Firásah." "Sciences are of three kinds: one the
science of Faith, another the science of Physiognomy (Firásah),
and another the science of the Body; but unless there be the
science of Physiognomy, other science availeth not." So says "The
Forty Vizirs:" Lady's vith story and Vizir's xxxist story. For a
note on "Firásah" see vol. viii. 326.
[FN#12] Arab. "In lam tazidd Kayni"=lit. unless thou oppose my
forming or composition.
[FN#13] Arab. "Faráfish," a word which I cannot find in the
dictionary, and so translate according to the context. Dr.
Steingass remarks that the nearest approach to it would be
"Faráfík" (plur. of Furfák)=fine, thin or soft bread.
[FN#14] See, in the "Turkish Tales" by Petis de la Croix (Weber,
Tales of the East, vol. iii. 196), the History of the Sophi of
Baghdad, where everything returns to (or resembles) its origin.
Thus the Wazir who proposed to cut up a criminal and hang him in
the shambles was the self-convicted son of a butcher; he who
advised boiling him down and giving his flesh to the dogs was the
issue of a cook, and the third who proposed to pardon him was
nobly born. See Night cccxli.
[FN#15] Arab. "Al-Mafyaat," lit.=a shady place; a locality
whereupon the sun does not rise.
[FN#16] Arab. "Ja'idiyah," a favourite word in this MS.
"Ja'ad"=a curl, a liberal man: Ja'ad al-yad=miserly, and Abú
ja'dah=father of curls,=a wolf. Scott (passim) translates the
word "Sharper;" Gore Ouseley "Labourer;" and De Sacy
(Chrestomathie ii. 369, who derives it from Ju'd=avoir les
cheveux crépus): in Egypt, homme de la populace, canaille. He
finds it in the Fabrica Linguæ Arab. of Germanus of Silesia (p.
786)=ignavis, hebes, stupidus, esp. a coward. Ibrahim Salamah of
Alexandria makes the term signify in Syria, impudent, thieving,
wicked. Spitta Bey translates this word musicien ambulant in his
Gloss. to Contes Arabes, p. 171. According to Dr. Steingass, who,
with the Muhít al-Muhít, reads "Ju'aydíyah," Ju'ayd is said to be
the P. N. of an Egyptian clown, who, with bell-hung cap and
tambourine in hand, wandered about the streets singing laudatory
doggrel and pestering the folk for money. Many vagabonds who
adopted this calling were named after him and the word was
generalised in that sense.
[FN#17] MS. vol. iii. pp. 96-121. Scott, "Story of the Three
Sharpers and the Sultan," pp. 7-17; Gauttier, Histoire des trois
filous et d'un Sulthan, vi. 165-176.
[FN#18] Arab. Yasrahú=roaming, especially at early dawn; hence
the wolf is called "Sirhán," and Yaklishu (if I read it aright)
is from Kulsh, and equivalent to "kicking" (their heels).
[FN#19] Nusf=half a dirham, drachma or franc, see ii. 37; vi.
214, etc.
[FN#20] Bast, a preparation of Bhang (Cannabis Sativa), known in
Egypt but not elsewhere: see Lane, M. E., chapt. xv. Here it is
made synonymous with "Hashísh"=Bhang in general.
[FN#21] Ghaushah, a Persianism for which "Ghaughá" is a more
common form. "Ghaush" is a tree of hard wood whereof musical
instruments were made; hence the mod. words "Ghásha" and
"Ghawwasha"=he produced a sound, and "Ghaushah"=tumult, quarrel.
According to Dr. Steingass, the synon. in the native dicts. are
"Khisám," "Lag-hat," "Jalabah," etc.
[FN#22] Said ironicè, the jeweller being held to be one of the
dishonest classes, like the washerman, the water-carrier, the
gardener, etc. In England we may find his representative in the
"silversmith," who will ask a pound sterling for a bit of metal
which cost him perhaps five shillings or even less, and who hates
to be bought by weight. The Arab. has "Jauhar-ji," a Turkish form
for Jauhari; and here "jauhar" apparently means a pearl, the
stone once peculiar to royalty in Persia, but the kind of gem is
left undetermined.
[FN#23] Arab. "Sáza, yasízu," not a dictionary word. Perhaps it
is a clerical error for "S sa," he groomed or broke in a horse,
hence understood all about horses.
[FN#24] In the orig. "Shorbah," Pers.=a mess of pottage: I have
altered it for reasons which will presently appear.
[FN#25] Arab. "Ghabasah," from Ghabas=obscure, dust-coloured.
[FN#26] Arab. "Súsah"=a weevil, a moth, a worm. It does not mean
simply a flaw, but a live animal (like our toads in the rock);
and in the popular version of the tale the lapidary discovers its
presence by the stone warming in his hand.
[FN#27] Arab. "Mashá'íli" the cresset-bearer who acted hangman:
see vol. i. 259, etc.
[FN#28] Arab. "Ta'kíl," tying up a camel's foreleg above the
knee; the primary meaning of Akl, which has so many secondary
significations.
[FN#29] Arab. "Suwán," lit.=rock, syenite, hard stone, flint;
here a marteau de guerre.
[FN#30] Arab. "Hálik"=intensely black, so as to look blue under a
certain angle of light.
[FN#31] Arab. "Rikáb" (=stirrup) + "dár" Pers. (=holder).
[FN#32] I have ransacked dictionaries and vocabularies but the
word is a mere blank.
[FN#33] Arab. "Jámúsah." These mules are believed in by the
Arabs. Shaw and other travellers mention the Mauritanian
"Jumart," the breed between a bull and a mare (or jennyass) or an
ass and a cow. Buffon disbelieved in the mongrel, holding it to
be a mere bardeau, got by a stallion horse out of an ass.
Voltaire writes "Jumarre" after German fashion and Littré derives
it from jument + art (finale péjorative), or the Languedoc
"Gimere" which according to Diez suggests "Chimæra." Even in
London not many years ago a mule was exhibited as the issue of a
horse and a stag. No Indian ever allows his colt to drink
buffalo's milk, the idea being that a horse so fed will lie down
in instead of fording or swimming a stream.
[FN#34] See Sindbad the Seaman, vol. vi. 9.
[FN#35] Arab. "Mubattat" from batt=a duck: in Persia the
Batt-i-May is a wine-glass shaped like the duck. Scott (vi. 12)
translates "thick and longish."
[FN#36] Arab. "his Harím"; see vol. i. 165; iv. 126. VOL. XIV.
[FN#37] Again "he" for she. See vol. ii. 179.
[FN#38] Arab. "Gháziyah": for the plur. "Ghawázi" see vol. i.
214; also Lane (M.E.) index under "Ghazeeyehs."
[FN#39] The figure prothesis without apodosis. Understand "will
slay thee": see vol. vi. 203.
[FN#40] Because the girl had not been a professional dancer, i.e
a public prostitute.
[FN#41] Arab. "Amán"=quarter, mercy: see vol. i. 342.
[FN#42] For the "Mandíl" of mercy see vol. i. 343; for that of
dismissal x. 47 and Ibn Khall. iv. 211. In Spitta Bey's "Contes
Arabes" (p. 223), I find throwing the kerchief (tarammá al
mahramah) used in the old form of choosing a mate. In the Tale of
the Sultan of AlYaman and his three Sons (Supplem. Nights, vol.
iv.) the Princesses drop their kerchiefs upon the head of the
Prince who had saved them, by way of pointing him out.
[FN#43] Arab. "Sattár:" see vols. i. 258 and iii. 41.
[FN#44] In the text "Arghá" for "Arkhá"=he "brayed" (like an
ostrich, etc.) for "his limbs relaxed." It reminds one of the
German missionary's fond address to his flock, "My prethren, let
us bray!"
[FN#45] Arab. "Azbad," from Zbd (Zabd)=foaming, frothing, etc.,
whence "Zubaydah," etc.
[FN#46] Arab. "Zabh" (Zbh)=the ceremonial killing of animals for
food: see vols. v. 391; viii. 44. I may note, as a proof of how
modern is the civilisation of Europe that the domestic fowl was
unknown to Europe till about the time of Pericles (ob. B.C. 429).
[FN#47] See in "The Forty Vizirs" (Lady's ivth Tale) how Khizr
tells the King the origin of his Ministers from the several
punishments which they propose for the poor man. I have noticed
this before in Night cccxxxiii. Boethius, translated by Chaucer,
explains the underlying idea, "All thynges seken ayen to hir
propre course and all thynges rejoysen in hir returninge agayne
to hir nature."
[FN#48] For the Taylasán hood see vol. iv. 286.
[FN#49] The "Kalansuwah"-cap is noted by Lane (A. N. chapt. iii.
22) as "Kalensuweh." In M. E. (Supplement i. "The Copts") he
alters the word to Kalás'weh and describes it as a strip of
woollen stuff, of a deep blue or black colour, about four inches
wide, attached beneath the turban and hanging down the back to
the length of about a foot. It is the distinguishing mark of the
Coptic regular clergy.
[FN#50] W. M. MS. vol. iii. pp. 121-141. Scott, "The Adventures
of the abdicated Sultan," pp. 18-19; including the "History of
Mahummud, Sultan of Cairo," pp. 20-30.
[FN#51] "Káhirah." I repeat my belief (Pilgrimage i. 171) that
"Káhirah," whence our "Cairo" through the Italian corruption,
means not la victorieuse (Mediant al-Káhirah) as D'Herbelot has
it; but City of Kahir or Mars the planet. It was so called
because as Richardson informed the world (sub voce) it was
founded in A.H. 358 (=A.D. 968) when the warlike planet was in
the ascendant by the famous General Jauhar a Dalmatian renegade
(not a "Greek slave") for the first of the Fatimite dynasty
Al-Mu'izz li 'l-dini 'lláh.
[FN#52] According to Caussin de Perceval (père) in his
translation of the "Contes Arabes," there are four wonders in the
Moslem world: (1) the Pharos of Alexandria; (2) the Bridge of
Sanjia in Northern Syria; (3) The Church of Rohab (Edessa); and
(4) the Amawi Mosque of Damascus.
[FN#53] Arab. "Faddah," lit.=silver, because made of copper
alloyed with nobler metal; the smallest Egyptian coin=Nuss (i.e.
Nusf, or half a dirham) and the Turk. paráh. It is the fortieth
of the piastre and may be assumed at the value of a
quarter-farthing.
[FN#54] This word, in Egypt. "Harág," is the cry with which the
Dallál (broker) announces each sum bidden at an auction.
[FN#55] The Portuguese Xerafim: Supplemental Nights, vol. iii.
166.
[FN#56] A Khan or caravanserai: see vol. i. 266 and Pilgrimage i.
60.
[FN#57] Arab. "Hilm" (vision) "au 'Ilm" (knowledge) a phrase
peculiar to this MS.
[FN#58] The careless scribe forgets that the Sultan is speaking
and here drops into the third person. This "Enallage of persons"
is, however, Koranic and therefore classical: Arab critics aver
that in such cases the "Hikáyah" (=literal reproduction of a
discourse, etc.) passes into an "Ikhbár"=mere account of the same
discourse). See Al Mas'údi iii. 216. I dare not reproduce this
figure in English.
[FN#50] Arab. "Auzah," the Pers. Oták and the Turk. Otah (vulg.
"Oda" whence "Odalisque"), a popular word in Egypt and Syria.
[FN#60] Arab. "Al Afandiyah" showing the late date or reduction
of the tale. The Turkish word derives from the Romaic Afentis
({Greek}) the corrupted O.G.{Greek}=an absolute commander, and
"authentie." The word should not be written as usual "Effendi,"
but "Efendi," as Prof. Galland has been careful to do.
[FN#61] Arab. "Al-dakhlah"; repeatedly referred to in The Nights.
The adventure is a replica of that in "Abu Mohammed highs
Lazybones," vol. iv., pp. 171-174.
[FN#62] Usual in the East, not in England, where some mothers are
idiots enough not to tell their daughters what to expect on the
wedding night. Hence too often unpleasant surprises, disgust and
dislike. The most modern form is that of the chloroform'd bride
upon whose pillow the bridegroom found a paper pinned and
containing the words, "Mamma says you're to do what you like."
[FN#63] Arab. "Akhaztu dam wajhhi há."
[FN#64] Arab. "Dilk" more commonly "Khirkah," the tattered and
pieced robe of a religious mendicant.
[FN#65] Arab. "Darbálah." Scott (p. 24) must have read
"Gharbálah" when he translated "A turban full of holes as a
sieve." In classical Arabic the word is written "Darbalah," and
seems to correspond with the Egyptian "Darábukkah," a tabor of
wood or earthenware figured by Lane (M.E. chapt. xviii.). It is,
like the bowl, part of the regular Darwaysh's begging gear.
[FN#66] Vulg. Maghribi. For this word see the story of Alaeddin,
Supplem., vol. iii. 31. According to Heron, "History of
Maugraby," the people of Provence, Languedoc and Gascony use
Maugraby as a term of cursing: Maugrebleu being used in other
parts of France.
[FN#67] In text "Fanárát"; the Arab. plur. of the Pers. "Fanár"=a
light-house, and here equiv. to the Mod. Gr. {Greek}, a lantern,
the Egypt. "Fánús."
[FN#68] This Sultan of the Jann preceded by sweepers,
flag-bearers and tent-pitchers always appears in the form of
second-sight called by Egyptians "Darb al Mandal"=striking the
magic circle in which the enchanter sits when he conjures up
spirits. Lane (M. E. chapt. xii.) first made the "Cairo Magician"
famous in Europe, but Herklots and others had described a cognate
practice in India many years before him.
[FN#69] Arab, "Jáwúsh" for Cháwush (vulg. Chiaush) Turk.=an army
serjeant, a herald or serjeant at arms; an apparitor or officer
of the Court of Chancery (not a "Mace-bearer or Messenger,"
Scott). See vol. vii. 327.
[FN#70] Arab. from Persian "Bímáristán," a "sick-house,"
hospital, a mad-house: see vol. i. 288.
[FN#71] The text says only that "he was reading:" sub. the Holy
Volume.
[FN#72] MS. vol. iii., pp. 142-168. Scott, "Story of the First
Lunatic," pp. 31 44. Gauttier, Histoire du Premier Fou, vol. vi.
187. It is identical with No. ii. of Chavis and Cazotte,
translated by C. de Perceval, Le Bimaristan (i.e. the Hospital),
ou Histoire du jeune Marchand de Bagdad et de la Dame inconnue
(vol. viii. pp. 179-180). Heron terms it the "Story of Halechalbe
(Ali Chelebi?) and the Unknown Lady," and the narrative is
provided with a host of insipid and incorrect details, such as "A
gentleman enjoying his pipe." The motif of this tale is common in
Arab. folk lore, and it first appears in the "Tale of Azíz and
Azízah," ii. 328. A third variant will occur further on.
[FN#73] Spelt in vol. iii. 143 and elsewhere, "Khwájá" for
"Khwájah."
[FN#74] Arab. "Hubban li-raasik,"=out of love for thy head, i.e.
from affection for thee. Dr. Steingass finds it analogous with
the Koranic "Hubban li 'llahi" (ii. 160), where it is joined with
"Ashaddu"=stronger, as regards love to or for Allah, more Allah
loving. But it can stand adverbially by itself=out of love for
Allah, for Allah's sake.
[FN#75] Arab. "Zahr," lit. and generically a blossom; but often
used in a specific sense throughout The Nights.
[FN#76] Arab. "Kursi" here=a square wooden seat without back and
used for sitting cross-legged. See Suppl. vol. i. 9.
[FN#77] Arab. "Sujjádah"=lit. a praying carpet, which Lane calls
"Seggádeh."
[FN#78] Arab. "Wakíl," lit.=agent: here the woman's
representative, corresponding roughly with the man who gives away
the bride amongst ourselves.
[FN#79] The mention of coffee and sherbet, here and in the next
page, makes the tale synchronous with that of Ma'arúf or the
xviith. century.
[FN#80] The MS. writes "Zardakát" for "Zardakhán": see below.
[FN#81] Scott (p. 36) has "mahazzim (for maházim), al Zerdukkaut
(for al-Zardakhán)" and "munnaskif (for manáshif) al fillfillee."
Of the former he notes (p. 414) "What this composition is I
cannot define: it may be translated compound of saffron, yoke of
egg or of yellowish drugs." He evidently confounds it with the
Pers. Zard-i-Kháyah=yoke of egg. Of the second he says "compound
of peppers, red, white and black." Lane (The Nights, vol. i. p.
8) is somewhat scandalised at such misrepresentation, translating
the first "apron-napkins of thick silk," and the second "drying
towels of Líf or palm-fibre," further suggesting that the text
may have dropped a conjunction=drying towels and fibre.
[FN#82] Arab. "Líwàn al-barrání," lit.=the outer bench in the
"Maslahk" or apodyterium.
[FN#83] Arab. "Ma'jún," pop. applied to an electuary of Bhang
(Cannabis sativa): it is the "Maagoon" sold by the "Maagungee" of
Lane (M.E. chapt. xv.). Here, however, the term may be used in
the sense of "confections" generally, the sweetmeats eaten by way
of restoratives in the Bath.
[FN#84] He speaks of taking her maidenhead as if it were porter's
work and so defloration was regarded by many ancient peoples. The
old Nilotes incised the hymen before congress; the Phnicians,
according to Saint Athanasius, made a slave of the husband's
abate it. The American Chibchas and Caribs looked upon virginity
as a reproach, proving that the maiden had never inspired love.
For these and other examples see p. 72, chap. iii. "L'Amour dans
l'Humanité," by P. Mantegazza, a civilised and unprejudiced
traveller.
[FN#85] Arab. "Zill," lit. "shadow me."
[FN#86] Arab. "Istinshák," one of the items of the "Wuzú" or
lesser ablution: see vol. v. 198.
[FN#87] In Chavis her name is "Zaliza" and she had "conceived an
unhappy passion" for her master, to whom she "declared her
sentiments without reserve."
[FN#88] Arab. "Armaghánát," the Arab. plur. of "Armaghán,"
Pers.=a present.
[FN#89] In the text, "jumlatun min al-mál," which Scott
apparently reads "Hamlat al-jamal" and translates (p. 38) "a
camel's load of treasure."
[FN#90] The learned man was to exorcise some possible "evil
spirit" or "the eye," a superstition which seems to have begun,
like all others, with the ancient Egyptians.
[FN#91] The MS., I have said, always writes "Khwájá" instead of
"Khwájah" (plur. "Khwájat"): for this word, the modern Egyptian
"Howájah," see vol. vi. 46. Here it corresponds with our
"goodman."
[FN#92] Arab. "Yatazáwadú"=increasing.
[FN#93] By which she accepted the offer.
[FN#94] This incident has already occurred in the tale of the
Portress (Second Lady of Baghdad, vol. i. 179), but here the
consequences are not so tragical. In Chavis the vulgar cock
becomes "a golden Censer ornamented with diamonds, to be sold for
two thousand sequins" (each=9 shill.).
[FN#95] A royal sign of wrath generally denoting torture and
death. See vols. iv. 72; vi. 250.
[FN#96] Arab. "Yá Sallám," addressed to Allah.
[FN#97] Here more is meant than meets the eye. When a Moslem's
head was struck off, in the days of the Caliphate, it was placed
under his armpit, whereas that of a Jew or a Christian was set
between his legs, close to the seat of dishonour.
[FN#98] In Chavis and Cazotte the lady calls to "Morigen, her
first eunuch, and says, Cut off his head!" Then she takes a
theorbo and "composed the following couplets"--of which the first
may suffice:
Since my swain unfaithful proves,
Let him go to her he loves, etc., etc.
[FN#99] The device has already occurred in "Ali Baba."
[FN#100] Arab. "Al-ma'húd min ghayr wa'd."
[FN#101] In Chavis and Cazotte the king is Harun al-Rashid and
the masterfl young person proves to be Zeraida, the favourite
daughter of Ja'afar Bermaki; whilst the go-between is not the
young lady's mother but Nemana, an old governess. The over-
jealous husband in the Second Lady of Baghdad (vol. i. 179) is
Al-Amín, son and heir of the Caliph Marun al-Rashid.
[FN#102] Vol. iii. pp. 168-179: and Scott's "Story of the Second
Lunatic," pp. 45-51. The name is absurdly given as the youth was
anything but a lunatic; but this is Arab symmetromania. The tale
is virtually the same as "Women's Wiles," in Supplemental Nights,
vol. ii. 99-107.
[FN#103] This forward movement on the part of the fair one is
held to be very insulting by the modest Moslem. This incident is
wanting in "Women's Wiles."
[FN#104] Arab. "Labbah," usually the part of the throat where
ornaments are hung or camels are stabbed.
[FN#105] The chief of the Moslem Church. For the origin of the
office and its date (A.D. 1453) see vols. ix. 289, and x. 81.
[FN#106] Arab. "Satíhah"=a she-Satih: this seer was a headless
and neckless body, with face in breast, lacking members and lying
prostrate on the ground. His fellow, "Shikk," was a half-man, and
both foretold the divine mission of Mohammed. (Ibn Khall. i.
487.)
[FN#107] Arab. "Wakt al-Zuhà;" the division of time between
sunrise and midday.
[FN#108] In the text "Sufrah"=the cloth: see vol. i. 178, etc.
[FN#109] Arab. "Ya Tinjír," lit.=O Kettle.
[FN#110] Arab. "Tari," lit.=wet, with its concomitant suggestion,
soft and pleasant like desert-rain.
[FN#111] Here meaning "Haste, haste!" See vol. i. 46.
[FN#112] The chief man (Aghá) of the Gypsies, the Jink of Egypt
whom Turkish soldiers call Ghiovendé, a race of singers and
dancers; in fact professional Nautch-girls. See p. 222, "Account
of the Gypsies of India," by David MacRitchie (London, K. Paul,
1886), a most useful manual.
[FN#113] Arab. "Kurúsh," plur of. "Kirsh" (pron. "Girsh"), the
Egyptian piastre=one-fifth of a shilling. The word may derive
from Karsh=collecting money; but it is more probably a corruption
of Groschen, primarily a great or thick piece of money and
secondarily a small silver coin=3 kreuzers=1 penny.
[FN#114] The purse ("Kís") is=500 piastres (kurúsh)=£5; and a
thousand purses compose the Treasury ("Khaznah")=£5,000.
[FN#115] MS. vol. iii. pp. 179-303. It is Scott's "Story of the
Retired Sage and his Pupil, related to the Sultan by the Second
Lunatic," vi. pp. 52-67; and Gauttier's Histoire du Sage, vi.
199-2l4. The scene is laid in Cairo.
[FN#116] Meaning that he was an orphan and had, like the
well-known widow, "seen better days."
[FN#117] The phrase, I have noted, is not merely pleonastic: it
emphasises the assertion that it was a chance day.
[FN#118] An old Plinian fable long current throughout the East.
It is the Pers. Ním-chihreh, and the Arab Shikk and possibly
Nasnás=nisf al-Nás (?) See vol. v. 333. Shikk had received from
Allah only half the form of a man, and his rival diviner Satíh
was a shapeless man of flesh without limbs. They lived in the
days of a woman named Tarífah, daughter of Al-Khayr al-Himyarí
and wife of Amrú bin 'Amir who was famous for having intercourse
with the Jann. When about to die she sent for the two, on account
of their deformity and the influence exercised upon them by the
demons; and, having spat into their mouths, bequeathed to them
her Jinni, after which she departed life and was buried at
Al-Johfah. Presently they became noted soothsayers; Shikk had
issue but Satih none; they lived 300 (some say 600) years, and
both died shortly before the birth of the Prophet concerning whom
they prophesied. When the Tobba of Al-Yaman dreamed that a dove
flew from a holy place and settled in the Tihámah
(lowland-seaboard) of Meccah, Satih interpreted it to signify
that a Prophet would arise to destroy idols and to teach the best
of faiths. The two also predicted (according to Tabari) to
Al-Rabí'ah, son of Nasr, a Jewish king of Al-yaman, that the
Habash (Abyssinians) should conquer the country, govern it, and
be expelled, and after this a Prophet should arise amongst the
Arabs and bring a new religion which all should embrace and which
should endure until Doomsday. Compare this with the divining
damsel in Acts xvi. 16-18.
[FN#119] Arab. "Kahramánah;" the word has before been explained
as a nurse, a duenna, an Amazon guarding the Harem. According to
C. de Perceval (père) it was also the title given by the
Abbasides to the Governess of the Serraglio.
[FN#120] So in the Apocrypha ("Tobias" vi. 8). Tobit is taught by
the Archangel Raphael to drive away evil spirits (or devils) by
the smoke of a bit of fish's heart. The practice may date from
the earliest days when "Evil Spirits" were created by man. In
India, when Europeans deride the existence of Jinns and
Rakshasas, and declare that they never saw one, the people
receive this information with a smile which means only, "I should
think not! you and yours are worse than any of our devils."
[FN#121] An Inquisitorial costume called in the text "Shámiyát bi
al-Nár."
[FN#122] A tribe of the Jinn sometimes made synonymous with
"Márid" and at other times contrasted with these rebels, as in
the Story of Ma'aruf and J. Scott's "History of the Sultan of
Hind" (vol. vi. 195). For another note see The Nights, iv. 88.
[FN#123] Arab. "'Ilm al-Hurúf," not to be confounded with the
"'Ilm al-Jumal," or "Hisáb Al-Jumal," a notation by numerical
values of the alphabet. See Lumsden's Grammar of the Persian
Language, i. 37.
[FN#124] Like our "Cut your mutton," or manger la soupe or die
suppe einzunehmen. For this formula meaning like the Brazilian
"cup of water," a grand feast, see vol. vii. 168.
[FN#125] Arab. "Tafazzal," a most useful word employed upon
almost all occasions of invitation and mostly equivalent to "Have
the kindness," etc. See vol. ii. 103.
[FN#126] The Shaykh for humility sits at the side, not at the
"Sadr," or top of the room; but he does not rise before the
temporal power. The Sultan is equally courteous and the Shaykh
honours him by not keeping silence.
[FN#127] Arab. "Miat Mamlúk kitábí," the latter word meaning "one
of the Book, a Jew" (especially), or a Christian.
[FN#128] This MS. prefers the rare form "Al-Jánn" for the
singular.
[FN#129] These flags, I have noticed, are an unfailing
accompaniment of a Jinn army.
[FN#130] MS. vol. iii. pp. 203-210; Scott, "Night Adventure of
the Sultan," pp. 68-71. Gauttier, Aventure nocturne du Sulthan,
vi. 214.
[FN#131] Arab. "Mashrút shadak." Ashdak is usually applied to a
wide-chapped face, like that of Margaret Maultasch or
Mickle-mouthed Meg. Here, however, it alludes to an accidental
deformity which will presently be described.
[FN#132] Arab. "Amsik lisána-k": the former word is a standing
"chaff" with the Turks, as in their tongue it means cunnus-penis
and nothing else. I ever found it advisable when speaking Arabic
before Osmanlis, to use some such equivalent as Khuz=take thou.
[FN#133] This is the familiar incident in "Ali Baba": Supplem.
vol iii. 231, etc.
[FN#134] MS. iii. 210-214. Scott's "Story of the broken-backed
Schoolmaster," vi. pp. 72-75, and Gauttier's "Histoire du Maitre
d'école éreinté," vi. 217. The Arabic is "Muaddib al-Atfál"=one
who teacheth children. I have before noted that amongst Moslems
the Schoolmaster is always a fool. So in Europe of the 16th
century probably no less than one-third of the current jests
turned upon the Romish clergy and its phenomenal ignorance
compared with that of the pagan augur. The Story of the First
Schoolmaster is one of the most humorous in this MS.
[FN#135] For the usual ceremony when a Moslem sneezes, see vol.
ix. 220.
[FN#136] The "day in the country," lately become such a favourite
with English schools, is an old Eastern custom.
[FN#137] MS. iii. 214-219. Scott's "Story of the wry-mouthed
Schoolmaster," vi. pp. 74-75: Gauttier's Histoire du Second
Estropié, vi. p. 220.
[FN#138] In these days the whole would be about 10d.
[FN#139] Pay-day for the boys in Egypt. The Moslem school has
often been described but it always attracts the curiosity of
strangers. The Moorish or Maroccan variety is a simple affair;
"no forms, no desks, few books. A number of boards about the size
of foolscap, whitewashed on either side, whereon the
lessons--from the alphabet to sentences of the Koran--are plainly
written in large black letters; a pen and ink, a book and a
switch or two, complete the paraphernalia. The dominie, squatting
on the ground, tailor-fashion, like his pupils, who may number
from ten to thirty, repeats the lesson in a sonorous singsong
voice, and is imitated by the urchins, who accompany their voices
by a rocking to and fro which sometimes enables them to keep
time. A sharp application of the cane is wonderfully effectual in
recalling wandering attention; and lazy boys are speedily
expelled. On the admission of a pupil, the parents pay some small
sum, varying according to their means, and every Wednesday, which
is a half-holiday, a payment is made from 1/4d. to 2d. New moons
and feasts are made occasions for larger payments, and are also
holidays, which last ten days during the two greater festivals.
Thursdays are whole holidays, and no work is done on Friday
mornings, that day being the Mohammedan 'Sabbath,' or at least
'meeting day,' as it is called. When the pupils have mastered the
first short chapter of the Koran, it is customary for them to be
paraded round the town on horseback, with ear-splitting music,
and sometimes charitably disposed persons make small presents to
the youngster by way of encouragement. After the first, the last
is learned, then the last but one, and so on, backwards, as, with
the exception of the first, the longest chapters are at the
beginning. Though reading and a little writing are taught, at the
same time, all the scholars do not arrive at the pitch of
perfection necessary to indite a polite letter, so that
consequently there is plenty of employment for the numerous
scribes or Tálibs who make a profession of writing. These may
frequently be seen in small rooms opening on to the street,
usually very respectably dressed in a white flowing haik and
large turban, and in most cases of venerable appearance, their
noses being adorned with huge goggles. Before them are their
appliances,--pens made of reeds, ink, paper, and sand in lieu of
blotting paper. They usually possess also a knife and scissors,
with a case to hold them all. In writing, they place the paper on
the knee, or upon a pad of paper in the left hand." The main
merit of the village school in Eastern lands is its noises which
teach the boy to concentrate his attention. As Dr. Wilson of
Bombay said, the young idea is taught to shout as well as to
shoot, and this vivâ voce process is a far better mnemonic than
silent reading. Moreover it is fine practice in the art of
concentrating attention.
[FN#140] Arab. "Mikshat," whose root would be "Kasht"=skinning (a
camel).
[FN#141] Evidently said ironicè as of innocents. In "The Forty
Vezirs" we read, "At length they perceived that all this tumult
arose from their trusting on this wise the words of children."
(Lady's XXth Tale.)
[FN#142] MS. iii. 219-220. For some unaccountable reason it is
omitted by Scott (vi. 76), who
has written English words in the margin of the W. M. Codex.
[FN#143] In text "Kádúm," for "Kudúm," a Syrian form.
[FN#144] Arab. "Hidyah," which in Egypt means a falcon; see vol.
iii. 138.
[FN#145] Arab. "Sifah,"=lit. a quality.
[FN#146] Arab. "Istiláh"=specific dialect, idiom. See De Sacy,
Chrestomathie, i. 443, where the learned Frenchman shows abundant
learning, but does very little for the learner.
[FN#147] In the text "Kattán"=linen, flax.
[FN#148] Arab. "Fí Jífán ka'l-Jawábí!" which, I suppose, means
small things (or men) and great.
[FN#149] This form of cleverness is a favourite topic in Arabian
folk-lore. The model man was Iyás al-Muzani, al-Kazi (of
Bassorah), in the 2nd century A.H., mentioned by Al-Harírí in his
7th Ass. and noted in Arab. Prov. (i. 593) as "more intelligent
than Iyás." Ibn Khallikan (i. 233) tells sundry curious tales of
him. Hearing a Jew ridicule the Moslem Paradise where the blessed
ate and drank ad libitum but passed nothing away, he asked if all
his food were voided: the Jew replied that God converted a part
of it into nourishment and he rejoined, "Then why not the whole?"
Being once in a courtyard he said that there was an animal under
the bricks and a serpent was found: he had noted that only two of
the tiles showed signs of dampness and this proved that there was
something underneath that breathed. Al-Maydáni relates of him
that hearing a dog bark, he declared that the beast was tied to
the brink of a well; and he judged so because the bark was
followed by an echo. Two men came before him, the complainant
claimed money received by the defendant who denied the debt. Iyás
asked the plaintiff where he had given it, and was answered,
"Under a certain tree." The judge told him to go there by way of
refreshing his memory and in his absence asked the defendant if
his adversary could have reached it. "Not yet," said the rogue,
forgetting himself; "'tis a long way off"--which answer convicted
him. Seeing three women act upon a sudden alarm, he said, "One of
them is pregnant, another is nursing, and the third is a virgin."
He explained his diagnosis as follows: "In time of danger persons
lay their hands on what they most prize. Now I saw the pregnant
woman in her flight place her hand on her belly, which showed me
she was with child; the nurse placed her hand on her bosom,
whereby I knew that she was suckling, and the third covered her
parts with her hand proving to me that she was a maid."
(Chenery's Al Hariri, p. 334.)
[FN#150] Such an address would be suited only to a King or a
ruler.
[FN#151] MS. iii. 231-240; Scott's "Story of the Sisters and the
Sultana their mother," vi. 82; Gauttier's Histoire de la Sulthane
et de ses trois Filles, vi. 228.
[FN#152] Arab, "Darajatáni"=lit. two astronomical degrees: the
word is often used in this MS.
[FN#153] Arab. "Síwan;" plur. "Síwáwín."
[FN#154] Arab. "'Alá hudúd (or Alá hadd) al-Shauk," repeated in
MS. iii. 239.
[FN#155] Here the writer, forgetting that the youngest sister is
speaking, breaks out into the third person--"their case"--"their
mother," etc.
[FN#156] The idea is that of the French anonyma's "Mais,
Monsieur, vous me suivez comme un lavement."
[FN#157] The text (p. 243) speaks of two eunuchs, but only one
has been noticed.
[FN#158] Arab. "Manjaník;" there are two forms of this word from
the Gr. {Greek}, or {Greek}, and it survives in our mangonel, a
battering engine. The idea in the text is borrowed from the life
of Abraham whom Nimrod cast by means of a catapult (which is a
bow worked by machinery) into a fire too hot for man to approach.
[FN#159] Showing that he was older; otherwise she would have
addressed him, "O my cousin." A man is "young," in Arab speech,
till forty and some say fifty.
[FN#160] The little precatory formula would keep off the Evil
Eye.
[FN#161] Supper comes first because the day begins at sundown.
[FN#162] Calotte or skull-cap; vol. i. 224; viii. 120.
[FN#163] This is a new "fact" in physics and certainly to be
counted amongst "things not generally known." But Easterns have a
host of "dodges" to detect physiological differences such as
between man and maid, virgin and matron, imperfect castratos and
perfect eunuchs and so forth. Very Eastern, mutatis mutandis, is
the tale of the thief-catcher, who discovered a fellow in
feminine attire by throwing an object for him to catch in his lap
and by his closing his legs instead of opening them wide as the
petticoated ones would do.
[FN#164] She did not wish to part with her maidenhead at so cheap
a price.
[FN#165] Arab. "Subú'" (for "Yaum al-Subú'") a festival prepared
on the seventh day after a birth or a marriage or return from
pilgrimage. See Lane (M. E. passim) under "Subooa."
[FN#166] For this Anglo-Indian term,=a running courier, see vol.
vii. 340. It is the gist of the venerable Joe Miller in which the
father asks a friend to name his seven-months child. "Call him
'Cossid' for verily he hath accomplished a march of nine months
in seven months."
[FN#167] Arab. "Madáfi al-Salámah," a custom showing the date of
the tale to be more modern than any in the ten vols. of The
Nights proper.
[FN#168] Master, captain, skipper (not owner): see vols. i. 127;
vi. 112.
[FN#169] Zahr al-Bahr=the surface which affords a passage to man.
[FN#170] Arab. "Batiyah," gen.=a black jack, a leathern flagon.
[FN#171] "Kunafáh"=a vermicelli cake often eaten at breakfast:
see vol. x. 1: "Kunafáni" is the baker or confectioner. Scott (p.
101) converts the latter into a "maker of cotton wallets for
travelling."
[FN#172] In the text (iii. 260) "Mídi," a clerical error for
"Mayyidí," an abbreviation of "Muayyadí," the Faddah, Nuss or
half-dirham coined under Sultan al-Muayyad, A.H. ixth cent.=A.D.
xvth.
[FN#173] Arab. "Rub'" (plur. "Arbá'")=the fourth of a "Waybah,"
the latter being the sixth of an Ardabb (Irdabb)=5 bushels. See
vol. i. 263.
[FN#174] A royal pavilion; according to Shakespear (Hind. Dict.
sub voce) it is a corruption of the Pers. "Sayabán."=canopy.
[FN#175] Arab. "Musajja'"=rhymed prose: for the Saj'a, see vol.
i. 116, and Terminal Essay, vol. x. p. 220. So Chaucer:--
In rhyme or ellès in cadence.
[FN#176] Arab. "Huwa inná na'rifu-h" lit.=He, verily we wot him
not: the juxtaposition of the two first pronouns is intended to
suggest "I am he."
[FN#177] In Moslem tales decency compels the maiden, however much
she may be in love, to show extreme unwillingness in parting with
her maidenhead especially by marriage; and this farce is enacted
in real life (see vol. viii. 40). The French tell the indecent
truth,
Désir de fille est un feu qui dévore:
Désir de femme est plus fort encore.
[FN#178] The Arab. form (our old "bashaw") of the Turk. "Pasha,"
which the French and many English write Pacha, thus confusing the
vulgar who called Ibrahim Pacha "Abraham Parker." The origin of
the word is much debated and the most fanciful derivations have
been proposed. Some have taken it from the Sansk. "Paksha"=a
wing: Fuerst from Pers. Páigáh=rank, dignity; Von Hammer
(History) from Pái-Sháh=foot of the king; many from
"Pádisháh"=the Sovran, and Mr. E. T. W. Gibb suspects a
connection with the Turk. "Básh"=a head. He writes to me that the
oldest forms are "Bashah" and "Báshah"; and takes the following
quotation from Colonel Jevád Bey, author of an excellent work on
the Janissaries published a few years ago. "As it was the custom
of the (ancient) Turks to call the eldest son 'Páshá,' the same
style was given to his son Alá al-Din (Aladdín) by Osmán Gházi,
the founder of the Empire; and he kept this heir at home and
beside him, whilst he employed the cadet Orkhan Bey as his
commander-in-chief. When Orkhán Gházi ascended the throne he
conferred the title of Páshá upon his son Sulayman. Presently
reigned Murád (Amurath), who spying signs of disaffection in his
first-born Sáwújí Bey about the middle of his reign created Kárá
Khalíl (his Kází-Askar or High Chancellor) Wazir with the title
Kazyr al-Dín Pasha; thus making him, as it were, an adopted son.
After this the word passed into the category of official titles
and came to be conferred upon those who received high office."
Colonel Jevád Bey then quotes in support of his opinion the
"History of Munajjim Pasha" and the "Fatáyah
al-Wakú'at"=Victories of Events. I may note that the old title
has been sadly prostituted in Egypt as well as in Turkey: in 1851
Páshás could be numbered on a man's fingers; now they are
innumerable and of no account.
[FN#179] Arab. "'Alà bábi 'lláh"=for the love of the Lord,
gratis, etc., a most popular phrase.
[FN#180] Arab. "Bahár," often used for hot spices generally.
[FN#181] In the text Shajarat Ríh.
[FN#182] Arab. "Ma'ádin"=minerals, here mentioned for the first
time.
[FN#183] For the ear conceiving love before the eye (the basis of
half these love-stories), see vol. iii. 9.
[FN#184] According to Dr. Steingass "Mirwad"=the iron axle of a
pulley or a wheel for drawing water or lifting loads, hence
possibly a bar of metal, an ingot. But he is more inclined to
take it in its usual sense of "Kohl-pencil." Here "Mirwád" is the
broader form like "Miftáh" for "Miftah," much used in Syria.
[FN#185] For the Ashrafi, a gold coin of variable value, see vol.
iii. 294. It is still coined; the Calcutta Ashrafi worth £1 11s.
8d. is 1/16th (about 5s. to the oz.) better than the English
standard, and the Regulations of May, 1793, made it weigh 190.894
grs. Troy.
[FN#186] In text "Anjar"=a flat platter; Pers.
[FN#187] By what physical process the author modestly leaves to
the reader's imagination. Easterns do not often notice this
feminine venereal paroxysm which takes the place of seminal
emission in the male. I have seen it happen to a girl when
hanging by the arms a trifle too long from a gymnastic cross-bar;
and I need hardly say that at such moments (if men only knew
them) every woman, even the most modest, is an easy conquest. She
will repent it when too late, but the flesh has been too strong
for her.
[FN#188] A neat and suggestive touch of Eastern manners and
morals.
[FN#189] In text "Ghayr Wa'd," or "Min ghayr Wa'd." Lit. without
previous agreement: much used in this text for suddenly,
unexpectedly, without design.
[FN#190] The reader will have remarked the use of the Arabic
"'Alaka"=he hung, which with its branches greatly resembles the
Lat. pendere.
[FN#191] Arab. "Min al-Malábis," plur. of "Malbas"=anything
pleasant or enjoyable; as the plural of "Milbas"=dress, garment,
it cannot here apply.
[FN#192] i.e. "The Tigris" (Hid-dekel), with which the Egyptian
writer seems to be imperfectly acquainted. See vols. i. 180;
viii. 150.
[FN#193] The word, as usual misapplied in the West, is to be
traced through the Turk. Kúshk (pron. Kyúshk) to the Pers.
"Kushk"=an upper chamber.
[FN#194] Four including the doorkeeper. The Darwayshes were
suspected of kidnapping, a practice common in the East,
especially with holy men. I have noticed in my Pilgrimage (vols.
ii. 273; iii. 327), that both at Meccah and at Al-Medinah the
cheeks of babes are decorated with the locally called
"Masháli"=three parallel gashes drawn by the barber with the
razor down the fleshy portion of each cheek, from the exterior
angles of the eyes almost to the corners of the mouth. According
to the citizens this "Tashrít" is a modern practice distinctly
opposed to the doctrine of Al-Islam; but, like the tattooing of
girls, it is intended to save the children from being carried
off, for good luck, by kidnapping pilgrims, especially Persians.
[FN#195] The hair being shaven or plucked and showing the darker
skin. In the case of the axilla-pile, vellication is the popular
process: see vol. ix. 139. Europeans who do not adopt this
essential part of cleanliness in hot countries are looked upon as
impure by Moslems.
[FN#196] Here a little abbreviation has been found necessary: "of
no avail is a twice-told tale."
[FN#197] The nearest approach in Eastern tales to Western
hysterics.
[FN#198] A tent-pitcher, body servant, etc. See vol. vii. 4. The
word is still popular in Persia.
[FN#199] The amount of eating and drinking in this tale is
phenomenal; but, I repeat, Arabs enjoy reading of "meat and
drink" almost as much as Englishmen.
[FN#200] Arab writers always insist upon the symptom of rage
which distinguishes the felines from the canines; but they do not
believe that the end of the tail has a sting.
[FN#201] The circular leather which acts alternately provision
bag and table-cloth. See vols. i. 178; v. 8; viii. 269, and ix.
141.
[FN#202] He refused because he suspected some trick and would not
be on terms of bread and salt with the stranger.
[FN#203] The story contains excellent material, but the writer or
the copier has "scamped" it in two crucial points, the meeting of
the bereaved Sultan and his wife (Night ccclxxvii.) and the
finale where we miss the pathetic conclusions of the Mac. and
Bresl. Edits. Also a comparison of this hurried dénouement with
the artistic tableau of "King Omar bin al-Nu'uman," where all the
actors are mustered upon the stage before the curtain falls,
measures the difference between this MS. and the printed texts,
showing the superior polish and finish of the latter.
[FN#204] Vol. iii. pp. 386-97, where it follows immediately the
last story. Scott (Story of the Avaricious Cauzee and his Wife,
vi. 112) has translated it after his own fashion, excising half
and supplying it out of his own invention; and Gauttier has
followed suit in the Histoire du Cadi avare et de sa Femme, vi.
254.
[FN#205] Tarábulus and Atrábulus are Arabisations of Tripolis
(hod. Tripoli) the well-known port-town north of Bayrút; founded
by the Phoenicians, rose to fame under the Seleucidæ, and was
made splendid by the Romans. See Socin's "Bædeker," p. 509.
[FN#206] i.e. the Kazi's court-house
[FN#207] Arab. "Buksumah" = "hard bread" (Americanicè).
[FN#208] Arab. "Sufrah umm jalájil." Lit. an eating-cloth with
little bells, like those hung to a camel, or metal plates as on
the rim of a tambourine.
[FN#209] The Kursi here = the stool upon which the "Síníyah" or
tray of tinned copper is placed, the former serving as a table.
These stools, some 15 inches high and of wood inlaid with bone,
tortoise-shell or mother-of-pearl, are now common in England,
where one often sees children using them as seats. The two (Kursi
and Síníyah) compose the Sufrah, when the word is used in the
sense of our "dinner-table." Lane (M.E. chapt. v.) gives an
illustration of both articles.
[FN#210] Arab. "Jarídah," a palm-frond stripped of its leaves
(Supplemental vol. i. 203), hence the "Jaríd" used as a javelin;
see vol. vi. 263.
[FN#211] An Egyptian or a Syrian housewife will make twenty
dishes out of roast lamb, wholly unlike the "good plain cook" of
Great or Greater Britain, who leaves the stomach to do all the
work of digestion in which she ought to but does not assist.
[FN#212] A plate of "Baysár" or "Faysár," a dish peculiar to
Egypt; beans seasoned with milk and honey and generally eaten
with meat. See Mr. Guy Lestrange's "Al-Mukaddasi," Description of
Syria, p. 80; an author who wrote cir. A.H. 986. Scott (vi. 119)
has "A savoury dish called byssarut, which is composed of parched
beans and pounded salt meat, mixed up with various seeds, onions
and garlic." Gauttier (vi. 261) carefully avoids giving the
Arabic name, which occurs in a subsequent tale (Nights cdxliv.)
when a laxative is required.
[FN#213] Arab. "Mulúkhíyah náshiyah," lit. = flowing; i.e. soft
like épinards au jus. Mulúkhíya that favourite vegetable, the
malva esculenta is derived from the Gr. {Greek} (also written
{Greek}) from {Greek} = to soften, because somewhat relaxing. In
ancient Athens it was the food of the poorer classes and in Egypt
it is eaten by all, taking the place of our spinach and sorrel.
[FN#214] Arab. "Kalak" = lit. "agitation," "disquietude" and here
used as syn. with "Kúlanj," a true colic.
[FN#215] Arab. "Mazarát," from "Mazr," = being addled (an egg).
[FN#216] Here is an allusion to the "Massage," which in these
days has assumed throughout Europe all the pretensions of
scientific medical treatment. The word has been needlessly
derived from the Arab. "Mas'h" = rubbing, kneading; but we have
the Gr. synonym and the Lat. Massare. The text describes
child-bed customs amongst Moslem women, and the delivery of the
Kazi has all the realism of M. Zola's accouchement in La Joie de
Vivre.
[FN#217] Arab. "Fa'álah" = the building craft, builders' trade.
[FN#218] In text "Kawwárah," which is not found in the
dictionaries. "Kuwáray"= that which is cut off from the side of a
thing, etc. My translation is wholly tentative: perhaps Kawwára
may be a copyist's error for "Kazázah" = vulg. a (flask of)
glass.
[FN#219] The "Khaznah," = treasury, is a thousand "Kís" = 500
piastres, or £5 at par; and thus represents £5,000, a large sum
for Tripoli in those days.
[FN#220] The same incident occurs in that pathetic tale with an
ill name = "How Abu al-Hasan brake Wind." vol. v. 135.
[FN#221] Arab. "Karkabah," clerical error (?) for "Karkarah" =
driving (as wind the clouds); rumbling of wind in bowels. Dr.
Steingass holds that it is formed by addition of a second "K,"
from the root "Karb," one of whose meanings is: "to inflate the
stomach."
[FN#222] For Ummu 'Amrin = mother of 'Amru, so written and
pronounced " 'Amr," a fancy name, see vol. v. 118, for the Tale
of the Schoolmaster, a well-known "Joe Miller." [Ummu 'Amrin,
like Ummu 'Ámirin, is a slang term for "hyena." Hence, if Ass and
Umm Amr went off together, it is more than likely that neither
came back.--St.]
[FN#223] A slang name for Death. "Kash'am" has various sigs. esp.
the lion, hence Rabí'at al-Faras (of the horses), one of the four
sons of Nizár was surnamed Al-Kash'am from his cur de lion (Al-
Mas'udi iii. 238). Another pleasant term for departing life is
Abú Yáhyá = Father of John, which also means "The Living" from
Hayy--Death being the lord of all: hence "Yamút" lit.= he dies,
is an ill-omened name amongst Arabs. Kash'am is also a hyena, and
Umm Kash'am is syn. with Umm 'Ámir (vol. i. 43). It was
considered a point of good breeding to use these "Kunyah" for the
purpose of varying speech (see al-Hariri Ass. xix.). The phrase
in the text = meaning went to hell, as a proverb was first used
by Zuhayr, one of the "Suspended Poets." Umm Kash'am was the P.N.
of a runaway camel which, passing by a large fire, shied and
flung its riding saddle into the flames. So in Al-Siyúti's
"History of the Caliphs" (p. 447), the text has "And Malak Shah
went to where her saddle was thrown by Umm Kash'am," which Major
Jarrett renders "departed to hell-fire."
[FN#224] Scott's "Story of the Bhang-eater and Cauzee," vi. 126:
Gauttier, Histoire du Preneur d'Opium et du Cadi, vi. 268.
[FN#225] Arab. "Lawwaha" = lit. pointing out, making clear.
[FN#226] Text "in his belly," but afterwards in his "Halkah" =
throat, throttle, which gives better sense.
[FN#227] In text "Háyishah" from "Haysh" = spoiling, etc.
[FN#228] Arab. "Yauh!" See vols. ii. 321; vi. 235.
[FN#229] Arab. "Yá Jad'án" (pron. "Gád'án") more gen. "Yá Jad'a"
= mon brave!
[FN#230] In text "Yá 'Arzád": prob. a clerical slip for "'Urzát,"
plur. of "'Urzah" = a companion, a (low) fellow, a man evil
spoken of.
[FN#231] Easterns love drinking in a bright light: see vol. ii.
59.
[FN#232] Arab. "'Akl" (= comprehension, understanding) and "Nakl"
(= copying, describing, transcribing), a favourite phrase in this
MS.
[FN#233] Arab. "Ummáli"; gen. Ummál, an affirmation; Certes, I
believe you!
[FN#234] For the many preparations of this drug, see Herklots,
Appendix, pp. lxviii. ciii. It is impossible to say how "Indian
hemp," like opium, datura, ether and chloroform, will affect the
nervous system of an untried man. I have read a dozen
descriptions of the results, from the highly imaginative Monte
Cristo to the prose of prosaic travellers; and do not recognise
that they are speaking of the same thing.
[FN#235] This tranquil enjoyment is popularly called "Kayf." See
my Pilgraimage i. 13. In a coarser sense it is applied to all
manners of intoxication; and the French traveller Sonnini says,
"The Arabs (by which he means the Egyptians) give the name of
Kayf to the voluptuous relaxation, the delicious stupor, produced
by the smoking of hemp." I have smoked it and eaten it for months
without other effect than a greatly increased appetite and a
little drowsiness.
[FN#236] These childish indecencies are often attributed to
Bhang-eaters. See "Bákún's Tale of the Hashísh-eater," vol. ii.
91. Modest Scott (vi. 129) turns the joke into "tweaking the
nose." Respectable Moslems dislike the subject, but the vulgar
relish it as much as the sober Italian enjoys the description of
a drinking bout--in novels.
[FN#237] In the text "Finjál," a vulgarism for "Finján": so the
converse "Isma'ín" for "Ism'aíl" = Ishmael. Mr. J. W. Redhouse
(The Academy No. 764) proposes a new date for coffee in Al-Yaman.
Colonel Playfair (History of Yemen, Bombay 1859) had carelessly
noted that its "first use at Aden was by a judge of the place who
had seen it drunk at Zayla', on the African coast opposite Aden,"
and he made the judge die in A.H. 875 = A.D. 1470. This is about
the date of the Shaykh al-Sházalí's tomb at Mocha, and he was the
first who brought the plant form about African Harar to the
Arabian seaboard. But Mr. Redhouse finds in a Turkish work
written only two centuries ago, and printed at Constantinople, in
A.D. 1732, that the "ripe fruit was discovered growing wild in
the mountains of Yemen (?) by a company of dervishes banished
thither." Finding the berry relieve their hunger and support
their vigils the prior, "Shaykh 'Umar advised their stewing it
(?) and the use became established. They dried a store of the
fruit; and its use spread to other dervish communities, who
perhaps (?) sowed the seed wherever it would thrive throughout
Africa (N.B. where it is indigenous) and India (N.B. where both
use and growth are quite modern). From Africa, two centuries
later, its use was reimported to Arabia at Aden (?) by the judge
above mentioned, who in a season of scarcity of the dried fruit
(?) tried the seed" (N.B. which is the fruit). This is passing
strange and utterly unknown to the learned De Sacy (Chrest. Arab.
i. 412-481).
[FN#238] Koran iii. 128. D'Herbelot and Sale (Koran, chap. iii.
note) relate on this text a noble story of Hasan Ali-son and his
erring slave which The Forty Vezirs (Lady's eighth story, p. 113)
ignorantly attributes to Harun al-Rashid:--Forthwith the Caliph
rose in wrath and was about to hew the girl to pieces, when she
said, "O Caliph, Almighty Allah saith in His glorious Word (the
Koran), 'And the stiflers of Wrath'" (iii. 128). Straightway the
Caliph's wrath was calmed. Again said the girl, "'And the
pardoners of men.'" (ibid.) Quoth the Caliph, "I have forgiven
the crimes of all the criminals who may be in prison." Again said
the slave-girl, "'And Allah loveth the beneficent.'" (ibid.)
Quoth the Caliph, "God be witness that I have with my own wealth
freed thee and us many male and female slaves as I have, and that
this day I have for the love of Allah given the half of all my
good in alms to the poor." This is no improvement upon the simple
and unexaggerated story in Sale. "It is related of Hasan, the son
of Ali, that a slave having once thrown a dish on him boiling
hot, as he sat at table, and fearing his master's resentment,
fell on his knees and repeated these words, Paradise is for those
who bridle their anger. Hasan answered, I am not angry. The slave
proceeded, And for those who forgive men. I forgive you, said
Hasan. The slave, however, finished the verse, For Allah loveth
the beneficent. Since it is so, replied Hasan, I give you your
liberty and four hundred pieces of silver."
[FN#239] The old name of the parish bull in rural England.
[FN#240] Arab. "Kawík:" see The Nights, vol. vi. 182, where the
bird is called "Ak'ak." Our dicts. do not give the word, but
there is a "Kauk" (Káka, yakúku) to cluck, and "Kauk" = an
aquatic bird with a long neck. I assume "Kawík" to be an
intensive form of the same root. The "Mother of Solomon" is a
fanciful "Kunyah," or bye name given to the bird by the
Bhang-eater, suggesting his high opinion of her wisdom.
[FN#241] Arab. "Nátúr," prop. a watchman: also a land-mark, a
bench-mark of tamped clay.
[FN#242] In text "Bartamán" for "Martaban" = a pot, jar, or
barrel-shaped vessel: others apply the term to fine porcelain
which poison cannot affect. See Col. Yule's Glossary, s. v.
Martabán, where the quotation from Ibn Batutah shows that the
term was current in the xivth century. Linschoten (i. 101)
writes, "In this town (Martaban of Pegu) many of the great
earthen pots are made, which in India are called Martananas, and
many of them are carried throughout all India of all sorts both
small and great: and some are so great that they will fill two
pipes of water." Pyrard (i. 259) applies the name to "certain
handsome jars, of finer shape and larger than I have seen
elsewhere" (Transl. by ALBERT Gray for the Hakluyt Soc. 1887).
Mr. Hill adds that at Málé the larger barrel-shaped jars of
earthenware are still called "Mátabán," and Mr. P. Brown (Zillah
Dictionary, 1852) finds the word preserved upon the Madras coast
= a black jar in which rice is imported from Pegu.
[FN#243] The Arabic here changes person, "he repeated" after
Eastern Fashion, and confuses the tale to European readers.
[FN#244] Such treasure trove belonging to the State, i.e. the
King.
[FN#245] Arab. "Húrí" for "Hír" = a pool, marsh, or quagmire, in
fact corresponding with our vulgar "bogshop." Dr. Steingass would
read "Haurí," a "mansúb" of "Haur" = pond, quagmire, which, in
connection with a Hammam, may = sink, sewer, etc.
[FN#246] The Bedlam: see vol. i. 288.
[FN#247] Arab. "Tamtar aysh?" (i.e. Ayyu shayyin, see vol. i.
79). I may note that the vulgar abbreviation is of ancient date.
Also the Egyptian dialect has borrowed, from its ancestor the
Coptic, the practice of putting the interrogatory pronoun or
adverb after (not before the verb, e.g. "Rá'ih fayn?" = Wending
(art thou) whither? It is regretable that Egyptian scholars do
not see the absolute necessity of studying Coptic, and this
default is the sole imperfection of the late Dr. Spitta Bey's
admirable Grammar of Egyptian.
[FN#248] Arab. "'Arsah," akin to "Mu'arris" (masc.) = a pimp, a
pander. See vol. i. 338; and Supp. vol. i. 138; and for its use
Pilgrimage i. 276.
[FN#249] i.e. Abú Kásim the Drummer. The word "Tambúr" is
probably derived from "Tabl" = a drum, which became by the common
change of liquids "Tabur" in O. French and "Tabour" in English.
Hence the mod. form "Tambour," which has been adopted by Turkey,
e.g. Tambúrji = a drummer. In Egypt, however, "Tambúr" is applied
to a manner of mandoline or guitar, mostly used by Greeks and
other foreigners. See Lane, M.E. chap. xviii.
[FN#250] Arab. "Bál" (sing. Bálah) = a bale, from the Span. Bala
and Italian Balla, a small parcel made up in the shape of a bale,
Lat. Palla.
[FN#251] Arab. "Walásh," i.e. "Was lá shayya" = "And nihil" (nil,
non ens, naught).
[FN#252] Arab. "Kurbáj" = cravache: vol. viii. 17. The best are
made of hippopotamus-hide (imported from East Africa), boiled and
hammered into a round form and tapering to the point. Plied by a
strong arm they cut like a knout.
[FN#253] The text "Yá Sultán-am," a Persian or Turkish form for
the Arab. "Yá Sultán-i."
[FN#254] In text "Kalb" for "Kulbat" = a cave, a cavern.
[FN#255] The houses were of unbaked brick or cob, which readily
melts away in rain and requires annual repairing at the base of
the walls where affected by rain and dew. In Sind the damp of the
earth with its nitrous humour eats away the foundations and soon
crumbles them to dust.
[FN#256] Here meaning the under-Governor or head Clerk.
[FN#257] "Níl" (= the Nile), in vulgar Egyptian parlance the word
is = "high Nile," or the Nile in flood.
[FN#258] Arab. "Darwayshsah" = a she-Fakír, which in Europe would
be represented by that prime pest a begging nun.
[FN#259] Arab. "Allah háfiz-ik" = the popular Persian expression,
"Khudá Háfiz!"
[FN#260] Arab. "Sálihin" = the Saints, the Holy Ones.
[FN#261] Arab. "Sharkh" = in dicts. the unpolished blade of a
hiltless sword.
[FN#262] In the text "Miláyah," a cotton stuff some 6 feet long,
woven in small chequers of white and indigo-blue with an ending
of red at either extremity. Men wrap it round the body or throw
it over the shoulder like our plaid, whose colours I believe are
a survival of the old body-paintings, Pictish and others. The
woman's "Miláyah" worn only out of doors may be of silk or
cotton: it is made of two pieces which are sewed together
lengthwise and these cover head and body like a hooded cloak.
Lane figures it in M.E. chapt. i. When a woman is too poor to own
a "Miláyah" or a "Habarah" (a similar article) she will use a
bed-sheet for out-of-doors work.
[FN#263] The pun here is "Khalíyát" = bee-hive and empty: See
vols. vi. 246 ix. 291. It will occur again in Supplementary vol.
v. Night DCXLVI.
[FN#264] i.e. Caravan, the common Eastern term. In India it was
used for a fleet of merchantmen under convoy: see Col. Yule,
Glossary, s. v.
[FN#265] Again "Bartamán" for "Martabán."
[FN#266] The "Sáhib" = owner, and the "Dallál" = broker, are
evidently the same person.
[FN#267] "Alà kám" for "kam" (how much?)--peasants' speech.
[FN#268] She has appeared already twice in The Nights, esp. in
The Tale of Ghánim bin 'Ayyúb (vol. ii. 45) and in Khalifah the
Fisherman of Baghdad (vol. viii. 145). I must again warn my
readers nto to confound "Kút" = food with "Kuwwat" = force, as in
Scott's "Koout al Koolloob" (vi. 146). See Terminal Essay p. 101.
[FN#269] In text "Mu'ammarjiyah" (master-masons), a vulgar
Egyptianism for "Mu'ammarin." See "Jáwashiyah," vols. ii. 49;
viii. 330. In the third line below we find "Muhandizín" =
gemoetricians, architects, for "Muhandísm." [Perhaps a
reminiscence of the Persian origin of the word "Handasah" =
geometry, which is derived from "Andázah" = measurement,
etc.-St.]
[FN#270] The text ends this line in Arabic.
[FN#271] Alluding to the curious phenomenon pithily expressed in
the Latin proverb, "Suus cuique crepitus benè olet," I know of no
exception to the rule, except amongst travellers in Tibet, where
the wild onion, the only procurable green-stuff, produces an
odour so rank and fetid that men run away from their own
crepitations. The subject is not savoury, yet it has been
copiously illustrated: I once dined at a London house whose
nameless owner, a noted bibliophile, especially of "facetiæ," had
placed upon the drawing-room table a dozen books treating of the
"Crepitus ventris." When the guests came up and drew near the
table, and opened the volumes, their faces were a study. For the
Arab. "Faswah" = a silent break wind, see vol. ix. 11 and 291. It
is opposed to "Zirt" = a loud fart and the vulgar term, see vol.
ii. 88.
[FN#272] Arab. "Yá Házá," see vol. i. 290.
[FN#273] In text "Yumkinshayy," written in a single word, a
favourite expression, Fellah-like withal, throughout this MS.
[FN#274] In text "Tafazzalú;" see vol. ii. 103.
[FN#275] The word (Saráy) is Pers. But naturalised throughout
Egypt and Syria; in places like Damascus where there is no king
it is applied to the official head-quarters of the Walí
(provincial governor), and contains the prison like the Maroccan
"Kasbah." It must not be confounded with "Serraglio" = the Harem,
Gynecium or women's rooms, which appears to be a bastard
neo-Latin word "Serrare," through the French Serrer. I therefore
always write it with the double "canine letter."
[FN#276] I have noted (vol. i. 95) that the "Khil'ah" = robe of
honour, consists of many articles, such as a horse, a gold-hilted
sword, a fine turban, etc., etc.
[FN#277] This again shows the "Nakkál" or coffee-house
tale-teller. See vol. x. 144.
[FN#278] This is the Moslem version of "Solomon's Judgment" (1
Kings iii. 16-20). The Hebrew legend is more detailed but I
prefer its rival for sundry reasons. Here the women are not
"harlots" but the co-wives of one man and therefore hostile;
moreover poetical justice is done to the constructive murderess.
[FN#279] I am not aware that the specific gravity of the milks
has ever been determined by modern science; and perhaps the
experiment is worthy a trial.
[FN#280] Arab. "Dúna-k." See vol. iv. p. 20.
[FN#281] "Al-Wazíru'l-Arif bi-lláhi Ta'álà," a title intended to
mimic those of the Abbaside Caliphs; such as "Mu'tasim bi'llah"
(servant of Allah), the first of the long line whose names begin
with an epithet (the Truster, the Implorer, etc.), and ed with
"bi'llah."
[FN#282] [Tarajjama, which is too frequently used in this MS. to
be merely considered as a clerical error, I suppose to mean: he
pronounced for him the formula: "A'uzzu bi lláhi mina 'l-Shaytáni
'l-Rajimi" = I take refuge with Allah against Satan the Stoned.
See Koran xvi. 100. It would be thus equivalent with the usual
taßwwaza.-St.]
[FN#283] The MS. here ends Night cdxii. and begins the next. Up
to this point I have followed the numeration but from this
forwards as the Nights become unconscionably short compared with
the intervening dialogues, I have thrown two and sometimes three
into one. The Arabic numbers are, however, preserved for easier
reference.
[FN#284] This is a poor and scamped version of "Ali the Persian
and the Kurd Sharper," in vol. v. 149. It is therefore omitted.
[FN#285] The dish-cover, usually made of neatly plaited straw
variously coloured, is always used, not only for cleanliness but
to prevent the Evil Eye falling upon and infecting the food.
[FN#286] The "Bámiyah," which = the Gumbo, Occra (Okrá) or Bhendi
of Brit. India which names the celebrated bazar of Bombay, is the
esculent hibiscus, the polygonal pod (some three inches long and
thick as a man's finger) full of seeds and mucilage making it an
excellent material for soups and stews. It is a favourite dish in
Egypt and usually eaten with a squeeze of lime-juice. See Lane,
Mod. Egypt. chapt. v., and Herklots (App. p. xlii.) who notices
the curry of "Bandakí" or Hibiscus esculentus.
[FN#287] Written "Bakshísh," after Fellah-fashion.
[FN#288] [In the MS.: Wa'l-Sultánu karaa Wirduh (Wirda-hu) wa
jalasa li Munádamah = And the Sovran recited his appointed
portion of the Koran, and then sat down to convivial converse.
This reminds of the various passages of the present Shah of
Persia's Diary, in which he mentions the performance of his
evening devotions, before setting out for some social gathering,
say a supper in the Guildhall, which he neatly explains as a
dinner after midnight (Shám ba'd az nisf-i-shab).--St.]
[FN#289] This is Scott's "Story of the Three Princes and
Enchanting Bird," vol. vi. 160. On the margin of the W. M. MS. he
has written, "Story of the King and his Three Sons and the
Enchanting Bird" (vol. i. Night cdxvii.). Gauttier, vi. 292,
names it Histoire des Trois Princes et de l'Oiseau Magicien.
Galland may have used parts of it in the "Two Sisters who envied
their Cadette": see Supp. vol. iii. pp. 313-361.
[FN#290] In text "Al-Bulaybul" (the little Nightingale,
Philomelet) "Al Sayyáh" (the Shrieker). The latter epithet
suggests to me the German novel which begins, "We are in Italy
where roses bestink the day and Nightingales howl through the
live-long night," &c.
[FN#291] "Sanjak," Turk. = flag, banner, and here used (as in
vulg. Arab.) for Sanják-dár, the banner-bearer, ensign. In mod.
parlance, Sanják = minor province, of which sundry are included
in an "Iyálah" = government-general, under the rule of a Wáli
(Wiláyah).
[FN#292] In the MS. "Zifr" = nail, claw, talon.
[FN#293] "Al-Rizk maksúm," an old and sage byword pregnant with
significance: compare "Al-Khauf (fear) maksúm" = cowardice is
equally divided. Vol. iii. 173. [I read: "Yas'à 'l-Kadamu
li-'Umrin dana au li-Rizkin qusima," taking "Rizk" as an
equivalent for "al-Rizku 'l-hasanu" = any good thing which a man
obtains without exerting himself in seeking for it, and the
passive "qusima" in the sense of Kismah, vulgo "Kismet." Hence I
would translate: The foot speeds to a life that is mean, or to a
boon that is pre-ordained.-St.]
[FN#294] In the text "Bát" (for Bit), in Fellah-speech "Pass the
night here!" The Bird thus makes appeal to the honour and
hospitality of his would-be captor, and punishes him if he
consent. I have translated after Scott (v. 161). [I cannot
persuade myself to take "bát" for an imperative, which would
rather be "bít" for "bit," as we shall find "kúm" for "kum,"
"rúh" for "ruh." It seems to me that the preterite "bát" means
here "the night has passed," and rendering "man" by the
interrogative, I would translate: "O! who shall say to the sad,
the separated, night is over?" Complaints of the length of night
are frequent with the parted in Arab poetry. This accords also
better with the following 'Atús al-Shams, the sneezing of the
sun, which to my knowledge, applies only to daybreak, as in
Hariri's 15th Assembly (al-Farziyah), where "the nose of the
morning" sneezes.--St.]
[FN#295] i.e., they bound kerchiefs stained blue or almost black
round their brows. In modern days Fellah women stain their veils
(face and head), kerchiefs and shirts with indigo; and some
colour their forearms to the elbow.
[FN#296] Here again and in the following adventure we have
"Khudadad and his Brothers." Suppl. vol. iii. 145-174.
[FN#297] In sign of despair. See vol. i. 298.
[FN#298] In text "Kalamátu 'llah" = the Koran: and the quotation
is from chapt. cxiii. 5. For the "Two Refuge-takings"
(Al-Mu'awizzatáni), see vol. iii. 222.
[FN#299] i.e., caused his brothers to recover life. [I read:
Allazí 'amaltu fí-him natíjah yujázúní bi-Ziddi-há = Those to
whom I did a good turn, requite me with the contrary thereof.
Allazí, originally the masc. Sing. is in this MS. vulgarly, like
its still more vulgar later contraction, "illí," used for both
genders and the three numbers.--St.]
[FN#300] Arab. "Házir!" I have noted that this word, in Egypt and
Syria, corresponds with the English waiter's "Yes sir!"
[FN#301] Koran, Chapter of Joseph, xii. 19.
[FN#302] Arab. "Hanút:" this custom has become almost obsolete:
the corpse is now sprinkled with a mixture of water, camphor
diluted and the dried and pounded leaves of various trees,
especially the "Nabk" (lote-tree or Zizyphus lotus).--Lane M.E.
chapt. xxviii.
[FN#303] These comical measures were taken by "Miss Lucy" in
order to charm away the Evil Eye which had fascinated the article
in question. Such temporary impotence in a vigorous man, which
results from an exceptional action of the brain and the nervous
system, was called in old French Nouement des aiguilettes (i.e.
point-tying, the points which fastened the haut-de-chausses or
hose to the jerkin, and its modern equivalent would be to "button
up the flap"). For its cure, the "Deliement des aiguilettes" see
Davenport "Aphrodisiacs" p. 36, and the French translation of the
Shaykh al-Nafzáwi (Jardin Parfumé, chapt. xvii. pp. 251-53). The
Moslem heals such impotence by the usual simples, but the girl in
the text adopts a moral course which buries the dead parts in
order to resurrect them. A friend of mine, a young and vigorous
officer, was healed by a similar process. He had carried off a
sergeant's wife, and the husband lurked about the bungalow to
shot him, a copper cap being found under the window hence a state
of nervousness which induced perfect impotence. He applied to the
regimental surgeon, happily a practised hand, and was gravely
supplied with pills and a draught; his diet was carefully
regulated and he was ordered to sleep by the woman but by no
means to touch her for ten days. On the fifth he came to his
adviser with a sheepish face and told him that he had not wholly
followed the course prescribed, as last night he had suddenly--by
the blessing of the draught and the pills--recovered and had
given palpable evidence of his pristine vigour. The surgeon
deprecated such proceeding until the patient should have full
benefit of his drugs--bread pills and cinnamon-water.
[FN#304] Here ends vol. iii. of the W. M. MS. and begins Night
cdxxvi.
[FN#305] In the next "Rísah," copyist's error for "Ríshah" = a
thread, a line: it afterwards proves to be an ornament for a
falcon's neck. [I cannot bring myself to adopt her the
explanation of "Ríshah" as a string instead of its usual meaning
of "feather," "plume." My reasons are the following: 1. The youth
sets it upon his head; that is, I suppose, his cap, or whatever
his head-gear may be, which seems a more appropriate place for a
feather than for a necklace. 2. Further on, Night cdxxx., it is
said that the Prince left the residence of his second spouse in
search (talíb) of the city of the bird. If the word "Ríshah,"
which, in the signification of thread, is Persian, had been
sufficiently familiar to an Arab to suggest, as a matter of
course, a bird's necklace, and hence the bird itself, we would
probably find a trace of this particular meaning, if not in other
Arabic books, at least in Persian writers or dictionaries; but
here the word "Ríshah," by some pronounced "Reshah" with the Yá
majhúl, never occurs in connection with jewels; it means fringe,
filament, fibre. On the other hand, the suggestion of the bird
presents itself quite naturally at the sight of the feather. 3.
Ib. p. 210 the youth requests the old man to tell him concerning
the "Tayrah allazí Rísh-há (not Rishat-há) min Ma'ádin," which, I
believe, can only be rendered by: the bird whose plumage is of
precious stones. The "Ríshah" itself was said to be "min Zumurrud
wa Lúlú," of emeralds and pearls; and the cage will be "min
Ma'ádin wa Lúlú," of precious stones and pearls, in all which
cases the use of the preposition "min" points more particularly
to the material of which the objects are wrought than the mere
Izáfah. The wonderfulness of the bird seems therefore rather to
consist in his jewelled plumage than the gift of speech or other
enchanting qualities, and I would take it for one of those costly
toys, in imitation of trees and animals, in which Eastern princes
rejoice, and of which we read so many descriptions, not only in
books of fiction, but even in historical works. If it were a
live-bird of the other kind, he would probably have put in his
word to expose the false brothers of the Prince.--St.]
[FN#306] This is conjectural: the text has a correction which is
hardly legible. [I read: "Wa lákin hú ajmalu min-hum bi-jamálin
mufritin, lakinnahu matrúdun hú wa ummu-hu" = "and yet he was
more beautiful than they with surpassing beauty, but he was an
outcast, he and his mother," as an explanation, by way of
parenthesis, for their daring to treat him so shamefully.--St.]
[FN#307] The venerable myth of Andromeda and Perseus (who is
Horus in disguise) brought down to Saint George (his latest
descendant), the Dragon (Typhon) and the fair Saba in the "Seven
Champions of Christendom." See my friend M. Clermont Ganneau's
Horus et Saint-Georges; Mr. J. R. Anderson's "Saint Mark's Rest;
the Place of Dragons;" and my "Book of the Sword," chapt. ix.
[FN#308] i.e. there was a great movement and confusion.
[FN#309] [In the text 'Afár, a word frequently joined with
"Ghubár," dust, for the sake of emphasis; hence we will find in
Night ccccxxix. the verb "yu'affiru," he was raising a
dust-cloud.--St.]
[FN#310] Upon the subject of "throwing the kerchief" see vol. vi.
285. Here it is done simply as a previously concerted signal of
recognition.
[FN#311] In text "'Alá Yadín;" for which vulgarism see vol. iii.
51.
[FN#312] Elephants are usually, as Cuvier said of the (Christian)
"Devil" after a look at his horns and hoofs, vegetarians.
[FN#313] [The MS. has "yughaffiru wa yuzaghdimu." The former
stands probably for "yu'-affíru," for which see supra p. 205,
note 2. The writing is, however, so indistinct that possibly
"yufaghghiru" is intended, which means he opened his mouth wide.
"Yuzaghdimu" is one of those quadriliterals which are formed by
blending two triliterals in one verb, in order to intensify the
idea. "Zaghada" and "Zaghama" mean both "he roared," more
especially applied to a camel, and by joining the "d" of the one
with the "m" of the other, we obtain "Zaghdama," he roared
fiercely.--St.]
[FN#314] [Sára'a-hu wa láwa'a-hu = he rushed upon him and worried
him. The root law' means to enfeeble, render sick, especially
applied to love-sickness (Lau'ah). The present 3rd form is rarely
used, but here and in a later passage, Night cdxlv., the context
bears out the sense of harassing.--St.]
[FN#315] In text "Zaghárit" plur. of Zaghrútah: see vol. ii. p.
80.
[FN#316] [Yá walad al-Halál. I would translate: "O! son of a
lawful wedlock," simply meaning that he takes him to be a decent
fellow, not a scamp or Walad al-Harám.--St.]
[FN#317] The repetitium is a sign of kindness and friendliness;
see vol. vi. 370.
[FN#318] This Arabian "Sattár" corresponds passing well with
"Jupiter Servator."
[FN#319] "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast
perfected praise." Matt. Xxi. 16. The idea is not less Moslem
than Christian.
[FN#320] [I read "Sarkhah adwat la-há al-Saráyah" = a cry to
which the palace-women raised an echo, a cry re-echoed by the
palace-women. "Adwá" is the fourth form of "Dawiya," to hum or
buzz, to produce an indistinct noise, and it is vulgarly used in
the above sense, like the substantive "Dawi," an echo. Al-Saráyah
is perhaps only an Arabised form of the Persian Saráy, and the
sentence might be, to which the palace resounded.--St.]
[FN#321] The Princess is not logical: on the other hand she may
plead that she is right.
[FN#322] Arab. "Ma'lúmah," which may also mean the "made known,"
or "aforemention."
[FN#323] A sensible remark which shows that the King did not
belong to the order called by Mr. Matthew Arnold "Barbarians."
[FN#324] In text: "Rajul Ja'ídí," for which see supra p. 9.
[FN#325] Arab. "Fidawiyah," sing. "Fidáwi" = lit. one who gives
his life to a noble cause, a forlorn hope, esp. applied to the
Ismai'liyah race, disciples of the "Assassin" Hasan-i-Sabáh. See
De Sacy, "Mémoire sur les Assassins Mém. de l'Institut," etc. iv.
7 et seqq. Hence perhaps a castaway, a "perdido," one careless of
his life. I suspect, however, that is is an Egyptianised form of
the Pers. "Fidá'i" = a robber, a murderer. The Lat. Catalogue
prefers "Sicarius" which here cannot be the meaning.
[FN#326] Arab. "Kirsh," pop. "Girsh."
[FN#327] I have noticed that there is a Shaykh or head of the
Guild, even for thieves, in most Moslem capitals. See vol. vi.
204.
[FN#328] Here is the normal enallage of persons, "luh" = to him
for "lí" = to me.
[FN#329] In text "Na'mil ma'allazí, etc....makídah." I have
attempted to preserve the idiom.
[FN#330] [In the MS. "al-'Ashrah Miah," which, I think, can
scarcely be translated by "ten times one hundred." If Miah were
dependent on al-'Ashrah, the latter could not have the article. I
propose therefore to render "one hundred for the (i.e. every)
ten" = tenfold.--St.]
[FN#331] For this "nosebag," see vols. Ii. 52, and vi. 151, 192.
[FN#332] [Until here the change fromt eh first person into the
third, as pointed out in note 2, has been kept up in the MS.--"He
reached the barracks," "he found," etc. Now suddenly the gender
changes as well, and the tale continues: "And lo, the girl went
to them and said," etc. etc. This looseness of style may, in the
mouth of an Eastern Ráwí, have an additional dramatic charm for
his more eager than critical audience; but it would be
intolerable to European readers. Sir Richard has, therefore, very
properly substituted the first person all through.--St.]
[FN#333] "Riyál" is from the Span. "Real" = royal (coin): in
Egypt it was so named by order of Ali Bey, the Mameluke, in A.H.
1183 (A.D. 1771-72) and it was worth ninety Faddahs = 5 2/5d. The
word, however, is still applied to the dollar proper (Maria
Theresa), to the Riyál Fransá or five-france piece and to the
Span. pillar dollar: the latter is also nicknamed 'Abu Madfa'"
Father of a Cannon (the columns being mistaken for cannons); also
the Abú Tákah (Father of a Window), whence we obtaint he
Europeanised "Patacco" (see Lane, Appendix ii.) and "Pataca,"
which Littré confounds with the "Patard" and of which he ignores
the origin.
[FN#334] See The Nights, vol. x. 12.
[FN#335] i.e. "pleasant," "enjoyable"; see "White as milk"
opposed to "black as mud," etc., vol. iv. 140. Here it is after a
fashion synonymous with the French nuit blanche.
[FN#336] [The MS. seems here to read "wa jasad-hu yuhazdimu,"
(thus at least the word, would have to be vocalised if it were a
quadrilateral verbal form), and of this I cannot make out any
sense. I suspect the final syllable is meant for "Dam," blood, of
which a few lines lower down the plural "Dimá" occurs. Reamins to
account for the characters immediately preceding it. I think that
either the upper dot of the Arabic belongs to the first radical
instead of the second, reading "yukhirru," as the fourth or
causative form of "kharra yakhurru," to flow, to ripple, to purl;
or that the two dots beneath are to be divided between the first
two characters, reading "bajaza." The latter, it is true, is no
dictionary word, but we have found supra p. 176, "muhandiz" for
"muhandis," so here "bajaza" may stand for "bajasa" = gushed
forth, used intransitively and transitively. In either case the
translation would be "his body was emitting blood freely."-St.]
[FN#337] The MS. here is hardly intelligible but the sense shows
the word to be "Misallah" (plur. "Misáll") = a large needle for
sewing canvas, &c. In Egypt the usual pronunciation is
"Musallah," hence the vulgar name of Cleopatra's needle "Musallat
Far'aun" (of Pharaoh) the two terms contending for which shall be
the more absurd. I may note that Commander Gorridge, the
distinguished officer of the U.S. Navy who safely and easily
carried the "Needle" to New York after the English had made a
prodigious mess with their obelisk, showed me upon the freshly
uncovered base of the pillar the most distinct intaglio
representations of masonic implements, the plumb-line, the
square, the compass, and so forth. These, however, I attributed
to masonry as the craft, to the guild; he to Freemasonry, which
in my belief was unknown to the Greeks and Romans, and is never
mentioned in history before the eight Crusades (A.D. 1096-1270).
The practices and procedure were evidently borrowed from the
various Vehms and secret societies which then influenced the
Moslem world, and our modern lodges have strictly preserved in
the "Architect of the Universe," Arian and Moslem Unitarianism as
opposed to Athanasian and Christian Tritheism; they admit the Jew
and the Mussulman as apprentices, but they refuse the Hindu and
the Pagan. It seems now the fashion to run down the mystic
charities of the brethren are still active, and the society still
takes an active part in politics throughout the East. As the late
Pope Pius IX. (fitly nicknamed "Pio no-no"), a free mason
himself, forbade Freemasonry to his church because a secret
society is incompatible with oral confession (and priestcraft
tolerates only its own mysteries), and made excommunication the
penalty, the French lodges have dwindled away and the English
have thriven upon their decay, thus enlisting a host of neophytes
who, when the struggle shall come on, may lend excellent aid.
[FN#338] The "Janázah" or bier, is often made of planks loosely
nailed or pegged together into a stretcher or platform, and it
would be easy to thrust a skewer between the joints. I may remind
the reader that "Janázah" = a bier with a corpse thereon (vol.
ii. 46), whereas the "Sarír" is the same when unburdened, and the
"Na'ash" is a box like our coffin, but open at the tip.
[FN#339] [In the Arab. Text "They will recognise me," which I
would rather refer to the Vagabonds than to the crowd, as the
latter merely cries wonder at the resuscitation, without
apparently troubling much about the wonder-worker.--St.]
[FN#340] [Ar. "na'tázu," viii. form of 'áza = it escaped, was
missing, lacked, hence the meaning of this form, "we are in want
of," "we need."--St.]
[FN#341] For the "Ardabb" (prop. "Irdabb") = five bushels: see
vol. i. 263.
[FN#342] [In the MS. "'Ayyinah," probably a mis-reading for
"'Ayniyyah" = a sample, pattern.--St.]
[FN#343] In text "Kubbah" = vault, cupola, the dome of unbaked
brick upon peasants' houses in parts of Egypt and Syria, where
wood for the "Sat'h" or flat roof is scarce. The household
granary is in the garret, from which the base of the dome
springs, and the "expense-magazines" consist of huge standing
coffers of wattle and dab propped against the outside walls of
the house.
[FN#344] Gen. "Baysár" or "Faysár," = beans cooked in honey and
milk. See retro, Night ccclxxxviii., for its laxative properties.
[FN#345] [In the MS. "barbastu," with the dental instead of the
palatal sibilant (Sín instead of Sád). Spelled in the former way
the verb "barbasa" means, he sought, looked for, and is therefore
out of place here. Spelled in the second manner, it signifies
literally, he watered the ground abundantly. Presently we shall
find the passive participle "mubarbasah" in the feminine, because
referring to the noun "Tíz" = anus, which, like its synonym,
"1st," professes the female gender. --St.]
[FN#346] [In Ar. "Mubarbasah," for which see the preceding
note.--St.]
[FN#347] The Moslem's tomb is an arched vault of plastered brick,
large enough for a man to sit up at ease and answer the
Questioning Angels; and the earth must not touch the corpse as it
is supposed to cause torture. In the graves of the poorer classes
a niche (lahad) offsets from the fosse and is rudely roofed with
palm-fronds and thatch. The trick played in the text is therefore
easy; see Lane's illustration M.E. chapt. xviii. The reader will
not forget that all Moslems make water squatting upon their
hunkers ina position hardly possible to an untrained European:
see vol. i. 259.
[FN#348] The bull being used in the East to turn the mill and the
water-wheel; vol. i. 16.
[FN#349] In text "Ratl." See vol. iv. 124.
[FN#350] About 1s. 2d.
[FN#351] The man was therefore in hiding for some crime. [The MS.
has "lá tafzah-ní" = Do not rend my reputation, etc. I would,
therefore, translate "Sáhib-há" by "her lover," and suggest that
the crime in question is simply what the French call
"conversation criminelle."--St.]
[FN#352] The "'Ishá"-prayer (called in Egypt "'Eshè") consists of
ten "Ruka'át" = bows or inclinations of the body (not "of the
head" as Lane has it, M.E. chapt. iii.): of these four are
"Sunnah" = traditional or customary (of the Prophet), four are
Farz (divinely appointed i.e. by the Koran) and two again Sunnah.
The hour is nightfall when the evening has closed in with some
minor distinctions, e.g. the Hanafí waits till the whiteness and
the red gleam in the west ("Al-Shafak al-ahmar") have wholly
disappeared, and the other three orthodox only till the ruddy
light has waned. The object of avoiding sundowntide (and sunrise
equally) was to distinguish these hours of orisons from those of
the Guebres and other faiths which venerate, or are supposed to
venerate, the sun.
[FN#353] Scott. "History of the Sultan of Hind," vol. vi.
194-209.
[FN#354] Red robes being a sign of displeasure: see vol. iv. 72;
Scott (p. 294) wrongly makes them "robes of mourning."
[FN#355] A Moslem negroid from Central and Western North Africa.
See vol. ii. 15. They share in popular opinion the reputation of
the Maghrabi or Maroccan for magical powers.
[FN#356] This is introduced by the translator; as usual with such
unedited tales, the name does not occur till much after the
proper place for specifying it.
[FN#357] In text "Iz lam naakhaz-há, wa-illá," &c. A fair
specimen of Arab. ellipsis.--If I catch her not ('twill go hard
with me), and unless (I catch her) I will, &c.
[FN#358] i.e. "How far is the fowl from thee!"
[FN#359] [In the MS. "turayyih," a modern form for
"turawwih."--ST.]
[FN#360] [The above translation pre-supposes the reading "Farkhah
lá atammat," and would require, I believe, the conjunction
"hattà" or "ilà an" to express "till." I read with the MS. "lá
tammat," and would translate: "a chick not yet full grown, when
the crow seized it and flew away with it," as a complaint of the
father for the anticipated untimely end of his son.--ST.]
[FN#361] For "'Aun," a high degree amongst the "Genies," see vol.
iv. p. 83. Readers will be pleased with this description of a
Jinni; and not a few will regret that they have not one at
command. Yet the history of man's locomotion compels us to
believe that we are progressing towards the time when humanity
will become volatile. Pre-historic Adam was condemned to "Shanks
his mare," or to "go on footback," as the Boers have it, and his
earliest step was the chariot; for, curious to say, driving
amongst most peoples preceded riding, as the row-boat forewent
the sailer. But as men increased and the world became smaller and
time shorter the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, after
many abortive attempts, converted the chariot into a railway-car
and the sailer into a steamer. Aerostatics are still in their
infancy and will grow but little until human society shall find
some form of flying an absolute necessity when, as is the history
of all inventions, the winged woman (and her man) of Peter
Wilkins will pass from fiction into fact. But long generations
must come and go before "homo sapiens" can expect to perfect a
practice which in the present state of mundane society would be
fatal to all welfare.
[FN#362] Scott (p. 200) "Welcome to the sovereign of the Aoon,
friendly to his brethren," (siddík al Akhwán) etc. Elsewhere he
speaks of "the Oone."
[FN#363] So he carried a portable "toilette," like a certain
Crown Prince and Prince Bahman in Suppl. vol. iii. 329.
[FN#364] There is another form of the saw in verse:--
Good is good and he's best whoso worketh it first; * And ill is
for me of provisions the worst.
The provision is=viaticum, provaunt for the way.
[The MS. has "akram" and "azlam"="the more generous," "the more
iniquitous," meaning that while good should be requited by good,
and evil provokes further evil in retaliation, the beginner in
either case deserves the greater praise or blame.--ST.]
[FN#365] I have noted (vols. iii. 75, and viii. 266) that there
are two "Soudans" as we write the word, one Eastern upon the
Upper Nile Valley and the other Western and drained by the Niger
water-shed. The former is here meant. It is or should be a word
of shame to English ears after the ungodly murder and massacre of
the gallant "Soudanese" negroids who had ever been most friendly
to us and whom with scant reason to boast we attacked and
destroyed because they aspired to become free from Turkish
task-masters and Egyptian tax-gatherers. That such horrors were
perpetrated by order of one of the most humane amongst our
statesmen proves and decidedly proves one thing, an intense
ignorance of geography and ethnology.
[FN#366] [In the MS. "lawá 'a-hu" for which Sir Richard
conjectures the reading "lawwahahu" taking the pronoun to refer
to the sword. I believe, however, the word to be a clerical error
for our old acquaintance "láwa'a-hu" (see supra p. 203) and,
referring the pronoun in the three verbs to the Lion, would
translate: "and he worried him," etc.--ST.]
[FN#367] Arab. "Al-bashárah," see vol. i. 30: Scott has (vi. 204)
"Good tidings to our sovereign."
[FN#368] [The MS. is here rather indistinct; still, as far as I
can make out, it runs: "wa Hakki man aulàní házá 'l-Mulk"=and by
the right of (i.e. my duty towards) Him who made me ruler over
this kingdom.--ST.]
[FN#369] [The word in the MS. is difficult to decipher. In a
later passage we find corresponding with it the expression
"yumázasa-hu fií 'l-Kalám," which is evidently a clerical error
for "yumárasa-hu"=he tested or tried him in his speech.
Accordingly I would read here: "yakhburu ma'ahu fí 'l-Kalám,"
lit.=he experimented with him, i.e. put him to his test. The idea
seems to be, that he first cross-examined him and then tried to
intimidate him. With this explanation "yusáhí-hu" and later on
"yulhí-hu" would tally, which both have about the same meaning:
to divert the attention, to make forget one thing over another,
hence to confuse and lead one to contradict himself.--ST.]
[FN#370] Here we find the old superstitious idea that no census
or "numbering of the people" should take place save by direct
command of the Creator. Compare the pestilence which arose in the
latter days of David when Joab by command of the King undertook
the work (2 Sam. xxiv. 1-9, etc.).
[FN#371] The text has "Salásín"=thirty, evidently a clerical
error.
[FN#372] [In Ar. "yanjaaru," vii. form of "jaara" (med. Hamzah),
in which the idea of "raising," "lifting up," seems to prevail,
for it is used for raising the voice in prayer to God, and for
the growing high of plants.--ST.]
[FN#373] The text, which is wholly unedited, reads, "He found the
beasts and their loads (? the camels) and the learned men," &c. A
new form of "Bos atque sacerdos" and of place pour les ânes et
les savants, as the French soldiers cried in Egypt when the
scientists were admitted into the squares of infantry formed
against the doughty Mameluke cavalry.
[FN#374] [In the MS. "wáraytaní ilà l-turáb"=thou hast given me
over to the ground for concealment, iii. form of "wara," which
takes the meaning of "hiding," "keeping secret."--ST.]
[FN#375] [The MS. has "wa dazz-há," which is an evident
corruption. The translator, placing the diacritical point over
the first radical instead of the second, reads "wa zarr-há," and
renders accordingly. But if in the MS. the dot is misplaced, the
Tashdid over it would probably also belong to the Dál, resp. Zal,
and as it is very feasible that a careless writer should have
dropped one Waw before another, I am inclined to read "wa
wazzar-ha" = "and he left her," "let her go," "set her free." In
classical Arabic only the imperative "Zar," and the aorist
"yazaru" of the verb "wazara" occur in this sense, while the
preterite is replaced by "taraka," or some other synonym. But the
language of the common people would not hesitate to use a form
scorned by the grammarians, and even to improve upon it by
deriving from it one of their favourite intensives.--St.]
[FN#376] Both are civil forms of refusal: for the first see vols.
i. 32; vi. 216; and for the second ix. 309.
[FN#377] Everything being fair in love and war and dealing with a
"Káfir," i.e. a non-Moslem.
[FN#378] In text "Labbayka" = here am I: see vol. i. 226.
[FN#379] In text "'Úd Khayzarán" - wood of the rattan, which is
orig. "Rota," from the Malay "Rotan." Vol. ii. 66, &c.
[FN#380] [In the MS. "al-Zamán." The translation here adopted is
plausible enough. Still I think it probable that the careless
scribe has omitted the words "yá al-Malik" before it, and meant
to write "O king of the age!" as in so many preceding places.-
-St.]
[FN#381] Arab. "Al-Kuhná," plur. Of "Káhin 't" = diviner, priest
(non-Levitical): see "Cohen," ii. 221. [The form is rather
curious. The Dictionaries quote "Kuhná" as a Syriac singular, but
here it seems to be taken as a plural of the measure "fu'alá"
(Kuhaná), like Umará of Amír or Shu'ará of Shá'ir. The usual
plurals of Káhin are Kahanah and Kuhhán.--St.]
[FN#382] This is a celebrated incident in "Alaeddin," "New lamps
for old:" See Suppl. vol. iii. 119.
[FN#383] In text "Jazdán" = a pencase (Pers.) more pop. called
"Kalamdán" = reed-box, vol. iv. 167: Scott (p. 212) has a
"writing-stand." It appears a queer place wherein to keep a ring,
but Easterns often store in these highly ornamented boxes signets
and other small matters.
[FN#384] Arab. "Bahr al-Muhít" = Circumambient Ocean; see vol. i.
133.
[FN#385] Arab. "Fár" (plur. "Firán") = mouse rather than rat.
[FN#386] Sleep at this time is considered very unwholesome by
Easterns. See under "Kaylúlah" = siesta, vols. i. 51; ii. 178,
and viii. 191.
[FN#387] Modern science which, out of the depths of its
self-consciousness, has settled so many disputed questions,
speaking by the organs of Messieurs Woodman and Tidy ("Medical
Jurisprudence") has decided that none of the lower animals can
bear issue to man. But the voice of the world is against them and
as Voltaire says one cannot be cleverer than everybody. To begin
with there is the will: the she-quadruman shows a distinct lust
for man by fondling him and displaying her parts as if to entice
him. That carnal connection has actually taken place cannot be
doubted: my late friend Mirza Ali Akbar, of Bombay, the famous
Munshi to Sir Charles Napier during the conquest of Sind, a man
perfectly veracious and trustworthy, assured me that in the
Gujarát province he had witnessed a case with his own eyes. He
had gone out "to the jungle," as the phrase is, with another
Moslem who, after keeping him waiting for an unconscionable time,
was found carnally united to a she-monkey. My friend, indignant
as a good Moslem should be, reproved him for his bestiality and
then asked him how it had come to pass: the man answered that the
she-monkey came regularly to look at him on certain occasions,
that he was in the habit of throwing her something to eat and
that her gratitude displayed such sexuality that he was tempted
and "fell." That the male monkey shows an equal desire for the
woman is known to every frequenter of the "Zoo." I once led a
party of English girls to see a collection of mandrill and other
anthropoid apes in the Ménagerie of a well-known Russian
millionaire, near Florence, when the Priapism displayed was such
that the girls turned back and fled in fright. In the
mother-lands of these anthropoids (the Gaboon, Malacca etc.) the
belief is universal and women have the liveliest fear of them. In
1853 when the Crimean war was brewing a dog-faced baboon in Cairo
broke away from his "Kuraydati" (ape-leader), threw a girl in the
street and was about to ravish her when a sentinel drew his
bayonet and killer the beast. The event was looked upon as an
evil omen by the older men, who shook their heads and declared
that these were bad times when apes attempted to ravish the
daughters of Moslems. But some will say that the grand test, the
existence of the mule between man and monkey, though generally
believed in, is characteristically absent, absent as the "missing
link" which goes so far as to invalidate Darwinism in one and
perhaps the most important part of its contention. Of course the
offspring of such union would be destroyed, yet t he fact of our
never having found a trace of it except in legend and idle story
seems to militate against its existence. When, however, man shall
become "Homo Sapiens" he will cast off the prejudices of the
cradle and the nursery and will ascertain by actual experiment if
human being and monkey can breed together. The lowest order of
bimana, and the highest order of quadrumana may, under most
favourable circumstances, bear issue and the "Mule," who would
own half a soul, might prove most serviceable as a hewer of wood
and a drawer of water, in fact as an agricultural labourer. All
we can say is that such "miscegenation" stands in the category of
things not proven and we must object to science declaring them
non-existing. A correspondent favours me with the following note
upon the subject:--Castanheda (Annals of Portugal) relates that a
woman was transporter to an island inhabited by monkeys and took
up her abode in a cavern where she was visited by a huge baboon.
He brought her apples and fruit and at last had connection with
her, the result being two children in two to three years; but
when she was being carrier off by a ship the parent monkey kissed
his progeny. The woman was taken to Lisbon and imprisoned for
life by the King. Langius, Virgilius Polydorus and others quote
many instances of monstruous births in Rome resulting from the
connection of women with dogs and bears, and cows with horses,
&c. The following relative conditions are deduced on the
authority of MM. Jean Polfya and Mauriceau:--1. If the sexual
organism of man or woman be more powerful than that of the
monkey, dog, etc. the result will be a monster in the semblance
of man. 2. If vice-versa the appearance will be that of a beast.
3. If both are equal the result will be a distinct sub-species as
of the horse with the ass.
[FN#388] Arab. "Taním" (plur. of Tamímit) = spells, charms,
amulets, as those hung to a horse's neck, the African Greegree
and the Heb. Thummim. As was the case with most of these earliest
superstitions, the Serpent, the Ark, the Cherubim, the Golden
Calf (Apis) and the Levitical Institution, the Children of Israel
derived the now mysterious term "Urím" (lights) and "Thummim"
(amulets) from Egypt and the Semitic word (Tamímah) still remains
to explain the Hebrew. "Thummim," I may add, is by "general
consensus" derived from "Tôm" = completeness and is englished
"Perfection," but we can find a better origin near at hand in
spoken Arabic.
[FN#389] These verses have already occurred, see my vol. i. p.
275. I have therefore quoted Payne, i. p. 246.
[FN#390] Arab. "Wakíl" who, in the case of a grown-up girl,
declares her consent to the marriage in the presence of two
witnesses and after part payment of the dowry.
[FN#391] Such is the meaning of the Arab. "Thayyib."
[FN#392] This appears to be the popular belief in Egypt. See vol.
iv. 297, which assures us that "no thing poketh and stroketh more
strenuously than the Gird" (or hideous Ahyssinian cynocephalus).
But it must be based upon popular ignorance: the private parts of
the monkey although they erect stiffly, like the priapus of
Osiris when swearing upon his Phallus, are not of the girth
sufficient to produce that friction which is essential to a
woman's pleasure. I may here allude to the general disappointment
in England and America caused by the exhibition of my friend Paul
de Chaillu's Gorillas: he had modestly removed penis and
testicles, the latter being somewhat like a bull's, and his
squeamishness caused not a little grumbling and sense of
grievance--especially amongst the curious sex.
[FN#393] [In the MS. "fahakat," lit. she flowed over like a
brimful vessel.--ST.]
[FN#394] In 1821, Scott (p. 214) following Gilchrist's method of
transliterating eastern tongues wrote "Abou Neeut" and "Neeuteen"
(the latter a bad blunder making a masc. plural of a fem. dual).
In 1822 Edouard Gauttier (vi. 320) gallicised the names to "Abou-
Nyout" and "Abou-Nyoutyn" with the same mistake and one
superadded; there is no such Arabic word as "Niyút." Mr. Kirby
in 1822, "The New Arabian Nights" (p. 366) reduced the words to
"Abu Neut" and "Abu Neuteen," which is still less intelligible
than Scott's; and, lastly, the well-known Turkish scholar Dr.
Redhouse converted the tortured names to "Abú Niyyet" and "Abú
Niyyeteyn," thus rightly giving a "tashdíd" (reduplication sign)
to the Yá (see Appendix p. 430 to Suppl. Vol. No iii. and Turk.
Dict. sub voce "Niyyat"). The Arab. is "Niyyah" = will, purpose,
intent; "Abú Niyyah" (Grammat. "Abú Niyyatin") Father of one
Intent = single-minded and "Abú Niyyatayn" = Father of two
Intents or double-minded; and Richardson is deficient when he
writes only "Niyat" for "Niyyat." I had some hesitation about
translating this tale which begins with the "Envier and the
Envied" (vol. i. 123) and ends with the "Sisters who envied their
Cadette" (Supple. vol. iii. 313). But the extant versions of it
are so imperfect in English and French that I made up my mind to
include it in this collection.--[Richardson's "Niyat" is rather
another, although rarer form of the same word.--St.]
[FN#395] [I read: "wa tukarribu 'I-'abda ilayya," referring the
verb to "al-Sadakh" (the alms) and translating: "and it bringeth
the servant near to me," the speaker, in Coranic fashion supposed
to be Allah.--St.]
[FN#396] The text prefers the Egyptian form "Sherífi" pl.
"Sherífíyah," which was adopted by the Portuguese.
[FN#397] The grace after meat, "Bismillah" being that which
precedes it. Abu Niyyah was more grateful than a youth of my
acquaintance who absolutely declined asking the Lord to "make him
truly thankful" after a dinner of cold mutton.
[FN#398] [The root "Kart" is given in the dictionaries merely to
introduce the word "karít" = complete, speaking of a year, &c.,
and "Takrít," the name of a town in Mesopotamia, celebrated for
its velvets and as the birth-place of Saladin. According to the
first mentioned word I would take the signification of "Kart" to
"complement" which here may fitly be rendered by "remainder," for
that which with regard to the full contents of the dinner tray is
their complement would of course be their remainder with regard
to the viands that have been eaten.--St.]
[FN#399] For the "Zakát" = legal alms, which must not be less
than two-and-a-half per cent, see vol. i. 339.
[FN#400] In text "Kazdír," for which see vols. iv. 274 and vi.
39. Here is may allude to the canisters which make great show in
the general store of a petty shopkeeper.
[FN#401] [The MS. reads "murafraf" (passive) from, "Rafraf" = a
shelf, arch, anything overhanging something else, there here
applying either to the eyebrows as overhanging the eyes, or to
the sockets, as forming a vault or cave for them. Perhaps it
should be "murafrif" (active part), used of a bird, who spreads
his wings and circles round his prey, ready to pounce upon it;
hence with prying, hungry, greedy eyes.--St.]
[FN#402] Arab. "Niyyah" with the normal pun upon the name.
[FN#403] Arab. "'Amil Rasad," lit. acting as an observatory: but
the style is broken as usual, and to judge from the third line
below the sentence may signify "And I am acting as Talisman (to
the Hoard)".
[FN#404] In the text "Ishári," which may have many meanings: I
take a "shot" at the most likely. In "The Tale of the Envier and
the Envied" the counter-spell in a fumigation by means of some
white hair plucked from a white spot, the size of a dirham, at
the tail-end of a black tom-cat (vol. i. 124). According to the
Welsh legend, "the Devil hates cocks"--I suppose since that fowl
warned Peter of his fall.
[FN#405] In text "Yaum al-Ahad," which begins the Moslem week:
see vols. iii. 249, and vi. 190.
[FN#406] [In Ar. "Harj wa Laght." The former is generally
joined with "Marj" (Harj wa Marj) to express utter confusion,
chaos, anarchy. "Laght" (also pronounced Laghat and written with
the palatal "t") has been mentioned supra p. 11 as a synonym of
"Jalabah" = clamour, tumult, etc.--St.]
[FN#407] [In Ar. "yahjubu," aor. Of "hajaba" = he veiled, put
out of sight, excluded, warded off. Amongst other significations
the word is technically used of a nearer degree of relationship
excluding entirely or partially a more distant one from
inheritance.--St.]
[FN#408] Arab. "Yaum al-Jum'ah" = Assembly-day, Friday: see
vol. vi. 120.
[FN#409] A regular Badawi remedy. This Artemisia (Arab. Shayh),
which the Dicts. translate "wormwood of Pontus," is the sweetest
herb of the Desert, and much relished by the wild men: see my
"Pilgrimage," vol. i. 228. The Finnish Arabist Wallin, who died
Professor of Arabic at Helsingfors, speaks of a "Faráshat al-
Shayh" = a carpet of wormwood.
[FN#410] "Sáhibi-h," the masculine; because, as the old grammar
tells us, that gender is more worthy than the feminine.
[FN#411] i.e., his strength was in the old: see vol. i. 340.
[FN#412] Arab. "Haysumah" = smooth stones (water-rounded?).
[FN#413] For "his flesh was crushed upon his bones," a fair
specimen of Arab. "Metonomy-cum-hyperbole." In the days when Mr.
John Bull boasted of his realism versus Gallic idealism, he "got
wet to the skin" when M. Jean Crapaud was mouillé jusqu'aux os.
For the Angels supposed to haunt a pure and holy well, and the
trick played by Ibn Túmart, see Ibn Khaldun's Hist. of the
Berbers, vol. ii. 575.
[FN#414] Here begins the second tale which is a weak replica of
Galland's "Two Sisters," &c.
[FN#415] This is the usual term amongst savages and barbarians,
and during that period the father has no connection with the
mother. Civilisation has abolished this natural practice which
is observed by all the lower animals and has not improved human
matters. For an excellent dissertation on the subject see the
letter on Polygamy by Mrs. Belinda M. Pratt, in "The City of the
Saints," p. 525.
[FN#416] In text "Kuwayyis," dim. of "Kayyis," and much used in
Egypt as an adj. = "pretty," "nice," and as an adv. "well,"
"nicely." See s.v. Spitta Bey's Glossary to Contes Arabes
Modernes. The word is familiar to the travellers in the Nile-
valley.
[FN#417] In Arab. a "Kanát;" see vol. iii. 141. The first
occupation came from nature; the second from seeing the work of
the adopted father.
[FN#418] Abu Niyyah, like most house masters in the East, not to
speak of Kings, was the last to be told a truth familiar to
everyone but himself and his wife.
[FN#419] The MS. breaks off abruptly at this sentence and
evidently lacks finish. Scott (vi., 228) adds, "The young
princes were acknowledged and the good Abou Neeut had the
satisfaction of seeing them grow up to follow his example."
In the MS. this tale is followed by a "Story of his own
Adventures related by a connection to an Emir of Egypt." I have
omitted it because it is a somewhat fade replica of "The Lovers
of the Banú Ozrah" (Vol. vii. 177; Lane iii. 247).
[FN#420] Mr. Chandler remarks (p. 25, "On Lending Bodleian Books,
&c."):--"It is said that the Curators can refuse any application
if they choose; of course they can, but as a matter of fact no
application has ever been refused, and every name added will make
it more and more difficult, more and more invidious to refuse
anyone." I have, therefore, the singular honour of being the
first chosen for rejection.
[FN#421] Mr. Chandler's motion (see p. 28, "Booklending, &c.")
was defeated by an amendment prepared by Professor Jowett and the
former fought, with mixed success, the report of the Committee of
Loans; the document being so hacked as to become useless, and, in
this mangled condition, it was referred back to the Committee
with a recommendation to consider the best way of carrying out
the present statute. The manly and straightforward course of at
once proposing a new statute was not adopted, nor was it even
formally proposed. Lastly, the applications for loans, which
numbered sixteen were submitted to the magnates and were all
refused! whilst the application of an Indian subject that MSS. be
sent to the India Office for his private use was at once granted.
In my case Professors B. Price and Max Müller, who had often
voted for loans, and were willing enough to lend anything to
anybody, declined to vote.
[FN#422] According to the statutes, "The Chancellor must be
acquainted with the Business (of altering laws concerning the
Library), and he must approve, and refer it to the Head of
Houses, else no dispensation can be proposed."
[FN#423] The following telegram from the Vienna correspondent of
"The Times" (November 16, 1886), is worth quotation:--
"The Committee of the Vienna Congress (of Orientalists) is now
preparing a memorial, which will be signed by Archduke Renier,
and will be forwarded in a few days to the trustees of the
British Museum and to the Secretary of State, praying that a Bill
may be introduced into Parliament empowering the British Museum
to lend out its Oriental MSS. to foreign savants under proper
guarantees. A resolution pledging the members of the Oriental
Congress to this course was passed at the Congress of Leyden, in
1883, on the motion of Professor D. H. Müller, of Vienna; but it
has not yet been acted upon so thoroughly as will be the case
now.
"The British Museum is the only great library in Europe which
does not lend out its MSS. to foreigners. The university and
court libraries of Vienna, the royal and state libraries of
Berlin and Munich, those of Copenhagen and Leyden, and
Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris all are very liberal in their
loans to well-recommended foreigners. In Paris a diplomatic
introduction is required. In Munich the library does not lend
directly to the foreign borrower; but sends to the library of the
capital whence the borrower may have made his application, and
leaves all responsibility to that library. In the other
libraries, the discretion is left to the librarian, who generally
lends without any formalities beyond ascertaining the bona fides
and trustworthiness of the applicant. In Vienna, however, there
has occasionally been some little excess of formality, so a
petition is about to be presented to the Emperor by the
University professors, begging that the privilege of borrowing
may be considered as general, and not as depending on the favour
of an official.
"As regards Oriental MSS., it is remarked that the guarantees
need not be so minute as in the case of old European MSS., which
are often unique copies. According to the learned Professor of
Sanskrit in this city, Herr George Bühler, there are very few
unique Oriental MSS. in existence of Sanskrit--perhaps not a
dozen."
[FN#424] (1.) "On Lending Bodleian Books and Manuscripts" (not
published). June 10, 1866; (2) Appendix. Barlow's Argument. June,
1866; (3) On Book-lending as practised at the Bodleian Library.
July 27, 1886; Baxter, Printer, Oxford. The three papers abound
in earnestness and energy; but they have the "defects of their
qualities," as the phrase is; and the subject often runs away
with the writer. A single instance will suffice. No. i. p. 23
says, "In a library like the Bodleian, where the practice of
lending prevails as it now does, a man may put himself to great
inconvenience in order to visit it; he may even travel from
Berlin, and when he arrives he may find that all his trouble has
been in vain, the very book he wants is out." This must have been
written during the infancy of Sir Rowland Hill, and when
telegrams were unknown to mankind; all that the Herr has to do in
our times is to ask per wire if the volume be at home or not.
[FN#425] Chandler, "On Lending Bodleian Books," etc., p. 18.
[FN#426] Koran, xxiii. 14.
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